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Mother’s Day is a time and holiday that I look forward to every year. The weather is always perfect, the semester is usually coming to an end, the flowers are in full bloom, and allergies of springtime are starting to wear off. Mother’s Day 2021 was no exception. I arrived in Atlanta the day before Mother’s Day after a week-long trip to New York City. I was pretty tired from all the adventures and travelling, but still excited for our Mother’s Day festivities. The day started with breakfast (spoiler: if you read our blogs about Mom’s birthday...all of this will sound incredibly familiar ;). We ate at one of our favorite spots in Atlanta: Buttermilk Kitchen. We headed to church to round out the morning, where we enjoyed a peaceful and beautiful sermon. My mom and I went up to Dunwoody in the afternoon to get her mom for the rest of the day. Gam was very excited to come down and see everybody, and we were so excited (and blessed) to have her. We spent the afternoon/early evening talking, sharing pictures, playing games, and eating some delicious food from Karma Farm, a healthy Atlanta take-out place. The food consisted of roasted chicken over mashed chickpeas, spicy roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, corn bread, and more. We even had chocolate covered cookie dough balls for dessert. Delicious! We played a new game on Mother’s Day: Mind the Gap. Discovered by Joey’s parents, the game consists of trivia spanning 4 generations - the best strategy is to make teams consisting of varying generations to fill the “gaps” in knowledge. A super fun game! Though my team (Savanna and me) didn’t win, we learned a lot and had fun. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day, whether you were fortunate enough to be with your mom or not. Until next time! xoxo

Mothers Day 2021 began with an early breakfast at Buttermilk Kitchen, a recent "tradition" my family has adopted to celebrate spring occasions. After fueling up on chia seed pudding, bacon, eggs, waffles and smoked salmon bagels, we all met at church. This is the reverse of what most families do -- going to breakfast before church -- but I prefer it since we don't spend half of the service daydreaming about lunch. Also, it's what my mom enjoys doing and this day was all about her! That evening we went back to my parents' house to celebrate mom again and Gam as well. Takeout from Karma Farm was served in the formal dining room and we played "Mind the Gap" around the other family table after we ate. To me Mother's Day means: flowers, time spent with mom, spring, yummy food and appreciating maternal love. What does it mean to you? Bonus: Our housekeeper wished me a Happy Mothers Day and then followed up the text with "Cat Mommy." LOL. My first Mother's Day. --

