Eat. Pray. Love.

With everything going on, and the fact I have been sick for over a week, I was ready for some serious R&R this weekend. However, before I could do any of that it, we needed to celebrate Julie's birthday! We decided to go to the Wine Loft in Short Pump and enjoy a night full of great friends, food and wine. After hearing Julie sing Wine Loft's praises for over a month, I was ready to experience it for myself. Let me tell you, it was everything she said and more. There was an overwhelming selection of wine and delicious appetizers, along with comfortable seating perfect for a little relaxation after a long day of work. Thursday also happens to be jazz night, so we were serenaded by an incredible band as we sipped and chatted among our large group (they even sang the most beautiful/seductive version of Happy Birthday I have ever heard!). Happy Thursday to us, and thanks fore being born Julie. :)

Since Thursday was so eventful, Julie and I decided to watch her latest Netflix delivery on Friday night. Recently we have not had the best luck with our Netflix movies (has anyone seen The Box? We have...), but we were ready to give the movies another chance when she received "Eat. Pray. Love." I was not sure what to expect from this movie because, to be perfectly honest, when it was in the theatres I had absolutely no desire to see it. In the previews it seemed slow and uninteresting so I chalked it up as another bad book to movie adaption, but man was I wrong. I was shocked to find a great admiration for the character in the film, along with the journey itself. Traveling always seems to win me over, and for that I am definitely my mother's child.


Instead of hitting the bars post-movie, I planned my own Eat.Pray.Love journey...in case I need it in the future: 

• Eat: I would begin my journey by heading back to Thailand. I was fortunate enough to visit this country two years ago and immediately fell in love with the food. The fruits are undeniably the best (mangosteen? all day every day), their noodle dishes satisfy even the pickiest eaters (me), and every meal is incredibly fresh. This is the first vacation I have been on in 22 years where I thoroughly enjoyed every meal, and I am getting hungry just thinking about it.  
• Pray: For this I would undoubtedly head to Africa. When we visited Tanzania I was awestruck by the love of life, and spirituality, all of the natives exhibited. Though they had virtually nothing, they seemed to find an unmatchable joy and sense of peace. To say that kind of trip makes you thankful is an understatement. They have truly mastered the idea that pure happiness has no dependence on material possessions, and that God always has a plan. To say it is life-changing sounds cliche, however, I believe anyone who has experienced it will have a hard time describing it any other way.
• Love: Finally, to fall in love with a gorgeous foreigner, I would probably head to Tahiti. This one has no good rhyme or reason, just that I have ALWAYS wanted to go there and they are bound to have some interesting 20-some year olds right?



Tahiti, who doesn't want to go here?



As for the rest of the weekend, it was filled with friends, family and some much needed R&R. And while it was not the most eventful, it was perfect in my mind.

Oh, and a quick congratulations to my little sister for joining the Greek world. She is now an Alpha Sigma Alpha, and though I have no idea what that is since we did not have them at Tech, I am sure it is perfect.