Life lately

It's been a while since I've last done a "life lately" post. It's probably because I seemed to have gotten in a bad habit of not taking as many photos over the past few weeks. There's actually been a decent amount of things I've done so that's kind of a bummer. But I do at least have a few pics to share.

A couple of weekends ago we got an early start with a birthday dinner celebration in honor of Heather at the J. Clyde on Thursday. So glad she appreciates and shares my love for that place. The next night I went with Katie, John and Kyle to the Alabama Outdoors Party on the Porch event that supported Ruffner Mountain. I wish I had taken a pic of my truck fries that I got from the Cantina truck. But obviously there's no time for such shenanigans when you're holding steak, queso and pico on top of garlic fries. We also even made it to Marty's to see a second band play for the night.

Since J and all my friends seemed to be out of town, I spent the next day devoted to entirely too much physical activity (11 miles of running and an hour of horizontal conditioning...who am I?!) and then promptly returned to the YMCA pool for some afternoon sun worshipping. That Sunday was Father's day so I went home and hung with the fam and played with the kiddos, and took my usual power nap, too.

This past weekend was jam packed with a whole lotta fun. Friday night was a going away dinner at Cocina for another couple from church (seriously, why is everyone leaving?!) followed by catching a few bands play at a benefit for Gip's Place, including getting to see Henry "Gip" Gipson actually play. You haven't lived til you've seen a 92-year old man play the blues on guitar. Just sayin!

Then Saturday I particpated in my first ever indoor climbing competition (more on that in another post), followed by a well deserved lunch at FIVE and then to cheer on John at the skeeball finals. Then Sunday after church, J and I hit up the afternoon showing of The Princess Bride at the Alabama Theater. Somehow I had never seen this movie and he had never been to the Alabama, so it was a win-win. Afterward we stopped for ice cream at Edgewood creamery—clearly the best way to end an already amazing weekend.

The dish on Birmingham: a love letter to my town

I can't lie. On Monday, when driving home from an amazing long weekend of camping at the Ocoee River in Tennessee, I actually groaned out loud as we approached town and I saw the "skyline" of Birmingham (that is, if you can consider four tall buildings a skyline?).

But the thing is, even though I groaned, I truly do love this place.

As I think I heard someone say recently, Birmingham is a city that is neither too big nor too small. But like the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, it's 'just right.' I like that it's not so big that I am too timid to get out and explore roads to see where they will take me and who they will take me to. And it's also not so small that there isn't anything to do on a random weeknight. I always feel like I could run into anyone that I know at any moment when I'm out on the town, but suprisingly I very rarely do.

Don't get me wrong, Bham definitely has its fair share of problems. Traffic can be annoying (though I know we have it easy compared to many other cities), jobs (or at least really fun, cool ones) can be hard to come by and of course there is the always ongoing political mess that I don't even completely understand (or want to understand for that matter).

But as an optimist, I like to look at the bright side. I like to look at all the amazing things my city has to offer:

• Railroad Park, an award-winning urban greenspace that hosts free exercise classes, concerts & other events
• a beautiful new stadium downtown for our minor league baseball team, The Birmingham Barons
• incredible restaurants including those owned by award-winning chefs like Chris Hastings & Frank Stitt (but let's be honest, you're more likely to find me at the J. Clyde, Rojo, El Barrio, Saw's or Slice)
• UAB Health System—one of the top four largest academic medical centers in the country
• a pretty decent music scene thanks to venues like The Bottletree, Workplay and the new Iron City
• new developments including an entertainment district downtown and the revitilization of the Avondale area
• three top-notch colleges: Samford, Birmingham Southern and UAB, which was recently named the 10th best medical school in the nation by the U.S. News
• a variety of offerings for the outdoor enthusiast including 50 miles of biking and running trails at Oak Mountain State Park, more biking & running trails plus a zip line at Red Mountain Park and boulder fields for climbers at Moss Rock Preserve
• the unbelievably gorgeous renovated Historic Alabama Theater, which hosts concerts and their summer and holiday film series
• the Sidewalk Film Festival, which I think is the coolest event Birmingham hosts all year long
• and of course plenty of great shopping opportunities at both small boutiques around town and larger stores at the Summit

I swear my list could go on and on, but I'll stop here and hope that I've covered most everything I love about my (now) hometown. I'm sure I left a few things off, but I can always save those for another day.

And honestly, when you get down to it, it's not just about the awesome things I can do in Birmingham, but it's more about the awesome people that I get to share my adventures with. I have been so fortunate to have developed my framily here in Bham and now I've started to branch out with other great friends, thanks to the tons of people I have met through the climbing gym and church.

Basically what it all comes down to is, if they say 'home is where the heart is', then my home is in Birmingham—whether I live here forever or not.

Or to make that a broader statement, as the group Alabama sings "My home's in Alabama, no matter where I lay my head."

ps. If you want to see/read an entire 40 page piece on the state of Alabama which will be featured in the upcoming Delta Sky magazine, you can find that here.

Guide to Birmingham Dining, vol. 1

Just in case anyone out there is planning on visiting or moving to Birmingham anytime soon and you need some food for thought, I figured I'd throw out some of my favorite restaurants I like to frequent. And yes, this is just volume one because there are so many good places to eat here. So expect a volume two, three, four later down the road.

{one} Rojo
Cuisine: Mexi-American
Address: 2921 Highland Ave.
What to expect: Hipsters and country clubbers—believe it or not. Oh and dogs.
Pricing: $10±
You should try...to get there early or late. I'm a firm believer that the only way to really experience Rojo is by sitting on the patio and to do this you have to find the "perfect" timing.

{two} Niki's 

Cuisine: Soul food (southern meat and three)

Address: 1101 2nd Ave. N. (& niki's west is at 233 Finley Ave. West) 

What to expect: A lot of vegetables to choose from in the buffet line.

Pricing: $10±

You should try...to go on your lunch break and know what you want before you get to the counter to order, they are usually in a hurry!

{three} Dreamcakes

Cuisine: Cupcakes and other desserts

Address: 960 Oxmoor Rd.

What to expect: A cute bakery with beautiful, creative delicious dessert concoctions

Pricing: $3±

You should try...the wedding cake cupcake. It's simply sugary deliciousness. 

{four} El Barrio

Cuisine: Mexican with a twist

Address: 2211 2nd Ave. N.

What to expect: Fresh, unique Mexican dishes and a long wait. This place is still hoppin, so get there early.

Pricing: $10-$20±

You should try...the vegetarian tacos. I'm the least healthy-type-of-eater out there and I love these. Omg, AND the cheese dip with chorizo. Do not leave without getting that!

{five} J. Clyde

Cuisine: Bar food/American and Southern fusion

Address: 1312 Cobb Lane

Pricing: $10-$20±

You should try...the chicken fingers and sweet potato fries. I know there are other things on the menu, but I honestly haven't made it past this option or the burger. 

{six} Davenport's 

Cuisine: Pizza

Address: 2837 Cahaba Rd.

What to expect: A kid-friendly restaurant with the best thin crust pizza ever. 

Pricing: $10-20±

You should try...the meat lover's special. (unless you're against eating meat, that is.)

Bon appetit!