Friday = Happy Day

The Sexton. Sexy, Very Sexy. I've walked by it many times, always wondering what was inside the cool glass exterior. Friday we decided to check it out after a long week. Once you sit down at the distressed table and look around, it is just as cool as it looks from the outside. A mason jar chandler hangs from the ceiling, matching the glasses your drink is served in. The star of the night was the cocktail. One of the best I have ever had. Cucumber infused vodka, mint & ginger beer. Normally I stray away from ginger beer because it can be too overpowering, but this was not. It was refreshment in a glass, and it had me yearning for summer. Somehow I ended up drinking two straight away. Did I mention it was also a long week? For the last round I 'bet on the bartender.' Basically you give a few details to the server, and the bartender whips you up an original. This was a sparkly concoctions. The food here is Southern inspired, small plates. We opted for the mac n cheese, cheesy grits, sliders and fried chicken. The mac n cheese was tasty, nice and tangy with a few bits of bacon, crunch and balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. The sliders were tasty too, a bit too much mayo for my liking. I love cheese, so the cheesy grits lacked in the cheese department for me, they weren't bad, just nothing spectacular. Lastly, the chicken was very juicy and flavorful. It looked as if it might be too dry when it came out, but looks can be deceiving. It also came with a ginger BBQ and jalapeño ranch to dip in. All in all we were HAPPY, and our weekend started on the right foot. I wouldn't say it was the best happy hour deals ever, but a very sexy place for a Friday. Details: $1 of dinner menu items & $2 off cocktails & $4 wells/beers EVERYDAY. We also got a different food menu with slightly cheaper ($1-3 less) items.

Barre...A new way of excercising

What the heck is barre? That was my first thought a year or so ago. I anticipated a class very similar to ballet, and what I found was a pretty intense workout. Who knew that mainly using your own body weight and tiny isometric movements would have your muscles quivering? After my first trial, I wasn’t convinced that I could do barre as my primary workout, I thought I needed cardio. Then again last spring-summer, as my wedding loomed closer, I gave it another go. I was determined to have ‘wedding arms.’ And the barre classes gave me just that along with slimmer thighs than I had seen in a long time. Granted, I was also doing spinning twice a week. Yet again, I wasn’t quite sure if just those classes would be enough of a workout. Now fast-forward 6 months. I have pretty much been sick since January. Vertigo, bronchitis, a sinus infection and an inner infection make it very difficult to maintain much exercise—especially when you get dizzy just standing. I missed the recent Barre3 28 to Great Challenge, so I decided why not make my own challenge and blog about it to keep myself accountable to both my workouts and blogging? So here we go. I am giving myself 3 months to try barre as my main workout and see what happens. I may even recruit willing and unwilling friends to join me. Stay tuned for updates on how well this works and if it can sustain itself as a ‘you know what’s good’ exercise plan.