You may be asking yourself: Is a 12-hour trip worth it? If you hate airports, are indecisive or enjoy lounging vacations, the answer is no. However, if you're the type who loves a great story to tell, doesn't mind hustling to a million activities, and enjoys sleeping in your own bed at night, the answer is a big fat yes. Here's a 12-hour Miami travel guide, handcrafted by Diana and me. Flights To maximize your day, you need to fly out early. We took the 7:25 a.m. flight out of Atlanta, which put us in Miami by 9:30 a.m. That means our alarms went off at 5. The morning was brutal, but worth it. Our return flight took off at 7:45 p.m. Activities 10 a.m.: A 12-hour trip is made or broken based on food, so plan ahead! The reason we went to Miami was for brunch at Little Hen. Diana spotted the aesthetically pleasing restaurant on TikTok and within an hour we had booked our flights. Getting a reservation was tough but we were very lucky to secure a patio table at 10 a.m. Our uber from the airport dropped us right off. I admit we were a bit deflated after 5 hours of travel and no food, but the rose petal pancakes, truffle fries and avocado toast that we ordered perked us up. And the bellinis didn't hurt either. 11:30 a.m.: We made our way to Wynwood Walls, just a mile walk from Little Hen. We purchased tickets on our phones and made the rounds to all the murals. Taking pics with Spongebob was a highlight. Fun fact: Diana and I can sing the entire Spongebob soundtrack by heart. 12:15 p.m.: Wynwood Walls does not take long. When we finished walking around the murals, we attempted to find shopping in Wynwood. We came up short and decided to plug Lululemon in our maps. We found a Lulu near South Beach and called an Uber. 12:45 p.m.: Thirty minutes later, after making our way over a bridge surrounded by cruise ships, we were dropped off in tourist central aka Lincoln Road. If we had to pick a "worst" part of the trip this might be it. Running low on energy, we made our way into a few stores, including Marshalls, and then onto the public beach. The public beach was meh. The sun was scorching and the tourists were bumping. Plus there were ravenous seagulls and pelicans diving into the water in front of us. So naturally we decided to find the closest juice bar. 1:15 p.m.: Diana found our safe haven: Joe and the Juice! This place was PERFECT. We ordered grapefruit, apple, ginger juices and chugged them while we sat down and got our energy back. 2 p.m.: Back to Lincoln Road where we visited an H&M that looked like a former fancy bridal shop or Lord & Taylor. We both found some good stuff and I finally had a bag to carry my sweater in. 2:30 p.m.: Made our way to a tourist trap on Lincoln Road to share a plate of nachos and a skinny marg, and to use the bathroom. 3p.m.: By far the highlight of our trip: WATR at the 1 Hotel! I randomly made a reservation at this rooftop bar thinking it might be a nice place to end our trip. Boy was it! Once we made our way past the high-security elevators (and witnessed one couple get kicked out), our eyes opened to perhaps the fanciest outdoor bar I've ever been to. Music was thumping and beautiful people were frolicing around against the most beautiful crystal blue view of the ocean. We camped out here for 2.5 hours, enjoying watermelon, organic cocktails and some lemon flavored salmon sushi. 5:30 p.m.: We walked down to the ocean to take a few photos and soak up the ocean air before calling an Uber back to the airport. Fun fact about Miami: The airport is SO close to the city, making a fly-in, fly-out trip super easy. ReplyForward

Last year we celebrated my mom's birthday exactly two days before the entire country shut down. The Garden Room was popping off as if the virus didn't exist. Gloveless and maskless, we wined and dined in designer dresses from Rent the Runway. I wore a heavy, sequined LBD, my mom wore a Galvan stunner, and Diana wore a one-shouldered silk floral mini. Little did we know, after that, we wouldn't sport a fancy look for nearly another year. To celebrate my mom's 59th birthday this year, and coincidentally the "reopening" of the country exactly one year later, we decided to rent more dresses. The bookends of the pandemic for us are Rent-the-Runway experiences, and I hope it's a tradition that continues far beyond the pandemic. T his year, however, we rented morning rather than night time looks to attend brunch before church. I love a day dress, so it was fun picking out options. After a shipping mishap, we were ultimately allowed 8 dresses. To see our looks this year, read my mom's blog. To see our looks from last year, peep our Instagram accounts. How are you feeling about the near end of the pandemic? Ready to dress up and pretend it's the Roaring 20's? [Savanna]

Several months ago, while I was scrolling on TikTok, I came across a video of an immaculate brunch place. Flowers galore, beautiful Fine China, decadent cocktails, and unbelievable food. The short video displayed rose petal pancakes, iced coffee drinks, avocado toast, truffle french fries, and so much more. I was in awe. I read in the caption that the brunch spot, Little Hen, is located in Miami. I sent the video to Savanna, insisting we had to go just for the brunch. She said let’s do a day trip. I sent her a cheap flight (only 8,000 miles!) for a Saturday in April. She said let’s book it. Such started our single-day trip to the south of Florida. This trip happened this past Saturday, on April 17th. Savanna came over at 5:45AM, we got an Uber to Hartsfield-Jackson airport, and before we knew it we were in Miami. We went immediately to Little Hen (thankfully with reservations - the place is impossible to get into without one!) and the food lived up to the hype. We shared rose petal pancakes, avocado toast, and truffle fries. They were all incredibly delicious and the scenery of plants and flowers was stunning. We took our adventures to the Wynwood Walls and general Wynwood neighborhood. We spent some time in the funky, artsy district before heading to Miami beach. We shopped and ate around the tourist-y area for some time, indulging in fresh juices and Mexican food. Savanna had booked us reservations at the 1 Hotel’s Watr rooftop restaurant, so we headed there around 3. The rooftop bar and restaurant was stunning, with beautiful views of the ocean, refreshing drinks, and outstanding sushi. We stayed at Watr for several hours, having fun and enjoying the beautiful weather and atmosphere. After a quick trip to the beach to dip our toes in the water, Savanna and I were already heading back to the airport. An Uber ride, flight, and another Uber ride later: we were back home by 10:30PM. Savanna and I had a great time in the warm and welcoming Miami, and are already trying to plan a day trip somewhere else…:)

