Wednesday, September 14, 2016

My Love-Hate Georgian Relationship: Hiking out of misery

I'm back among the living and boy has my life changed significantly in the past few months.

Georgia has been anything BUT easy to get used to- beginning with their business operation hours. I miss the convenience of 11:00pm food truck runs and an endless selection of cuisine choices; specifically Twistee Treats ice cream and Tako Cheena Cod tacos.

Lucky for me Georgia's got mountains- lots of them! I first fell in love with hiking when I went to San Francisco last year with my girlfriends. So in an effort to mend this love-hate relationship we've hit the North Georgia mountain trails. We started on a smaller hike- the Tesnatee Gap to Cowrock Mountain, a 2.25 mile to test Zombie's (and to be quite honest Hub's) endurance.
[Dukes Falls]





I was worried about how to entertain her during the walk- not really  knowing what to expect other than whining and pleas to be carried. So I got creative- I hit the Dollar Tree and purchased a bug inspector kit, batteries for an old digital camera for her to take photos once we reached the top and snacks. It turns out my daughter is not only an aspiring photographer but a rock enthusiast! So on our second hike I packed a plastic baggie for her to store her favorite rocks from the day's hike.




On Monday we headed to Tallulah Gorge and started off at the museum. Zombie loved the snakes and train and miniature town displays. Once outside we were greeted with an endless staircase none of us were really ready for. 1,099 stairs and a suspense bridge was enough to keep us there for 4 hours. This was definitely the hardest of the hikes we've taken so far so we really paced ourselves on this one- there was no way we were carrying a 50 lb. baby UP 1,000+ stairs! We took frequent breaks, made sure Zombie stayed hydrated and packed her backpack with LOTS of snacks.


After finishing the Hurricane Falls Loop Trail we contemplated continuing onto the South Trail but fear of the unknown (unknown number of stairs that is!) we went on to Outlooks 4 & 5, which thankfully was all trail, and headed home.








This form is exercise is not only a great [and challenging] all around workout but an amazing chance to bond with your family- no cell service! Hiking has offered us great educational opportunities with Zombie and has really given me a chance to see a better side of my new home-state.

Georgia, there might be hope for us yet.
[Tallulah Gorge Falls]



 [Dukes Falls]

















Friday, July 1, 2016

Disappointed, Fearless and Cultured in Chicago

I'm sorry for the LONG delay in writing this post. I'd been procrastinating it for two reasons: 1. I needed time to sift through the bad and the ugly of the week in order to bring you guys a fair post 2. I was going through some things in my personal life which I'll share another time.

Chi-town; most commonly known in our generation as the city origin of Yeezy (Kanye West) and let me tell you the city is just as unwelcoming as his persona. Thinking we were saving ourselves some money we booked a hotel in the suburbs- a bad idea if you don't have a rental car and all the rental places are closed until Monday morning. So for breakfast we walked down construction streets to a hole-in-the-wall Mexican spot and through shady Bosnian plazas before catching a Lyft back. To kick off our Chicago experience we decided to order in and go for a deep-dish Chicago pizza. I'm glad we had the experience but wouldn't be trying this particular place again.

We were in town for the Xotics Barber Battle Hair Expo, which was hyped to be one of the largest expos in the nation. We were so excited for all the new skills and information we had been waiting months to acquire. I'll be nice and call the event nothing short of a disappointment. I was so proud of my handsome Hubs was a star because of his fashion cut (which he did himself!) Putting aside the bad customer service and unorganized event I'll focus on the one good day of our 5 day trip- attraction day!
The Art Institute of Chicago was our first stop in the city. With three floors of everything from Japanese, Indian and American art. I would recommend the museum as it has something for everyone and is a great way to kill a few hours if you've got something planned for later in the afternoon. While I could stay in the textiles floor for hours Zombie couldn't get enough of the mini houses.
Willis Tower (Now named Sears Tower) was the highlight of my trip! 180 stories and four feet out in a transparent box of death- what's not to love?! After reading the reviews online I prepared myself for a 30 minute wait followed by an hour and a half line to get to the box. As I walked backwards into the booth I tried to remain calm as Zombie jumped from one end to another, looking down and putting her face against the glass- how could she be so fearless?!
We hung out at the top of the world for an hour or two before catching an Uber back. Here are some tips for those of you traveling to Chicago in the near or distant future:

1- pack in layers ... Chicago is "The Windy City" so be prepared to layer your outfits and pack light to moderate sweaters

2- Stay in the CITY.... while initially we thought we were saving ourselves $200- we in fact ended up spending it all on transportation. Save yourself the hassle and just stay in the city where all the tourist attractions are anyway.

