iPhone Pic Love

My life pretty much consists of taking pictures on my iPhone.  Which pretty much is equal to me being a terrible blogger.  Yes, I do have a pretty Nikon DLSR -- do I really know how to use it?  Nope.  Auto mode is my best friend.

A long time ago, I bought a manual to try and read it, because my owner's manual was like trying to read French.  It was when B was traveling and I had plenty of nights to uncork a bottle of wine and sit to read the thing and take millions of practice pictures.  

And what I learned was, I always have my iPhone with me - and all I have to do is press a button.  Would I like that awesome blurry effect?  Sure, I would.  But perhaps photography -- good photography, anyway -- is just not in the cards for me.  

So here's a few snapshots into Laura's world from the past couple of weeks:

taking screen shots of flights to Chicago -- planning a girls only trip in September.

how real classy girls do a Friday night - $7.99 bottles of wine from Publix.

she's worn out from you know, doing nothing all day.

enjoying executive level seats at Regions field.

gorgeous bham.

some people crack me up.

enjoying some Steel City Pops.  i had the banana and b had the blood orange.

I'm also pretty sure that taking amazing selfies of us eating popsicles would be impossible with a gigantic camera.

Although, all this self-deprecation about my camera skills makes me want to bust out that manual again and see if I can make it all the way through.

An Observation

When I started this blog, it was flippin horrible.  That's not to say that it's awesome now, but at least there are pictures.  I still suck at formatting stuff and I'll never understand HTML.  I've been contemplating for a couple of months now of buying a domain, switching to Wordpress, but when I even looked up someone to pay to do it, I couldn't even do that.

Some could say that I am incredibly technologically impaired.

I've learned to deal with it... I don't like it, but I make it work.

I think.

Anyway, not the point of the post.  When I started this thing, I didn't know that I would actually meet some really fun people!!  I got to hang out with Nadine and her hubs this weekend!  They adopted me for the weekend since B was gone.  We had our romp at World of Beer, ate another cheeseburger at Jack Brown's and made dinner plans again for Friday!  It's so awesome that I actually got to meet and hang out with such awesome people!  

Disclaimer:  some of these may or may not have been stolen from Nadine and Chris, because theirs are way better.  If you get the chance to hang with these folks, you should just do it!

the Elvis -- peanut butter, mayo, bacon and cheese.  it was heavenly.

It was a super fun weekend!  I can't wait to spend more weekends with blogging friends turned in real life friends!

Fourth of July Recap

What is better than a Fourth recap a week after the actual Fourth?   Absolutely nothing that's what.

Our day started out with a quick run down at the trail -- the weather was perfect!  After that we headed to the store to get some meat to smoke, because what else do you do on a national patriotic holiday?  We smoked chicken wings and big ole pork butt.  

After that, we blew up our gangsta blow-up pool and relaxed in it ..the whole damn day. After baking in the sun all day -- we packed up a few drinks, our portable grill, our tailgate chairs and headed downtown to stake out a spot for the Thunder on the Mountain fireworks show over Vulcan.

Then onto the Blue Monkey for me to try scotch for the first time -- it was flipping terrible.  Luckily, the lovely foreign bartender knew exactly what I should be drinking, and he made that for me.  Then at least I got to enjoy my post-firework beverage.

i loved this little kid and his sparkler.

It was definitely an awesome day.  Hope everyone had a great Fourth remembering exactly why we get to celebrate in freedom every year!

Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint

(as also seen on alabamawomenbloggers.com)

You want to go to heaven?  I'm sure we all do -- well I found it.  This place is incredible.  I am so glad that they decided to invade our little Birmingham.

Located in the Lakeview District in Birmingham is a brand new little restaurant called Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint.  I can promise you that you will not be disappointed.  It’s a little place with bar stools, a few tables and a patio.  They have all kinds of beer, on draft and in their cooler.  Pretty much any beer you could possibly want or need.  They have a few regular burgers, plus a new burger to try every day.   They make their burgers with Kobe beef, and oh my goodness, I wish I could describe the complete juiciness and tastiness of these things.

We went on a Wednesday, where I had the special burger of the day which was the Popeye.  It was their amazing burger topped with house-made spinach-artichoke dip, pepper jack cheese and fried onions.  We also went back again that Saturday, and I ordered the Chiflet which is a bacon, egg and cheese burger.  You can see a complete listing of all they have to offer here.

