Weekend Happenings, Day Trip - Columbus, Georgia AND Blog Linkage

Good Friday morning!

I have some BIG news...

RANDOMNESS #1 - Josh and his girlfriend, Courtney, celebrated their one-year anniversary Sunday evening...

And then they got engaged.

Josh planned the whole thing.

A late lunch/early dinner...

A movie...

And a drive to Clarkson Covered Bridge in Cullman for some "proposing."

Courtney agreed.

Mike, Austin, Melia and I drove to Josh's apartment to set up some festive snacks (Baby Bites from Pastry Arts, nuts and Sparkling Apple Cider) and waited for them to arrive and share their news with us face-to-face.







Judith didn't really "get" what was going on...



Face time with Roxie.


Still not getting it.






I will provide details (the when, the where, etc.) as I find out.

Promise.

RANDOMNESS #2 - As most of you probably know by now, Roxie went through Rush her first week at Auburn and pledged Chi O.

I know literally nothing about sororities, so I've been learning with Roxie during the process.

Mike, Hunter and I drove down for Bid Day...

The day all the girls find out which sorority they will be joining.

It was just a tad overwhelming, and I'm still trying to figure it all out, one week later.






The following is ALL I know about Bid Day:

1. Over 1,500 girls stand in small groups in front of the Auburn Arena. Parents and loved ones stand around and wait.

2. When the Arena doors open, over 1,500 girls start screaming and RUN inside. Parents and loved ones stand around and wait.

3. You can hear screaming every few seconds from the Arena.

4. You tell your Mikie he has time to go to the bathroom. "The girls will probably be in there for hours because they will all be handed Bid Envelopes to open telling them which sorority they will be joining," you say knowingly.

5. You obviously know nothing. A mere 15 minutes AFTER the girls run in, the girls run out...

Still screaming.

6. Roxie ran to us, showed us her sorority and told us to follow her.

7. We then headed to The Village and found the red and yellow balloon arch leading into the Chi O Chapter Room.

8. Every sorority has different colors so once you spot your colors, all you have to do is push through the crowd until you arrive at the door.

Pushing through the crowd is not an easy task.

9. Roxie rushed inside to get her t-shirt, bag and instructions.

10. When Roxie came back a few moments later wearing her new t-shirt, we all moved into the Chapter Room and the new pledges were introduced.

11. Group pictures were taken outside.

12. Mike, Hunter and I took Roxie to Niffers, and we sat under an air conditioning vent and tried to figure out what had just happened.

Very exciting. Very overwhelming. Very GOOD hamburgers.

That's Bid Day in a nutshell.

If you have never been before, you now know everything as seen through the eyes of The Enchanting Belinda.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Mike and I participated in the Royal Casino Breakout at Breakout Birmingham with friends Sunday evening.

Without giving too much away, we were all put in a smallish room with gambling equipment, lots of hidden clues and a huge time clock which counted backward from 60 minutes.

Our group was successful in breaking out of the room with FOUR SECONDS TO SPARE...

And a little help from our Game Master.

I don't want to give you any more details because it could ruin your own experience if you decide to go.

And you should.

You should definitely decide to go.

Look up Breakout Birmingham on the Internet, round up a group of eight or less and schedule your "escape."

And try to beat our record.

I dare you!

DAY TRIP - COLUMBUS, GEORGIA - Itinerary

The following are the things I planned for me and Mike during our little stay in Columbus, Georgia:

Columbus Riverwalk
Whitewater Express
Front Porch of the South (GIANT Flea Market)
Kadie the Cow (GIANT plastic cow)
Minnie's Uptown (Soul Food Restaurant)
Burt's Butcher Shoppe (Steakhouse)
The Black Cow (Fancy Restaurant)

Here's a review of the above:

Columbus Riverwalk AND Whitewater Express - It was like 1,000,000 degrees and we didn't feel like rafting, paddle boarding or kayaking the day after we dropped our baby off at college. What can I say? We felt a little old. It was very pretty though, and we will go back.

NOTE - Whitewater Express is ON the Riverwalk. It is a twofer.

Front Porch of the South - We couldn't find it.

Kadie the Cow - We couldn't find HER.

Minnie's Uptown - Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Burt's Butcher Shoppe - We didn't feel like a big meal for lunch in 1,000,000 degree weather.

The Black Cow - We found it. It was lovely. We didn't eat there. We put it on the list for next time.

These are the activities we actually did complete:

Cafe Amiche (Authentic Italian Restaurant)
Uptown Columbus (GIANT Pepper Place)
The Historic District
The Columbus Museum (Art Exhibit)
Country's BBQ
Planet Pops

And the review:

Cafe Amiche - Very good Italian fare, and as we all know, Columbus is known for Italian cuisine. They didn't offer cheese ravioli on the menu, but I ordered and ate something equally pleasing. We will definitely go back.

Uptown Columbus - Since Mike and I love Pepper Place, we also love Uptown Columbus on a Saturday morning. Lots to see and enjoy.

The Historic District - I guess since we are so old, riding through Historic Districts has become our new favorite past time whenever we are in a new city or town. Love.

The Columbus Museum - We enjoyed an hour of browsing in this beautiful, air conditioned, quiet place. Very serene.

Country's BBQ on Broadway - What a fun place to eat. The restaurant is in a renovated bus station with a big bus attached to the side as an extra dining room. If you ever go, order the grilled corn on the cob...

And not the barbecue onions.

Planet Pops - Columbus, Georgia's version of Steel City Pops. I had a Banana Peanut Butter Cream Pop made with ALL natural ingredients. Mike had an Orange Cream Pop that tasted like fresh orange juice.

I'm a hardcore Steel City Pops girl, but Planet Pops was pretty good, too.

There is so much left to do in Columbus, but Mike and I both agreed, the Fall or Spring seasons would suit us better.

The following activities are found on the Fall Itinerary:

Walk the Riverwalk
Bird Watching Zip-Line Tour
Uptown Columbus - AGAIN!
Kadie the Cow - WE MUST FIND HER!
The Black Cow - It was too pretty not to eat there at least once!

Blog Linkage - Please go to www.kellehampton.com and read today's post about kids going to college...

And watch the video provided...

Multiple times.

Weekend Happenings

1. As soon as I post this, I am headed to Auburn for lunch with The Chick. I am going to deliver some jewelry frames I made for her room AND take her out to lunch.

I'm going to take in everything she has to say and just BE with her for a little bit in the middle of the day Friday.

And for any of you who may be shaking their heads and mumbling the term "helicopter mom" under their breath...

Well, I can't hear you.

What with the chopper being so loud and all.

Upon my return to the Dale in the afternoon, Mikie is taking me to see San Andreas at The Dollar Movie because some stuff happened last week and we didn't get to go.

2. Mike and I are doing The Fish Market thing with some friends Saturday night.

I would say we were going to Pepper Place, but unless something miraculous happens and all the humidity in the Birmingham area is sucked out by some cosmic force, it ain't gonna happen.

I am officially DONE with humidity this year.

Done, I say.

3. Sunday will be a day of rest after church and Sunday lunch. It will also be a good day to kick-start a couple of projects I've been thinking about the last couple of weeks.

But definitely the rest thing.

Have a tremendous weekend. I will be back next Friday with who knows what!

Take care.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda