Let Me Write A Novel–Chapter One.

True story. I have not opened this Live Writer program in about um, 2 months.  And I can tell you with 100% honesty that it is not because I have NOTHING to share – in fact, there is A LOT to share.  And Kyle and I have been keeping busy. So. Put on your big kid pants – I am about to give you not one. not two. but three back to back posts to get you up to speed on what has been going on in the world of the Shanahan’s.

Let’s begin.

We went to Charleston to see one of my dearest and longest friends marry her best friend.  Amy May and I go WAYYY back.  And I mean WAYYY back.  I remember playing with my light bright {hello early 90’s} with her, and playing M.A.S.H {you know, mansion, apartment, shack, house} in the back of my parent’s minivan, and our regular shopping trips at Tyson’s Corner. And church camps – where we inevitably got irritated with each other after 5 days together. And then college road trips and New Years Eve parties. Seriously. Longest and dearest friend in the history of my friendships. {If I was in VA I would legit find a picture of us circa 2000 and post it. maybe}

Kyle and I decided to get up and go to Charleston early and explore the town. However, we were straight up lied to and for once I did not fact check. We were told that it takes 4 hours to get to Charleston from Atlanta. The truth: 6 hours.  I probably drove too fast, but I wanted to get there ASAP and explore.  Once we got in town – a beautiful town at that – we only had 1 hour to explore and sightsee. We went down to the water – got some national park stamps for my Mom – attempted to go find the Rainbow Row of houses. Long story short we just did not have enough time in the city and never found those house, but we had to meet one of my friends from my freshman year at college for dinner. 

We met my friend Meghan for dinner at this amazing place called Lana. As cliché as this statement is – good food. great wine. even better company. Her and I laughed and just caught up.  She then surprised me with the mix cd from our road trip to Florida for Spring Break 2003.  We broke out the mix – died laughing – and Kyle J thought we were total nut jobs.  We then headed to this really cool place for drinks after dinner.  Really expensive after dinner drinks + popcorn popped in bacon grease {so.freaking.good}. It was just a good night with good people and sometimes you just need that.

Sunday morning was the wedding and it was simple and pretty.  Very Charleston, SC County.  Cowboy Boots. Wildflowers. Cornhole. Boiled Peanuts. Sweet tea. A rocking chair as a guestbook. And the best brunch buffet.  The wedding honestly was just her. And I love weddings that symbolize the couple and weddings that are not stuffy and done up for show when the couple is not like that.  Amy was gorgeous, her groom was super nice and it was great to see her family {even though I am convinced her Dad still does not like me very much}.  We didn’t stay till the very end – and I hate hate hate doing that – but we had to get back home to Atlanta, our dogs, grocery shopping, and the work week ahead.d

We decided that we will go back to Charleston and do a Pirates tour. Or a ghost tour. Or a historic tour. Or if we are real adventurous, all three!  I have Charleston on my Thirty to do before Thirty list but I don’t think this trip really counts since we didn’t get to do anything on my “to do” list.  And plus, it will give us an excuse to see Mrs. Amy Eddins again and get to know her husband. 

LABOR DAY!

Hello Hello!  Well. Here I am writing from my brand spanking new laptop – one that I wish I did not have to buy, but my wonderful husband dropped my practically new laptop so here we are, with a new confusing Windows 8 loaded laptop. And I think it may take me 5045084 hours to write this since the keyboard is funky and new. Weeeee!

Anyway. moving on. pressing forward.  Kyle and I have been SO busy this weekend but it was fun.  Saturday night we went to the Alabama vs. VA Tech football game and jeeze that was a game.

We sat 13 rows off the field – in the VA Tech section – and since we were not actually killing them this go around, it the VA Tech fans around us liked to poke fun at us. Alabama did not quite play like a 2 time championship, #1 ranked football team so it was frustrating. But… it was still a good time. Well worth the trip downtown and the crazy MARTA overload on the way home. Not a pretty win, but a win. And I will take that.

