Freeky Friday: Blushworthy

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Welcome to another Freeky Friday! Today's topic:

Part of positivity is about not taking yourself too seriously. Tell us an embarrassing story about yourself!

There a couple of things you should know about me, if you do not already. First, I blush constantly. I have Irish skin; it's just part of who I am. I blush when I'm embarrassed, when I'm laughing, when I'm uncomfortable, hell, probably when I'm hungry (which is always). I would not be good in a game of poker.

The other thing you should know about me is that I have a ton of hilarious patient stories (of course, I never use any identifying factors, in order to protect privacy). I work for Grady Memorial Hospital, an inner-city Level 1 Trauma Center, and when it comes to my patient population, there is never a dull moment.

A few months ago, I had a patient who was running from the police when he jumped over a fence and fractured his tibial plateau, a part of the knee. Since this type of injury is so close to the joint line, sometimes physicians will write certain restrictions for movement. They'll place the patient in a knee immobilizer splint and tell us we're not allowed to bend it. However, once motion is permitted, it is absolutely necessary. Basically, it's really important that we get in to see these patients as soon after surgery as possible. This patient had been ordered to range his knee as much as tolerated, so I had my work cut out for me.

This patient wasn't the most motivated. Of course, he was in a lot of pain, but he also in police custody. This is fairly common at Grady. A given patient will be in shackles with an officer sitting in their hospital room; if we need to get them up to teach them how to walk with crutches or something, we just ask the officer to unlock them. The officer will stay with us to make sure we're safe, and I've never had a problem with it. The reason these patients aren't the most motivated bunch is because they're being discharged to jail (or prison, depending on the crime). Would you want to leave a comfortable bed with a TV for jail?

When I went in to see this particular patient, I noticed that there wasn't an officer in the room. I paged him, I asked the nurse to look into it, I even had another officer down the hall call their superior. Nothing. I really wanted to get this patient up and walking, but I figured at least I could still range his knee while waiting on the officer. The patient saw this as an excuse to get out of working with me (and thus prolong the inevitable discharge to jail), but I assured him that we could still exercise.

"Please!" I said. "There's still plenty you can do while shackled to the bed."

I realized what I had just said.

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I had hoped the patient didn't realize the, um, alternate meaning behind that statement, but he was young and just as immature as I am. He thought it was hilarious. Blushing ensued.

What about you? Do you have an embarrassing moment to share?

Remember, anyone can get Freeky on Fridays! You can participate in three different ways:

• Write a blog post using the badge html above, then comment on my post with a link to your post
• Tweet your answer using the tag #FreekyFriday
• "Like" the  Freekware Facebook page, then comment on there with your answer

Every time you post, tweet or comment in the month of July, you'll be entered to win some Peanut Butter S'mores Bites and a contribution to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in your name. This is your last chance to enter for July, but you can be entered up to three times!

Be sure to come back next Friday, August 5th for an all new contest and and all new prompt:

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?

Atlanta Culinary Tour: Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters

You may recall that I recently attended the Atlanta Culinary Tour of Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward a while back. Last week, I was fortunate enough to hang out with the folks at Atlanta Culinary Tours as they explored Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters. Once again, Atlanta Culinary Tours provided an entertaining and educational adventure in the world of food.

Batdorf & Bronson is a company based out of both Olympia, Washington, and right here in Atlanta. The two branches work very closely with one another, right down to performing calibrations via Skype to ensure identical taste across the United States. The company has a commitment to ethical and responsible coffee. Not only do they use fair trade coffee, they also order coffee directly from the plantations where the beans are harvested. Additionally, they use 100% renewable energy, including natural gas and solar energy.

If you haven't heard of Batdorf & Bronson, you may have heard of their coffee shop in downtown Decatur: Dancing Goats. The name comes from the story of how coffee was first discovered. According to legend, an Ethiopian goat herder noticed his flock dancing energetically after eating little red cherries.

Batdorf & Bronson coffee is also brewed at some of my favorite places around Atlanta: Highland Bakery, West Egg Café, Bakeshop, Murphy's, Miller Union, Watershed, Ria's Bluebird, Alon's, and Aurora, to name a few.

Batdorf & Bronson also supplies coffee to Cacao, an Atlanta-based chocolatier.