Hi Friends, How was your Easter? I hope it was full of life, promise, and goodies. Jeff and I travelled for Easter this year. An opportunity to visit Sea Island arose and with it came a chance to see how it compares to Jekyll Island. Okay, I know my Georgia friends are laughing and rolling their eyes...umm, there’s no comparison between the two. But here goes a humble, half attempt, if you will. Welcome to a photo journal of Sea Island/The Cloister. Like Jekyll Island, the trees on Sea Island are storybook-esque. Branches bend in designs only nature can produce. They're more "groomed" than Jekyll, both spectacular. Beach beds are not found on JI, but are abundant on SI and the lobby of the Cloister is more majestic than the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. To each his own. Who doesn’t like charming embellishments? Like fancy birds in fancy cages, fish in pretty ponds, chess games with playing pieces the size and weight of three-year-olds, or 2004 G8 summit flags flying out your room window, and complementary slippers (always a fave): The interior of The Cloister is spectacular, the staff equally so and the food is beautiful and delicious: I'm not a people watcher and was surprised to find myself enjoying "people watching"...a lot! It was Easter and everyone was dressed up throughout the weekend. Children were in precious, fine clothing...the finest...there was no mistaking the quality. Bright, crisp colors, men in sport coats, designer shoes, done-up hair and bright hair bows were everywhere. I miss when dressing up for most occasions was envogue. But my all time favorite thing to do on the Georgia coast is catch a sunrise. We watched a beautiful one on our first morning: Ahhh...and then there was golf! Indeed there was: So, I'm not a golfer but I've been on a lot of courses. Sea Island's course is one of the prettiest I've seen. And the pub offers a banana cake concoction that is a hole in one...so to speak. Miscellaneous this and that was explored. We road bikes on Sea Island, but rather than riding the perimeter of the entire island, like on Jekyll, we road in a straight, zipper fashion up and down the island, with small side jaunts. Kite flying, walking St. Simons pier, a visit to Jekyll and presto, we did all we could do in four days, ending with an unforgettable Easter service at The Cloister: Having grown up in Oregon, it took me a while to fall in love and appreciate the Georgia coast. But once acclimated, I was head over heels in love with all that it offers. So, which do I prefer? Answer: 50-50. I love them both for significant reasons. My very, very favorite things to do on the Georgia coast are: Catch a sunrise and bike ride. Jekyll Island wins both of these categories, IMHO: Virtually every other category goes to Sea Island and The Cloister. Thank you for reading everyone! Love, Shelley

