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USD.A – Bead It September 21, 2008

Posted by Babs O'Leary in USD.A.
12 comments

The summer is over and that means it’s time to resume the Usual Suspect Divas Atlanta.  We all decided to take a break for the summer because each of us had so much going on.  KKAve offered to plan our September outing and I was thrilled when she came up with the idea.  We would go to Atlanta Beads to make our own earrings, bracelets and necklaces!  Babs loves pretty things to wear!

In attendance:  Babs, MiMi, CoCo, KKAve and Keyalus

The Divas

The Divas

This was CoCo’s first USD.A outing although she has been a long-time blogger and we had all met her at my Nintendo DS Lite party, but it was fun to have her hang out with us.  She even brought me some birthday cupcakes since she was unable to come to my birthday shindig.  In fact, we all brought snacks and something to drink.

As creative as I think I am when it comes to writing, I am so not a visual artist.  We were given instruction on picking out our beads to make our creations and I walked around lost for about 10 minutes.  I know what kind of jewelry I like, but I couldn’t come up with anything creative.  So I asked MiMi to help me put something together.  She is muy creative.  She put something together of both my stilo and my liking.  At the last minute I switched it up a bit with the help of Bead Girl (hey Bead Girl!)

Lay the beads out on the tray

Lay the beads out on the tray

Bead Girl was our instructor for the day.  She showed us some different styles of things we could do, walked us through the different materials and pricing and then supervised us as we got to work.  She was very helpful and patient.  She was also very amused by us.  As you can imagine I don’t “turn Babs off” when I am out in public. 

Getting Instruction

Getting Instruction

Once you pick out your beads and decide what kind of spacers and clasps that you want, putting it all together it kind of easy.  It just takes a little patience. 

Babs working intently

Babs working patiently

I made a necklace that I am sure to wear again.  In fact, I already know that I’ll be wearing it to work on Monday.  Except for one itty bitty problem.  As I was paying, I touched my necklace and it broke at the clasp.  The girl at the counter repaired it and assured me I woulddn’t have any more problems.  However, when I got home and went to remove it, the same thing happened.

What’s up with that, Bead Girl?

Babs and the finished product

Babs and the finished product

I love it!

I love it!

Atlanta Beads was a super fun and unique outing for our little group.  I have some great things in store for this season of USD.A and I hope the ladies are thinking of fun things to do as well.  That’s what I love about this group, we always do something totally outside the norm of what we would normally do.

If you are in the Atlanta area and would like to join us on our next outing, please feel free to send me an email.

USD.A – It’s About That Time August 23, 2008

Posted by Babs O'Leary in USD.A.
2 comments

Attention Atlanta bloggers and regular commenters!

The Usual Suspect Divas of Atlanta are about to commence the fall shenanigans.  If you are interested in participating please send me an email.

This past season we had the opportunity to go to a shooting range, golf outing, Renaissance Festival and much more.

We have some fun things in store for the future.  You don’t want to miss out on a chance to socialize with blogland’s finest!

USD.A – Bogey! June 7, 2008

Posted by Babs O'Leary in USD.A.
15 comments

The June outing of the Usual Suspect Divas took us to Fox Creek Golf Course in Smyrna.  I arranged for two hours of private instruction.  What I didn’t arrange for the was 95 degree heat at high noon.  No, that was a little something extra.

When I sent out the evite for the outing, I instructed everyone to dress the part for the greens.  This included shorts and collared shirts.  Unfortunately, after doing my hair and slipping on my dark blue plantation embroidered golf shirt, I thought I was going to spontaneously combust.  I literally drove halfway down the street before I turned around and came back in the house to slip on a tank top.  Sorry, ladies, for not looking the part.

In attendance: Babs, MiMi, Keyalus, KKAve and Cathy

Despite the sweltering heat, we had an awesome time!  John, our instructor, was a very personable guy.  He covered the different clubs and hitting techniques before having us hit some shots of our own.  It was a lot of work to get that little ball airbound!  John gave me plenty of compliments on my form.  Unfortunately, my form is much better than the actual contact I made with the ball.  I kept trying though!

        

After about an hour we moved back into the house for a respite.  Then we headed to the other side to the putting green.  We practiced putting from different angles.