The tour was led by Jason Dominy, Batdorf & Bronson's Head of Bean Knowledgy (yes, that's a real word) and all-around coffee enthusiast. No, "enthusiast" seems like a bit of an understatement. This dude has a tattoo of a coffee bean; I think it's safe to say he pretty much lives and breathes it.

Jason's passion for the subject at hand made it interesting and relevant to everyone in the room...even the one or two people who said they don't drink coffee!

We learned about the entire process from harvesting to roasting, which included an explanation of equipment that I had never seen before.

Yep, the roaster had an Elvis figurine on it. I'm telling you - these guys have personality!

I was really excited to learn about the burlap sacks that the coffee comes in. Sounds silly, I know, but trust me...they were beautiful.

Best of all, guess what they do with the bags once the beans are used? They sell them to benefit Coffee Kids, an organization that provides resources like healthcare to the coffee plantations. Affordable burlap and a good cause? I might need to make myself some new patio furniture pillows...

We finished up the tour in The Lab where Jason, an award-winning barista, demonstrated serious hand-brewing skills.

We concluded our tour with the most incredible iced coffee I've ever had.

If you live in the Atlanta area and enjoy coffee and/or learning about socially responsible agriculture, I highly recommend this tour. The next one is Wednesday, August 10th at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $25, and the roastery smell alone is worth that price! Be sure to check out Atlanta Culinary Tours' website for more information.

Have you ever toured a coffee roastery? What kinds of things did you learn?

Freeky Friday: Feel Good Film

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Welcome to another Freeky Friday! Today's topic:

What's your favorite feel good movie?

This was a tough one for me. I don't know if my favorite movies of all time would count as "feel good movies" because most of them make me cry: Disney, ET, Harry Potter...Star Wars...don't judge me. So, I went over to my DVD collection and looked around to see which one brought a smile to my face first.

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I love this movie. Whip It is about finding your niche and figuring out who you are along the way...oh, and this niche just happens to be in roller derby. Dave never turns down watching it with me...you know, because of all the hot girls on rollerskates (I'm sure most guys would agree that's time well spent).

Ellen Page can do no wrong in my book, plus it's Drew Barrymore's directoral debut. I grew up watching her in ET (see above), so I felt pretty proud of grown-up Drew when I learned that she directed this film. I'm nowhere near a film expert, but I do think it was well-directed...and it's definitely well-written. Above all, it's a good girl power movie. And there's definitely too much ass kicking for me to worry about crying at the end of it.

What about you? What's your favorite feel good movie?

Remember, anyone can get Freeky on Fridays! You can participate in three different ways:

• Write a blog post using the badge html above, then comment on my post with a link to your post
• Tweet your answer using the tag #FreekyFriday
• "Like" the  Freekware Facebook page, then comment on there with your answer

Every time you post, tweet or comment in the month of July, you'll be entered to win some Peanut Butter S'mores Bites and a contribution to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in your name. There are two Fridays left in July, so if you blog, tweet, and comment every remaining week, you'll be entered six times!

Be sure to come back next Friday, July 29th:

Part of positivity is about not taking yourself too seriously. Tell us an embarrassing story about yourself!

Good News, Everyone!

My lovely friend, Angie, has asked me to contribute as an occasional guest blogger on her fabulous floral blog, Birch Blooms!

Angie was one of my favorite wedding vendors when she served as our florist. Her sense of style is unrivaled, and her enthusiasm towards her work and her brides shines through in every single arrangement. I'm super psyched to be a part of her blog, and I'm kicking things off with a DIY faux milk glass tutorial! Be sure to check it out!

Adventures in Asheville: Tupelo Honey Café

As our vacation in Asheville came to a close, we had one thing left on our to do list: the Tupelo Honey Café. This restaurant features "new South" cuisine, and they take pride in their fresh farm-to-table dishes. We had been looking forward to eating at this restaurant throughout our stay, but unfortunately, we got hungry right around the same time that the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship game came on TV! Luckily, the Tupelo Honey Café does to go orders!

We ordered a lot; this way, we could try a little of everything and have leftovers for the drive home!

We finished up our honeymoon with full bellies and the game on in the background, as we looked through all of the Facebook photos that our friends and family had uploaded from our wedding.

What do you like to do for a big night in?