Hi Friends, I hope y’all are doing well and not sweltering like we are in ATL. Hoooly smoookes we’re cookin’ in the Peach State. As you know, we’re hard at work renovating our website home. Our friend, Rachel, an amazing artist and graduate of Savannah College of Art & Design is leading the way for us. I’ve known Rachel since she was a newborn baby. More of how crazy I am about her later. PHOTOS IN THE PARK FlaFlash Fiction Last week we had loads of fun taking photos with Diana’s Georgia Tech friend, Jan Hong.  The pics are an effort to help Rachel with the design we envision. Like Rachel, Jan is multi-talented. Photography is a hobby of hers when she’s not studying Engineering at GT. What a blessing it is to be associated with two classy, driven, talented ladies who are rocking Atlanta’s business, academic, and art world. Sneak pic peak: Savanna, Shelley, Diana / ATL Winn Park – Diana, Shelley, Savanna WHAT’S IN STORE Flash Fiction TPA is excited to announce that our new website will be organized by “categories.” Rather than each of us having our own blog slots, we’ll collectively contribute to designated categories.  Groups are TBD, but Jeff has suggested a “Forum” page and I’m pitching a “Flash Fiction” corner (333 words or less). Below is my first Flash Fiction for the site.  I hope you’ll read along as I hone my craft.  Your stories are welcome! Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley THE DELI A hungry man with a starving boy walks into a deli. The man is wearing tattered jeans. His belt is buckled on the last hole. His white t-shirt is gray. The boy and the man have flip-flops with flattened soles on. Warm bratwurst, melted Swiss, toasted butter buns, and coffee wafts the air. Cured meat and cheese sandwiches, salads, and pastries crowd a display case like a mouth with too many teeth. The young boy touches the glass with both hands. He swallows saliva. Small handprints stay on the glass. “Do you wanna a sandwich,” the hungry man asks the starving boy, “Grilled cheese? Whadda ‘bout tater salad, you want sum that?” The boy looks up at his dad and doesn’t say anything. The dad stares at the food. “Whaddabout roast beef with cheddar, pickle, and bread? You want pickles? Or whaddabout a cinnamon bun? You wanna cinnamon bun?” The boy thinks about the first question, Do you wanna sandwich. He looks up at his dad and doesn’t say anything. “Buddy, I bet they have chicken and star soup back there, in the back? Or, whadda ‘bout a wiener or brat? You want chicken soup if they got it? ” The boy looks up at his dad and doesn’t say anything. The man carries a bag full of food outside. “where you wanna sit…on this curb? Or, under that tree right there? You wanna sit on the ground? We could sit on the ground right about here?” The boy looks up at his dad and doesn’t say anything. The man sits down on a curb two steps from the deli door. The boy sits beside him. When the food is finished they head home. The dad looks down at the boy and doesn’t say anything. The boy looks up and says, “I want what you want Daddy.” THE END (305 words) They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat ~ Revelation 7:16 #flashfiction

Hi Everyone, When you travel are you a bed and breakfast person or a hotel frequenter? If you’re like me, reward programs (Marriot, IHG, Hilton, etc.) keep you committed. Loyalty plans are clever because they keep [us] devoted for “free nights” and other perks. They also make some people (me) forget about the charming aspects of bed and breakfast options. Here's a great recommendation if you plan to visit Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Smith Steiner Bed & Breakfast! This place is quaint, cozy, convenient and oh so delicious at breakfast time. Side story: Jeff and I didn’t do the undergrad, out-of-state college tour thing with our girls. The State of Georgia had plenty of options that suited us (and them) just fine. I get why our route may not suit others though. Differences are delightful! Grad school is panning out differently. Diana is in the midst of hearing back from law schools that she applied to last year. What’s different is, we are travelling to explore schools after acceptance, while undergrad tours [would have been] prior to the application process. Granted, fancy tours aren’t happening because of Covid, but we’re travelling to explore culture and surrounding environment, all the same. Last week Diana and I visited Penn State Dickinson Law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. We spent two nights at The Smith Steiner Bed & Breakfast which is located precisely across the street from PSDL. Strolling the university grounds was uncannily convenient. The inside of Steiner is meticulously and newly renovated. We slept in the smallest room (the Dickinson, my mother’s maiden name :-). There were two twin beds, two bathroom sinks and four windows spanning three sides. I love windows! The color scheme was blue, red and stars...utterly adorable. Becky, the hostess, is ever so welcoming, accommodating and above all a supreme cook that will have you reminiscing about breakfast. The artisan, perfectly toasted bread (who knew all toasters are not created equal) and stone ground oatmeal with chia seeds really got me going. There are several other healthy places to eat in Carlisle, like Grazery. And there is coffee to die for at Denim. Typically, I don’t choose B&Bs for reasons like...darn “points.” But after my and Diana’s stay at The Smith Steiner I realize "quaint and delicious" is being sacrificed, from time to time. Attributes of lodging aren’t necessarily pertinent to law or undergrad school choice, but they’ll come in handy if that is where one lands. Don’t forget about bed and breakfasts, especially The Smith Steiner! I promise you’ll be happy if you chose it over loyalty points, at least while in Carlisle, PA! Thank you for stopping by! Love, Shelley