By the time we reached the two hour mark, we were all like wilted little flowers.  We needed cool air and even colder water.  We headed over to Blue Moon Pizza to refuel.  Yum!  Thanks to MiMi’s innovative thinking, I got to have exactly what I wanted!

Although it was insanely hot, I had a great time learning about golf.  I’va always wanted to try it.  And I would defintely try it again, just not after 10am.

Thanks, ladies!  Who’s got next?

Bloggers note: wordpress is giving me some troubles this evening, so I can’t upload the rest of the pics. 

Considering joining the USD.A? June 5, 2008

Posted by Babs O'Leary in USD.A.
3 comments

If anyone is interested in joining us for our next outing, which will be very soon, I need to know right away.

As I am sure you have surmised, we are a great group of ladies and we always try to do something fun and different outside of the normal activities.

So let me know if you are interested in joining us!

USD.A- Saucy Wenches April 20, 2008

Posted by Babs O'Leary in Friends, Out and About, USD.A.
16 comments

Good day, fair people of blogland!  Yesterday I, along with the fair maidens of the Usual Suspect Divas Atlanta traveled to the beautiful countryside of Fair.burn to attend the Renais.sance Festival.  I’ve always wanted to attend the festival as I have had a fascination with the middle ages ever since I completed a class project in elementary school.

In attendance: Cathy, Mimi, Keyalus, Babs and KKAvenue.

The ladies had a splendid time!  I knew before I arrived that I would be enjoying the festival in costume.  I wanted to walk around with my breasts heaving (more than usual)!  So we stopped in the costume shop and I picked something up.  I was really suprised at the number of people renting costumes.  It was good to see others getting into the full spirit of things.  MiMi got a kick out of Lord Fla.va Flav. 

The ladies and I walked around a bit before stopping to watch a show featuring spanish stallions.  Babs does enjoy a good stallion, and I like horses too!  Unfortunately, the soothing music at the stallion show was enough to put this wench to sleep so we left early so we could walk around a bit.  We enjoyed turkey legs, sodas, fried co.ca.cola and other tasty treats.  We chanced upon many intriguing people, including the Mayor of Renaissance Village (who was a bit randy) and a crazy Doctor mixing potions to cure her trichopathophobia.

 

We stopped and watched a very entertaining show put on by the wenches responsible for laundry.  It was funny, indeed, but it was also a bit too long for our tastes and so we left early.

I really enjoyed hanging out with Cathy and KKAvenue.  They are both hysterical! 

I thought it was a great mix of ladies.  We were all amiable and got along quite well.  I am looking forward to hanging with the ladies again next month!

 

 

If you are in the Atlanta area and want to hang with us in May, shoot me an email.

Usual Suspect Divas.Atlanta – Bang Bang March 8, 2008

Posted by Babs O'Leary in Friends, Out and About, USD.A.
13 comments

It’s time to go to work!

Those are the words shared by Gunny Harren, or as we affectionately called him- the Gunny. Today the USD.A ventured to Wild West Traders in Austell for what is clearly my favorite outing to date. I have always wanted to go to a shooting range and today I got my chance. This outing was orginally scheduled for last month, but the day before the Gunny called me to say he had the flu. We rescheduled for today and it was well worth the wait.

The players: Babs, Fergie, MiMi and Keyalus

We kept this outing private because of the logistics involved with scheduling the Gunny. Also, more than 4 people would have not been fun at all.

We started out in the classroom where the Gunny gave us some very candid instruction on gun laws and safety. He talked to us about different scenarios and what actions we, as women, should take. I learned that if faced with an intruder I should not shoot him in the kneecaps to bring him down, I should aim with the intention of bringing his face to the ground. Go to work on him!
He pulled out two different guns and we learned the difference between a revolver and a semi-automatic. Babs was partial to the Bersa semi-automatic. It was small and light. And I have to tell you, that cold steel felt nice in my hot little hands!

We moved to the ranges and put on our protective gear for eyes and ears. When we first walked into the range, the sound of the guns popping off was alarming. In addition, the smell of the gun powder was strong. It smelled like a civil war battlefield. It truly took me about 10 minutes to calm down and take it all in. MiMi and Keyalus were up first. They did a great job with their targets. MiMi seemed particularly comfortable with the revolver. I kept waiting for her to blow the smoke wafting from the gun like Dirty Harry.

