just like i promised.

a couple of weekends ago, sean and i decided to be tourists in our hometown and visit the ghost river brewery. it's located on south main... like, waaay south main, where it dead ends into crump. they do tours every saturday at 1pm, FOR FREE. you get a tour of the brewery and a sample of each beer that they are currently making.


the brewery makes beer for bosco's restaurant (one of our favs) and its own label. they give you all sorts of information on the history behind the brewing company, as well as the process for making each brew. it's really interesting- i definitely learned a few things. and you can buy it too :) they call them growlers... a 64oz jug of beer for $10. you pay a $3 deposit for the jug, and then can refill it anytime with any of their beers for only $10. i  l o v e  i t. you should go, it's awesome.


http://www.ghostriverbrewing.com/

here are a few more pictures from our afternoon around the south main district:

EDO

between sean's call nights, i thought it appropriate to treat him to dinner. he suggested a new sushi place, edo, that a friend told him about. it's on summer ave. near mendenhall- it looks like hole-in-the-wall place. and it kind of is. but the quality of food is consistent with hole-in-the-wall places- AMAZING.


it's small inside, when we got there we were sharing the restaurant with 3 or 4 other tables. as dinner progressed, though, it became clear that people definitely knew about this place, and that they loved it. by the time we left, every booth in that little restaurant was full. 


they use plastic (but decorative) cups and plates, my placemat was paper, and i didn't get to eat my miso soup with one of those fancy spoons. (and i LOVE those fancy spoons.) but in this case, i think that's why this place is so good. the sushi is the most important part of their business. it was so fresh i swear it has to be flown in daily. the flavors were so full and that was some of the best miso i ever had. just as i judge mexican restaurants by their rice and beans, i judge sushi places by their miso soup. edo passed with flying colors. and everyone i saw who worked there was 100% japanese, so you know it's legit (in my opinion that's one of the first signs of a good restaurant).


and then comes the BEST BEST BEST part. the  p r i c e ... sean and i each had miso soup and we split 4 sushi rolls, one of which "expensive" (at $6!?) and our bill was just shy of $25!!! what!? for amazing sushi!!!!


and then we capped off the night with cupcakes from muddy's. life doesn't get any better.


I LOVE IT. WE'RE GOING BACK. END OF STORY.

movie night at the orpheum

two weekends in a row, we have gotten to enjoy the movie night at the orpheum. it is so much fun to go an watch old movies in the venue they were originally shown in. there is a big difference in watch these movies on your couch and in the grandeur of a place like the orpheum. 

last week, we met rachel, adam, and rachel's new law school friend + husband for butch cassidy and the sundance kid. i have an eternal crush on paul newman, and paired with robert redford, things only get better. if you haven't seen butch cassidy, definitely put it on your netflix queue. if you have seen it, another paul and robert fav of mine is the sting. my dad introduced me to this movie years ago, and i can't get enough of it. 

last night we double-dated with our roommate and his girlfriend (both fellow classmates of sean's) for gone with the wind. classic and utterly enjoyable. we got a couple beers and a big tub of popcorn, and settled in for the almost 4-hour film. it had been years since i had actually sat through the entire movie at once. it's a test of stamina, for sure, but completely worth it. in a slight digression... last night i became more aware of how completely insane and manic scarlett o'hara actually is. it's quite exhausting. there's no way things would have ever worked out with her and rhett. i'm just sayin'. 

penny pinching

in an effort to not spend a fortune on AC this summer, we've been keeping the 3rd floor air off during the day. every night when i go up there to paint, i turn the air on and after about an hour and a half it's only 80 degrees :) ha. still not great, but better than what i see when i go up there at first:

who knows how hot it actually is up there... the poor little needle has no where else to go.

welcome to memphis summers.

photog wannabe

rachel and i took a little tour of downtown memphis this evening, and i took some pictures to donate to the drury university beaux arts ball and art auction. here's the outcome... hopefully some people will be willing to shell out a few bucks for these photos.

