Weekend Happenings

Friday: Amanda and I got dinner and then went downtown for some much-needed cocktails. It was a long week! We ran into my friends Moe and Sebastian at Star’s, and the four of us made moves to LIFE, another new bar on King that we really like. It looks like Space Mountain inside and every time we go, we meet some really interesting individuals.

Saturday: I decided a while back that I needed to completely redecorate my bedroom. As much as I love the color green, I was over it for the boudoir. Using this as inspiration…

Amanda and I headed to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to make some purchases. I was in the market for a new comforter, so I “tested” out a few. Can’t make any rash decisions on beddings, you guys.

We shopped until we dropped and I got some great deals. I completed bought new bedding, completed a DIY project,  and painted one of the walls grey. This is what 8 hours of sleep + coffee do to me. I felt so productive. Here’s a sneak peak -- I’ll reveal more when I’m done!

That night, Boding, Danielle, and I went out to um, have some more cocktails and do our famous pose. Yes, we went back to LIFE. The lights, they draw you in.

At one of the bars we ventured to (Midtown, ew, what were we thinking?), Danielle noticed there was a girl with a very similar outfit on. Then we noticed she was standing with her Asian bestie. Double set of twins.

Doesn’t that guy look like Harold from Harold & Kumar?! Or just annoyed to be taking that picture? Ha.

Our final stop was Oku, for a dance session. Danielle had a moment on the dance floor. Is this not hysterical? She was really feeling the music.

Sunday: Danielle and I went to brunch at Puree. We’ve been eating here a lot lately; I am going to do a full review this week! I had a big juice of beets, apple, kale, and mango and The scrambler:  a burrito with cheese, tomatoes, kale, sweet & Yukon gold potatoes. Loved it.

As I was trying to pour the rest of my juice in a to-go cup, I knocked it over and made a huge mess. So typical. Good thing the owner, Jenan, is super sweet and laughed it off. I am a wreck.

After brunch settled, Amanda and I met up for a run through I’On and around Shem Creek. It was so hot, we were dehydrated from the night before, and my stomach felt wonky. Somehow we managed 5 miles.

Now I’m all settled in my soft, new sheets and comforter and off to do the crossword in my New York magazine. Stay nerdy my friends. XO!

Wine and Food, Wine and Food.

This weekend was full of wine and food. So much wine and food.

Friday evening, my best friend Nancy came over for some girl time. She and I have been friends since we were 13 and though we don’t get to hang out as often as I’d like, we’ve remained very close over the years! She’s my future maid of honor, whether she likes it or not. We spent the evening catching up with a fun bottle of wine. Sassy white? Perfect for us.

We also stopped by the new(ish) froyo place, Yobe..My friends Danielle and Angela rave about their froyo, so when Groupon offered a $10 for $5 deal, I immediately bought two. I had four different flavors: taro, vanilla, red velvet, and strawberry. Red velvet was so nasty but the vanilla and taro were great! Yobe’s frozen yogurt is different – it’s more icy than creamy. The good news is that it’s all-natural, non-fat, and about 25 calories per ounce. Thanks for the rec ladies!

Saturday was spent running errands all day. And by errands I mean shopping. I only finished with lotion, chap stick, and lip gloss. Darn.

Saturday evening was much more successful. Boomer invited me to the Charleston Wine and Food Festival After Hours Party at the bus shed. Next year, if I attend any of the events, it will definitely be this one.

Thank you, Sarah, for photobombing that picture.

By far, the most delicious thing I ate was a peanut butter & jelly cannoli. It was an emotional experience.

Aside from the food and wine, there were break dancers and drum roll….hula hoopers!

And some circus freaks. Boomer realllllly wanted to take a picture with these people for some reason. He must secretly want to be one.

After the after party (that sounds bad, but I swear it was over at midnight), Sarah, Danielle, and I went to Oku and danced like crazy people.

Sunday was Wine and Food Festival Round 2 at the tasting tents. Trish was sampling some of her incredible wines from Vidalco Wine and offered me extra tickets. So generous of her! Thanks love!

Rachel and I spent an hour and a half gorging ourselves with treats and enjoying the sunshine. The weather was great, but so windy, as you can tell by our wild hair.

I wish I had more photos to share with you, but it’s difficult holding a purse, plate of food, goodie bag, and glass of wine. Priorities people.

Highlights: Bourbon chocolate:

Carrot cake:

Mini goat cheese ice cream cones:

and wine from Josh’s company, Spanish Vines. Remember Josh from our Pour Favor wine launch party back in November? Sadly, he did not attend the event this year.  Josh, I better see you in 2013…or the next I’m in NYC!

For the record, I’m eating only vegetables for the next week.

Kidding.

Maybe.

XO!

