Thanks for letting me take the night off guys! It was nice not to have to bike 12 miles with my laptop on my back 🙂
We had a wild, fun time with our friends!
Matt and I biked to Kate + Nate’s around 5:00 for a quick bite to eat before the party started. The brews were already on ice!
I waited a bit and then sipped on a Shocktop. I may like these better than Blue Moon…
They had a sampler pack of wheat beers from Michelob. I normally don’t like anything by the great American breweries, but ALL of these were excellent (I had sips of Matt’s). The Honey Wheat was very honeyey!
We put a few veggies (eggplant + zucchini) on the grill along with our leftover Al Fresco chicken sausages and some homemade Dakota Great Harvest buns –
This was one heck of a hot dog!!! I LOVED the red pepper asiago flavor on a dog. The asiago was more pronounced than in the pasta the other night.
Veg
And some salad made by the infamous salad creator, Kate
I switched over to water for a bit – I was feeling a little hungover from just my one beer!
Kelsey made blondies. They were fab – I had 3 little squares. I wonder how they compared to the famous VeggieGirl Blondies!?
The blondies were swarmed by food bloggers!
And Kate put out cookies – I had a taste of one
There was also hummus + pita put out. I had a few too many pita chips after dinner as we all chatted.
Later on Matt made me a mini mint julep
And I had one more Shocktop before we left for the bar at 9:30. I should have skipped this because I drank it pretty fast and didn’t really enjoy it thoroughly.
Kate let me taste her Coors after I turned my nose up at it. It actually got a “not bad” from me in the atmosphere.
We walked about half a mile to our destination: The Yellow Rose. It’s a hole in the wall billiards and karaoke bar.
We had a huge group!
We actually went by earlier to pick up pizza for some of our friends and realized there was SMOKING inside. Ugggggggggg. I cannot stand cigarette smoke at all. What’s with Charlotte being so behind the times. I don’t know why it never crossed my mind there would be smoking when we planned this night. SOooo…Kate and I came prepared!!!
No, we didn’t wear them the whole night, but it was nice to put on a breathe a bit because the masks smelled like fresh laundry from Kate’s garage!!
Coronas were on special, so I ordered one and a water. I probably should have passed on the beer because I was way more interested in the water, which I couldn’t get enough of at this point. That was my first and last drink at the bar. 3.5 drinks in 1 night is too much for me.
I can’t say the same about my friends though! There were tons of buckets floating by..
The night was young and Matt was brave to start off the karaoke with a little “Movin’ On Over”
And then Kelsey and I sang Green Day’s “Basket Case!”
Then all the girls stood up for a little Madonna with “Like A Prayer!”
I wanted to do my Celine Dion song (“To Love You More”) as well as “All That Jazz” and Matt and I had plans for a Disney duet, but the line was long and the crowd packed, so we’re saving those for a more private karaoke occasion 🙂
Shortly after “Like A Prayer” I hit the wall. It was past midnight and I was exhausted, dehydrated and ready to go home. A few of our friends had left and I walked back with Diana and Dan. The rest – Kelsey + Austin, Matt, Kate + Nate – stayed and had a crazy time singing more songs with some of the locals. I snuggled in bed with Gilbert!
AM: The Juice
We were all up pretty early this morning despite the late night. No one was feeling great, but I’ve definitely felt worse after a night out. I thank the beer – I think wine gives me worse hangovers.
I had a cup of Butter Toffee Coffee when I came down to find Kate + Nate sprawled on the couches
Kate loves to juice vegetables and I was excited to give her juicer a try this morning. My stomach was a bit queasy for a big breakfast, but vegetable juice sounded like the PERFECT cure 🙂 She’s got this cool Breville (I think).
Here’s what she put in: 3 apples, 1 pear, a huge bag of kale, 3 carrots. This served 2 big glasses. It was AMAZING to watch. I can’t believe you can put a whole apple in seeds and all. Very cool that there’s no prep work.
We had to fiddle with the proportions a bit. The apples really helped sweeten it up. The juice had a pretty bad kale-bitter smell, but the taste was awesome. It was almost a gritty/fluffy texture. But overall I loved it, most likely because it just felt so healthy.
