I had dessert before dinner last night at YEAH! Burger.

It was a Cookies and Cream Milkshake.  It was HEAVENLY.  It was gone well before our burgers arrived.

And, here’s why I feel okay about it… 

YEAH! Burger makes their decadent milkshakes out of High Road Craft all-natural soft-serve ice cream made in Atlanta with local, hormone-free milk, cage-free eggs, and organic sugar.  What a happy shake! 

Judge me.  It was worth it.

xx, L

YEAH! Burger – West Midtown
1168 Howell Mill Road Ste. E
Atlanta, GA  30318
404.496.4393
http://www.yeahburger.com/

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The Red Bull Soapbox Race at Piedmont Park on Saturday was an excellent time! 

Hordes of locals came out to watch a bunch of bozos maneuver their intricately-designed soapbox cars down 10th Street.  The sun was out, people were drinking beer + everyone was getting some serious sun.  It was a really great day!

Towards the end of the afternoon, Mrs. Casey + I set out in search of The King of Pops to cool off a bit from all of the sun, when we ran into a mirage: the Honeysuckle gelato truck.  Mrs. Casey had spotted Honeysuckle before while driving by the Atlanta Food Truck Park, but I not familiar with it.  We quickly became close friends, however… 

Honeysuckle specializes in deliciously creamy Southern-inspired gelato + sorbet.

Ever since I spent time in Italy and ate my weight in gelato, I’ve considered myself to be a pretty serious gelato connoisseur.  (Don’t judge – everyone knows gelato is better for you than ice cream…)  Honeysuckle’s vision is to combine the rich and smooth texture of gelato with the decadent flavors and desserts of the South.  My expectations were high. 

Jess tried the Pucker Up lemon sorbet.

I meant business, so I tried both the S’mores (graham cracker gelato with fudge, marshmallow + caramel) AND the Dock of the Bay (sea-salted caramel gelato).  I was in heaven.  HEAVEN!

My bold order inspired Mrs. Casey to order an additional cup of the Front Porch watermelon sorbet for someone else in our group to try/ us to see what that was about, too.

Every flavor we tried was beyond delicious!  It was such a special treat to help us cool down from the sun!

If you love gelato – you will LOVE Honeysuckle!  Click HERE to read more about the Honeysuckle gelato truck + view their detailed truckin’ schedule. 

Worth every single calorie, my friends!

xx, L

Honeysuckle Gelato Food Truck
404.228.2825
www.honeysucklegelato.com

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So, continuing from yesterday… Kevin + I spent Halloween weekend at the Ritz Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation.

As a recap, the Ritz Lodge is located in Northern Georgia, just 75 miles east of Atlanta on the shores of Lake Oconee – Georgia’s second largest lake.  Luxury merges with quintessential Southern hospitality at the stunning 251-room resort.  Nestled in the woods, the Ritz Lodge is surrounded by water on three sides, offering commanding lake views.  Draped in beds of ivy and edged by towering pines, blooming crepe myrtles and colorful caladiums, the five-story main building fronts the glistening lake, while six separate lakeside cottages and a presidential house with four master suites overlooks the Oconee Golf Course.  Lodge guests have full access to a complete gamut of activities and amenities, including a state-of-the-art Spa, tennis, two swimming pools, two full-service marinas, hiking trails and 99 holes of championship-caliber golf.

model view of the lake oconee area

We arrived late on Friday evening, but just in time to have the most delicious dinner at Linger Longer Steakhouse.  We checked in, grabbed another drink at the Lobby Lounge bar, and then headed upstairs to check out our room. 

When we woke up in the morning, we realized that we were on Club Level (holla!).  And, we had a private terrace with an outstanding lakeside view! 

Check out THIS gorgeousness:

ritz carlton lodge

room w/ a view

We spent a significant amount of the morning sitting on our balcony staring at our breathtaking view of Lake Oconee and the Ritz Lodge grounds.  It was the most relaxed I’ve been in a long time.

When our hunger finally got the better of us, we walked over to Club to get some grub (I totally recommend staying on Club Level*) + then we went out exploring. 

*Club Level: The Ritz Carlton Club Level features both deluxe guest rooms and suites, with a spacious lounge and personal concierge and staff, as well as four complimentary food and beverage offerings daily: continental breakfast, a light snack, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails + evening cordials.  The Club Level is accessible only with a special key.

Just look at how magnificent the property is:

the set up for chiminea dining

heated infinity pool overlooking lake oconee (my favorite part of the whole property)

hot tub

We were overtaken by our beautiful surroundings + so many amazing amenities.  We walked a bit further, and then Kev dropped me off at the Ritz Lodge Spa for my Long Winter’s Nap treatment. 

The Spa is an adventure in and of itself.  An expansive 26,000 square feet, the Ritz Lodge Spa is adjacent to the hotel and features 19 private treatment rooms, one couples spa suite, four wet treatment rooms – including one hydrotherapy room – male and female relaxation areas with lockers and changing facilities, an indoor lap pool, saunas, steam rooms, whirlpools, a relaxation terrace, a full-service salon + a spa boutique.  Named one of America’s top resort spas by Conde Nast Traveler, this state-of-the-art sanctuary offers more than 90 health and wellness treatments, many of them utilizing ingredients indigenous to the area, such as rosemary, pine, fir and geranium, and extracts gleaned from gemstones such as smithsonite and malachite.

Here’s a peek inside:

spa lobby

spa pool

spa relaxation lounge

It was heavenly, to say the least.

