Turn It Up Thursday

Hey World!!! Since we didn't have it on Tuesday, today we will "Turn It Up". That's right. Today is "Turn It Up" Thursday.

The choice I have today is a group I have been listening to for a few years. They are called The Bangerz(aka The Fingerbangerz). They are a group of six DJ/Producers from the Bay Area of California. You probably heard their music before if you ever watched a Jabbawockeez performance after they won ABDC. Now usually I describe the artist/group's music, but this time I think it will be better if you just listen and experience it. Ladies and Gents, here are The Bangerz.

Hope you enjoyed The Bangerz like I did. If there is an artist or group you think I should listen to, leave a comment and let me know. Take care!!!

Four Is Better Than Two

Hey World!!! Hope you enjoyed the long weekend away from work. I know I did because I was able to have a FOUR DAY WEEKEND!!! I usually do not get days like this, so I made sure I took advantage of it.

On Friday, I got up and did usual routine of watching TV with Whitney before I walked with her to her car as she left for work. After she left for work, I started to clean around the apartment. Yes, you heard right!! I cleaned my place. Why would I do that at the beginning of the day? Well I was preparing for the Beer Tasting that my fiance and me had planned for some of our friends(more about this later). A lot of dusting, washing, wiping, sweeping, and anything else you can think of took place to make sure the place looked nice.

After all that cleaning, Whitney came home from work for the day. We were both hungry(me more than her). We decided to go out somewhere for lunch, and we chose one of our favorite places. Yes, you guessed right. We went to Ranelli's!! Whitney got the Pizza Sub(Pepperonis, Sauces, and Mozzarella Cheese). I got the Meatball Sub, but this time I got a large sub. I made a good decision.

Don't you want some!!

After a wonderful lunch, the two of us went to Hop City to get beers for the Beer Tasting. We had three empty growlers at home and brought them back to get the filled up. We got Southern Tier Mokah, Clown Shoes "Tramp Stamp" Belgium Tripel, and Brew Stooges Vanilla Porter(all of them were good choices). I decided to also get Southern Tier Goat Boy in a bomber(still haven't tried it yet). Once we got home, we put all of the new beers in the refrigerator.

Such a beautiful site.

After all the shopping, we got ready for the Beer Tasting. We wanted to do something fun and new that we haven't done before at our place. The rules were to bring a beer(either six pack or bomber) that you haven't tried before. This way people could try different varieties of beers that they might never heard of before. It was a huge success, and we will do this again for sure this summer. We did go to bed after all of this until 4a Saturday morning.

Saturday was pretty much a day to relax from the Beer Tasting. We both just watched TV in our PJs and ordered some Wing Zone. I did go out with my friend Jess and went to Bottletree for Neon Electric. It was a 80s themed dance party show that Birmingham Mountain Radio usually does on Friday evening. It was fun, but I was still so tired from the night before, I ended the night early.

Sunday was very nice because I didn't have to worry about work on Monday, so we stayed again and had Sonic for lunch. We also did Full Moon for dinner and had their so damn good brisket.

Monday was pretty much our Sunday, so we went to Target for some shopping. We also got ready for our dinner that we was cooking. We decided to cook Sloppy Joe and Macaroni Casserole. It was so good. Go to http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/sloppy-joe-and-macaroni-casserole.html if you want to see the recipe for it.

Prepping the sauce 

Doesn't that look good.

Now it's time for me to head to work, and get back to my daily grind. What did you decide to do for the long Memorial Day weekend? Hoping you can survive this short week and remember to always stay positive.

Much Love to you all.

Service With A Smile

Disclaimer: The thoughts and beliefs of this post is strictly how I feel and no one else.

When you go to a restaurant, what do you usually go for? The food? Drinks? Atmosphere? Service? All the above? All of those are good reasons.

With me being a server, I always want to make sure you are having a good time. From the time you enter til you step out, I want everyone to feel like they are around friends. I also want to make sure that you have fun with me. Eating good food is good, but if you are not enjoying your stay then it's really not a good time.

Now, I've only been serving for close tons year now. I am no way saying that I am the best or greatest server in the universe. I just know what works for me. I always like to treat my customers the same way I want to be if I was in their situation. Treating people with respect and just making sure they feel comfortable is how I treat my people.

Now everyone that I have might not always be the nicest folks in the world, and that is okay. They will still get the same service from me no matter of they are rude to me or not. You will still a genuine greet and a big smile from me.

Now when you see me at work, I'm usually having fun. Sometimes it could be me singing to the songs, or it could be me dancing around the restaurant. I just want you to know that eating at a restaurant doesn't have to be so serious.

For me, getting a big tip isn't always the most important thing about the night. Don't get me wrong, I need to make money. It's when I know that my table loved the service that I gave them and leaves a comment card stating that, those are the things I like to hear.

