I’ve said it once; I’ll say it again…  St. Patty’s Day is the greatest holiday all year long!  It’s science, actually.  You don’t have to celebrate it with your family – so no potential arguments.  Everyone’s drunk.  Again, everyone’s drunk.  You get to deck yourself out in GREEN (which is a pretty flattering color on most people – also science).  And, pinching is socially acceptable.  Y’all admit it: It’s a solid way to celebrate a holiday.

I love St. Pat’s so much I once named a dog, “Guinness.”  Fact.

Anyway, this year Kev and I are taking our St. Patty’s Day party on the road to the Ritz Lodge at Lake Oconee.  We may be far away from a lot of the green debauchery, but we are still sure to celebrate!

ritz at lake oconee

If we were going to be in town, though, we’d absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, be at Fado Irish Pub + Restaurant for their annual St. Patty’s party!

Fado Irish Pub & Restaurant was the first Irish pub to be designed and constructed in Ireland and shipped and installed in Atlanta.  It is distinguished by its genuine Irish hospitality, the quality of its pints + authentic Irish food and fun.

Fado is hosting the city’s largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration!  On Saturday, March 17, Fado will open at 7:00 a.m., and rugby fans will enjoy non-stop live action including Ireland vs. England in the exciting final match of the RBS 6 Nations Rugby tournament.  There will be a $10 cover charge starting at 8:00 a.m., which grants fans access to a viewing area that has been sectioned off for the game.  The rest of Fado is open with no cover charge for guests until noon.

At noon, the Buckhead pub will open its doors to the street festival that includes beer tents, bagpipers and Irish dancers along with live music throughout the day and night!  Pre-sale tickets are available for $10 online (these sold out fast last year!), and tickets will also be sold for $15 at the door. 

Astral Freaks (Van Morrison cover band), Desire (Atlanta’s own U2 cover band), and Justin will all perform live for the crowd outside the pub, and a DJ will be inside spinning tracks for inside partygoers.  Since St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, partygoers can start early and stay out late.  It’s a full day session that the pub likes to call a “Paddython!”

Fado will also be hosting exciting events leading up to the St. Patrick’s day festival, and interested guests can get more information by visiting the pub’s online event schedule.

Fado serves a menu of authentic Irish food and beverages including corned beef and cabbage, traditional Irish boxty and fish n’ chips, Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks, Bailey’s Irish Cream, proper Irish coffees, and a wide selection of Irish whiskeys.  Yummmmm.

So plan ahead + don’t miss out on the fun at Fado from 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m on Saturday, March 17 – Sunday, March 18!  OR you may be making this face on St. Patty’s when the tickets are completely sold out…

Happy (early) St. Pat’s!  Wishing green-awesomeness to you all! 

xx, L

Fado Irish Pub + Restaurant
273 Buckhead Avenue
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.841.0066
www.fadoirishpub.com/atlanta

So, the colors are pretty and my hair looks relatively good and those Shaq-sized chairs make me look teeny…. so I uploaded to Facebook. Obviously.

To my utter shock – I was met with some CONGRATULATORY NOTES/EMAILS/CALLS. Which really cracked me up. TNT is in real trouble if I’m the newest commentator.

I also received the expected response: playful ridicule. Here are some of my faves:

Terch: “Do you even know what NBA stands for?”

Joanna Duff: “You’d be great at color commentary! ‘Would you say these uniforms are more of a grape or aubergine?’”

PT: “Now that you’re in, if you ever need a correspondent …let me know. I could get some live interviews in the locker room. It wouldn’t even be like work for me!”

It’s clearly not happening.

So if you’re reading this, Charles Barkley – just to clear up any confusion: I am NOT coming for your job.

xx, L

PS But if for some reason, you wanted to put me on TV… I will certainly learn something about Basketball. Trust.

love her. LOVE HER!

Personally, I was BEYOND impressed!  Y’all just face it – it’s Madonna’s world + we’re just living in it.  M.D.N.A.  what, what whatttt! 

xx, L

But first, I need to give everyone else a little Auburn 411…

The intersection of Magnolia Avenue + College Street in Auburn, which marks the transition from downtown Auburn to the university campus, is known as Toomer’s Corner.  Hanging over the corner are two massive old-growth oak trees, and whenever there is cause for celebration in the Auburn community, the trees are festooned with toilet paper.  (Oooh, I like the word “festooned.”)  The TP rolling of oak trees started in the early 1990s after the power lines were moved under ground.  Traditionally only used as a way to celebrate football victories, in recent years it has become a way to celebrate anything good that happens concerning Auburn.  (www.wikipedia.com)

toomer's corner

Here’s the Q+DD on Toomers Rolls:

LK + I are Texas fans, but since Texas is in a different conference we feel like we can jump on the Toomers Rolls bandwagon! 

who's got school spirit??

