Tailgates and Tan Lines

I know I stole the title but it is all this summer has consisted of.

We have spent every moment cheering on the Braves from 755

In our Friday night seats

Happy with the wins!

and dealing with the losses...

Playing in North Georgia

Crusing the lake and celebrating Wet Wednesdays at Sunset Cove

And crossing off our Summer Bucket List

And also this past weekend, enjoying the Jimmy Buffett concert. It is always a BIG event in Atlanta when the Parrotheads descend on the city.

And it gives us a reason to play!

My bl-on-on-on-dessss and I had a big tailgate and danced the day and night away to Buffett and pretending we were in a tropical paradise.

I really must have a thing for tall blondes!

I love you, Summertime. 

Welcoming in a debacherous summertime.

We have spent the last few weeks at the lake and cheering on the Braves but Memorial Day officially rings in the season and if there is something to celebrate, celebrate we shall.

It was just the boys and I this evening but we were in our usual spot in the Green Lot for tailgating and burgers before another Friday night Braves Game and the start to a busy Memorial Day Weekend.

 We were in our usual spot at 755 Club. I may not be the biggest Braves fan - but I am a big fan of Braves games! If you are going to a game, I recommend getting up to 755, its up in right field and serves drinks and food. It won't matter if we win or lose if you head up there - you will have a great time either way.

 S+S+J cheering on the Braves from 755!

And as always the night ended like this...

With late night snacking in the kitchen.

At least we were healthy...I think!

Somehow we convinced eachother to go to Buckhead Saloon after the game last night and woke up on Saturday for an early morning on the lake. I scooped up the girls and we headed out to Sunset Cove for cocktails and volleyball, water slides, and bands and a great kickoff to Summer 2012. It is going to be an amazing summer!

We spent the next two days on the lake and skiied and cruised and enjoyed the sunshine.

On Memorial Day we headed back to Atlanta for pool time and volleyball and French darts and inflatable sliding.

 Oh, and fried chicken of course! This is the South after all..

 

Cinco and Wedded Bliss.

My first baby cousin was married this past weekend in the church we have all grown up in and where all of our parents were married as well. She and her husband did so much of it themselves and couldn't have done a better job. They built a dance floor, and strung twinkling lights in the trees in their backyard, and it looked and felt magical.

Excuse me, but I am going to brag about my family. They are amazing and entertaining; my motivation and support and we all tend to share the - "outgoing, life of the party, dancing fool, silliness" traits and have the most fun together because of it.

This is probably because we begin teaching these traits at a very young age.

Plus, how lovely are our littles ones?

On Friday we had the rehearsal and cocktails at the Willcox - one of my favorite places in Aiken, it is the South at its best. The halls creak with your footsteps and the bathroom feels haunted. However, I mean all of those things in the best way because that is the Willcox, it is stately and romantic with big open rooms and great fireplaces.

The Willcox is where our family meets after dinners and cocktail hours after polo games.  Now it is also where we will begin the celebrations for all the weddings to come, for we are not only cousins but great friends as well.

Another reason the wedding was such a success was because we were also celebrating CINCO DE MAYO! R and I went early to church for our official duties (phamplet passer-outers, thank you) and made sure to remember we love Mexico just as much as M+K on their wedding day.

We ate a late lunch at the Bowery, rallied with Coronas, and spent the evening dancing to the band, singing at the top of our lungs, drinking and playing, jumping in the bouncey house for the children (and those pretending to be), and eating smores and yummy food.

My dancing partner made sure we tried every ridiculous dance move and owned the dance floor.

And let us not forget, HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO from Father and I!

Here is to a life long happiness and health and romance to a perfect couple and a special THANK YOU to them for now separating in order to protect our freedom as Americans. This is the ultimate sacrifice and we can never repay you enough. Love you both.

And so lake we shall

I am a lake girl and will always be.

I grew up on a lake in Montana, spent my highschool years at Lanier, and every summer without fail I spend every weekend (and many weeknights, even when I shouldn't be) playing on the lake.

There is a lake atmosphere - similar to a beach mentality - when you grow up on the lake. My favorite bars are lake bars - Oh, Dam Bar why did you close? My favorite friends are lake friends - even when they stay hidden from October to March.

But every year at the beginning of April that phone call comes and on through the summer saying- grab the board, get your cooler.

It is time for the lake.

We clean up the boat and grab our new suits

 And hats and shades...

 We spend everday floating and tanning

And get in to cool off from the hot Georgia heat

 And board until exhaustion- some better than others.

 And stay until sunset

And so lake, we shall.

Sometimes you should worry that the tide will reach your chair.

Ah Cabo, my annual retreat. We rode horses, were attacked by the ocean, lived on TeCATEs, missed a few flights, traveled to Utah (well only I did), lost car keys, and overly enjoyed every moment of it. But I am perfectly tanned, relaxed, and ruined my summer diet - so it was definitely a successful holiday.

