I Think I've Died and Gone to Heaven

Violet, aubergine, lilac, grape. Whatever shade you want to call it, I am dying over this purple splendor from a website called Sensibly Styled, which might just be my new favorite fashion location on the web. A shout out to my fashionista sister Bekka, for clueing me in to this vertiable treasure trove. According to its home page, "Sensibly Styled finds all the modest clothing, from all the brands you love, and puts it all in one place." Surf on over and see some of the amazing outfits they've put together and if you're looking for a swimsuit, they have TONS of cute ones.

Best of all, they feature links to each item so you can see where they're from or just get inspiration for shopping your own closet. My heart is beating a little faster over the adorable belted button-up in the top picture and the swimsuit and dresses in the bottom one.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back and do some research to see if any of these lovelies will find a home in my closet sometime soon.

Do any of these pieces tickle your fancy? Do you have a different go-to clothing/decorating color?

The Devil Went Down to Georgia: Day 2

We kicked off day two with the requisite trip to the GA state capitol building to indulge my obsession. My favorite part was that all of the offices, from the governor on down, had windows you could peer into to symbolize the transparency of government.

We then happened upon one of Andy's favorite parts of the trip. After exiting the subway near the Georgia Dome, we saw throngs of nerdy-looking teenagers wearing matching shirts and flowing into the building. Being the intrepid explorers that we are, we decided to investigate and stumbled onto the FIRST Robotics Competition where high school teams from around the world brought their homemade robots to face off in a variety of competitions. We saw robot soccer.

The lovely azaleas in bloom downtown.

Horrible self-portrait outside the CNN Center where we took the Inside CNN Studio Tour. We saw live broadcasts, as well as the actual newsroom and technology of how the news gets made. Veeeeery fascinating to a media nerd like moi.

Downtown skyline at night.

Fountains at Centennial Olympic Park.

That afternoon we wanted to see a movie, but the only theater playing the one we wanted to see was two-mile walk (one way) to the charming Virginia-Highland neighborhood. We hoofed it and the movie was good, but the theater was crazy.

Saw "The Ghost Writer," about an author (Ewan McGregor) who gets sucked into a web of intrigue when he agrees to ghost write the memoirs of a controversial former British Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan). Andy's review: "A good mystery."

The Plaza Theater: Atlanta's oldest continuously operating theater. Small, quirky, and hosts movies like Rocky Horror Picture Show.

It basically still looked like this, in a nondescript strip mall, except now it's next door to an Urban Outfitters.

We walked through the Virginia-Highlands neighborhood and not only saw lots of cute houses that I wouldn't mind buying, but ate some delicious gelato as well.

A few of the homes that caught my eye:

Love the front porch and hanging baskets on this one.

We ended our night and million mile hike by heading home through Piedmont Park with a fabulous view of the Midtown skyline. Every community needs a place like this with fishing ponds, running/biking trails, dog park, playgrounds, an arboretum, and more.

I just noticed the crazy guy in the background of this photo.

Hotlanta, Day 1

We're back from our weekend jaunt and the official verdict is that I love, LUV, Luuuurve Atlanta. Many thanks to Andy's mom for making the whole trip possible. We saw tons and walked our little feet off, averaging 7 miles a day, despite taking the subway most places. I'm pretty sure I told Andy about five times that I could definitely move there. The weather was perfect (average winter high 50 degrees - need I say more??), the flowers were in bloom, and there was plenty to inspire, educate, and amuse. Here are some highlights of our adventure.

Best Place to Pay Homage to an Atlanta Native Son and National Hero
Our first big stop was the Martin Luther King Jr. birthplace and National Historic site. Did I mention that we have a crappy camera that has wierd shadows and a shutter that doesn't open all the way? Most of the picture you'll see were not taken by us. MLK's home was one of my favorite places because we learned about his highly refined and educated upbringing. The home was very large and well-decorated for the area and each day he and his siblings were expected to read the newspaper so they could be quizzed on the day's happenings by their father, as well as recite a bible verse before being allowed to eat.

The lovely National Park Service Visitor's center with tons of background on MLK as well as the civil rights movement in general. Interesting facts: He received his doctorate at Boston University since segregation was less prevalent in the North and he was basically thrown into the role of civil rights leader because he was a new minister in Montgomery, AL when the bus boycotts started and a clergyman was perfect to speak out against injustice because he wasn't beholden to the white population for his livelihood and could therefore be more vocal on sensitive issues.

Tomb of MLK and his wife surrounded by a peaceful reflecting pool.

The Ebenezer Baptist Church where MLK's grandfather and father both preached before him.

Best Place to see a Car Worth More than Your House

On Thursdays Atlanta's premier art museum offers half-off admission so we took advantage of the opportunity to see their exhibition: The Allure of the Automobile. I'm no car expert, but these old school luxury beauties were amazing and definitely qualified as art. They had Clark Gable's Pierce Arrow, Steve McQueen's Aston Martin, Dusenbergs, Packards, you name it.

Andy admiring the goods. We also loved the exhibit on John Portman, the world-renowned architecht who almost singlehandedly shaped the Atlanta skyline and worked on many other major projects around the world.

A Bugatti with ostrich skin interior.

