Weekend in Review August 31, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Dating, Friends, Out and About.8 comments
As far as weekends go, mine was pretty fuggin awesome. Even though it is not the weekend that I had been planning for weeks, I can’t recall the last time I had a better weekend.
Friday night I had tickets to Six Flags, so Good Guy and I headed there for the evening. It was quite an experience and I was more exhausted than I had ever been at a trip to an amusement park. Our companions wore me ragged!
Saturday I chilled and rested my achy feet until it was time to get ready for the evening. After doing my hair, I whipped up a pan of macaroni & cheese to take to Good Guy’s sister’s house. There was a party for his brother-in-law, so we made the trek to the other ends of the earth to help celebrate. I really like Good Guy’s family. They are friendly and fun, just like my family. I especially love Good Guy’s nephew. And believe me, the feelings are mutual. All evening long he couldn’t keep his little toddler hands off me.
We stayed for a few hours, but had to leave as it appeared the party was starting to really get started. We drove aaaaaaallllll the way to the other side of town so we could meet up with my besties et. al for a night at the bowling alley. I know you all think we require stilettos and martinis to have a good time, but that is not at all the case. We had the best time at the bowling alley on a Friday night. We laughed, danced, sang, drank and of course bowled. I was so happy to be with my best girls and my best guy.
Things you earn from strangers on your birthday- popcorn and a $1 bill
Real friends leave the writing off of your cake
We were there until the lights came on, and you know it’s a party when you shut down the bowling alley!
Sunday was spent relaxing and listening to the rain. I took Roxie to the groomers, made a hearty brunch for mi amor and did some things around the house.
By the time Sunday evening rolled around I realized I was EXHAUSTED and suddenly wished I had taken Monday off after all.
How was your weekend?
A Night at the Movies August 28, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Entertainment, Friends, Out and About.3 comments
Part of my week long birthday extravaganza included heading to the Fox Theater for the Summer Movie Series. Last night they were showing “The Proposal,” and although I had seen it I was more than happy to see it again. From the windows to the wall!
Originally there were supposed to be about 10 of us meeting for dinner and drinks beforehand and then walking to the theater, but every bailed but my MiMi. So I had some quality time with the Baroness and I was more than okay with that. She’s so damn funny!
We started out at Engine 11 on North Avenue where they have $2 glasses on wine on Thursdays. Yes sir, $2 glasses of wine. If, by chance, a Thursday rolls around and you can’t find me, you might want to look for me there. I can get slap happy for eight damn dollars. And my chardonnay was quite tasty!
After dinner we walked over to the Fox. I’ve been many times, but never for such an informal evening. We chose to sit high in the balcony so we could be close to the “stars”. I think it was optimal seating for viewing the movie.
The theater was packed. It’s great to see people get out of the house on a rainy Thursday night to do something fun, and at $8 dollars per ticket it is totally affordable.
Unfortunately, this is the last weekend for the Summer Movie Series, so if you didn’t get it in this year you’ll have to wait until next summer. I will definitely be adding this to my Summer 2010 agenda.
Thanks, MiMi for a great evening!
Babs’ Bash August 28, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Friends, Out and About.15 comments
Preparing to leave the house
My birthday bash was held at CRU Urban Lounge in midtown. Although I had never been there before, I knew from looking at pics on-line that it was exactly the type of environment I wanted for my birthday celebration. CRU is on the smaller side, so my party of around 40 people took up the entire upstairs.
I was so thrilled with the turnout. It truly touched my heart that people came out on a Wednesday to wish me well. I saw some friends I hadn’t seen in months and even years. One of my softball teammates came out, my long lost cousin, my besties, my guy, my coworkers and even some bloggers all came out to celebrate my birthday.
Babs and Barista
Barista was kind enough to bring cupcakes for my birthday. She writes a lot about her cupcakes, so I was a little more than excited to try them. I’ll tell you more about them under a separate post.
Good Guy was, of course, my date for the evening. He was the perfect date. He mingled with nearly everyone that walked in the door. He held my hand, kept his hand at my waist and gave me little pecks throughout the night. And, more importantly, he was in charge of my camera. LOL! If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have had half the pics I have. I was really happy to ring in the “new year” with him and I think he made a good impression on my girls.
The Bar bought the birthday girl a drink
We were at CRU for about five hours. Although my feet will tell you otherwise, the time went by really fast. There was eating, drinking and lots of laughing. I appreciate those of you that kept me with a bottomless glass of wine!
I had an absolute blast and I want to thank everyone that came to celebrate.
T Minus Two August 24, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Out and About.8 comments
Well, folks, we are two days away from Babs turning the big Three-Five.
I was talking to my grandmother the other day and we were both lamenting over this milestone. Why, it was just the other day that I was fascinated with LL Cool J and Kool Moe D. Wait, that was the other day. “Headsprung” and “I Go To Work” stay in heavy rotation on the IPod!