Fergie and I went next. I started with the revolver and then we switched. He took us through routines of aiming and shooting off five rounds in a ten second period. Then we did a drill where we sat the gun down and quickly picked it up and shot off two rounds at the gut. It was awesome!

I REALLY enjoyed this outing. I totally see myself owning a gun and going to the range for an hour or so to practice. I would like to make this my new hobby. In addition, I wouldn’t mind having a firearm for safety and going to the range and practicing would make me feel more comfortable about owning one.

MiMi will be planning the April outing. If you are intersted in joining us, please hit me up on email.

Weekend in Review February 17, 2008

Posted by Babs O'Leary in Friends, Out and About, USD.A.
17 comments

Friday evening I stepped out to join Chesty LaRue at a local establishment for cocktails and live music. I’ve been to this particular establishment several times and rarely mind going because of the older crowd and lack of pretentious atmosphere. Chesty and her friends ordered some chicken wings, but as Sissy can tell you I could not partake of them. I reluctantly ordered the salmon at the cocktail servers suggestion. And despite the disposable plate on which it was served, it was delicous! Intern joined us later in the evening. We had a nice time laughing and the ladies even got some dancing in. The best part, I was home by 11pm. I love having a night out on the town and still being home at a decent hour.

Saturday morning Roxie and I went for our weekend exercise at the park. I love Atlanta. In the middle of Febrary I was quite comfortable in nothing but a t-shirt. Saturday afternoon I met up with the USD.A. Now, I had orginally planned something TRULY OUTRAGEOUS and it was canceled at the last minute on Friday afternoon. I was very disappointed. Then, Keyalus came up with something equally OUTSTANDING and 10 minutes after we all finished making arrangements and receiving confirmation we received a cancellation. Bummer! Don’t worry, we are going to bring it in March!
We all tried to come up with a fun outing at the 11th hour but we had nothing. Suprisingly, no one wanted to accompany me to the Universooooooouuuuuuuulllllll Circus. Hey, I was up for making fun of people while eating a funnel cake! We ended up doing lunch and movie.
The suspects: Babs, Keyalus, MiMi and Fergie (whose hair is the fiyah btw)
Because Fergie is currently doing the Daniel fast and not eating meat, we decided to try a vegetarian restaurant. I had recently read an article about Cafe Sunflower, so we went there. Let me tell you something, that food was nummy to my tummy. I ordered the bento box which comes with samples of the different appetizers. It was great. I will definitely be back.

After lunch we headed to the movies to see Juno. I always try to see as many academy award nominated films as possible. Last weekend I saw Atonement, which I enjoyed very much despite the somber feel of the film.
Juno deals with the very serious matters of teen pregnancy and infertility. It was funny and poingant. I laughed. I cried. I highly recommend this film.

Today I got up at the crack of dawn and went into the office. I have a lot going on at work this week and not enough hours in the day. I stayed for about 4 hours. I planned on going to yoga afterwards, but my stomach was feeling a bit unsettled. And I can’t be in a room full of people breathing and stretching when my stomach is unsettled. So I ran a couple of errands and am in for the rest of the day chillin with Roxie.
I’m feeling slightly domestic so I’ll be doing some housework, starting my taxes and I might even make some cupcakes for the Wise Ladies at work.
Anyone do anything exciting this weekend?

Usual Suspect Divas. Atlanta – Low January 13, 2008

Posted by Babs O'Leary in Friends, Out and About, USD.A.
11 comments

Yesterday’s USD.A outing was a low-key one. We had several new people that wanted to join us so we thought we’d do something basic so we could chat and get to know each other. Also, Fergie’s upcoming trip to Africa voided the idea of doing anything where she might break a leg. So we decided to do a wine tasting and lunch.
In attendance were Babs, Fergie, Keyalus, MiMi, Mocha and her friend E. Cathy (a super-cute, self-proclaimed stalker, hey Cathy!) stopped by to meet the group but couldn’t stay because she was going furniture shopping with a friend. I can’t imagine that an afternoon at Haverty’s is more exciting than an afternoon with Babs and Fergie, but whatever. We’ll catch ya next time!
MiMi, Babs, Fergie, Keyalus

We started out at Wine Cellars in Smyrna. This black-owned wine shop hosts a free wine tasting every Saturday from 2pm-4pm. If you have never gone to a wine tasting, what are you waiting for? This is a great way to try some new wines and perhaps discover a new wine to add to your collection or at least serve at dinner that night.