Hi Everyone, How are you? I hope and pray everyone is happily humble and thoroughly thankful. Spring is arriving! Winter ‘20/’21 was frigid and never ending in Georgia...until now! Lord have mercy...I [officially] turned 59 last weekend. Can you recall certain birthday celebrations? Maybe your 5th, 10th, 18th, or whatever age? How about 71 or 42? Some birthday parties stick in my mind. For example: 7, 12, 16, 21. AND my last two, 58 and 59. Others, not so much. This year and last year are particularly memorable because Savanna shared her Rent the Runway account with Diana and me by surprising us with eight dresses to choose from. We got lucky with "8" this year due to a shipping mishap which resulted in four extras. Here are six of the dresses: Rather than celebrating with a family dinner, I chose an early breakfast followed by church. Clocks sprang forward the night before so we were extra groggy (thanks for waking up y’all!). But the food and coffee at Buttermilk Kitchen can get hibernating bears rousted up and raring to go. Their French press coffee is rich and invigorating (coming from a coffee snob). If you haven’t discovered Buttermilk Kitchen, check it out when you’re in Atlanta. Tip: Go early because the wait can be long. From there we took full bellies, frilly dresses and famously handsome selves to a rocking good service at Church of the Apostles. The live music in the sanctuary is literally like being at a concert: loud, movable and perfectly on point. I just love getting into it. Sunday, March 14, 2021 was extra special because we took communion for the first time since the world's engine turned off. (Matcha cake after church added some sweet on top :-) -- So, coffee, crumpets and church...or...wine, dine and dance on future birthdays? For #60 I have to say coffee, crumpets and church. It’s hard to project beyond that because it may get harder to rise and shine for such an event. Either way, I hope the girls and I dress up with Rent the Runway and make our own fun, regardless of pomp and circumstance. #Rentherunway birthday celebrations will always stick out in my mind because of the beautiful, borrowed dresses. If you’ve already celebrated a 2021 birthday, Happy belated Birthday to you. If it’s on the horizon Happy Birthday in advance. Why not give a breakfast celebration a shot? Thank you for reading this update! Love, Shelley SAVANNA'S BLOG

If there’s one thing the girls and I like to do together it’s: exercise! I love to sweat. Sweating rids our bodies of toxins...like yucky buildup from sugary, fatty foods and alcohol. We just gotta get that muck and junk out of our cells and bloodstream -- if you want to be fit and healthy. Sweating is one way to help bid the toxins good-bye. Thus far in life, aerobics, elliptical machines, pickleball, pilates, power-walking, spin, step, treadmills, yoga and, lately, Barre3 and tennis, have served me well. But wait...there's more: Sweat Cycle! Savanna and Diana say that I "have" to try Sweat Cycle. If you live in California or Georgia (only locations thus far), have you experienced it? I plan to. As the story goes, you spin your insides out in an 85-degree room that causes you to profusely perspire. That actually sounds heavenly to me. But here’s the thing, I'm 59-years-old and lately spin classes leave my knees and calves crying in the night following a class. Spin teachers are notoriously young, hardcore exercise rock stars. That being acknowledged, I hope they'll cut me some slack if I hide in the back of the room, and stay secure in the saddle...the whole time!! Though I stay physically fit and up-to-speed with my daughters (we all wear the same dress size, praise the Lord), hesitation is creeping in more and more, “Sweat Cycle” sounds a little too much for my age. But I plan to go with one or both of my girls to give it a shot (and hopefully not die). Dripping sweat sounds divine in spite of the“intensity” that spin represents. Perspiring clears the mind and body of attitude-souring toxins. Who can't use that? Wearing an itchy, scratchy, hard-to-breath-in and hard-to-remember mask day in and day out doesn't help. That's a reason to sweat, don't you think? I’ll let you know how it goes at the hip, Lenox Square Sweat Cycle as soon as I get signed up. Prayers appreciated. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley Savanna's blog about Sweat Cycle Diana's blog about Sweat Cycle P.S. Have you noticed that my last two blogs have been “On the Horizon” in scope?