Freeky Friday: Picker Uppers

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Welcome to another Freeky Friday! Today's topic:

Share another positivity playlist! What three songs pick you up when you're feeling down?

We received so many great responses with our last positivity playlist, we couldn't resist another! Even though some of my favorite uplifting songs would also appear on my all-time positivity playlist you saw on an earlier post, there are three songs that can get me out of even the lowest of funks.

The Beatles - Let It Be


This song is just such a great reminder that things always have a way of working themselves out. I like to fix problems, solve situations, and find answers. This song helps me to keep in mind that sometimes patience is the only way to get through a rough spot.

311 - It's Alright


There's a line in this song that really hits home: "A song, one song, could end a war..." Music can get you through pretty much anything.

Jason Mraz - Life Is Wonderful


This song picks me up when I'm down because it reminds me that even the most horrible things can be beautiful. They help to make you who you are, and that's why life is wonderful.

What about you? What are your favorite picker upper songs? If you're getting freeky this Friday, you can participate in three different ways:

• Write a blog post using the badge html above, then comment on my post with a link to your post
• Tweet your answer using the tag #FreekyFriday
• "Like" the  Freekware Facebook page, then comment on there with your answer

Every time you post, tweet or comment in the month of July, you'll be entered to win some Peanut Butter S'mores Bites and a contribution to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in your name. There are three Fridays left in July, so if you blog, tweet, and comment every remaining week, you'll be entered nine times!

Be sure to come back next Friday, July 22nd, and tell us:

What's your favorite feel good movie?

Adventures in Asheville: Biltmore

I usually try to avoid crowds while on vacation, which usually leads me to more "off the beaten path" destinations, rather than touristy areas. However, when in Asheville, I simply had to do as the Romans do and hit up Biltmore.

Of course, guests aren't allowed to photograph inside the mansion, but I was able to snap a few shots outside!

The last time I went to Biltmore, I was eight years old. I remember thinking it was really big and really pretty, but that's about it. This time around, I was able to appreciate it a lot more. Most of this was due to the fact that now I'm old enough to drink, as evidenced by our visit to the pub...

...followed by our visit to the winery...

...followed by some serious goofing off in the gift shops.

Note: this is much more entertaining if you watched the same Christmas specials that I did growing up.

Opulence: Dave has it.

Have any of you ever been to Biltmore before? What was your favorite part?

Adventures in Asheville: Nine Mile

I expected it to be a very old fashioned, traditional Southern town, but Asheville actually has a really cool and quirky dining scene. Nine Mile is one of the leaders in Asheville's locavore and organic movements, and we were lucky enough to be staying within walking distance.

Nine Mile features Caribbean-inspired dishes, many of which are vegetarian-friendly. I had the signature dish, the Nine Mile, which features Jerk chicken, quinoa pasta, jalapeños, squash, and a white wine butter sauce.

Dave had an equally spicy and equally delicious dish.

And, of course, we washed down our entrees with some refreshing craft beer.

What's your favorite local eatery in your neck of the woods?

Adventures in Asheville: The Black Walnut Inn

As you know, this is not a wedding blog. I write about that stuff here. This is a blog about my adventures as a newlywed, which I decided includes our honeymoon. :)

Dave and I had grand plans to travel abroad to Bavarian Europe for our honeymoon. Once we decided on our wedding budget (most of which we paid for ourselves), those plans quickly got pushed to our 1-year anniversary. Once we decided to buy a house, those plans quickly got pushed to our 2-year anniversary. But we are going to the Alps in 2013 and that's final! Anyway, we opted for a brief, nearby, low-key honeymoon instead. We debated between Charleston, Asheville, and Savannah, then we finally decided on Asheville because that's the one we pulled out of the hat through careful scientific deliberation.

We decided to stay at The Black Walnut Inn, a quaint yet comfortable bed and breakfast. Why did we choose this B&B? Well, the main reason was that it was pet-friendly.

Yep. Those are the organic doggie treats that came with our room. Chelsea was psyched!

It was also absolutely gorgeous.

The B&B had several suites in the main house, but our cottage was separate and secluded.

Best of all, the food was incredible. Every day, the owners served up their own creations for breakfast and for tea time. Tea time was actually much more of a wine and cheese event, which was much more my...cup of tea? (I apologize.)

Have any of you ever have a menu and a pet policy dictate your travel plans?