I only tried the first 4. Honestly, I’ve been doing so much drinking lately, I just didn’t feel like trying any more than that. Plus, I am not a big red person. Fergie was motoring through the tastes. She was determined to finish before they shut it down! MiMi, who is currently on the 11th step of her 12 step program, declined to do any tasting but offered to be my camerawoman for the afternoon.
Strangers couldn’t understand why I was wearing a mask (by the by, dig my new mask? I stocked up). When they asked why I was wearing the mask I simply replied “I’m anonymous”. Later, some lady came up to me and said “hey anonymous”.
After the tasting, we forced encouraged Keyalus to join us for sushi. Keyalus, by the way, was sporting her new blingage. Go Keyalus! It’s just lovely. Keyalus was not so bold as to order sushi, but she did try a piece. You would have thought we asked her to eat toasted beetle or something crazy. But she did manage to get a piece down. Fergie was also feeling adventurous and tried my absolute favorite dish on the planet (ika salad). I told her about it a few weeks ago but she chickened out. Yesterday, she was all up in my plate! Babs knows food!
All in all, it was a nice low-key outing. But as you can all imagine, Babs doesn’t prefer low-key. I can do low-key all by myself. So next month, we’re stepping it up b!tches. Make sure your life insurance is up to date and bring your insurance cards. We’re gonna have fun!

USD.A – Jiggle It December 9, 2007

Posted by Babs O'Leary in Exercise, Friends, Out and About, USD.A.
10 comments

Today was the second annual outing for the Atlanta chapter of the Usual Suspect Divas. This month we wanted to do something a little different. I must say, learning how to shake your money maker is quite different from indoor rock climbing.

This month in attendance was Babs, Fergie, Keyalus and Disco Diva.

We started with a 30 minute teaser. Here the owner/instructor taught us to do a couple of basic moves. Ladies, these are standards that you should all have in your boudoir repertoire- a little sexy walk, some hip rolls. Basic stuff.

Next we moved into our Jiggle It class. The “it” is your booty, in case you didn’t know. Now I thought this was going to be a technique class. I had no idea it was intended to be a 60 minute cardio class and we would be expected to SWEAT. Let me tell you, when I left this class I was exhausted. My legs and back felt way more tired than last month’s rock climbing. I had to go home and take a full-on nap!

Our instructor was a sweet girl who swears by strip-type classes for weight loss. She was really good. So good in fact, that I swear she either danced in the past, or is ready for a little side hustle. That girl can shake her azz and enjoys doing it.

At first, I felt pretty comfortable with the azz shaking. You know a lot of it I do when they play a little Luke at the club. And let us not forget that Babs was into a little rump shaking back in her college days. But halfway through, I was exhausted and I just didn’t have it in me. We were doing moves that made be feel downright ridiculous! At the same time, I think that with a little more practice I would really have the technique down.

We learned hip rolls, fast shakes, slow shakes, drop it like it’s hot, doggie style shake, you name. If they are doing it a Strokers then we learned it! What I loved most is that there were all types of women in the class. Different sizes and races. And we were all able to laugh at ourselves.

I’m really glad that we chose this for a USD.A outing. I might not have gone by myself, but now that I have been I’m ready to put on some booty shorts and shake what my momma gave me. They offer booty shakin, lap dancin, pole classes and so much more. Something for everyone!

Ladies, I encourage you all to take a strip-type class for some variety in your exercise regimen. What you learn there you can take home and practice in front of your mirrors man! You both will appreciate it!

USD.A- I had a great time and am looking forward to next month’s adventure!

Check out Fergie for her take on today’s shenanigans.

P.S. Computer finally died as I was uploading pics. Sorry!