The Post About Where The Time Goes

I used to have time. Time to write 600 words. Time to take white balanced photographs. Time to make lists and check them twice.

That abundance of time kept this blog populated. I liked it.

But my time went missing. Suddenly there were only 140 characters. There were only Instagram pictures. There were only pressing immediate tasks.

This summer has been filled to capacity with goodness. It's also been dusted with sadness.

I took time to road trip.

Atlanta with Rachel.

The lake. The river. Another lake. A creek. I'm a fan of water without sand.

Blue Ridge Parkway. God is a grade A showoff.

Asheville with myself. An upcoming post will outline why extroverts shouldn't travel alone.

Jackson with Haley and Molly to see Joseph and Amanda. The latter is from Canada and featured above as we make the most of our museum entry fee.

Knoxville to see Jessica and avoid orange.

I have ventured through my own fantastic city of Birmingham. I could not love a place more.



I went to camp. Lots of camp.



I relished summer classics.



I watched and podcasted the worst season of The Bachelorette.



Like I said, goodness.

The traces of sadness have simply been classic cases of unmet expectations. More on those another day. Pinky swears.

However, blahs have birthed something I needed. The time spent this season on projects and people who have disappointed is free.

That time is leading to more words, photographs, and lists of what I'll be chasing next.

Let's start with rabbits, shall we?

What's one thing this summer that's been good? Or not so good?

{images: Jamie}

The Post About Sending You A Postcard

I went to Arizona for the first time last year. Holy moly it's pretty.

But there aren't trees. Anywhere. And Jamie needs her shade.

This postcard found its way to my mailbox when Leanne Shirtliffe of Ironic Mom offered to write her readers a lil' note if they asked.


I asked.

Since February 7 is Send A Card To A Friend Day and since we are friends and since I told Leanne I would eventually steal this idea...

I want to send you a postcard.

If you would like to receive a bit of my handwriting from sweet home Alabama, then follow these 2 easy steps.

1.Write “yes” in your comment below and leave a word you'd like me to include in my note. My word for Leanne was "flustrated" which is my favorite malapropism. Say it out loud. Isn't it great?

2. Email or Direct Message me your mailing address: JamiesRabbits@gmail.com.

{images: Jamie}

The Post About Getting Lost in Hawaii

Might a recommend a trip to Hawaii?

Spending 8 days on the island of Oahu was dreamy. 

Dreamy like a commute composed only of green lights. Dreamy like a pumpkin composed only of Reese's peanut butter cups. Dreamy like a painting composed only of colors God has in His palette.

I journeyed with girlfriends who are originally from 5 different states. 

Sidebar Rabbit: I prefer friends who live in other cities. It makes mooching much more productive. I'm currently looking for new friends who live in San Diego, Miami and a ski-in/ski-out chalet in the Rockies.

Our trip was made possible by my friend Caryann's Aunt Marie. She generously donated a gorgeous timeshare for her niece and her niece's freeloading friends to enjoy. 

I encourage you to find out who in your family has timeshare points and be particularly kind to them as the holidays approach.

My only complaint was the food. Too much chewy pork. Not enough pineapple whip. PINEAPPLE WHIP 2012. 

I'm a firm believer that sophisticated travelers will always find the local haunts serving dishes lovingly designed by the hands of an impoverished, yet talented cook named Mel.

However, the best meal I had was after an ugly hike to Makapu'u Lighthouse. Ronald McDonald says "Aloha."

I wish I was the type of person who only drank organic milk from Whole Foods and had season passes to the opera and didn't steal Splenda packets from restaurants. But I'm not.

I'm the type of person who takes time out of paradise and maps out filming locations for Lost. 

No shame.

So what about you - what's the best vacation you've ever taken?

Follow-up: May I stay at your house in the 2012 Rabbits Across North America Tour?

Finally, feel free to wander around my Hawaii 2011 photo album. More stories will be shared here soon...

{images: Jamie}

The Post About Aloha and Aloha

 

I'm away from home this week. Far away.

I know it's far because 14 hours in airports and a middle seat on a 777 tells me so.

If you'd like to keep up with me while I'm in my current favorite state of Hawaii, then consider these as places to loiter.

Twitter: @jamiesrabbits

Instagram: jamiesrabbits

Foursquare: jamiesrabbits

I'll be updating multiple times a day. 

I'll be eating Hawaiian shaved ice at the same frequency. 

Question for you: Where are you headed on your next vacation?

{image: Jamie - who says you need anything more than an iPhone on vacation?}

The Post About Loving Where You're Planted

This is where I live.

Not the park. Although I'm not above it, if push came to shove.

This is Birmingham, Alabama.

And I love her.

A few reasons why:

1. Giving. Birmingham ranks as the most generous city in America, according to a study that measured 60 metropolitan areas in terms of percentage of household income given to charity. I feel that as an employee of a local nonprofit and as a walker through doors held open for me almost 100% of the time.