My cup. I had a little bit more than this total with a small refill. The verdict: I really liked it!! I don’t know if I’ll convert to a juice person though. I probably won’t go out and buy a juicer, but if someone were to make me juice every morning I think I’d definitely enjoy drinking it regularly. I always say I prefer smoothies because you get the FIBER of the veggies too, but I’m not sure I’d make a smoothie with all the vegetable variety you could put in a juicer, so that’s a plus. And I don’t know if my blender could handle apples and carrots. So someday if I have a big kitchen and someone gets me a juicer for my birthday, I’d probably use it happily, but these days, probably not 🙂
I found the juice to be incredibly filling too. You wouldn’t think a little liquid would do much to the stomach, and maybe it was my alcoholic system, but this glass felt like a BRICK in my stomach for at least 2-3 hours. No sloshing – just filled up.
We had plans to make oatmeal and french toast, but no one was really in the mood to cook or eat a big breakfast. Breakfast was green juice, bananas and water.
We ended up going on a really nice walk on the greenway with Gilbert after “breakfast.” We walked 2.14 miles (wore the Garmin!) and then I was energized to do a little running when the others went inside. I ran a quick 2.4 miles to be just over 4.5 total. It felt great to breathe hard and get some fresh air.
After exercising we decided to go out for brunch. After much debate, we decided on The Flying Biscuit, a brunch favorite. We quickly showered and were off. But the wait turned out to be 50 minutes long (Thanks to Michelle and her family taking up the tables inside!) so we went over to Qdoba instead. The group all got burittos, but I wanted a salad so I got a salad + sandwich combo from Dean + Deluca and met them at the patio.
(My camera also died at this point so these are iPhone photos. They turned out pretty good all things considered!!)
Big salad with veggies + olives + sundried maters (Ate about 2/3 of this and was full)
And half a ham + brie panini sandwich. (If this was a half, I’d hate to see the whole!) I ate about 75% of this and shared the rest with Matt
After lunch Matt and I had to bike back home – about 5 miles. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but it ended up being pleasant. I am catching up on my computer and he’s at Costco getting some groceries. Tonight is the Charlotte Symphony Summer Pops!!! I don’t think our friends are in the partying mood, but I hope they will still all come for a casual picnic.
See you tonight!
Mara @ What's for Dinner? says
I was so beyond glad when IL passed their “no smoking in any indoor public place” law because I could NOT STAND coming home reeking of smoke! Where’s the dude in the Alice Cooper makeup??
Oh, and Basket Case? One of my favorite songs that throws me back to freshman year of high school! Have a fantastic Sunday, Kath!
april says
Sounds like a fun night! You are too funny with your mask! I love how your sporting your t-shirt!
Jenn (www. j3nn.net ) says
Looks like fun! That panini looks super yum.
Jenn
Emily (Healthy Fit Mama) says
Wow – sounds like such a fun night! I’m with you – I can’t stand cigarette smoke in bars. I always wake up hoarse the next morning after being in a smoky bar. Yuck!
VeggieGirl says
I gotta make you some blondies then for comparison 😉 Let me know.
Emily L. says
What a fun weekend! Hats off.
Leah @ Simply Fabulous says
Such a fun night! I cannot drink like I used to either.
Nicole says
I loved reading about all this blogger fun!! It seems like an awesome night. Have another good one!
Susan @ Nurse on the Run says
Ohhh I don’t think Shocktop can stand a chance against Blue Moon!!
Linda says
Looks like Kate and Nate can sure throw a party. It was fun comparing your other blogger friends’ posts as well.
Ellen @ Peace in Motion says
sounds like a great time with friends!
Heather @ Sugar N Spice Blog says
It’s too bad NC still allows smoking (but not surprising, I guess) – ever since Boston went smoke free it’s been so much easier to go out at night! No more stinky clothes. Looks like a lot of fun and great food, as always 🙂
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) says
Love the shots of you guys doing karaoke…how fun! 😀
Anne K. says
It sounds like you guys had such a great time! That juicer is super cool 😀
Kathy W. says
I love juicing, but not cleaning the juicer!
BTW, I’m looking for a white bowl like the white pasta-type bowl you used in yesterdays’ entry. Do you know what the brand is and/or where you bought it?
Thanks!!
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says
Sounds like you had a fun evening! Those karaoke pictures are too cute! 🙂
I couldn’t agree with you more about the smoking ban. I just hate walking into a restaurant or other event place that reeks of smoke. There are a million better places to smoke other than a public place where I’d like to enjoy my evening without worrying about lung cancer.
Thanks for the review on the juicer. I’ve considered buying one for myself, but figured I wouldn’t get enough use out of it. I guess I’m just more of a smoothie person! 😀
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Adi (oatonomy.com) says
… if that’s half the sandwich, then I would LOVE to see (and then eat) the whole one, because it looks delicious!
Happy picnicing. 🙂
Diana says
I think they’re working on passing a smoking ban…hopefully sooner than later!