I had initally wanted to have a week’s worth of celebrating, but now I just want to have my party and be done with it. I’m not feeling nearly as festive as I was a week ago.
However, I STILL plan to kick it on Wednesday! I am so excited for my party! Good Guy is coming and I am excited for him to meet my friends not people that secretly despise me. I have the cutest dress to wear that I am hoping doesn’t make me look terribly large. And there are going to be a gang of people there. Right now the count is about 40 people. Crazy!
If you are in Atlanta and would like to join me, drop me a line. And if I don’t think you are a stalker I’ll give you the happs.
Weekend in Review August 17, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Dating, Out and About.14 comments
Friday night CaliSlim and I headed to Turner Field for a Braves games. Let’s see, I believe they were playing the Phillies. I honestly couldn’t say because we spent most of the time limping walking around looking for pasta and funnel cakes. Once we finally got to our seats we quickly became bored. We left sometime during the 3rd quarter. Or was it the fourth? Ah, well.
It was Greek night at Turner Field so CaliSlim tagged along so she could be around her peeps and throw up gang signs. Me? I did it all for the nookie funnel cakes.
Saturday I spent looking for something to wear for my birthday extravaganza. I fell in love with the first dress I saw and I am not at all exaggerating when I tell you I am more excited about this giddy-up than I was my wedding day attire. I am going to look so fucking hot! Yeah, I said it.
In the evening I went to dinner with New Guy…and his ENTIRE family. That’s right, I met the folks. And the sister. And the aunts and uncles and cousins. It was a surprise party for his aunt and I was really touched that he wanted to take me.
I decided to wear something I have worn before. Why? Because I refuse to spend any more money on summer clothesNew Guy saw the pic of me wearing this dress and told me it was his favorite pic. New guy asked me to pick him up a shirt while I was out shopping during the day. I recognize a challenge when I see one, and so I happily found him one that would compliment what I was wearing. He was very happy with my selection and received more than one compliment on his shirt during the evening.
Sunday I lazed around for most of the morning. New Guy and I met up for breakfast where I spotted none other than PATCHES. I noticed him staring at me, but it took me a full ten minutes to realize who it was. Once I realized who it was I couldn’t quit giggling. Just the day before I was telling my honeydip all about him. That law of attraction is a muthersucker, yo!
I spent the afternoon with friends at a cookout. It was good seeing some of my buddies I hadn’t seen in a while. I only ate some sun chips and had a few bottled cocktails but that was more than enough empty calories.
I spent the remainder of the day sitting butterball nekkid on the couch trying to stay cool. Why you may be wondering? Because New Guy, for some strange reason, pulled my thermostat out of the wall rather than just turning it down. As this post goes to press I am waiting on him to arrive with a new one. Babs can’t do hair or makeup without cool A/C!
As you can see it was a pretty full weekend, and I enjoyed it.
How was your weekend?
Mucho Mas August 14, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Friends, Out and About.7 comments
Las Damas
Last night I had the pleasure of meeting up with a few bloggers and commenters. We met at my favorite spot for margaritas and gringo atmosphere (ha!). If you haven’t been, No Mas Cantina is great. The ‘ritas are tasty, the salsa is smoky and the food is yummy.
In attendance last night was Babs, MiMi, KJ, Barista, Tazzee, Keyalus, Deuce and CaliSlim. Even my Cousin E was there, although it was my first time meeting her and she didn’t realize she was at a blogger meetup.
It was great seeing familiar faces as well as meeting new people, and it was great to have a margarita. Oh, ‘rita how I’ve loved you long time!
Thanks, ladies for coming out last night! Let’s do it again in six months.
Weekend in Review August 10, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Dating, Friends, Out and About.10 comments
I had big plans for Friday. I wanted to relax, rent a couple of movies and chill. And that’s just what I did. Until my latest handsome goodlooking persuaded me to come out and meet him for dessert. We met up at Cheesecake Factory where he ordered cheesecake and I ordered wine. I am not not at all a fan of cheesecake, but when my date ordered the banana cream I was intrigued. I love anything with bananas in it and couldn’t pass on the chance to taste it. It was great and so was the company.
Saturday was spent preparing for the evening. A baby shower for Keyalus! She is just a month away from delivering baby Keyalus and ready to push the alien being out of her body really excited.
We had a wonderful evening of sangria (virgin and regular), food, games and conversation. Keyalus looked lovely and even her sister came to town for the event.
Sunday I cleaned and napped all morning and afternoon. In the evening, the handsome goodlooking and I went to an event in the city. It was a fundraiser (for what I really don’t know) that featured cupcakes. I was super excited to attend, but was more than let down once we arrived. We got there late and it was over for the most part. The cupcakes were beautiful, but looked store bought. We stood in the corner talking for about 30 minutes before we headed to Houston’s for dinner. I had a delicious plate of spaghetti squash and a salad. Yum!
It was a super busy weekend and I didn’t get much sleep, but it was a blast!
