Outings: Cheddar's

Cheddar's - Louisville, KY (17 August)

• After church; no one had cooked so we all went out to eat together
• Can you say "crowded"? Apparently everyone and their momma goes to this restaurant after church
• Table for nine
• Chilly; they sat us right under the huge fans
• Chips + salsa/queso for a all
• Sweet tea w/ lemon + ice water
• Cousin introduced me to a game app called Piano Tiles (?)
• Chicken quesadilla + Grilled chicken pecan salad
• Everything was aight; service was friendly though
• One of those places where the food reads better on paper and looks better than it is; but certainly not terrible
• Wanted to go to the State Fair afterward but Ma's hair is allergic to water; everybody went to their respective homes for Sunday post-pigout naps!

Outings: Chuck E. Cheese's

Chuck E. Cheese's - Louisville, KY (16 August)

• Dropped our bags off at Grandpa's house and headed over to where the rest of the family was
• Cousin's son's 3rd birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese!
• No one knew that Ma and I were coming... surprise!
• Birthday boy and his parents visiting all the way from SC; celebrating in matching green-and-white t-shirts and Chucks.
• Pizza + cake + pop + screaming kids; reminiscent of my own Chuck E. Cheese party back in 1st grade
• Typical family banter and "Danielle doesn't eat enough" jokes
• After-party at my aunt's house: wings, TV, and still more laughter and conversation

Outings (Anniversary Party)

Somewhere in Indianapolis, IN (15 August)

• Visiting my uncle and aunt in Indy; first stop on our 5-day, two-city "drive-by visit" tour
• Family gathering to celebrate my aunt's cousin's anniversary; Ma and I crashed even though we're not related
• Family of social butterflies; yelling and laughter all around; Grabbed a plate and then retreated to the garage
• Lemon cake that was out of this world! The definition of SLAPPIN'!
• Chocolate and vanilla anniversary cake
• Dominoes and card games all around; kids dancing and running around
• Old school funk, disco, electro, R&B and grown folks' music

Paws to the Pavement

Oh how I miss dog-walking! Took my uncle's family's dog for a walk around their neighborhood this morning and it was so much fun! 45 minutes of bliss and quiet! Made even more blissful by this funny puppy named Cooper.

Outings: Kerby's Koney Island

Kerby's Koney Island - Rochester Hills (14 August)

• Breakfast with another pair of high school friends
• Got up at 8:15am and rode my bike 2.5 miles for this! Felt like a champ!
• No bike racks so I propped mine up against the window of our booth
• Egg white veggie omelet w/ swiss + hashbrowns w/ ketchup + wheat toast w/ apple jelly + apple juice
• Another 2-hour round of catching up (getting kinda tired of having to fill people in over and over, but that's what I get for going away)
• Terrible bosses/directors; career goals; travel plans; the few people from high school that we still keep up with
• My friends are going places! One is a phenomenal percussionist/future band director, the other well on her way to becoming an accountant 
• Plans for next week?
• Parted ways just as the lunch crowd arrived
• Rode my bike all the way home; that makes 5 miles today! All before 1 o'clock!

Letting go...

"People think that enlightenment is pure bliss... But really, enlightenment is simply having the wisdom to know what to pick up and what to put down in life." 

"Be willing to let go of the idea that you can't." 

-Jonathan, this evening's Slow Flow Vinyasa instructor

The theme of this evening's practice was "letting go", and while we were cooling down Jonathan played this really soulful and moving song called "Let it Go" by James Bay. (No, it has NOTHING to do with 'Frozen'.) Its lyrics are pure gold. This is for anyone who needs to ease some tension today. Be Happy and God Bless. Enjoy!

Outings (Madison Heights)

Thuy Trang - Madison Heights (11 August) 

• Restaurant named after the actress who played the original Yellow Power Ranger?
• With Di and Ivy (Mo bailed, with good reason)
• Rolls + pho (#3, #4, #16 and #20); it was aight
• Lady at the table directly next to us was blatantly stared at us; I looked her in the eye, smiled and said hi; she just smiled back and kept staring
• Picking up some tiny cherry candies before leaving
• High shool friend meeting college friend = success!
• One more stop for this trio on a rainy day...

QQ Bakery - Madison Heights (11 August)

• Tiny, 14-person legal capacity
• So many options! And soooo cheap!
•  Coconut raisin bun + "crispy tart" (egg tart) + taro paste bun + "chicken cookies" + bite of Ivy's "sun biscuit" + bite of Di's "red bean snowball" 
• Green tea jasmine bubble tea = Best bubble tea I've ever had!
• No seating in the bakery and it was pouring outside; retreated to my car for nibbles and chit chatter
• Ivy went back to hear car and embarked on her long drive home; Di stayed in the back of mine and decided she wanted to be "chauffered"
• Discussion about police thugs beating and killing our people, and the declining value of black women in the eyes of black men
• Had to sit through Di ranting about the many reasons why Kim K is undeserving