Sunday Funday

Similar though slightly different to how I felt a few months ago when I wrote about being a bit homesick and was dealing with slight cabin fever among other things (you read about that here) this morning I was in a sort of funk. 

It was a beautiful day, I wasn’t hungover after watching the UVA/GA Tech basketball game and tailgating with the local alumni association then meeting up with some other friends yesterday, and I really wanted to be outside. I knew the simple solution was to get moving and get myself outside but there were some (admittedly) silly things slightly in my way. One (again, I admit these are silly…) was that I wasn’t quite sure where exactly I should go outside…

In Arlington I could easily walk into DC proper and spend the day enjoying the outdoors and window shopping, or I could most likely find a friend to hike a nearby trail spur of the moment. In Richmond it was even easier to be outdoors; I could literally walk out my door and bump into someone in my neighborhood or in less than fifteen minutes drive to the river, park my car, and be on a trail. It would probably be even easier to find someone to go with me there if I didn’t want to be alone.

While I know there are tons of fun things to do outdoors in Georgia both in and out of the city, sometimes it’s hard to get yourself going. And despite the Atlanta hiking book my parents gave me for Christmas, sometimes it can be a bit intimidating to head to a trail almost an hour away by yourself just by following a guidebook. 

I did a short OnDemand pilates video to kick-start my efforts to not sit on the couch all afternoon which did motivate me to get down to business. I opened the guidebook and began looking at nearby, short trails. I figured I would start small. 

Since I was in a group text thread with some girlfriends down here I decided I’d ask if anyone had any interest in going on a hike. I knew one girl was wrapped up all day and I had really no idea if my oner friend even enjoyed hiking but she’s active and down for most anything so I thought why not. 

She told me that she was signed up for a 3pm workout class but that she was actually considering canceling and walking part of the Atlanta BetlLine since it was so nice outside. She asked me if I had any interest in doing that. Since I really wasn’t looking forward to driving around 40 minutes to get somewhere and could see the selection of a hiking trail to take me just as long as my hike I told her I did.

Thirty minutes later we were on our way to one of the entrances to the Eastside of the BeltLine. 

It was jam-packed which made sense because it’s one of the first super nice days of the year. Also because the BeltLine is a cool concept: a walkable (jog-able and bike-able) 22-mile loop around the city of Atlanta; a city that’s largely only navigable by car. 

All in we probably walked a little more than 4 miles (maybe more, I still need to actually look at a map). My hip-flexers (which are often tight) even needed a stretch half-way through which means there was definitely some exertion!

I’ll get to some hiking trails later this year (north Georgia is home to hundreds of waterfalls that are supposed to be gorgeous!) but this hit the spot for what I wanted to do today: get outside, see a bit of scenery, clear my head. That it was urban and people watching scenery mattered none to me and I had the added bonus of a good friend and good conversation!

It was also a great reminder of the same thing I realized and re-remembered back in the fall; that when you’re really not enjoying what you’re doing in the exact moment in time you should simply change what you’re doing. On top of that it was a great reminder that there’s no harm in asking a friend along for the ride. 

All and all it was a perfect way to spend a couple of hours on a gorgeous Sunday. 

weekend recap

When I was in college I would write “weekend recap” emails to my friends from home. They were always a big hit, I’m told because the content was often a little self-depreicating and since I would write the way I would talk; they would tell me it was as if they could hear me telling the stories to them in person. 

This will be my first weekend recap I post here. The content might be a little filtered since this is the Internet. I’ll also try to be succinct but when I talk about my weekend/activities/tell stories in general I tend to ramble a bit. I also get differing opinions of whether I tell good stories or not so you can be the judge for yourself. Here goes nothing!

This weekend was fun. I worked super late Friday (well, super late for a Friday) so came home and quickly showered/got ready then met some friends for dinner at Treehouse  in Lindbergh. I drove over to a friend’s apartment and we walked to the restaurant, that was literally one of the first times I was able to walk anywhere in Atlanta and it made me so happy. (One of my few hangups with the city is that it’s not walkable) Ate and had drinks with some people on the kickball team I recently joined. Then after dinner walked (again!) to Publix to get some beer then watched Hocus Pocus with some of the dinner crowd who didn’t head home. One thing to point out here: this marks the second and a half time I’ve watched Hocus Pocus this Halloween season. 

Saturday I was amazingly productive and packed a ton for my upcoming inter-apartment building move. Also worked out which has been falling off my priority wagon recently so that felt good. Then went to a UVA Alumni Network event at Monday Night Brewing which was awesome. The venue is super cool and it was nice to do a UVA-centered event; having lived around my alma mater for the past four years I am used to a lot of things Virginia or Charlottesville related especially in the fall so this was a nice taste of VA in ATL.

Went to a house party with some girls after. A few highlights from that: there was a huge bonfire and my friend and I walked into the kitchen at the very second a pizza was being pulled out (incredible timing). Oh and to be sure there’s no confusion whether or not I’m hugely lame, reminder that I’m filtering content on the Internet.

Sunday I was lazy for a solid few hours which was much needed. Then I went over to my friend’s new apartment in Midtown. She moved to Atlanta in the spring with her boyfriend and they ended things a few weeks ago so she recently moved across town (closer to me!)  The situation is really awful though these things happen and I have to say, she’s doing remarkably well. 

Fun, personal fact about me: for a little while I was really considering moving to a different city with/for a guy I was dating pretty seriously. I didn’t and I will leave out those details, but I have to say it really is such a bold, strong, brave thing to do. The transition my friend has gone through -- and new one she is now going through -- is different from mine though neither is better or worse or harder or easier, just different. Both have such highs and such lows. I am not sure I could have done what she did. Though I guess you never know and I’ll never say never.

Anyway, back to the weekend. After a glass of champagne and some good rom com action I headed out for a healthy dinner of froyo. I like to think of myself as a froyo connoisseur and I have to say, Menchies of Atlanta you’ve impressed me. Related: on their website you can learn how to get FREE froyo during the Menchies episode of Undercover Boss this Friday. I will be doing this. 

Then I came home to my pile of boxes and bags in my apartment just itching to be moved. A good weekend all and all. I continue to get more and more settled into the city each week. As I told my friend who is going through the breakup, sometimes I feel like I’ve been in Atlanta for days and sometimes I feel like I’ve been here for months if not years (it’s been a little under three months if you’re counting). But a good weekend filled with craft beer, Sunday champagne, and froyo dinners definitely help make my transition continue to be smooth. 

Stay tuned for word on how my move goes! Next weekend recap to come from the new digs!