birthday

London, Day One!

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Hello there! It’s me, Phillip Davis again, husband to the amazingly uncommon, Kelsey V., who is the owner of this lovely blog website. It sure has been a little while since my last guest blog, and so, it is time to do another one! 😀

Kelsey and I have, of course, been doing some more traveling since we both have been having the urge to take some trips here and there since after the pandemic, and this lovely trip was one we were planning on doing a few years ago before the pandemic. So, what we decided to do, with the help from Kelsey and her side of the family, was to surprise Kelsey’s mom, Tori, and take her on a trip to London to celebrate her retirement! And, it was also really cool that Kelsey’s Birthday would fall during our time across the pond, so we had much to celebrate over there, for sure. So, without further, ado, let’s do this!

Due to the time difference between Atlanta, GA and London, which was a 5-hour difference, we decided to hop on a red eye flight through Delta Air Lines. We were supposed to take off around 5:30p.m. Eastern Daylight Time to arrive in London around 6:30a.m. British Summer Time (BST) the very next day on Saturday, July 6th, however we were delayed about 2 hours or so in Atlanta due to weather in the area and a minor fuel delay. Once the Atlanta weather subsided and our Boeing 767-400ER aircraft was fully fueled for the 8-hour night plane ride to London, we were on our way! What seemed like 8+ hours felt only like 2 or 3 hours because we were just so excited to get there! Oh, and the food on the plane was pretty good, as well! We could choose between a pasta dish or chicken, and since this was an international long-haul flight, drinks were included, as well! Thanks, Delta!

  • Our Delta B767-400ER that would take us “across the pond!” Relay For Life logo on the plane!
  • My usual drink choice from Sweetwater Brewing Company! 🙂
  • My pasta dish with tiramisu and quinoa on the flight back home. I didn’t get a picture on the way there since I ate my dinner rather quickly, ha!

We landed at London Heathrow International Airport around 8:30a.m. London time with some shuteye on the airplane. A few airline movies and music later, we felt a little bit jet lagged, but not too bad. Kelsey, Tori, and I got our luggage and went through immigration and customs, and shortly thereafter, met and hugged Kelsey’s brother, Clark, at the terminal’s arrivals and departures area! Since Clark lives in Chicago, he took a direct flight to Heathrow and arrived a few hours before us. So, what was 3 travelers became 4 when we met up with Clark!

Need I say more!?

Clark set up a shuttle service for us to get to the Moxy Hotel in Stratford, which is about a 15-20 minute London Tube train ride into London city. The Stratford we stayed at is East from London, and Stratford-upon-avon is West of the city. I thought they were one in the same, but they are not! Anyways, our shuttle driver was very kind and showed us some of the important landmarks throughout London and explained some other tips and tricks about navigating the huge city!

  • Jet lagged Phil!
  • Stratford, London!
  • The Moxy Hotel in Stratford!
  • Mamma Tori so excited to get on the London Tube for dinner!
  • The Elizabeth Line train we took for dinner on Day One!
  • The amazingly uncommon, Kelsey V, and me on the tube!
  • Tori and Clark excited for dinner on the tube!

Once we got to the hotel and checked in, we all decided to take a nap before our dinner reservation over at Dishoom in Shoreditch. Dishoom is a very popular Indian cuisine restaurant in London, and we ended up going to a location close by to the hotel and took the Tube to get there (see train pictures above)! It was INCREDIBLE! I had a chicken curry dish, Kelsey and Tori split a shrimp Indian dish with rice and curry beans, and Clark had a more traditional chicken dish. After dinner, we went over about a block away to a little alleyway that had multiple dessert shops on it. Kelsey and I headed on over to a little place called The After School Cookie Club Cookie Bakery where we ended up getting an ice cream cookie dessert while Tori and Clark got some ice cream at the dessert shop next door. Click on the pictures below for captions!