2. Feta. I think "Birmingham" means "go to there and cook" in Greek because they have done just that. I can name at least 12 Greek restaurants in the metro area that will floor you from the deliciousness. Contact me and we'll break pita together and be better for it.

3. Books. The stereotype does not survive - we're quite literate. Local shops like Alabama Booksmith, Little Professor, and Jim Reed Books, make reading the most divine task. I'm particularly a fan of 2nd & Charles, a used bookstore. It's the newest brainchild of Books-A-Million, which maintains its headquarters here in the 'ham.

What about you? Where do you live and why do you fancy it? 

Be warned: I might show up.

{image: Jamie}

The Post About a Malihini in Hawaii

Girlfriends planning a trip to Hawaii.

It would be a breeze if we weren't so different.

Beth: Easiest traveler ever. Worked overseas for a season and still hits the road regularly for her current job. Loves to meet new people and occasionally will adopt an accent based on your country of origin.

Allison: Photographer who loves to hop a plane and find the sun so she can worship it in all its glory. She'll always offer to take a stranger's camera to snap a pic so no one's left out of the shot. She's not afraid to ditch her friends to find a sale. Always leaves room for wine in her luggage.

Caryann: Promotions director for a record label who jets off almost weekly for work. She is the ultimate in low maintenance and is generally a great travel companion because of it. 

She is my vacation nemesis.

You see, Caryann is not pro-plan. She embraces the spontaneity of life and craves the adventure of never knowing what's going to happen next.

That is ridiculous.

There should be color-coded folders with data aggregated from Yelp and TripAdvisor and Urban Spoon. Timelines and lists and local transportation maps downloaded to your phone. A gathering of promo codes and Groupons and various medications to ease the transition across time zones. There should be a plan.

So EVERY time Caryann and I travel together, we find ourselves at odds. Her with no boarding pass and me with no room for error.

Exhibit A Today's Facebook exchange after I suggested we all purchase a Groupon for 50% off surfing lessons in Honolulu:

Caryann: There is nothing in me that wants to be in the ocean w/ fish touching me.

Me: That is why I love that we keep going on ocean trips. The logic of it.

So help us out. What are your recommendations for us as we visit Oahu, Hawaii? What should we see, avoid, eat, try? Or better yet, where are you headed on your next vacation - I'd love ideas for the next trip...

Malihini means "newcomer or stranger to Hawaii."

{image: Jamie}

The Post About South by Southwest Part Final

Last stop.

A city that never sleeps.

Mainly because there are no windows in the casinos so who knows what time it is?

This is a city where elderly come to blow what would be a nice inheritance and the young come to work out their daddy issues.

We came to stare. And listen. And eat.

And we ate. Buffets and bakeries and local joints that left us fat and happy.

We also Cirque'd.

Bad picture. Phenomenal show.

Worth every discounted penny. Whether you stalked Elvis on Hawaiian movie sets or were a toddler when he died, it is a must-see. Here's a snippet.



Sidebar: I now want to be a French Canadian acrobat. Stat.

Vegas takes you around the world.

New York.


Camelot. Geography purists need not comment.


And even Paris.

The only thing that would have made the Bellagio fountain show more enjoyable would have been Clooney on my right and Damon on my left.

But let's address the sin city nitty gritty:
1. My mother arrived in our hotel suite and immediately asked about the Thunder Down Under. I can't link to it here because the "thunder" may or may not be naked.

2. Three minutes later, my mom the Baptist church secretary asked if the drinks at the hotel happy hour would actually be a sin since they were free. Umm...what would Jesus drink?

3. Finally she inquired about taking a zip line across the Las Vegas Strip. Note: She was grabbing strangers in the Vegas "Eiffel Tower" due to a dizzying fear of heights and proceeded to almost pass out in the parking deck like a drunk woman at happy hour.

Conclusion? My mom can no longer be trusted to travel alone.

{images: Jamie}

The Post About South by Southwest Part 3

My godson Billy has seen the movie Cars approximately 3 times. Plus 109.

In honor of his 6-year-old self, we took a detour onto Route 66.

I'm going to shoot straight with you. It was a detour we could have skipped, despite the nostalgia.

Next up, was the Hoover Dam.

It really was a sight to see, although it required a vehicle pat-down before entering. Apparently several of our larger states get all their power from this tourist trap.


The best part was finding out how many ways you can incorporate "dam" into a sentence without getting a PG rating.

Samples:
1. Dam tour.
2. Dam pictures.
3. Dam security.
4. Dam parking deck.
5. Hot dam.

What did we miss?


Fun Fact: Boulder City, formerly the town where dam workers were housed, still does not allow gambling within town limits, a regulation imposed in the 1930s. Boulder City is the only town in Nevada to prohibit gambling.