So the next time you go out remember to have fun when you go out. Whoever your server is, be somewhat interactive with them, and always make sure to let them know how they did. Most importantly, remember that tips are usually the only way they make a living. So please make sure to tip your server(this includes bartenders if you are at the bar).

Enjoy your next food adventure, and hopefully I can be able to serve you soon!!

Turn It Up Tuesday

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means. It's time for today "Turn It Up Tuesday" choice. Today we are going to not look at a musician but a composer of music Have you ever heard of Jim Johnston? If you are a wrestling fan, you probably have. He has done numerous theme songs for wrestlers in the WWE for over two decades. People like The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, The Ultimate Warrior, and many others have had their music created by Johnston. Jim has also done music for WWE Studio movies and some of the PPVs for the company. Here are some of my favorite entrance songs done by Mr. Johnston:

30x30

So as of late, I have been thinking of what I have done in my life. I came to the conclusion that there is still many thing I haven't had the chance to do. Today, I decided to make a 30x30 bucket list. This list will have things I will want to do by the time I become 30yrs of age. Now none of them are in any particular order, but I just want to be able to hit them before I turn 30. Here is what I would like to do:

1. Go Skydiving
2. Travel outside of the United Stated
3. Go to a WWE Pay Per View Event
4. Learn to speak Spanish
5. Brew my own beer
6. Meet a celebrity
7. Regain and maintain my 6-pack abs
8. Run a marathon
9. Attend a Live TV Show
10. Start biking around the city
11. Have my voice heard over the radio(since people think I should be on the radio anyway)
12. Go to NYC during Christmas time
13. Make a difference in somebody's  life for the better
14. Learn how to cook
15. Be able to have lots of money in my account with no worries of being broke
16. Enter a big time contest and win it(highly doubt this will happen, but you never know)
17. Attend a Miami Heat game(can be in Miami or somewhere)
18. Attend a championship game where my UAB Blazers are playing for the championship
19. Attend a EDM concert
20. Attend a Snarky Puppy concert in New Orleans
21. Start my on Vlog Page
22. Starting taking up yoga
23. Get back to dancing and win a competition 
24. Become the voice for the UAB Marching Blazers(LoL who knows!!!)
25. Create my own cocktail drink
26. Workout more and gain more muscle
27. Get a tattoo
28. Be on the Today Show
29. Purchase stock
30. Go on a cruise

So there you have it. Now it's time for me to get started on my life. What about you? Do you have a bucket list? What are some things you want to do by a certain age?

Side Note: I finally have a button for my blog. If you would like to get the code for it, let me know and I will give it to you.

I Bleed Green and Gold

In the state of Alabama, we are big fans of the sport of football. Once you are born, you have to pick your allegiance between either Alabama or Auburn. When I was younger, I was a Alabama fan for sure. It wasn't until I got older when I actually made my own decision on who I wanted to go for. I made my decision that I bled Green and Gold for UAB.

If you are not from Alabama, you probably wonder what or who UAB is? Well UAB stands for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school has been around since 1969 but did not start any kind of sport until 1978 when Gene Bartow started the Athletic Department at UAB. He is known as being the man that made UAB what is today.

Being a UAB fan in this state is not easy. We always are getting left out of the new reports just because we have not had very successful seasons in most sports. Plus when you have two big schools like Alabama and Auburn in your state, it kind easy to be left behind.

As of late though, things have been looking up for the Blazers with Bill Clark being hired as the new head football coach and Jared Haase doing great things with the Men's Basketball team for the upcoming season. Not only that but other sports(Baseball, Softball, and Men's Soccer) have been getting some national attention.

Now it's easy for people to come out and say that they are a UAB fan. Yes we still get people who ask why, and I can give them a simple answer. I love my team. True Blazer fans are always "Ever Faithful, Ever Loyal". No matter how our team might be that year, we are always standing strong to make sure we show support for our team. We know we still have a long ways to go before we reach the point of success, but we are sure to be there when it happens.

To all the Blazers, let get ready for a new year coming with lots of great things to come in the future. Remember to always be "Ever Faithful, Ever Loyal to Dear Old UAB!!"

GO BLAZERS!!!!

Turn It Up Tuesdays

Do you like music? What kind of music do you listen to? Well if you know me, I listen to many different kinds. From jazz, hip hop, pop, rock, and many more. I want people know what I am listening to, so as of today Tuesdays will now be named "Turn It Up" Tuesday.

Every Tuesday, I will let you know about a particular musician or band that I listen to that would be good for you to "Turn Up" the volume on. Today's choice is a group called Snarky Puppy.