The best thing about Cabo is sleeping with the porch doors flung open to the night breeze and hearing the waves gently rolling onto the shore all night. You wake with the sun peaking over the cliffs, smile to yourself, and scurry over to the coffee maker so you can enjoy your morning coffee on the patio before the sun has reached its peak.

And everytime I am here is looks exactly the same and it is familiar and welcoming and tempts you to never leave. You could stay there, on the porch, watching the days go by. Knowing they must be going by but never seeing a change, never growing older, because in paradise that doesn't happen and you smile again because you know that is exactly where you are - paradise:)

But I am a firm believer that paradise is made to be played in and not observed so out we go into the sunshine.

We packed up our Tommy Bahama bookbag/cooler/chairs and headed to the beach. If you do not own one of these chairs, or have a friend's to steal, I suggest finding one. Now. You do not want to miss another summer season without one. Excuse the shamless plug but you will not regret buying this.

My perfect beach set up - beach chair, hat, water, nook, iPod, cocktails, a six pack in my cooler chair, tanning oil, and a towel.

Unfortunately this beautiful beach setup was attacked by a rogue wave and a flip flop and beach coverup were lost in the disaster.

Apparently there is a truth to worrying if the tide will reach your chair.

But nothing could stop our enjoyment in this beautiful beach paradise.

We shopped for everything we didnt't need (but this is the cutest beach bag right?!) and even bought the hat off this poor man's head.

                                              And as usual for us, it turned into a dance party.

After being covered in sand and fried from the sun and spending all our money on bags and hats we strolled up to the pool for dinner and mojitos (and to rinse off in the pool, shhhh).

We dined in the pool on Tuna Tar Tar and Guac for dinner (and every other meal of the week) and laughed until we cried about life and friends, and loves and weddings. About work and school, being lost and traveling. And alot about how we are very, very blessed.

Because this is one happy girl!

I did have some trouble getting back - was bumped off two flights, had to detour through Salt Lake City and sleep on the floor (and buy a sweatshirt since it was SNOWING in SLC!), took the all-nighter to Atlanta and landed at 7AM, grabbed my bags, caught marta, and made it to work by 10AM. But that is the life of a Delta Brat and I wouldn't change it for the world.

But my boyfriend is on that boat!

We arrived to Cabo yesterday and are enjoying a nice "Adult Spring Break." The girls and I got the last four seats in the back of the plane together but either way we made it on.

And were Cabo bound:)

We chatted and laughed and started to celebrate the Spring Break holiday right away.

And finally saw -- BEACH!

After arriving and getting through customs, getting our rental car, grabbing a few necessities at the grocery store to stock the kitchen we went to the pool to show the girls around the property and for the last bit of tanning sunlight of the day.

Or alot of the last sunlight of the day.... red already but brown tomorrow:):) Thank you Dad for my Native American skin.

 I also made sure all the girls sampled the delicious Mojitos. I will be making these all summer long. Addicted.

That night we went into downtown Cabo which is always a blast and hit up the usual spots - Cabo Wabo, Squid Roe, and Blue Jungle and danced the night away. Blue Jungle is a great open air space and club and one of my favorites. It is on the main strip and tables are sparse and VIP only but uneeded. There is plenty of dance floor but the bar is good to congregate and mingle.

We even made new best friends that were living and working on a yacht. L and I loved telling them our horror stories of boat life along the Intercoastal and hearing their much more fabulous Mexican boating adventures. I would definitely like to try boat life again one day.

Especially if it is boat life with this first mate here:)

Pimento Cheese and Bubba

Spring only finally arrives for me on Steeplchase and Masters Weekends in Aiken. Once the weather gets a bit warmer and the flowers begin to bloom I begin to crave Aiken, and my grandparents home, and walking the dirt road in the humid mornings, and running on the polo fields.

Aiken is the perfect Southern town - small and quiet, lined with magnolias and horse prints.

It was my year for badges to the Masters and John and I went to cheer on Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler (sorry, Rory) and enjoy pimento cheese sandwiches and cheap beers. We came over Friday night and took my grandmother to Linda's (her favorite) and showed him through downtown.

It is always a blessing to be able to attend Masters Sunday, to see Tiger in his red, and walk the course. We arrived as the gates opened, set up our chairs on 16 and walked to catch our favorite players tee off. John was rooting for Freddie Couples who was playing an awesome tournament all week but I was rooting for a Bubba win. We bet beers on each hole and I will proudly report that I kicked John's butt. Don't mess with my golf skills.

Or at least my golf gambling skills.

The day was perfect and we witness so much excitement from being tied on the 18th, to seeing a UGA grad win, and Oos' double eagle.  

Plus I think I got my base tan covered for Cabo on Thursday...