Weekend Update Part I

Friday: Charleston friends, you know Joe Girard, the afternoon DJ for 95sx? Well he’s a good buddy of mine and I think you should vote for him in the Charleston City Paper Awards! He deserves it! Speaking of Joe, he and I went to a tweet up on Friday night. Random! We were invited by a mutual twitter friend who I had never met. A few girls that I knew (in real life) were also going, so we figured the party was a great way to meet new people that we had already connected with online. It was so fun! Just like blogger meet-ups, but Twitter style. It’s also one of the few opportunities you get to introduce yourself by your twitter handle. Too bad mine is my actual name!

Saturday: Around noon, I went downtown to volunteer with my friend Dane from work. This particular group, called God’s People, meets every other Saturday for a picnic in the park, offering food, clothing, and other goods to the homeless. Not only do they provide meals and such, but they establish friendships and help them get off the street. It was really nice to see how everyone connected and I would love to go again. If anyone is interested in volunteering, please let me know!

After that, Boding and I went to a wine tasting at Winestyles in Town Center. I’ve been to their wine tastings several times and always have a lot of fun. You taste 5 different wines, learn about their pairings, and meet new people. We tried 2 whites and 3 reds. My favorite was The Federalist – a rich, full-bodied Zinfandel with bright berry character. I had no idea I liked Zinfandel. It had such great flavor.

After some shopping, we headed over to Papa Zuzu’s for dinner. Papa Zuzu’s is a casual, family-run Greek restaurant in Mt. Pleasant. Everything is made to order and extremely fresh. We started out with a platter of warm pita bread, hummus, and tzatziki sauce. Delicious.

I had the standard Chicken Gyro with a side of cucumber salad. Holy moly, this thing was huge. I could only finish half and was stuffed to the brim. It was loaded with chicken and lightly topped with tzatziki sauce and tomatoes. Boding got the lamb gyro and I can’t even begin to tell you how jealous I was. The meat was out of this world. If they weren’t closed on Sunday, I would be there tonight. Get there now!

Later that evening, I met some friends at the bowling alley. Ummm have I ever told you how much I love bowling? I really do. And I get kind of competitive. Guess who won all five games? This girl! Oh, such dorky things I’m proud of.

It’s like a trophy case on my blog right now. My friend Chris pointed out that my bowling name (well, what shows on the screen), XTI, sounds like a stock symbol.

Now don’t think that my bowling skills have pumped up my ego or anything. I’m still the same dorky little girl that cannot dance. I’m so white. It’s great. Enjoy a little clip of Boding and me dancing to “Can’t Touch This.”

Points of Interest:

• :24 – Boding’s face. Omg.
• 1:46 – I think I just choked on my gum.
• 1:49 – I tell my roommate, Jenna, to join in. She declines.
• 2:14 – Oh, just blowing a bubble.
• 2:37 – Hi Jenna! Watch her stand on the table to blow the candle out. She’s even shorter than I am!
• 3:17 – “Yes, I have the crown!” Competitive little brat.
• 3:24 – Ironic that I have the crown, as I pretty much lose it here.

Weekend Update Part II coming soon!

Hope you all have a wonderful day off. Happy Birthday, Mr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!

Citrus Walnut Beet Dip and Bad Xbox Dancing

Let’s face it. Beets are a weird vegetable. They grow in the ground, which makes them taste like dirt, and when you cut into them they bleed all over you. What other vegetable does that?

AND THEY MAKE YOUR PEE PINK.

Well, some of you. According to World’s Healthiest Foods, “an estimated 10-15% of all U.S. adults experience beeturia (a reddening of the urine) after consumption of beets.”

Are you one of the 10-15%? I am and I don’t mind it. I also don’t mind sharing that fact with you. Sorry!

Over the weekend, I furthered my love for this creepy vegetable by making a dip.

Citrus Beet Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz can beets
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ cup  plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp. orange juice
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. coriander

Preparation:

Place all ingredients into a food processer and puree until smooth. Enjoy the pink stuff!

Three of my favorite things: wine, beets, and blogging!

My poor friend Robert was hanging out with me on Saturday when I decided to make this and boy, did he think I was disgusting. I guess it was payback for when I (briefly!) made him carry my purse at Target. He didn’t seem to mind much, but what did bother him was my extreme case of a.d.d. while in the store.

You see, we went for gum. Just gum. That is all.

We left with:

• a jewelry organizer
• two pairs of green socks (I love socks!)
• more spandex pants
• wine
• huge box of clif bars
• popchips
• and the gum

$64 and an hour later, I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or entertained by my ability to destroy Target. He said I was going to be an expensive wife. I think that’s a compliment.

Later that evening, I spent, oh, maybe 6 hours playing Just Dance. My calves were so sore on Sunday morning. In case you ever doubted my hyperactivity, feel free to watch this clip (of a clip) of when I was dancing. Maybe one day I will show you the full footage.

“My watch is weighing me down.”

Who wants to come over and dance?!