My treatment, the Long Winter’s Nap, was perfect for the chilly October afternoon.  Here’s the description: A blend of essential oils add to this traditional hot stone massage to create a relaxed dream-like state, melting away stress and muscle tension.  Continue the sweet dreams with a nap that enhances the repair process.  Um, yes, I’ll take two!  (Kidding.)  It was SO enjoyable – I definitely recommend.

By the time I left the Spa it was pushing up to the Florida vs. Georgia game, so Kev + I scooted over to Gaby’s by the Lake to stake out seats. 

Gaby’s is a newly-renovated outdoor venue offering sweeping views of Lake Oconee, as well as a full menu of casual favorites and cocktails throughout the day.  Guests are seated at the water’s edge and can catch a spectacular sunset most evenings.  “Come-as-you-are” attire for lunch and dinner.

As soon as we walked in, we fell in love with Gaby’s.  It was so open and casual, and had large TV screens over the bar for us to watch the game.  I’m OBSESSED with Gaby’s chairs - incredibly comfortable and such a cool design!

We ordered beers + the housemade potato chips with bourbon BBQ, blue cheese and Vidalia onion dips.  The bartender also threw in a bowl of boiled peanuts.  We were set.

We met some friendly folks at the bar who were also rooting for the Gators + we became fast friends.  However, Kev couldn’t bear to see his Gators lose, so we eventually closed out our bill and decided to head back to Club to see what was going on in there. 

We stopped to take this picture along the way:

We ate dinner in Club, poured some wine + headed downstairs to the campfire for 8:00 p.m. S’mores!  All the kids staying at the resort (and Kevin and I, naturally) got in line to prepare our special evening snack over the campfire.  We had such a fun time doing this + pretending that we also had a kid around somewhere making s’mores…  Kids at heart?!  Yeaaaaaaa! 

We went back up to Club, poured some more wine (don’t judge), changed into our swimsuits + ran down to the hot tub to spend the next few hours hanging out outside and enjoying our last night on the property.

In the morning, we were both feeling pretty gluttonous.  So, we decided to go for a walk on the Oconee Trail after breakfast in Club. 

Our walk was eventful. 

We got about 5 miles of exercise on the winding trail…

We saw the leaves turning on the towering Georgia pine trees…

Kev whittled a walking stick (that now calls our condo balcony home)…

And, we plotted how we could stay at the Ritz Lodge F.O.R.E.V.E.R.!! 

(We couldn’t come up with a way…  We are already dying to go back.)

It was so hard to leave, but it only took us about an hour and a half to get back to Atlanta + now we have such great memories from our relaxing weekend in the Georgia woods. 

If you haven’t been to the Ritz Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation – you absolutely MUST go!  There is so much to do there; perfect for adults and kids alike.  The Ritz Lodge is a relaxing Southern paradise that makes you feel so far away from your worries and stressors, but it’s merely a 75-mile drive from Atlanta!  Visit soon! 

Oh, also, (as if there isn’t enough to do there already) the Ritz Lodge is building an ice skating rink on property for winter!  More info here: WINTER AT THE RITZ LODGE.

xx, L

Ritz Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation
1 Lake Oconee Trail
Greensboro, Georgia  30642
706.467.7196
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/ReynoldsPlantation/Default.htm

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A little birdie brought me a box of cupcakes yesterday + boy oh boy were they GOOD!  I’ve just gotta brag about them…

They were from Holly’s Cupcake Shop in Colony Square.  (Who knew that there was a cupcake shop there?!  I guess you learn something new every day…)  Apparently, Holly’s has been serving East Atlanta since 2009, but recently opened their Midtown location in CS.

Before I opened the sweet-smelling box, I carefully reviewed the accompanying Holly’s pamphlet.  I honestly couldn’t believe how many cupcakes were listed: 33 flavors!  So many seriously delicious choices.  Just listen to some of these: coconut snowball, margarita, cookie monster, rocky road, samoas, strawberry lemonade + buckeye brownie.  Talk about a creative variety!  (No lie, my mouth is watering from just writing out the flavors…)

Holly’s cupcakes are handmade so no two are exactly alike, but all of them are baked from scratch from only the highest quality ingredients.  With over 30 flavors ranging from the simple to the sublime, along with seasonal and holiday selections, there is absolutely something for everyone at Holly’s!

Here were my sexy six: caramel apple (my fav!), red velvet, chocolate-chocolate, vanilla chocolate, margarita + hummingbird. 

I don’t want to tell you how many I ate.  I just don’t.  A lady has to keep some secrets, y’all.  But, I will tell you that I had some help (LK + our fav. bartender at Ecco: Eric) and that we thought they were simply spectacular!  The cupcakes were really flavorful, moist + the icing wasn’t overpowering at all.  Our favorite part was, hands down, the hidden cream in the middle!

You guys have gotta try these cupcakes!  They are just so decadently divine.  Check out Holly’s Cupcake Shop online HERE or visit Colony Square ASAP.  The secret is out! 

xx, L

Holly’s Cupcake Shop
1197 Peachtree Street – Colony Square
Atlanta, GA  30361
404.815.1180
http://www.hollyscupcakeshop.com/

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Y’all, these are pretty awesome…

They aren’t quite as “healthy” as 100 calorie packs, but they’re a heck of a lot better than your grandma’s brownies + a tasty way to satisfy your summer sweet tooth!

Here’s the Q+DD on SnackWell’s Rich Vanilla Creme Brownie Bites:
Serving size: 1 package
Calories: 150
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 26g
Protein: 2g

I strongly suggest putting them in the refrigerator.  They are delicious as a cold snack.  One more month of official swimsuit season to go…JUST sayin’.  Pick them up at your nearest grocery.

Happy, happy Friday!

xx, L

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