I remember hearing about them in college a few years ago. It's an all instrumental band(no vocalists). If you ever hear them on a recorded track, it's even better when you hear them live. They just won a Grammy's this year for a song they did with Lalah Hathaway called "Something". Here is the song below:

I love them for how talented they are a group but also for how talented each individual player is. If you listen to the chords in the songs, you will just get a feeling like you wouldn't get from anyone else. So ladies and gentlemen, it's time to "Turn It Up". Here... is Snarky Puppy!!

Thanks Mom!!

I wanted to write a blog about my mom and how much she has meant to me in my life, but it's been hard for me to think of what I want to say.

What I will do is just say Thank You Mom!! Thanks for always being there for me. Thanks for always being that person who I know that I can call on when I have something bad going on. You was always, and still are to this day, one of my best friends. Even when I was in the hospital and had to have surgery to get my appendix taken out, you was there through that whole night to make sure I was okay. We have been through lots of band performance, graduations, deaths in the family, and even a tornado; and somehow you always keep a smile on your face. You have always been very honest with me and showed me how to be an adult. You are one of the biggest reason why I am the person I am today. I am so lucky and honor to have you as a mom. You are not only beautiful outside but inside as well.

I can never be able to say how much I love you and appreciate what you have done for me in my life, so all I will say is just thanks for being you!! I love you momma!!!

Light Up The Night

You know what today is. IT'S FRIDAY, but before we get to enjoy the weekend(or as much as we can with the rain coming in) I want to tell you about what my fiance and me did last night. Let's say we was able to bring some light into the dark night.

First off, we went to the Piggly Wiggly in Homewood to do our usual beer tasting. This time they had some different kind of ciders. Now if you know me, I am not the biggest fan of these at all. They are usually too sweet for me and taste like spiked apple juice. Well these were different. They had Traveler Beer Company(we got a six pack of the Curious Shandy) and Angry Orchard for the taste, and I have to say that they were good to drink. Now would it be a first choice for me? Probably not, but if it's there at a party I would actually get it.

After the beer tasting, we went to Avondale for some food. We decided to try Post Office Pies for the first time. It's right between Avondale Brewery and Saw's Soul Kitchen. It was very busy there but the service was fast. We both good drinks to go with our food. I got Avondale Missy Fancy Tripel, one of my favorite. Whitney got their version of an Arnold Palmer. It had sweet tea, lemonade, and Missy Fancy in it. That's right!! Beer inside an Arnold Palmer. Then we got one of their popular pizza pies called the "Swine Pie". It had pepperoni, sausage, and bacon. It was a little greasy but I like it that way. It is a BIG thumbs up for me, and we will be back.

 Missy Fancy is a lovely lady.

 The Arnold Palmer

 Me failing at trying to look distinguished

 Whitney loves her drink!!

 Always staying hydrated

The Swine Pie

After enjoying good food and drinks, we headed to the Alys Stephens Center for the Dream Lights event. It's a free event that showcased different kind of art pieces that some kind of light involved with it. This year's theme was about being 3D. They even had the old school 3D glasses available. There was so much there, including food trucks(shoutout to NOLA Ice). If you have nothing to do this weekend, you should go out either tonight or tomorrow(hoping it doesn't rain) and see what I saw last night.

The Parade of Lights

 Red Velvet Cake from NOLA Ice

 FIRE!!!!!

 EVEN MORE FIRE!!

 Yes! I do love UAB.

 Pacman(Yes, you can play it!!)

 Having a good time together!!

Our friends of Iron Giants performing

Well hoping that you get through your work day and get to enjoy your weekend with lots of fun and relaxing things!!

#TBT: "I'm With The Band"

You never would believe it, but there are plenty of people in the world that used to be in the band during the school days. I am glad and proud to say that I was one of those "band nerds". I started in 1998 in middle school and did it in high school and at UAB as well. It's funny why I decided to get into the band. I was in elementary school, and the middle school came to us to talk about joining the band. I was not really paying any attention until they started talking about going on trips. Once they said that, I was hooked and wanted to join right then and there. I would never know then that years later it would change my life. I have been to different places such as Atlanta, Washington DC, Memphis, Orlando, New Orleans, and Philly(all thanks to being in band). I have made life long friends and found the love of my life because of band. I even able to fulfill a dream of mine and be apart of a EPIC drum major trio during my last year in band. There are soo many more memories that I know I am leaving out, so I will just show you pictures of my times in the band(both in and out of uniform).

 Horns Up!!!

 Pound for Pound(aka PfP)

 I think she likes me.

 It's A Great Day To Be A Blazer!!

 We love some KFC!!!

 The Four Horsemen. "Never Ride Alone!!!"

 "The Big Three"

 Just looking "Too Cool for School"

 "The Sound of Magic City" UAB Marching Blazers