Southern Girls With Roots and Wings

Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help (heard of it?), wrote an op-ed last year about the beauty of living in the South titled "Don't You See?". How am I just now finding this article??  My favorite part:

I one time got in an argument on Sixty-Sixth and Lexington because somebody claimed DUKE was a “party school.”

I says: “DUKE? Have you been to an LSU football game? Have you seen the lines at the package store on a Monday night in Athens, G.A.?”

She's right. Essays like this and the Patterson Hood writing I recently featured remind me of how, may I say it, blessed I am to live in such a strongly conflicting place. Today, I'm flying south to Valdosta to celebrate three of my best friends before we set off on our different journeys. Two of us are headed to the UK and two to Atlanta. I can't wait to see what and where the next year brings us!

Arden's Garden 2-Day Detox

I just feel bleh. My mind is moving faster than ever, but my body isn't catching up. I've been doing some classes at Bikram Yoga in Marietta and I love it, but the three hour commitment is a little exhausting. I need a quick jump start, especially after a gluttonous weekend in Athens.

Sunday at Fresh Market, I stumbled upon Arden's Garden 2-Day Cleanse. It was $15 for a gallon, so I picked it up and started Monday morning. I bought another gallon for Tuesday after work on Monday.  Arden's Garden is an awesome company that makes all their juices in their Atlanta headquarters. They have several stores around Atlanta and most of their juices are available in grocery stores.

Here's the deal: Drink a gallon of juice a day, a glass every hour along with a glass of distilled water.

Good: 
The juice tastes pretty good- if you like grapefruit!
Two days. You can do anything for two days!

Bad:
Two days can seem longer.
No variety in flavor.
No food.

I did okay but a rescheduled interview on Day 2 made me rethink my decision. I didn't want to feel less than my best during an interview so I snacked a little on the second day. Strangely, I started feeling a weird pain in my back below my rib cage. I thought I may have pulled a muscle but after some Internet research, I realized it was a swollen kidney. It stopped hurting by Day 4 but still, weird. 

I finished both bottles with a lot of distilled water by mid-Day 3. Despite the kidney issue, I'd do it again but plan around a 2-Day time when I have no commitments.

Have you ever done a cleanse? How did it go?

August Rush... to the Blog

Thanks to all the lovely people out there reading my blog! lions tigers & clare hit over 1,100 views for the month of August. I'm enjoying writing and sharing my world with the world. It just makes me wonder... Who are the faces behind those 1,100 clicks? 

Even though I still consider myself a novice in this bidness, I've found some strategies that have helped me. I'm hesitate to share my secrets, but I'm not greedy. What goes around, comes around.

1. Sharing to social media: Share to Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and add a little extra teaser to the post. Simply reiterating something in the post isn't as interesting.

2. Pinterest for pictures: I've been fortunate enough to take a lot of great trips where I have taken A LOT of great photos. I've created pins of these photos and they've gotten pretty popular. It's cool to think of a whole different community of people getting to see beautiful sights from my point of view.

3. Link, Link, Link: If I write about a restaurant or a place with a web presence, I try to link back to their page. It helps my readers get a better idea of what I'm talking about and it helps my blog get on their radar as a stream of traffic.

4. Talk about it: I get the best ideas and inspirations when I talk out loud to friends, family and sorta strangers. Sometimes, I feel like I'm writing to a vacuum disguised as a white screen. But, by talking, the blog becomes more of an extension of myself.

Thanks yall! Happy football!!! Go Dawgs. 

THE NEW(er) SOUTH

"The paradigm is shifting in the South. There is plenty to dislike or feel bothered by, but there is also more to be excited about down here than ever before."

-Patterson Hood

The lead singer of Drive By Truckers band, Patterson Hood, recently wrote a commentary titled THE NEW(er) SOUTH for the website The Bitter Southerner. As an Athenian and my former neighbor, I enjoyed reading Hood's article and the past, present, future and a way to work though it all. 

I highly recommend reading the article! Hood's a powerful musician and a brilliant storyteller. 

Enjoy y'all!