After our dessert, we took the Tube back to the hotel and sat down in the hotel lounge to have some drinks and the “cheers” to my lovely Kelsey’s Birthday and Mamma Tori’s Retirement. While drinking and hanging out, we 4 played one of Kelsey’s and my favorite card games called, “What’s The Point,” which was a game we found when we went to Albuquerque, New Mexico last year at that bar, Outpost 1706 – Downshift. The three of them won at least a round of card play each, but not me, haha! After a few rounds, we all decided to put on our night caps (or should I say knight caps) and head to bed. After all, we were still pretty jet lagged.

  • Ahhh, refreshing!
  • Classic Margarita!
  • I still have yet to beat them in a game! 😀

I will be back on Kelsey’s blog site here for London, Day Two soon!

Love, Phillip!

an anacortes occasion

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earlier this year, i was pleasantly surprised and quite flattered to receive an invitation to my great aunt nancy’s 90th birthday celebration up in anacortes, washington. with plenty of pto and some miles burning a hole in my virtual wallet, my mom and i took a week off from work to venture up to and around the pacific northwest.

our flight saturday morning to seattle was, blessedly, uneventful. however, our luck was short-lived once we got to the rental car center. long story short, i couldn’t pick up the car my husband reserved for us because my name wasn’t on the profile. then, i had the pleasure of waiting for an hour to get a car from a different provider. after declining all the add-on insurance and taking the elevator down a couple floors, we threw our bags into the trunk of our zippy kia soul and hopped on i-5 to make our way north. you know, i feel like we got the true washington state experience right off the beat. downtown traffic, cloudy skies, and rain.

thankfully we weren’t really in a hurry, so it was nice to cruise along and take in the sights of the evergreen state. we all know atlanta is called the city in the trees, but everything here is just so lush. some leaves had started changing, but i think in a couple weeks’ time, the trees will really be showing off.

about two and half hours later, we turned into wisteria gardens. this place was just so picturesque! from the chic farmhouse to the nearby pumpkin patch, i couldn’t imagine a better backdrop for the evening, which was a whirlwind of hugs, meeting new people, re-meeting family i hadn’t seen in decades, eating, drinking, and dancing. the elvis cover band was a huge hit, and i am so grateful we were included in the celebration. aunt nancy, i hope i look as good as you when i’m 90! if you have any secrets to share with my generation, i’m all ears. 🙂

once the party wrapped up, we headed back to the cabin nearby. it had a peaceful view of skagit bay, and we spent the night enjoying some red washington wine while puzzling and solving the world’s problems. it’s so interesting to hear how our conversations have transformed over the years and through different stages of life. so grateful for these women!

sunday was our final day in anacortes, and we piled up and headed to mark’s and shamay’s for some brunch. there were cars and people and food everywhere, and i grabbed a seat out on the porch. what a pleasant view! i feel lucky to have family like this, where you are welcome to join the fun as you are and, generally speaking, the more, the merrier.

after brunch, mom, aunt cindy, sara, julian, and i went to fernhill cemetery to visit and pay our respects to some of the extended family. these grounds are so quiet, and even if i do not make it back up here in my lifetime, i am glad we took some time to remember where this side of my family comes from and who part of me is.

as i am certain i’ve written before, our family is always ready to eat. so, we met our cousin lorri in nearby la conner for a little small town afternoon. the drive there was so relaxing, and i cannot believe all the dahlias we saw along the way. i mean, these things were mondo-sized and everywhere and in every shade you can imagine. i didn’t get to snap a picture, but my mom was sure to because my sister-in-law kari loves these blooms. kari, you would have been in heaven up here!

we ended up having lunch at la conner seafood and prime rib house, which was the same place that catered the party the night prior. we started with the spinach artichoke dip, which was scarfed down quickly. i then treated myself to a cup of clam chowder and crab cakes. the chowder was fine, but the crab cakes were worth every penny and every bite (despite this poor photo quality, i promise).

