Atlanta Food Trucks... heaven on earth.

so the best part of the Midsummer Music & Food Festival was clearly [other than the music] the food trucks... I only ate half a grapefruit before we left and DJ and I shared everything so we could taste as much as possible, and it was seriously worth it.


we had grilled cheese with mango chutney from the good food truck

a korean beef taco from yumbii

jalapeno beefstock boiled peanuts from lafayette's fancy boiled peanuts [DJ liked them so much he had to get more for the road]

amazing fries from the fry guy

we also had a fresh georgia peach popsicle from the king of pops and a wood fire pizza from S&J's Woodfired Pizzas [but clearly we gobbled them up before we could get pictures], everything was SO amazing! 


they're  having an urban picnic with all the food trucks at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market this friday, so I'm psyched to go taste more yummy food truck goodness!

what's your favorite food truck item?

Midsummer Music & Food Festival

on Saturday DJ and I headed down to Candler Park and went to the Midsummer Music & Food Festival to watch two of DJ's faves perform (JJ Grey and Mofro & Robert Randolph) and of course, to eat [ATL Food trucks, YES]...  it started out as a beautiful day, and then of course, it started raining and it turned into a torrential downpour.... cr-a-zy. we got soaked, and the music stopped and we almost went home [of course before the two bands we came to see went on] but then the music started again and the rain stopped so we were troopers and stuck it out... 

other than the rain - we had a great day... the concerts were great and we just had such a fun relaxing day/night together... and we met lots of interesting people and had so much fun people watching... I think the getting soaked/staying outside got me a little sick though, my throat has been killing me the past two days, sad! 


oh whats that you say? you want to see what I looked like after getting soaked and what my red rainbows did to my feet... sure, why not...

just another day in the life...

and yes, my feet are finally back to normal!

perfect friday night....

tasty glass of riesling....

amazing grill-master and partner in crime...

one helluva dinner...

and a ton of fun putting it all together...

flank steak + soy vay veri veri teriyaki marinade = perfection.

hope you all had a relaxing weekend!

father's day.

father's day is bittersweet. while I love celebrating all of the men in my life who are fathers it will never be easy for me without my dad. I still can't believe it's been almost five years since we lost him and not a day goes by where I don't think of him and miss him. I felt lost for a long time without him as he was my rock and my absolute hero but it's gotten easier as the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, and eventually - the months turned to years. however, easier, does not equal easy.  


today as I lay in bed [way too late] overwhelmed by thoughts of my dad there are  few things that stick out and that make me smile away the tears...


I think of the times that he would let me mess up his [always perfectly combed] hair when no one else could touch it...
I think of him saying "elephants never forget" for as long as I could remember...
I think of him sacrificing so that I could experience the childhood and adulthood that he thought I deserved and needed...
I think of his encouragement over the years and how it made me that much more confident in myself...
I think of all the nicknames he gave my boyfriends over the years [always deprecating, of course]...
I think of how he had such a crush on Ellen DeGeneres [if you've met my dad, this makes it even more strange]...
I think of how much he survived and how it makes me realize that I can survive too...


He was a character, he was a card-carrying member of the NRA, as conservative as they came, yet, one of the most accepting men I knew on so many levels. He always had a cloth handkerchief, he believed that real men didn't use straws or umbrellas [and therefore never did either of those things]. More than anything, he was my daddy - the gruff man of few words who was witty, strong and honorable. 


There are so many things over the past four and half years I wish I could share with him, and I know that feeling won't ever go away.  it's such a difficult thing to explain, yet there is this small [and hopefully it will stay small] "support group" that I have of friends who have lost their fathers in the past few years - that's something that you never wish on anyone - but when it happens, it's so much easier to take solace with someone who knows how you feel. there's a pang in your heart that feels almost unanswered or you just hear the echos of your words reverberating and repeating into nothingness. as comforting as it is to know I am not the only one,  it pains me to know that there others that feel this way [not just today, but all days]. So on days like today, I think of my daddy and theirs - I think of them and send them strength just as I know they are to me. 


I know this post may not be the easiest to follow, but it's what I'm feeling. I hope that wherever you are, you're having a happy fathers day celebrating the dads in your life and remembering those that are no longer with us. me, I'll be in a haze of memories all day trying to balance the celebrations of the present and the memories of the dad who made me the woman I am today. 

happy fathers day daddy, I love you. eighty eight.

are you set for summer?

...I thought I was set for summer... 

...then I saw this...

Sephora's 10-piece collection of must-haves for a golden and glowing summer...

What it does: This complete collection, featuring two full-size and seven mini products, includes summer-perfect shades for the eyes, lips, nails, and face. It also includes a roomy, signature Sephora makeup bag for taking it all with you any time, whether you're just chilling poolside or you're dashing off for your next far-flung destination.

This set contains:

- 0.07 oz full-size Sephora Collection Mono Eyeshadow in Choco Excess 19 (dark chocolate with silver glitter)

- 0.13 oz Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Dusk

- 0.08 oz Too Faced Mini Peach Leopard Brightening & Perfecting Bronzer

- 0.125 oz Sephora by OPI nail colour in I'm Wired (opaque electric coral red)

- 0.08 oz Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment (sheer berry rose in pink case)

- 0.18 oz Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold Make-Up Base

- 0.10 oz Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes! Mascara in Black

- 0.34 oz Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Make-Up Setting Spray

- 0.20 oz full-size Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Pop (cool pink)

- Sephora signature makeup bag

$135 value, only for $39!

come to mama... come to mama....