A cute look inside…I’m not sure how you can hate on a place with a disco ball and pallet siding!!

A fun encounter with one of the owners!!

 

And of course the food!  I even forgot to mention the fried Oreo!  $1.  $1!!!  If you allow yourself, I bet you could eat a dozen.  Challenge accepted.  Also their dipping sauce should be renamed “crack sauce,” because it is that good.  I dipped everything on my plate into that stuff.

 Oh wait -- have I not convinced you yet...??

Blurry, but yes, that is an honorable  Birmingham Police waiting for his food.  I mean, if it's good enough for them, it's definitely good enough for you.

Seriously -- go check it out.

Barons Game Photo Shoot

What do you do when you have just one too many cocktails?  Some people have another cocktail and keep going (been there); some run straight to Al's Deli (done that too), but most of the time, I just take a bunch of pictures.

Pictures of pretty much whatever is around at the time.  I don't necessarily think it's a bad habit; I honestly love having a time line through pictures of times in my life, even if they are a testimony to the tipsy times as well.

These are from a thirsty Thursday game, where beers are $2, and you can drink up until the seventh inning stretch.  Here is what I found on my phone the next day.

 

It was also Caribbean night -- hence the thing in stilts.  It probably also didn't help that we had enjoyed a few beverages at John's City Diner before heading over there either.

Barons games are always a great time in Birmingham, and if you get the chance to go and enjoy a thirsty Thursday, you definitely should.

100 Dishes In Alabama

I had contemplated for all of a day and half about taking a blogging hiatus.  That was just a fleeting thought, obviously, because I'm back.  I got way too into the soccer game on Sunday night; more than I thought I would, and then decided that watching Moonstruck for the millionth time was way more important than blogging.

Then, with my good intentions, I brought my laptop to work yesterday, but was so busy, I worked right through lunch, left the laptop at work, and just said, "well, eff this."

I am clearly a day behind on blogging about my weekend, so here goes.

Saturday morning, we got up earlier than normal and decided to go running.  I'm talking at 7 in the morning folks, and just so you know, it's still humid as hell and running still sucks.  After that, we decided to go to Pepper Place Market.  I was in search for another succulent wife for Antoine, but alas, they only thing my little stand had that day was some blackberries.  And even though they looked awesome, they didn't make a suitable wife for succulent Antoine, but we did get to visit the 100 Dishes in Alabama exhibit, which was awesome!

It was a really tiny exhibit, so it took about 20 minute to walk through the whole thing.

After that, I was about to eat my arm, so we grabbed some pork sliders and a cinnamon roll from the jim n nick's stand and also grabbed an iced coffee.  I also didn't know that Octane was a sister company of Jim N Nick's...so there's that too.

That night we got to meet up with Nadine and her hubs, Chris, for beers at World of Beer, then dinner at Jack Brown's followed by late night cocktails at Crestwood Tavern.  We were up till 2am.  2am.  Which made it completely acceptable for me to lay down and watch TV all day.

It was an awesome weekend and Nadine and Chris are super awesome people.  I really think everyone needs to have more weekends like that.

Post Office Pies - Avondale

In case I've never mentioned it before, I love pizza.  

To me, there is nothing better on this earth.  Nothing.  It is better than rainbows; it is better than unicorns and puppies; it is better than cabins in the mountains or the beach.  It just is.

So when I had heard months before of another pizza place opening up in Birmingham, I knew that I had to try it out.  It's squeezed into the place between Avondale Brewery and Saw's Soul Kitchen, in an old post office.  Hence the name.  Also, if you didn't catch that, don't worry.  B had to tell me when I asked, "I wonder why they call it Post Office Pies?"

Duh.

Anyway, once you get in there, you order your pizza and beverages (I have heard they have some superb cocktails, and all the girls had some pinky/purple drink, but this girl loves pizza with beer) right at the front, grab a number and go to sit and wait on your amazingess to arrive at your table.

We ordered the Swine Pie -- full of piggy goodness.  They bring it out right on the server; no plates necessary and you've got a roll of paper towels.  Simple, right?  Simple and awesome.

Another awesome thing about this place?  Open late night y'all!  Go have yourself a couple of beers next door at Avondale and then pop right on into POPs and get yourself a pie!