while we’d been having lunch, phillip had separately mentioned to me that it recently was national ice cream day, so it was easy to convince julian we should go for a scoop! just down a block at lulu’s espresso & ice cream, he had a cone of cherry ice cream, and i went for a cup of triple chocolate. i think he liked his, yes? 🙂

that night was extra dreary out, so we stayed in and munched on leftovers. julian and i got to play in the loft upstairs, and i was quick to fall asleep after such a fun day. i’ve a feeling it’s easy to do that up here. thank you for the memories, anacortes!

girl, put your records on

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vinyl

last month was phillip’s birthday month and i insisted we celebrate in style and together.  we both took off that wednesday and started with a lovely breakfast at buttermilk kitchen, did a little afternoon napping, got soothing massages, and topped the evening off with an italian dinner at marcello’s with kyle and kari (we highly recommend the lasagna).  as we munched on cookies’n’cream cake from piece of cake down the road later at home, we broke in phillip’s birthday gift:  a record player!  i’ve used album art as wall art in my homes for years now, and it only seemed appropriate that we finally put those records to use!

phillip and i had been throwing around the idea of getting a record player ever since he moved in but just hadn’t gotten around to it.  his eyes lit up and his smile grew from ear to ear as he unwrapped the package – i couldn’t help but squeak in joy myself!  and as all men do, he insisted we set it up right then and there.

after some trial and error (and instruction manual referencing), the player was hooked up to the amp and we had legend frank sinatra singing “strangers in the night” to us from days past.  it’s funny how old things become new again, and i’d be lying if i said i wasn’t enamored with the vintage idea of playing records.  there’s just something about that vinyl spinning around that soothes you!  we always have it on when we eat dinner at the table together and i try to even put something on in the mornings as we’re getting ready.  fleetwood mac’s rumours record has been my favorite as of late.

if you’re on the fence about getting one yourself, i highly recommend you do so.  and while you’re at it, raid your parents’ vinyl collection and get some of those oldies but goodies going!  🙂

atlanta glam night!

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last night a whole bunch of us from work, 24 to be exact, met up to do some more birthday celebrating at “atlanta glam night.”  okay, so my birthday was almost two weeks ago.  what i’m talking about now is celebrating a birthday month.  let’s all get on the bandwagon!

my coworker whitney also had her birthday earlier this month, and we decided that celebrating with everyone was a no-brainer.  we started out the evening with a fantastic dinner at einstein’s in midtown.  i’ve been there before for my friend kiley’s birthday, so i suppose it’s only appropriate that we continued the tradition.  our semi-private dining space was perfect for our group.  al and i arrived early to disperse the favors, and then the party got rolling.  i don’t even think we ate until almost nine!

the preset menu was the perfect idea for our large party, and from what i could tell, almost everyone was in the clean plate club.  there was steak and fried chicken and salmon all around!  the medium steak i had was cooked quite well, the asparagus was flavorful and grilled perfectly, and as for the mac’n’cheese?  to quote al, “let’s just order a trough of mac’n’cheese for dessert.”  i’m onboard with it!

i looked around the space, and everyone just seemed so happy.  i am glad that we all like each other so much that we want to be intentional about seeing each other outside of the office.  looks like we had a pretty great time, don’t you think?

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after thanking the wait staff and piling outside, some of us wound our way to front page news to continue the festivities.  front page news is a good go-to whenever you’re looking for some live music and patio drinking, and it delivered last night as well.

al & me.

al & me.

out next and last stop was just caddy-corner on 12th and crescent at ri ra.  although a bit of a mess, this bar is one of my favorites in town.  i have fond memories there with my siblings and friends, so i am always up for a drink or two or three there…did i say three?  maybe it was four?  regardless!  al, vinh, andrew, and i shut the place down!  hugs and handshakes were given among us all, and then al and i waved down a yellow chariot to whisk us home.  such a great night!

andrew & me.