We just love scarves (esp. scarves worn in summer), we totally support small businesses, we think toilet paper is v. necessary, and we’re on-board with anything M. Reynolds is about!  (P.S. She’s the adorbs model on the far left of the photo above.)

Get your Toomers Rolls here, War Eagles: GO AUBURN!  Follow Toomers Rolls on Facebook!

And, good luck this season! 

xx, L

More information about my 2011 3-Day journey here: I WALK FOR THE CURE.

Even though it’s only late June, I am starting to train now to make sure that I am capable of walking 60 miles over three days in October.  So, naturally I needed to stock up on my training gear.  New Balance is a sponsor for the 3-Day so it seemed like a great place to start.

And, was it!  I am super duper excited about my new pink + white walking gear!  Check it out…

The tank + skirt are so adorable, but my favorite part of the outfit is my new pink kicks!

new balance pink ribbon WW860 shoes: lace up for the cure!

To promote breast cancer awareness, New Balance has incorporated the pink ribbon design into their WW860 walking shoes.  They have been named the official shoe of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.  I’ve already started breaking them in and they are great – really lightweight but also very supportive, and perfect for anyone who supports the cause.  I look forward to logging some serious miles in them over the next four months.

Please honk if you see me walking on Peachtree!  (I’ll be decked out in pink New Balance gear!)

And so the training begins… 

xx, L

…but we lost ‘em.

Enjoy Winnipeg…  Sounds THRILLING there.

(Sikeeeeeeee!)

Really glad I was able to make it out to a game before they were sold, but very sad to see them go.  I had plans to be a super fan. 

my first + last game...

i was even considering buying THAT.

Poop! 

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, please catch up on your sports news here: Atlanta Thrashers to Head to Winnipeg.

Adios, Thrashers, adios.

xx, L

flip cup champion (what, what!)

Well then, you may be v. interested to hear about THIS:

On Sunday, May 15, Atkins Park Tavern in the Virginia Highlands will host a cornhole tournament from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. in the back parking lot of the restaurant to benefit the Georgia Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training.

The event will also feature live music from Homefront, cold beer from Sweetwater Brewery, lunch + dinner specials cooked in the Big Green Egg + a raffle.  (Oh, how I love a raffle!) 

Registration fees cost $25 per person for a single entry or $50 for a team of two + 100% of the participants’ registration fees will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Participants will receive one complimentary Sweetwater beer with registration.  Raffle items + team prizes include a hot air balloon ride, restaurant + bar gift certificates, a Sweetwater cornhole set, Sweetwater brewery tour passes and more.

yeaaaaaaaaah!

Participants must compete in teams of two + those who are interested can call 404.876.7249 or stop by the restaurant to pre-register with the manager on duty.  All singles will be placed with another single to make a team.  Pre-registration is strongly encouraged; however, teams who wish to register the day of the event need to arrive by 1:30 p.m. to be placed in the brackets.  Play begins at 2:00 p.m. for all teams + a prize will be awarded to the winning team!

I do enjoy a good cornhole touney – especially when the proceeds go to such a worthy cause!

Come join the competition at Atkins Park on Sunday! 

xx, L

Atkins Park Tavern – Virginia Highlands
794 N. Highland Ave.
Atlanta, GA  30306
404.876.7249
www.atkinspark.com

What’s Core Fusion?  Allow me to enlighten you…

Core Fusion is a technique which fuses the disciplines of core conditioning, pilates*, the Lotte Berk Method, interval cardio training + yoga to produce long, lean muscles and an athletic body.  The focus, intensity + challenge of Exhale’s one-hour classes allow the participant to work from the inside out, creating a unique, results-oriented experience.

*Personal note: I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the word “pilates,” b/c of how closely it’s spelled to “pirates.”  Just saying…

I am totally sucked in.  And, I am so, so, so FAR from being anywhere near the best in the classes, which has actually been very motivating to me.  (Seriously, I’m the person in the back trying to get through everything w/ wide eyes thinking, “uh, you want me to do what with my leg?” but still doing it.) 

I frequent the Core Cycling, Core Fusion Cardio + Core Fusion Open classes.  (I almost passed out in Core Fusion Sport, but I know people who love that class.)