This blog is for my fellow health-and-wellness junkies, along with anyone interested in weird and lesser-known activities in Atlanta. Let's rewind to late 2019, when Joe and I were driving home from a weekend in Asheville. We were listening to comedian Bert Kreisher's podcast, lol-ing our way through the mountain roads. Bert is a hefty man, known for taking his shirt off on stage and exposing a massive beer belly during his standup shows. What many don't realize is that he's actually in amazing shape and works out religiously. In this particular episode, Bert mentioned his favorite fitness class in Los Angeles: hot spin at a studio called "The Sweat Shoppe." (Yes, that was really the name). Joe and I had just recently entered our fitness craze at the time. We were intrigued. With extra time on my hands in the car, I did a quick Google search, not thinking there was even a slight chance they had a studio in ATL. Low and behold they had 3 studios: 2 in Cali and one in ATL. What. Were. The. Odds. Pretty sure we booked a class for the following weekend. Sweat Cycle, formerly known as The Sweat Shoppe, is located within The Forum at Lenox Mall. The Forum is as intimidating as intimidating gyms get, but thankfully Sweat Cycle, tucked in a corner of the gym, offers a friendlier vibe. The first time taking this class, Joe and I about died during the intense and relentless cardio routine in the heated 85-degree room. But the high we felt afterward was amazing and kept us coming back. Once the pandemic hit, we took a long break, but have since refound our love for Sweat Cycle. Bonus: They're now offering free weekly classes. Sign up for their newsletter for dates. Warning: The class is hard. You will sweat buckets onto the floor below your bike. This is coming from someone who barely breaks a sweat during a normal spin class. You'll probably also get a little light-headed. If you take certain instructors, you may even need to lay on the floor for 20 minutes after class. But the amazing feeling afterwards is so worth it. I'll leave you with a pro tip: Bring ice water. Lots of ice water. Here is Diana's take on Sweat Cycle!

I have never been particularly fond of workout classes. Particularly cycling classes. Most that I have been to leave me unsatisfied and with a bit of social anxiety. However, I have been attending Barre3 classes religiously for the past few months, and am so happy that I found a studio and a workout class that I love. Given my weariness for other workout classes and studios, I was extremely skeptical when Savanna insisted I attend a Sweat Cycle class with her (the “Sweat” meaning that these classes take place in a hot room - think hot yoga, but for cycling). I would already feel completely exhausted after a “normal” cycling class, and given that I am prone to heat exhaustion...this class sounded like a disaster waiting to happen for me. But I went anyway. And I loved it! Savanna gave me some great tips before we went to make me feel more comfortable: wear sweat-wicking clothing, bring ice water in a container that’s easy to drink out of, and just ride and not follow the instructor if it’s too much. With these tips and an open mind, I stepped into the warm studio and had an amazing workout. I did not push myself too hard as I was still quite nervous, but I followed about 80% of the workout and felt amazing afterwards. Sav and I had to sit outside the studio for a few minutes before leaving to catch our breath and gather ourselves, but other than that I felt great. It’s an intense full body workout that makes you sweat more than I ever have in my life. After I showered, I felt completely detoxed, clean, and great about myself. If you’re in Atlanta (or California), I highly recommend checking out Sweat Cycle. If you sign up for their newsletter, you’ll get notified each Sunday about free classes that week! It’s an intense, dripping-sweat, and satisfying workout. Here's Savanna's take on Sweat Cycle!