Sunday I got to mark another thing off my 30 before 30 list. After breaking the news to my friends from work that we have been in Atlanta for 5 years but never attended a Braves game {they were all shocked and couldn’t wrap their heads around that idea} we decided to hit a Braves Tailgate + Game.  and… it POURED.  We spent a lot of the tailgate in the back of my friend’s boyfriend’s truck waiting out the monsoon. Then once the weather cleared, we got to hang out with everyone, grill out, and have fun.

This may be considered blasphemy in Braves Country – but I don’t get the allure of baseball games.  Yes – the tailgate was fun – but the actual game was kind of boring.  Maybe it is because the Braves were getting killed – or that you cannot really hear your friends over the crowd – but it wasn’t really all that fun once we got into the game.  But the tickets were free so you cannot complain about a fun day out with the girls and their boyfriends/husbands when it is all basically free – right?!

Kyle and I actually bowed out of the game early because we wanted to beat traffic and I am grateful we did.  I was ready to get home to the puppies and go to bed.  it was two long days of sporting events.

Today…. Kyle and I have done nothing and it has been amazing.  We have spent pretty much all day catching up on Season 2 of Scandal -  trying to be as low key as possible before the week picks up.

Next weekend is another thing to cross off the 30 before 30 – we are heading to Charleston.  So…. if you have suggestions on places to eat or things to do, I am accepting recommendations!! =D

Catching you up on us.

this is becoming an all too common trend: me apologizing for not writing – explaining that life has been busy – and then breaking down life and blurbing about what K and I have been up to.

Well. Here we go:

1. Work Travel it  officially OVER! For now. So I am home – got to put my suitcase away finally and am enjoying being home and not in the air in a Delta plane that is running  out of fuel. {True Story: happened twice... should have morphed this blog to the adventures in work travels – it would have been a “riot” – and I have stories for days}

2. K and I have been lounging by the pool as much as possible – the weather this summer has been less than ideal, but on the  good days, you can find us by the pool.  We have also been loving our deck furniture and now do Friday night date nights on our porch with wine and shrimp and crackers. We have been loving it because work has kept me busy this summer and with Kyle being SO consistent with working out every night we have been having late dinner and then I crawl in bed.  We just don’t get enough time for each other Monday – Thursday, so we make a point to do something simple and low key on Friday night to just catch up and just hang out together.  We average about 2 bottles of wine and lots of shrimp and cheese each Friday – but it is fun.  And Kyle made some summer fresh black bean, corn, and feta salsa last Friday and it was SO good.  We are gonna be super bummed when it gets too cold to have wine night!! ....but we will be happy when the bugs and flies are gone!!

3. We also live in a real life, legit, must reserve your tennis courts online tennis community so we have decided to pick up tennis and wreck havoc on the tennis pros that are unlucky to have the court next to us. Correction: Kyle causes the havoc – i get to run all over the court after the balls.  I still have some skills from when my dad and I would play on the tennis courts by the pool and when i did 1 summer of tennis camp. Kyle know my back hand is my weakness so he goes after it every.time.he.can. I tell him that he plays dirty. But.... we are having fun – getting a tan – and getting exercise.

4. I went to Justin Bieber last night with my friend Afton.  And we had fun! =D  We had dinner and drinks before the show by Phillips and then headed to our AMAZING seats – seriously, amazing {Thanks Ramy Chawani for buying them and putting them on stubhub} – we were 1 level off the main floor and not too far away from the stage so Justin actually looked like a human. Not an ant. There were a lot of screaming, crying, pre-teens around us who we made fun of and hoped that wasn’t us when we were growing up.  We were kinda disappointed – we thought he would bring out more guests {since he is known to do that in Atlanta} and he claimed he was going out “big” since it was his last show... but he only brought out Ludacris  and there are so many other artists that he has collaborated with that are based in Atlanta. Oh well. Luda was still a fun surprise. But still.  Kyle did not go to the concert – he had a boys poker night at the house and he won!! He walked away $120 richer which was fun and exciting for him.  And I know he had fun having having a boys night, playing poker since he used to do that a lot when we lived in VA.  And thankfully our dogs were not maniacs and after they hopped on everyone they settled down and were good little dogs.   Poker night + Dogs + Strangers = our biggest fear all week long.