3- buy tickets online!... you save so much more. If you are traveling to the Art Institute and are a student you receive a discount! so be sure to bring your school i.d.

4- BE AWARE- I won't go too into this one- just use basic safety precautions. We live in dangerous times and Chicago has its reputation.

5- JUST HAVE FUN

Monday, April 18, 2016

When You Cross Borders Like an Amateur

In my short life I have made several moves up and down the East coast- moving with a family is a lot more complex than packing a suitcase and leaving upstate with nothing more than $300 in my back pocket. This past weekend was complicated beyond belief beginning with working an hour an a half before abruptly leaving work- and all its baggage- due to Hub's moving mates bailing out.
Not only did he have no one to help him pack everything into the truck- but he booked the rental hours before we were to move! The following day we got our first peek at our new apartment- needless to say it was everything I had been praying it would be. Stainless steel appliances, wooden flooring, huge bedrooms- okay, okay, I'm done bragging! I happily signed our new contract and quickly began putting things inside.
That night was to be our last dinner together for a few weeks- while waiting for our appetizer I decided to start Hub's check-in process. My heart dropped as I read the email... Check in for Friday April 15th... NOT Saturday the 16th! With deep steady breaths I made my call to Delta and immediately turned to work mode. An hour and a half and a VERY PISSED OFF Delta supervisor later I got off the call with an account credit and heavy disappointment which I thought could be fixed by some retail therapy. I was even more vexed when 3 minutes into the target entry aisle a cashier announces the store was closed and the lights shut off. What Target closes at 10:00pm on a Friday?! REALLY?!
Lazily we awoke Sunday to open boxes and arrange our new home. A good friend told me to decorate a new house room by room- if you look at the place as a whole your imagination (and bank account) get carried away. So we started with the living room as we currently have no furniture and knew it would be easy and the fulfillment of mini accomplishments were much needed.

In the hours since returning to Florida I've had to cringe every time Zombie asks what time her father is getting home and whether or not he's sleeping with us tonight.I found myself under prepared with the multiple questions Zombie has asked regarding her father and why he's not around- i do not believe she understands the magnitude of the distance between her new house and Mama's house and I'm searching for creative and honest ways to explain it to her which pretty much wrapped up any energy left from the weekend.

Stay posted for a list of amateur mistakes we've made on this trip that cost us serious cash and could save you a buck or two!

And if you don't already, add me on SnapChat: Sloanofthemoon

Thursday, March 24, 2016

New York State of Mind

If you follow me on INSTAGRAM you'll know Hubs, Zombie and myself are packing our things and moving to Atlanta. And you know Big Moves call for BIGGER PLANS, so in the last few weeks hubs and I have been busy getting our ducks in a row in transitioning our life out of Florida. Our most recent adventure took us to New York City for the annual International Beauty Show!

Our trip started with a 2 1/2 hour delay leaving from Florida and a 45 minute Uber wait in 30 degree weather once at La Guardia Airport. It was well past 1:00 am by the time we got into my aunt's house and needless to day we spent day 1 catching up on some much needed rest.

During the two day convention and through the educational seminars I watched hubs begin to glow from within with motivation, drive and most importantly self-discovery within his art. It was beautiful. It's eye-opening to hear that many of the same struggles Hubs had expressed other hairstylists and business owners were experiencing as well! And their vulnerability and instructor responses on how to get out of that rut confirmed everything I'd known all along. Hubs is a different breed of Barber-Crazy. Our days were early and the nights long but the networking and invaluable information was well worth it- Plus since we didn't bring Zombie along we got to sneak in some much needed sleep!

When we had finally freed up some time we hit the station and made our rounds around the city. Taking up Washington Heights for some mofongo on a double date with my uncle, sleepily traveling to Bronx where Edward gave his estranged grandfather a haircut and waiting two hours in line in Williamsburg to try The Bagel Store Who is infamous for rainbow bagels! Believe me, telling my 90 year old great-grandmother that we took the L train into Manhattan was NOT a conversation I was ready for

The Bagel Store was certainly worth all the hype! Their cookies and cream- cream cheese is all that and a bag-of bagels! And can we just take a second to acknowledge their AMAZING customer service and song choices?! I would definitely recommend you take a trip if you ever get the chance. But bring deep pockets as the prices are pretty steep.

What a fun and inspiring way to beginning our traveling adventures this year! Ta-ta New York! Thank you for your hospitality!