don't mess with madeline

ahh today was glorious. rachel and i took her dog madeline to overton park. they have this large open area that is legitimately dog friendly. people let their dogs off leashes and these dogs just miraculously wander around exploring but not really bothering anyone. it's amazing. poor little maddie is a little more of a, shall we say, free spirit. so she stayed on her leash. i think she had fun anyway.

as we left the park, a guy stopped us to ask about maddie and show us a picture of his dog. while he searched his phone for a picture, maddie most definitely charged him and head-butted him in the groin, sending him to his knees. my guess was that she didn't care much for his "f*#k you" belt (seriously). it was amazing and hilarious and after apologizing we left as soon as we could.

and THEN we perused the oak court mall, and found some fabulous shoes at payless.

and i got home to find my bathing suit had arrived from j.crew!! this was the BEST DAY EVER!!

hello again!

well, i'm home from a fabulous weekend in nashville!! it was so nice to get out of the city for a bit and see some different sights. we ate A LOT (peter's sushi, pm, urban flats, fido, midtown cafe, marche... and if you can believe it, i feel like i am leaving something out) and went to all the fun little neighborhoods. i loved "living" the nashville life for a weekend, instead of having the tourist experience that i've had before there. thanks to rachel, her parents, and her friends for showing me such a wonderful time!!

now... because i ate so much, it's time to get back on the workout train (for the millionth time). when i woke up at 7:00 this morning was reaaaally foggy outside, but seemed to have subsided by the time i went to run. i drove to mud island for my run today, and as soon as i turned onto front street, i saw that fog was still blanketing the river, and entire memphis waterfront. the bridge across the mississippi was completely hidden. and it was 10:30!! on island drive, i couldn't see 50 feet in front of the car. once i parked, i took the following pic with my phone:

creepy, party of one?? seriously. i couldn't see the river, any other people, or even across the road... i felt like will smith in i am legend. minus the mutant human animals trying to eat me. and the multi-million dollar paycheck. ugh, if only. but i digress. by the time i finished my 3.5 mile run, it was sunny and clear. and i noticed that the river seemed to be getting higher... i hope it floods again, just like last year!! because it's so fascinating!! here's a pic from the same vantage point as the one above, but from last year's flooded river. and this is before it even got REALLY high!!

this has been a very random post, and for that i apologize.

springtime in memphis

springtime is here!! three things i want to do RIGHT AWAY:

one. go to the botanic gardens and feed the koi fish!

two. go to the "blossom - art of flowers" exhibit at the dixon gallery.

three. play another round of golf with my dad!

happy birthday weekend to me :)

it has been a fabulous day. the weather is un-freakin'-believable and i cannot believe that less than a week ago there was 6 inches of snow on the ground. i am sitting in our backyard blogging. on the deck, with the dog by my side. how incredibly lovely.

sean is taking me out for my birthday tonight (my bday isn't until sunday) to the tower room, which is at the top of this building:

yes, please! we tried to do this restaurant for valentine's but, as you can imagine, reservations filled up quickly.

earlier, sean's sister and her boyfriend came over for a couple of drinks. we sat out on our back deck with the dog, the cat, and some beer and had a grand ol' time. it truly feels like spring... and that makes me immensely happy :)

i love birthdays that flank the weekend, because then you really get several days to celebrate. tonight is our romantic "just the two of us" night, tomorrow is girl's night (i think mollie fontaine's is the plan), and sunday is family night (special dinner, cake and ice cream! yay!). I LOVE IT. maybe things will change as i get older, but i love birthdays and i loooove making them last as long as possible.

cafe eclectic

sean took me to a new (to me) restaurant last night: cafe eclectic. i had never even heard of it... and that's a shame, because it is super cute. and delicious. just another reason why midtown memphis is so great. it has live jazz and other musical delights on the weekends. and really good roasted potatoes. and the overall ambiance is very very nice. i think it's one of those places where i could spend an afternoon sipping coffee and surfing the internet. just take a look.

entrance

interior of cafe

roasted potatoes!!

i am loving this brick corner detail.

wait... what!?

i'm hawkin the tube this morning... enjoying meredith and matt on the today show. our friendly local weatherman just came on to let me know that even though it is 24 degrees outside right now (with a wind chill of 15) and there's still snow on the ground, not to worry because by friday we're into the low 70s.