Lovely recap! The juice looks great – perfect for a morning when you want something on the lighter side. Sorry to hear you missed out on TFB – that place is so delish! I still want to try their oatmeal pancakes. Yum! 🙂
Erin says
You guys have such a fun group of friends. I’m totz jealz. I’ve got great friends too, but way too spread out across the country.
Dad says
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2007/09/12/yes-apple-seeds-and-cherry-pits-are-poisonous.htm
Bec says
wow sounds like so much fun!
Danielle @ RD Daily Bites says
Hi Kath – we sat at the same table at the CDA event in May. I’ve been lurking for about a month now, and thanks to you, I’m in love with overnight oatmeal AND finally decided to start a blog of my own. Just wanted to say I appreciate the inspiration, and I’ll continue to stalk your site on a regular basis…haha. 🙂
Melissa @ For the Love of Health says
Great call on the masks! No smoking here in Ontario bar- thank goodness!! WHen I was in university you could still smoke in clubs and bars-so nasty!
What an awesome looking juicer!! I need one!!
I also love the beer on ice- reminds me of home 🙂
Have a great evening!
Courtney (The Hungry Yogini) says
What a fun night! What’s not to love about good food and good friends!
Kathi says
After a night of drinking, eat a banana before bed to prevent feeling bad the next day. It really works!!
K says
What a great evening/morning!! You guys look like such a blast to hang out with – LOVE the masks! I definitely could have used one of those last night!
Sarah (Tales of Expansion) says
ahhh, i LOVE karaoke! and those face masks are hilarious.
i’m so glad that you did not cart your laptop all the way out there. a night off is important!
Anne P says
haha, you would have HATED the bars in Prague. SO nasty and smoky!!
Shannon says
That panini looks scrumdiddlyumtious! (if that is a word =] )
Looks like you all had a blast. I highly recommend checking out Wii Karaoke.. I think they have different karaoke versions for it but I promise they are SO much fun <3 Have a great night!
-Shannon
Julie says
I like your t-shirt! 🙂
Lee says
I had my first karaoke experience a few weekends ago and I also sang “Like a Prayer!”
Meghan (Making Love In The Kitchen) says
Don’t blame you for the masks! I can’t believe there is any place left that still allows smoking indoors. It was banned in Toronto about 8 or 9 years ago. Can’t even imagine it anymore!
That veggie juice looks great. Think I need to get my juicer back from momma.
Julie says
I believe NC did pass a no-smoking law that goes into effect Jan 1st. All restaurants and bars will be no smoking (with the exception of cigar bars and private clubs). YAY!
Meghan@traveleatlove says
My girlfriends and I are going away for our annual getaway to Cape Cod next weekend and looking for karaoke songs. Last year was Sweet Caroline. . . Like a Prayer sounds like a good one this year!
Rebeca says
That’s quite the night! Yikes!
OMG bars in Arlington are the same with the smoking, I pass on them because of that, but if I can get someone to wear a mask with me, I’ll have to give it another try haha
I just ordered that same juicer this afternoon! I’m glad to hear it works so well! I can’t wait to start using it!
(wow do I love my !!! huh lol)
Shannon (The Daily Balance) says
great night with friends!
We’re lucky that smoking in bars here is now illegal…it’s so weird when we go out of town and people are smoking in bars!! HATE it.
Gena (Choosing Raw) says
KERF juices!! Love it!!!
SarahP says
I’m wondering about the blondies. What recipe did she use to make them so dark? They look like brownies.
My blondie recipe is ridiculously sinful – but oh-so-good-worth-a-small-piece.
Kath says
Kathy W,
They are from Pottery Barn (wedding registry).
Dad,
I’ll watch for symptoms! I don’t think the seeds actually get juiced – they are pushed into the pulp side.
Danielle @ RD Daily Bites,
Lol – glad you de-lurked! I added your blog to my reader 🙂 Hope to see you at CDA again soon!
SarahP ,
I’m not sure. They might be up on Bites + Bowls soon.
Kath
Kaley says
Did you have wilder days in the past?? 😉 Because you don’t drink barely anything nowadays. Just curious! I am 5’11” and I can have 4-5 drinks before I start feelin’ bad
JENNA says
What a crazy night! looks like you all had so much fun and ate some good food! that juice looks soooooooo great! I’m dying to get a juicer!
Kath says
Kaley ,
Yes, I was def. wilder in college. Not sure if my body has changed or my tolerance for feeling bad has gone down, but I just don’t care to start a day feeling sick and more than 2 drinks does it.
K