The aforementioned Aston Martin.

Best Place to go when you Discover that your Boots Weren't Made for Walking

After a full day of tromping around I realized my flimsy sandals just wouldn't hack it. My feet were starting to hurt and with two more days to go, we needed an intervention. Enter Atlantic Station, Atlanta's newest entertainment/retail/business/residential destination. It was a nice outdoor mall and we enjoyed some amazing ice cream before heading to DSW Shoes for some kicks with more padding. We tried to find a movie to see at their big theater, but there was nothing good as far as maintstream offerings were concerned. We did find something the following night. More on that later...

Best Place to Rest Your Weary Head after a Long Day of Touring

We got a great deal online and stayed at the Georgian Terrace Hotel in Midtown Atlanta. It was one block away from a subway stop in the perfect location. I wanted somewhere in town within easy walking distrance to major attractions that wasn't just your cookie cutter hotel room. The history, lovely architechture, 600 s.f. suite with full kitchen, washer/dryer, walk-in closet, and gorgeous city views fit the bill. Our package included breakfast one morning in the posh hotel restaurant - one of my favorite meals. I tasted pain chocolate for the first time (basically a croissant filled with chocolate).

The airy, spacious hotel lobby.

The hotel restaurant's outdoor patio. A hopping place both day and night.

The hotel was right across the street from the historic "Fabulous" Fox Theater which was originally a Shriner's mosque and features a Moorish facade. The Fox is home to all of the area's major Broadway shows and touring attractions. We weren't interested in the show that was running last weekend, but I'm sad we missed Mary Poppins, which will be there in two weeks. Sigh...at least Wicked is coming to Columbus this summer.

Best Place for Southern Style Biscuits

Upon our arrival in Atlanta at 8 a.m. we took the subway into town and headed straight for the Flying Biscuit, suitcases and all. I'd done some research and read about this restaurant in numerous places. Their namesake offering were pillowy and moist and did not disappoint, especially when slathered with their homemade apple butter. Andy also got some authentic cheesy grits and I loved my omelet. Definitely a place we'd recommend.

Day Two: The Georgia State Capitol building (c'mon, are you really surprised?), CNN Studio Tour, and more.

Heading South

Andy and I are off early tomorrow morning for a much-needed getaway to Atlanta, GA. We are excited to explore the city (no car, we're walking, baby!), see the beautiful blooming dogwoods and azaleas, enjoy some good old Southern cooking, and just relax. We're staying at the hotel where Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh stayed for the premiere of Gone with the Wind, so it should be fun to experience a little piece of history.

Art Imitates Life

Last week the weather was beautiful so Ben and I sat on the grass and drew pictures of our front yard and the ducks that have adopted our neighborhood. We drew them together, and I was pleasantly reminded about how fun it is to sketch. In this rendition, Ben drew many of the flowers, the rock, and the top step of the porch.

And here's the real thing.

A cute mother and father duck have been wandering around lately, and they ended up in our yard just long enough for us to capture them. I love Ben's angry eyebrow on the male duck.

And here's the happy couple in real life.

As we sat there soaking up the sun and basking in the fresh spring air, I felt content and was reminded of the beautiful, simple things in life that I often forget. There is also something very therapeutic about being outside, which we don't do nearly often enough. This has sent me into the thoughts of moving to a different house with more kids in the neighborhood, parks nearby, and a fenced backyard. The past two weekends we've driven around the area and pulled information sheets from homes that are for sale. But then I think about what a pain it would be to move and my resolve weakens. Ben is just a full body kid and needs to be outside more. Maybe we just need to invest in a playset as a compromise.

What are some of the simple things in life that you enjoy?

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

For some reason, the topic of the differences between men and women has been on my mind recently. Perhaps it was spurred on by my laugh-out-loud reaction to this cartoon in The New Yorker last week. Then I read this article in the WSJ this morning, entitled, "Friendship for Guys (No Tears!)," about why men's friendships are different than women's." The thesis was this: "Researchers say women's friendships are face to face: They talk, cry together, share secrets. Men's friendships are side by side: We play golf. We go to football games." It continued, "What they don't do is sit around as a group, sharing their deepest feelings....conversations revolve around the doing of things versus the feeling of things." So true.

When you have a girls' night, what does it involve? Chatting, shopping, talking, eating, pampering, and bonding over words. Andy has organized a boy's golf trip for two years in a row and upon his return I always ask what they talked about over their long weekend. Answer: "Nothing." Just golf. Last year they had a group of eight, among whom many of the participants didn't even know each other. That would rarely, if ever, happen on a girls' trip. How wierd to spend so much time with people you have no history with. What would you talk about????

This topic also spurred a conversation between us about how we recreate differently. We do share lots of common interests like reading, going to movies, eating out, etc., but we don't have alot of shared hobbies. Andy prefers to golf, cycle, run, or watch sports on TV to relax, whereas I prefer to get a pedicure, shop, go to a museum, explore somewhere new, attend a cultural event, travel, etc. I don't know if this is common among men and women, but I'd like to think we're not alone.

How do you jointly recreate with your significant other? What about separately? Do you see similar differences betwen male and female friendships? Any interesting stories on the topic(s)?