5. Not sure if I mentioned this or not – but Kyle and I have been able to participate in the Dine Around program with Buckhead Life this summer so we have had fun date nights at places we normally wouldn’t go to because we can’t exactly afford them. Basically –  the Buckhead Life chain sends out $25 gift cards to 1 restaurant per month and you get to go where your card is for.  We went to Atlanta Fish Market last month and have Pricci this month.  It has been fun to just get dressed up and go on a Sunday night date. We had never been selected till this summer and I hope we get picked next summer too!!!

I think that is about it – we’re getting ready for a LONG fun filled Labor Day weekend – Alabama/VA Tech game.  First ever Braves game + Tailgate. And then our busy September. Hopefully..... we will have some fun filled things to write about!!

Last Day of June

summer is slipping away and i have not spent enough time at the pool! bah hum bug. but – i have a crazy busy july ahead of me with all my work travel. so, if it am MIA for a long period of time ... again ... I now have a documented reason.

3 out of 5 weeks in July I am on the road for work.  I am 100% home this upcoming week and am 100% taking Friday the 5th OFF! ....and i plan on sitting by the pool as much as humanly possible. Right now on the 4th i plan on waking up – hitting zumba & then staying by the pool. But is sounds good in theory – but zumba is at 8:30 AM and we all know how i love to sleep. Then, I head to Augusta {leave Sunday night} ... then Bucks County, PA ... then I have 1 week off ... then off to Oklahoma City.

Best part of all the work travel: meeting a bunch of people who i talk to on the phone a lot but could never point out of a crowd. the hotel and airline points. being able to have the AC on 62* and just snuggle in the covers. finding time to read more than 15 pages of a book in 1 sitting. seeing cities i would probably never ever see.

....but with all that said. i do miss being home with K and the puppies.  And – if anyone has any recommendations of things to do in any of these cities – places to eat – sites to see, i am all ears! =D

September Can’t Come Soon Enough!!

K and I have a fun filled September planned and let me tell you – it cannot come soon enough.

...see for yourself...

{Erin Condren Life Planner}

We are taking a little weekend trip up to Charleston, SC for a friend’s wedding & since a  weekend trip to that city is on my 30 before 30 list we decided to have Saturday be a sight seeing day to see what all the buzz is about.

Then midmonth we are going to Sanibel Island for a short trip. Sun. Sand {pool for me}. Good Book. And I have a hunch that after all my work travels, this will be a much needed break from reality.

.long.overdue.wordy.i blogged.

i would first like to make it known that i am alive. kyle and i are still living. breathing. and having a good time. we are still enjoying our patio furniture with a bottle or two of pinot grigo on the weekends. we LOVE having a pool in our neighborhood {we actually have two but go to the same one. every time}. i am constantly missing sunscreen in spots and getting sun burnt – kyle makes fun of me and laughs. i am traveling A LOT for work. and i mean A LOT. Spent time in Greensboro & Winston Salem 2 weeks ago – then spent time in Birmingham – now I am off to Sarasota. Then I go to Oklahoma City, followed by Langhorne PA.  I have an awesome new girl on my team and I feel like I am neglecting her training & growth since I am out – and I want to promote another girl on my team amidst all my traveling which is a GREAT idea for her and maybe not a fabulous idea for me and my sanity levels ... I feel like the whole team that i manage needs a little bit of love once all my traveling is done.

...but i digress...