So we did not linger.

Final stop.

And the source of my mother's spiral into debauchery.

For at least a second.

{images: Jamie}

The Post About South by Southwest Part 2

Next stop on the trip is apparently a mecca for the globe.

The Grand Canyon.


I know it's a hot spot like St. Bart's and Dubai since only 1 out of every 10 folks spoke English.

Très bien.


Another occupant of this national park. But it's the kind of apartment dweller who stays up late, plays Vanilla Ice with open windows and then bites your hand at the dumpster.


Another neighbor is the pack mules. They are strangely disciplined, forceful and won't let you get up. Not unlike my first grade teacher, Mrs. Stanford.

I bet the mules would not think my defiance is the result of a hearing problem. YOU WEREN'T ALWAYS RIGHT NANCY.


I challenged my senior parents to a dainty multi-mile hike around the rim.


She is never with him.


And he is never with her.

This is a result of our inability to all stay together. Remember what I wrote about traveling with toddlers?

We stayed in the national park, which is a MUST if you're going for more than 1 day. We stayed at the Yavapai Lodges which looked like a rundown Super 8 motel in the woods.

And I do mean "woods" since this was the view from our window.

However, there were granite countertops, 400 thread count sheets and a lovely flat screen.

After experiencing such beauty (which you can see more of at my flickr stream) it's time for the perfect souvenir.

Do you know what a single woman of 34 with discerning taste and a sugar mama who's paying picks?


Book is divided by type of death - suicide, murder, dehydration, freak accidents, etc.

LOVE IT.

And loved this.


Next? We transitioned from one of God's creation to another off Route 66:


{images: Jamie}

The Post About South by Southwest Part I

I plotted and planned a trip to the Southwest.

And I let my parents pay for it.

We flew from Birmingham to Phoenix.

On the plane, my mother talked through her fear of flying and my dad looked out the window.

They maintained those positions for almost 4 hours.

Phoenix = best meal of the trip. Dining bloggetizer coming soon...

Let's take a moment to talk about Arizona.

Hot. Period.

And all of those folks mumbling something to themselves about "dry" versus "humid" can KISS IT.

105 degrees is toasty. Whitney lip or no Whitney lip.

There are cacti and bushes and piles of rocks. Most of which are pretty snazzy to stare at.

Aren't they adorable? You can't tell from this picture, but he is harboring a fear of directions and she is trying to nurture with sugar free purse snacks.


I don't know why John McCain has to hog all the pretty. Exhibit A: Sedona.


You just want to pinch the baby cacti cheeks.


Even God has a house amongst the red rocks.


His humble abode is next to this one. I hope they tithe.

Sedona is a must-stop for anyone in the neighborhood - the drive alone is worth it.

But it's just a sugar free mint to the filet mignon that was coming...


{images: Jamie}

The Post About High Maintenance Traveling

In less than 12 hours, I'll be on vacation with my parents.

And surprisingly, no impending anxiety attack.

I actually adore my Mom and Dad and I anticipate those feelings will be intact after a week in the Southwest.

Of course, sometimes life lets me down.

"Feelings" re-evaluation posted next week.

As a sidebar...

I'm packing several things just for my parents.
1. Soft headphones.
2. Sugarfree candy.
3. Movie rentals.
4. First aid kit.
5. Age appropriate music playlists and audiobooks.
6. Peanut butter crackers.
7. Magazines.

Note: This list can easily be substituted for a toddler.

{image: nhanusek}

The Post About Cupcakes and Nashvegas

I recently popped up to Nashville to visit my friend Caryann.

In theory.

It was really a veiled attempt to eat my way across yet another city.


(l to r - Scott, Josie, Gresham, Caryann).

These are people I enjoy standing under a sign I will now give similar affection.

Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant has 2 locations in the metro Nashville area and we graced the Franklin store. A great "country" feel with a breakfast buffet I love so much that I'm considering shacking up with it.


While in Franklin, we verified that Carrie Underwood made a good choice by choosing Ivey Cake to create her recent wedding cupcake tower.


We tried the "I Do" and the "Hot Mess" and "The Breakup" and the "Crazy Ex."

Devouring the "I Do" which is vanilla cake with white vanilla buttercream icing, is a moment I will always cherish.

And try to replicate.


On the same block was this delightful refuge of sugar and all things pleasant. Naticakes.


Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Salted Caramel, Pretty Princess, and Tuxedo.

Oh my.

That salted caramel haunts my dreams.

My suggestion? Get the "I Do" from Ivey Cake and then walk one block and buy as much as your hands can hold at Naticakes.

And feel good about it since 10% of the profits support the Natalie Wynn Carter Foundation to help children around the world.

Who cares about a measly inch or two added to the thighs when it's for the children?

{images: Jamie}