welcome to memphis :)

remote blogging

it has been exactly 30 hours since our home internet began NOT WORKING. and i thought i would be ok, but i am not. i feel as though i may  die. i need email, i need facebook, i need news, i need contact with the outside world. so i went to otherlands.

otherlands is this amazing little coffee shop about 2 blocks from my house. it has a couple different rooms, so there are appropriate places to eat, drink, socialize, study, or merely exist. there's wonderful local art on the walls- paintings and photographs- that's really inspiring me to get back into painting and crafting. i went to michael's craft store today to pick up some things for my booming (ha) card making business. i have made ONE card to date. and i was my own client. my friend rachel for into law school- yay!- so i made her a congrats card. i should have taken a pic of it to post here, but because i am such a brilliant business-woman... i did not. 

ok. let's get back on track. even though i hope that we can fix our internet soon, i think i may start spending more time here, just sitting, sipping, and browsing. it really has been quite and enjoyable hour and a half. despite many people's pessimistic attitude about memphis and what it has to offer, little gems like otherlands exist all over this city, and i'm always thrilled to find a new one. 

4 days worth of thoughts. get comfy.

i just realized how wieeeeerd i am! i mean, i've always known i had a slightly crazy side but this confirms it. i am currently watching tv, waiting for my 9:30pm bowling date to arrive, and i am flipping back and forth between 2 shows. The "Planet Earth" Documentary. and E!'s "The Girls Next Door". HA! even i cannot believe the extent of my diversity :)

and i find both shows fascinating. for different reasons, obviously, but nevertheless, FASCINATING. it's amazing how many parallels you can draw between the struggles of African wildlife and the pressures of becoming a playmate. survival of the fittest. or the most surgically enhanced. same thing, right?

anyway. on the 21st, i'm having an engagement party for a childhood friend. it will be a modest party, but i'm determined to make it as great as it can be. all of the people coming to the party are old old old friends - like, 1st grade friends - and we don't get a lot of chances to visit now that everyone leads their own grownup life.  BUT here's what i'm thinking for food:

spanish salted almonds (see  post from jan 2nd)

croissant rolls

spinach dip with pita chips

guacamole with tortilla chips

shrimp with cocktail sauce

cranberry meatballs

veggie & fruit plate

valentine's candies

chocolate chip cookies

and assorted DRINKS!!!

yay! can't wait!!

sean and i are celebrating our 4 year anniversary next week. :) we usually combine anniversary and valentine's since they are so close. this year, we've decided on dinner at The Tower Room American Grill. i've wanted to eat there for years, since it has a wonderful, high rise view of memphis. and i've heard the food is delish. regardless, it sounds like a good valentine's spot, and it shouldn't break the bank. so i'll let you know.

alright, i think we're caught up.

enjoy your friday and i'll enjoy mine. 

a couple of things

1. i am a bad memphian. at the gas station, a man from out of town asked me how to get to graceland. i threw a couple of blank stares his way, then said "um" about five times before giving him C-grade directions. and i think i said something stupid like, "you can probably just follow the signs." and here's the thing- i KNOW how to get there. i think i just crumbled under the pressure. it's a good thing i'm not a doctor.

2. in a move that i can only assume is to save money, the semi-decent paper towels at work have been replaced by these  t h i n g s  that are SO un-absorbent that it they can best be described as tree bark. i'm concerned about the future of the toilet paper.

city lights

WINTER CAN BE AN ESPECIALLY DEPRESSING TIME to have a full-time, grown-up job. as if it isn't hard enough to sit in one place (and concentrate!) all day, it's dark and cold when i leave for the day. and lately the weather has been rainy, foggy, and generally unenjoyable.

but   t  o  n  i  g  h  t  ... the fog made me smile.

it puts a new spin on this pattern of red and green lights i've grown up looking at. it was exactly the moment of relaxation that i needed after a day packed with powerpoint setups, parking garage concepts, and stair/elevator/trash room plans.  if only these lights could stay on all year long- i'd be much calmer. 

i hope it's foggy tomorrow, too.