Memorial Day!

It has been soooooo long since I had such a perfect day like yesterday!  Originally, I was supposed to go camping with a friend Sunday night until this morning, a quick day trip to get the hell out of dodge and reset our brains. However, work needed me to work a double that Sunday, and I wound up being stuck there until 1am. So what did my friend and I do?

Splurged on a cabin.

We left for the cabin immediately after I got out of work and drove out to Helen, GA, where we had booked a place on Yonah Mountain. After nearly getting lost on the mountain at 3am, we finally found the place, and let me tell you, it was amazing. Beautiful wood flooring and a deck that overlooked a gorgeous Appalachian mountain range. Extra perk? Hot tub! We celebrated our arrival, then proceeded to pass out until 11am.
It was rough getting out of bed, but we didn't want to waste the entire day in bed, so we shuffled to the kitchen and made brunch.
Pro chefs make the best cabinmates. Breakfast that day was homemade biscuits with pimiento cheese and bacon, followed by some intensely savory bloody marys. To celebrate the holiday, we watched "Major Payne" with a few beers, and followed it up with hot tub time. Afterwe felt too lazy to function,  we rolled back inside to snipe at episodes of "Cutthroat Kitchen" (we both hate the show), then made our own take on pasta carbonara while I invented a cocktail- the Sunshine & Summertime! After hiking a bit and mor hot tub time, we ended our day with "Family Guy", wine, and perfectly cooked steaks. I passed out, blissed out, shortly after.

This trip is precious to me. It's not often industry folks really get time off to disconnect from work, and we had definitely needed a break. Plus I got to spend time with a dear friend I rarely get to see,  and once I go west, may not see again for years. Thankfully, at the very least I now have a signature cocktail that will remind me of this weekend for the rest of my life. Here's my recipe:

Sunshine&Summertime

2oz Vodka (We used Belvedere)
1.5oz Grapefruit juice
Splash of Amaro
1 egg white
Torn rosemary and sage
Pink moscato

Combine everything except the moscato in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously,  then strain into a wine glass. Add a splash of pink moscato and a large ice cube, and enjoy while cursing out the numbnuts on "Cutthroat Kitchen".

Go West!

I've been blogging for over a year. Not consistently, by any means, but I've done it. It's something I never thought I'd have the patience to do. It's an exciting idea! A lot of things have been changing recently.  Things are going fine, I just had a mild epiphany that I was bored.
I love Atlanta, there's no question about that. But when I was younger, I always dreamed of going to California, becoming famous, the whole nine. As I got older, I let reality dictate more and more of my life until I was working comfortable (though not necessarily stable) jobs, and settling for a life I'm no longer 100% sold on. It got me thinking.  If I had to look my 10-year-old self in the eye, and explain my life to her, what would she think of me. More jarring- if I have a daughter one day, I will have to explain a few things to her. How am I supposed to look a kid in the eye and say, "Work hard and you can make your dreams come true" when so far my own life has been, "Work hard and eh, your life will be not entirely shitty"? I may be a hypocrite on a few things, but I never want to be called a hypocrite for my life values. So, I'm finally going to work on making my California dream come true!
I've been applying for seasonal jobs assisting with wine harvests for this fall. If all goes well, that will hopefully give me a strong enough foothold to find permanent work out there. My prospects look good- I've got my local wine contacts putting out feelers for me, I applied at 8 different vineyards yesterday and already had a phone interview with one I feel pretty confident about. It looks like things may come together really well for me.
The idea of going west is daunting,  no argument there. However, compared to when I first came to Atlanta? I feel WAY better about things. I actually have friends where I'm going, for starters! And yeah, I'll be broke for a bit while I'm out there. But hey, I'm broke here in Atlanta too. I just have to keep reminding myself that regardless of what happens,  I will survive it and be more awesome for it.