Life update for K and me.  A few weeks back we headed home to Northern VA to celebrate the wedding of Kyle’s good friend JL and his new wife Kelly.  What a fun wedding and it was so pretty and just laid back. Kyle had a VERY good time – not only because I was his designated driver – but because he got to catch up with some of his friends that he has not seen in YEARS! Plus... it was fun to just get dressed up and GO OUT.  ..something that K and I do not do nearly enough.  And look at us ... we clean up well! :) HA!

While we were up there we always make time to see our families. My parents were not in town, but Kyle’s were so we of course hung out with them and saw his little sister.  Sadly, the drive up and back down were 10+ hours a piece and we are just getting tired.  We are talking about cutting out our summer trip to VA. My parents are normally gone and it is just SO much traveling and traveling around northern Virginia for not a lot of down time.  Instead – we will take those 3-4 days and vacation together, somewhere low key but away from Atlanta to just RELAX!!

...in between our trip to VA and then me going to Greensboro and then me heading to Birmingham I spent an afternoon at the spa and it was GLORIOUS and so very very needed! ....thanks for the 15% off birthday deal from the spa I LOVE! #highfive #gooddeals {why am i using hash tags in my blog?!} ... Kyle dragged me to some legit boxing/kickboxing class at TITLE Club Boxing where they had to wrap my hands & I had to put on boxing gloves. I pretty much complained about needing hand sanitizer the whole time and my hands probably still smell like those boxing gloves.  Kyle however, loved it and he will be back and i told him that if he joins and buys gloves he needs to Lysol wipe the insides every time because dark damp spaces = mold and i am pretty confident those gloves were growing mold. yuck

Today Kyle and I headed to Montaluce, a vineyard in the North Georgia mountains for a hike, wine tasting, lunch, and me crossing something off my 30 before 30 list {visiting a vineyard}.  And we legit had PERFECT weather – not too hot for l gate June in the southern summer & pretty much NO humidity. We got lucky. The hike was about 2 miles – 2 fairly easy miles, minus 2 killer hills through the vineyards at the end.  The “tour guide” was super nice and educated about the river, the area, the vineyard, and wine. We really enjoyed it. The North Georgia mountains really are rich with history. I think K was a little nervous that I would talk all about the wedding I had wanted to happen there  {since we looked at Montaluce as our venue & it was my top choice, minus price} and I talked a little bit about it, but not too much. Nothing unbearable. Didn’t beat a dead horse. I think K was  shocked.

At the end of the hike we got to taste 5 of their wines and then have a full glass of our favorite and they had some pretty good wines that I had never heard of.  I tried a Viognier for the 1st time and it was amazing – we tried a Mead and it was just too bubbly for us. And we are non-red wine drinkers and were surprised when we liked the Risata. Granted, it was more of a blush, but it was still good. 

Overall. the Hike & Wine Tasting was fun. We talked to some really interesting people {who were for sure vineyard and wine lovers – but they were not pretentious} who made the day just that much more enjoyable.   ...And we capped our “date day” off by dinner at a cute little town near by. 

....despite being exhausted.... I now get to pack my bags! I am off to Sarasota for work tomorrow! 

working from home.

yesterday i got to work from home. this is a rare occasion for me, but after my 46 minute flight out of Greensboro, NC to Atlanta turned into a 4+ hour flight {with a slight detour to Montgomery, AL since we were RUNNING OUT OF FUEL due to circling the Atlanta airport for a hour or so – thanks weather!} and getting home around 1:15 AM and in bed by 1:45 AM ... i was one exhausted lady.  ...and my boss told me to work from home rather than head to the office... so i worked all days. in bed. it was GLORIOUS!

Well. my two doggies have been glued to my side since getting home and they were my coworkers yesterday.

Mulligan: bad coworker. laid on my laptop and my work and me.
Kennesaw: good coworker. laid at the foot of the bed and was out of my way.

They loved it and were so happy to be FREE all day long with their momma! And after a house burned down in our neighborhood this week and the owner lost their pets it makes me wish i could work from home everyday so i can keep a protective eye on them. losing my dogs in any fashion, but as devastating & destructive as a fire is a huge fear of mine.