andrew & me.

this morning i awoke with some hesitation.  i was ready to keep those blinds closed and climb right back into bed, but i didn’t want the entire day to be a waste.  i met up with kyle and kari for some post-night out brunch at buttermilk kitchen, just up the road from me.  buttermilk kitchen is a brunch spot i love to take folks to when they are in town, and it was just the ticket for me this morning, if you know what i mean.  i enjoyed some pimento cheese, toast, and sausage.  so delicious, and so perfect after a night of going hard, living young, and living free. yolo!

birthdays are better with friends

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recently we put together plans to celebrate bank’s birthday.  i mean, turning 26 is a big deal!  i let bank and his wife liz hijack nrw so that we could get together in his honor.  somebody else is going to plan an event?  that’ll work for me in a jiffy!

after work wrapped up for the day, bank and liz invited us all to their apartment for some pre-dinner spirits.  the homemade salsa went well with the hand-crafted, and strong, margaritas.  good thing i had a ride for later!  it was quite relaxing to just hang out with everyone after a long day in the office.  i’m usually so excited being here, there, and everywhere that i forget taking time to slow down is sometimes just as enjoyable.

after everyone finished their drinks, we piled into a few cars and made a short drive to the restaurant.  kyle, vinh, and i were in the “fun car,” if you ask me.  i mean, who wouldn’t want to roll the windows down and serenade the streets of buford highway with off-pitch renditions of “let it go” and “part of your world”?  that’s what i thought.

ten minutes later we rolled into the don pedro’s parking lot.  bank had mentioned this place was quite casual, just one dollar sign, something that was right up jon’s alley.  don pedro’s is no-nonsense, so much so that you might not look twice when passing by.  bank and liz had raved about it, though, which was enough to invite us along.

the don pedro’s menu is very straightforward, as in it is a picture menu, with the dish title as the only indication as to what each may be.  we were all packed in close as the line, and our appetites, grew.  although the whole fish looked interesting, i made a simple choice with the burrito plate.  the staff helped out all fourteen of us and extra tables and chairs were scooted around so that we could all sit together.  our large group took up, i’d say, about a third of the dining space.  we are quite a sight when we are all out and about!

order numbers were soon called out over the intercom, and plates loaded with rice and salsa and tortillas quickly covered the tabletops.  just looking at the sheer amount of food in front of us made me full.  i dug into my meal and between bites, the margaritas from earlier in the evening kept conversation exciting.  i was on quite a roll that night, just ask alison and kari, for they were lucky enough to sit at my end of the table.  my steak burrito was fine, as were the refried beans and rice.  i would say the company of the folks around me, though, is what really made the evening special.

we finished our dinners, scraped our plates clean, and headed back to the apartment.  birthday cake for dessert was still in order!  kari and i were the last ones to return, and as we walked in the door, i saw everyone standing around bank.  i looked at him and asked with worry, “did they already sing ‘happy birthday?'” i was afraid i had missed it!

“no, but it’s okay.  i don’t want any singing.”  the last words were barely out of his mouth as i sang aloud to lead everyone in song with me.  bank simply turned to me with a look of embarrassment.  i returned with a wink and smirk, “you should know better than to tell me that after eight years of our friendship.”  although he said he hadn’t wanted us to sing, i think he was glad we did.

liz cut into the cake and passed slices around to us all.  she had baked a strawberry layer cake that was just divine, and the middle chocolate layer was delicious with the vanilla icing.  a sweet treat with sweet friends to end a great gathering.

kitty turns 26!

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einsteins

i met kiley jo carole (aka kitty) in college at the university of georgia.  we were both in the redcoat marching band, she on the flagline and i on the mellophone.  we lived together on penny drive our senior year in athens and have been best friends ever since.  this past week she turned 26 and invited us to celebrate with her at einstein’s, an innovative local establishment in the heart of midtown.  read on to find out just how much fun we had!

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