How was your weekend?
Western Garb August 7, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Out and About.14 comments
Okay, so yesterday’s scenario was actually about me. A Babs in Blogland first!
Last night I attended a dinner for an Africa-based foundation at the Georgia Aquarium. I really had no purpose for being there. I am not at all affiliated with the foundation. I am just well connected and friendly with the right people. I was honored to be included and was even introduced to the crowd and had to stand and take a little bow halfway through the program.
I’ve been to the aquarium before, but there is nothing like a private tour. We could ask questions to our heart’s content. The only downside is that I was wearing 4-inch heels and both of my feet are now scarred as a result of all that walking. The tour ended in the room where we would have dinner.
We had an amazing backdrop of the largest tank at the aquarium. I could have sat there for hours. The fish have such personalities. I truly felt like one giant grouper kept staring at us, and the manta ray was showing out. My table was very amused.
I will go ahead and admit that I went off my strict eating plan for the night. I started out okay. Rather than wine, I opted for ice cold water. But once the bowl of asparagus bisque with a parmesan creme fraiche was set before me, all bets were off. I decided this was too special of an occasion not to partake, so I ordered a glass of wine and enjoyed my meal. Not to worry, I was sure to leave food on the plate after every course.
As for my choice in clothing- I have this lovely dress that I had made in Nairobi a few years ago. I bought it more as a memento of my trip to the Continent. I tried it on and it still fit and was even quite flattering on me, but I just wasn’t comfortable wearing it. I kept having visions of that scene in “Protocol” where Goldie Hawn shows up at the picnic in a tank top and carrying a boom box. She stuck out like a sore thumb.
In the end, I made the right choice. There were only a handful of people in clothing from their respective countries, and most of them were men. I looked quite fetching in my outfit choice, as evidenced by the number of stares I received all evening.
Having been to Kenya and learned kiswahili for that trip, I impressed more than a few people when I made extremely primitive conversation with them. Basically I can say hello, thank you, my name is Babs and meat.
Oh, and for those of you that have read The House at Sugar Beach, one of my dining companions knows Eunice. Cool!
All in all, I had a fabulous evening. I made a lot of new connections and got to have a nice dinner in a truly unique location.
Success August 7, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Out and About.11 comments
A couple of months ago I told you all about an event I was organizing. The event involved my department going to a local hospital for ice cream and games. Yesterday the event was held and it was a HUGE success!
I spent a lot of time planning this event, as it was a group volunteer opportunity for my entire department. That is about 100 people. The head honcho is on the board of this hospital, so it was especially important that it go off without a hitch.
We played games. We served treats. I even rounded up a host of fabulous raffle items and giveaways. The head honcho commented that there was no lunch, and two of my coworkers offered to go out a get a few trays of chick fil-a. With that not only did the patients and their families get food, but my volunteers did as well. Everyone was happy.
My liaison at the hospital was thrilled with the turnout and is looking forward to us doing it again. I mentioned to the head honcho that this would be a great event to do twice a year and she agreed. She stayed the entire time and at the end gave me a hug and told me what a fabulous job I did.
Team Babs!
Oh, and my favorite part of the day was wearing my favorite sneakers.
Weekend in Review July 27, 2009
Posted by Babs O'Leary in Out and About.12 comments
Friday night was a makeup softball game. It was also our final game of the season, so I really wanted to make sure I was there even though lame azz Intern thought it was more important to get his ride clean so he could pick up chickenheads. We were playing the best team in the league and even though we started out strong, we lost miserably in the end. Oh, don’t be sad, I got my first run b!tches! I was so excited! Now I know what it feels like to feel my delicate feet crossing home.
After the game, I finally realized my dream and purpose for joining the team- Operation:Make White Friends. A bunch of us went for margaritas after the game to commiserate over the games shenanigans. Okay, I guess I am exagerrating a bit. There were three of us and only one was white, so Operation: Make White Friends seems to have earned a FAIL for Spring/Summer 2009. Nevertheless, the three of us had a good time and I am totally going to invite the lone white guy to my birthday party although I sincerely doubt he will show up.
After drinks, I rushed home to shower and change to meet the girls for the movie.
Saturday morning I had my volunteer duties to attend to. I ran a booth at a health fair at a local church for the organization I volunteer for. It was mostly a waste of my time, as I had fewer than 20 people come to my booth. Good thing I had plenty of entertainment walking by to keep me busy for four hours.
The rest of the day was spent in full-on couch potato mode. Save for taking Roxie out for a tinkle, I did not leave the couch.
Sunday I slept in until a glorious 830am. I did a few things around the house before Roxie and I headed out to watch Dark & Lovely’s tennis match. It was as hot as, well, Atlanta in the middle of the summer, but we had a good time. D&L won her match and I met a handsome goodlooking, but I’ll tell you all about him later.
Sunday evening was all about relaxing. I put deep conditioner in my hair and did some cooking.
How was your weekend?
