My sister recently lived in Savannah, Georgia for a year. I visited her there four or five times (one visit was for her wedding!). Now she’s in Nashville, and I miss Savannah, despite the fact that I’m not the one who lived there. I’m DVRing Ruby, re-reading Denise Hildreth’s Savannah From Savannah series, and thinking about shrimp and grits. So I wanted to share some of my favorite things about this lovely city:
The historic buildings along the Riverwalk (and palm trees!).
The cute beach homes on Tybee Island
The fountain in Forsyth Park
Aforementioned shrimp and grits from Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House
The marshes
Finally, the general beauty and artsiness of the place. On my last visit, I took a trolley tour, and learned that the Historic District was basically a ghetto until SCAD and the chamber of commerce started buying it up and restoring it, block by block. They saw the “good bones” of the city underneath the ugliness, and believed in them enough to take big risks. That story gave me hope for Memphis!
I got a new bike! :) I’ve been browsing for at least a year. I had planned to order one from Target.com, but last week I decided I didn’t want to wait around anymore. So I went to Sports Authority and bought this Diamondback Vital 2. It’s everything I could want in a bike, right down to the Tiger blue and cute bird decal, and it was ready to ride out of the store!
On Saturday, I took the bike for its maiden voyage on the Shelby Farms Greenline. My mom and I rode the whole thing – 14 miles total – and it was a breeze. I look forward to many more rides there this spring and summer!
(Helmet = not such a good look for me)In other news, after the sad Tiger tournament loss on Friday, Kathy (my college roommate) and I went to Wilson Air to meet the team plane when it landed. I’ve wanted to do this for years, and it was a great experience! Several hundred fans were there. I made a sign, and we got most of the players to sign it! Then I wished I had made a smaller sign more suitable for long-term display.
The most exciting moment was getting a picture with Charles Carmouche. He’s been my favorite player all season!
I’m proud of this team and all that they’ve accomplished. Since only one player is leaving for sure, I’m confident that they’ll blow everyone away next season! Can’t wait. :)
Grand Champions, 1996
Dear Hollywood,
The success of Glee, The Sing-Off, and other musical series is proof that the time has come for band nerds to take the spotlight. We’ve waited patiently. We buried our disappointment back in ’95 when Mr. Holland’s Opus turned out to be about Mr. Holland and hardly about his band at all. We felt that 2002’s Drumline was a solid 8-to-5 step in the right direction, but there’s plenty more field to cover. Choirs might be full of drama, but clearly you’re unfamiliar with the groups of 100+ teenagers around the country spending most of their waking hours together, making music together, fainting from heat exhaustion together, winning grand championships together, doing pushups on the side of a lonely highway in the middle of the night together. Trust me, there are many seasons’ worth of stories to be had.
Now is the time. And if you need writers, I’m happy to offer my services.
Sincerely,
Brenda W.
Kirby High School Sound of Blue, c/o ’97
I love filling out a bracket for March Madness! But since the Tigers are the only team I follow seriously, many of my choices are based on gut feelings. That, and whatever sticks in my brain from watching the selection show. Except I’m ignoring Charles Barkley’s comments because apparently he doesn’t like us this year.
Anyway, when the Tigers are in the tournament, I become truly “mad.” I don’t drink much normally, but during these games, loved ones practically shove wineglasses into my hand so I can calm down and watch the game with a normal level of interest. This year my expectations are lower, so it should be more relaxing. :)
Our first game (and hopefully not our last) is against Arizona on Friday. GO TIGERS GO!!!
My master bathroom remodel is FINISHED! My long-suffering dad finished up the final details last night.
First, to ensure full appreciation, here’s a photo of the bathroom circa 2006, when the previous owner was still in the house. A stranger once messaged me about this picture on Flickr and suggested I enter it in an “America’s ugliest bathrooms” contest. I did. Surprisingly, it didn’t win.
The hideous wallpaper came down almost as soon as we moved in. It took several more months to make further updates to the room. But finally, the walls were smoothed out, and I was able to paint them and the dark sink vanity. I loved, and still love, this color – “Surfer” by Behr. I figured a small bathroom was the best place to make a daring choice.
Unfortunately, this impossible-to-clean shell-shaped sink remained. :P
Later we discussed having the bathroom completely remodeled and a walk-in shower installed, but my marriage ended before anything was settled. At that point, I wanted a “new” bathroom even more. After a lot of waffling, I decided to leave the tub in place, and my brother offered to demolish and replace everything else. He and my dad did this entire job and saved me thousands of dollars in labor costs.
“Boardwalk” vanity and sink top from Lowe’s. Perfectly-matching medicine cabinet from Bed, Bath & Beyond ($30 less than the Lowe’s version!). Mirror, $25 on Craigslist.
So smooth and clean!! :D I bought the sink fixtures at Surplus Warehouse over a year ago, knowing that I would eventually get a new sink if nothing else.
These towels are from TJ Maxx/Homegoods. I went to several locations to assemble a set. Could they be more perfect with the mosaic tile?
I repainted the walls “Aqua Spray” by Behr. It’s halfway between the old blue and the “Ionic Sky” that’s in my bedroom. Same effect, just a little less in-your-face.
The main tile is from a wholesaler. The floor tiles are 17″ square and the wall tiles are 13″ square. I wanted them to match for better flow, since the bathroom is only 5′ X 7′. I bought the mosaic tile in 12″ squares at Home Depot, and Kevin cut them into strips. I really wanted some sort of accent at eye level. The shower fixtures are also from Home Depot.
I’m thrilled and thankful to have such a luxurious master suite! :)
