Five Years: Running of the Bulls and the Beach.

 Five years! The blog turns five today. What a ride and an adventure. I know I say this every year but I never thought a blog I started at Cafe Eclectic back in Memphis in 2008 before I departed for graduate school would still be going strong today -- 624 posts later. If I can make it another 5 years and to my 1000th post, that would be incredible! Happy Birthday blog!

This weekend was filled with many emotions. Confusion in hearing the Zimmerman verdict and seeing the outrage and frustration of so many Americans over the loss of young, Trayvon Martin. Surprise in learning about the death of Glee star Cory Monteith. But above both of those things, the weekend was filled with an abundance of happiness because this weekend rocked! Good for the soul.

Friday evening I visited Cure for Happy Hour, enjoyed pizza at Midway, and capped off the eve with drinks at Balcony Bar with Ed and his roommates. I woke up earlier than usual on Saturday morning for the 7th annual Running of the Bulls festival in New Orleans. Caleb came over around 7am and we popped a bottle of champagne and had mimosas before catching a streetcar down to the warehouse district to watch the events unfold. Seeing so many New Orleanians decked out in white and red running down the street from bulls roller derby girls hitting them with plastic bats? Hysterical. From mimosas to bloody marys to beer, we spent the morning with friends and strangers dancing in the streets, visiting a few bars, and relishing in the fact that we live in one amazing city. A quick trip to Lafitte's on Bourbon finished out the day before I returned home around 2pm and crashed. HARD.

Dancing in the streets with Caleb, Matt, and Keith

Sunday, Katie and I decided to take a day trip to Bay St. Louis and spent the afternoon soaking up some sun on the beach, feasting on hummus, cheese, and crackers, and relaxing. It was a fantastic mini-getaway and fulfilled my craving for some fun in the sun. Topped off the weekend by hanging out with Ed last night at Buddha Belly while he did his laundry. Who knew Buddha Belly had laundry machines? Had some brews while his laundry did its thing. A win-win in my book.

Couldn't have asked for a better weekend. It wasn't just good for the soul. It was epic for the soul. And a perfect way to celebrate summer!

Cheers.