Read more about Exhale’s variety of Core Fusion classes here: Core Fusion or BUST!

famous chicks who swear by core fusion

This coming Thursday, April 28th, Exhale is rolling out a new class to their growing program: Core Fusion Boot Camp!  It sounds great.  Here’s a little blurb from Fred DeVito, one of the Core Fusion creators…

fred

“[Core Fusion Boot Camp] is a heart-pumping cardio and strength training program that will give you ripped abs, sculpted arms, shapely legs + a firm backside.  The class brings variety galore!  We do athletic Plyometric-type jump-backs with a core ball, planks and push ups on a core ball + then we do yoga flow movements for breath work + elongating of the muscles.  Also the ab work in this class is the toughest that we do…but after all, that’s what Boot Camp is [all about], right?!”

Read more about Core Fusion Boot Camp here: There’s Nothing Else Like Exhale Atlanta!

Interested in trying out a class?  Contact our friend + Exhale’s Manager of Guest Experience, Anne-Marie Berte @ amberte@exhalespa.com.  (Tell her that you read about Core Fusion on the Q+DD!)

Come check out Exhale’s new Boot Camp class with instructor Lis Halpaff at 5:30 p.m. on April 28th followed by a post-class party!  Sign up early as rumor has it that this class is filling up fast… 

xx, L

Exhale Atlanta
Anne-Marie Berte, Manager of Guest Experience: amberte@exhalespa.com
1065 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.720.5000
http://www.exhalespa.com/Locations/GAtlanta/Default.aspx

I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter

You guys are never going to believe this… but I WON. Yep!  Out of 19 people, I won the LOWEST SCORE of ANYONE on ANY team.

Impressive.

Though I was awarded a nice bottle of Pinot Noir for my shockingly low score, there was a price to pay. It was decided that the bowling loser was to wear this shirt to work on Friday:

Determined to rock it in true LK fashion, I paired it with sky-high pumps and leggings and let me just tell you… I made this thing look GOOD.  I almost expected to walk in Monday to everyone wearing a similar shirt a-la that scene in Mean Girls when they cut the circles out of Regina George’s tank top and it starts a cut-tank top fad Tipping Point style…

I mean, I OWNED this orange monstrosity…but I had some fierce competition in the Boss Man. Which leads me to a very important question…

We’re putting it to a vote. Please let us know:

Vote early and vote often, folks. We both have some face to save around the ol’ water cooler…

xx, L

Who knew?  I’m a hockey fan! 

We had some killer seats, too…

When we arrived + were searching for our seats, we even had the great honor of briefly meeting THIS dapper fellow:

That pretty much made my entire night…

When the game started, everyone was SO into it.  The arena was not at capacity, but the fans who were there were really loud + all about the action.  I got drawn into it immediately.

In fact, the Thrashers fans surrounding us were seriously hardcore (as evidenced below).

We didn’t win the game, but to me it didn’t really matter.  I was thrilled to find out that there is another sport that I actually enjoy watching.  At one point during the game, Slick + I were out of our seats yelling: “FIGHT!  FIGHT!”   

I mean, I could totally get into this Thrashers thing…

We felt super-energized after the game ended from all the excitement + sitting within close proximity of very cold ice for the past two hours, so we dropped by Empire State South for a few post-game drinks.  (FYI: According to Slick, they make a killer Old Fashioned.)

I am really looking forward to going back to another Thrashers game.  In fact, I had such a great time on Friday, I wouldn’t mind going to several more! 

If y’all are into hockey or want to get into it (like me), you might be interested in these two Thrashers-related events:

THRASHERS BUD LIGHT THIRSTY THURSDAYS

Regularly priced $61 tickets are now $54 + regularly priced $32 and $27 tickets are now only $18 for the below Thursday games:

vs. Tampa Bay Lightning on January 20
vs. Calgary Flames on February 3
vs. Ottawa Senators on March 3

Regularly priced $79 tickets are now $70 + regularly priced $43 and $35 tickets are now $23 for the below game:

vs. Philadelphia Flyers on March 17

And, regularly priced $10 tickets are also available for all Thrashers Bud Light Thirsty Thursdays.

Take advantage of these awesome offers here: http://ow.ly/3GG2H

ATLANTA THRASHERS 11TH ANNUAL CASINO NIGHT

Opera Nightclub
Sunday, February 20, 2011
6:00 p.m – 10:00 p.m.

Info here: http://thrashers.nhl.com/v2/ext/CasinoNight/CasinoNight_2011_Event.html

I am SO game.  Goooooo Thrashers!

xx, L