Have Trunk, Will Travel

As part of this week's TV shoot, we spent a day here.  Look familiar?

No?  How about now?

Well, we didnt have any alligator-esque aliens, nor did we see Captain Kirk or William Shatner.  But... we did have a celebrity!  Meet Tai.

You may recognize her from Water for Elephants with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. { I highly recommend the book, if you haven't read it. } This not-so-little lady is a doll!  At 42 years old, she's still got a good bit of life in front of her.  And she's not afraid to prove it.  See?

Girlfriend travels in style, too.  If you see a big, shiny unmarked semi-truck trailer rolling down the 405, it might just be Tai!

Flat Stanley

Ever heard of Flat Stanley?  It's a children's book about a boy who gets smushed (technical term, I know) by a falling bulletin board.  It doesn't hurt him... just makes him, well, flat.  And Stanley realizes that now that he's flat, he can go through the mail for adventures around the world.

My mom used to do this project with her kids when she taught school.  And as luck would have it, Spencer and I are currently in possession of a Flat Stanley.  I'm not sure who's going to have enjoyed this more when all is said and done: me or Travis, the second grader whose camouflage-clad Stanley we've been toting around for a few weeks.

We took Stanley to work with us...

{ He made himself comfortable at Truett's desk }

{ And learned how to make a milkshake. }

And then we took him to San Antonio last week.

{ Hey, look!  Stanley's at the Alamo! }

{ And like a six year old, I sat in the cockpit with Stanley before the flight home. Be jealous. }

Basically I intend to go down in history as the coolest recipient of a Flat Stanley ever.  Except for maybe the kid in mom's class who knew someone at the Today Show and got Stanley's picture with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer.  Show offs.

Either way, I'll soon be sending Stanley back to Musella with a scrapbook full of fun photos, a herd of everyone's favorite chicken-promoting cows and a gaggle of other goodies.  Being a teacher's kid apparently sticks with you for life. : )

A Little Stay-cation...

Given that our Christmas Eve Eve included a trip to the emergency room and subsequent hospital admission, Spencer and I wanted to ring in the new year without a whole lot of hooplah.  We wanted it to be special, but definitely still low key and not break the bank.

{ On a side note, Spencer goes back to the doctor tomorrow and I think he's just about back to normal. No one told me that our first year of marriage would have so much medical drama! }

Back to NYE.  Enter William Shatner.

 Now, I've always been kind of skeptical of Priceline.  But after a friend suggested we use it to snag a last-minute nice hotel room for NYE at an equally nice price... well, we didn't have much to loose.  And in the end we scored BIG!  Not only does Priceline let you name your own price, but it lets you narrow down the exact area of town you want to stay in.  So I was able to tell Mr. Shatner that we wanted Buckhead and Buckhead only { to avoid some of the older "four star" hotels downtown in need of renovation }... he definitely delivered.  We got a Wonderful Room at the W Buckhead for $250 less than the listed price!

{ Somehow I'd really never noticed this little gem nestled in bseide the Westin on Peachtree. }

The hotel was exactly what we wanted.  Small enough to not feel crowded, and Market by Jean-Georges downstairs would have made for a draw in and of itself.  So in this case it made for a stellar and unbelievably convenient NYE dinner.  They had a prix fixe menu especially for the occasion, but it was a whopping five courses so we decided to go with the standard dinner menu instead.

The food was fantastic.  Spencer had a NY Strip and I ordered their existing prix fixe dinner with Parmesan Crusted Free-Range Chicken.  We'd highly recommend both entrees, and I loved that my meal had wine pairings matched with each course for $12.  But by far, the standout of the night for us was the Cheesecake with Sour Cherry Sorbet.  Ohmyword.  So good.  Plus, the service was excellent.  Attentive without being overbearing.  And that's a hard balance to strike.

{ Seriously.  Get the cheesecake. }

So if you're ever looking to spend a fun night in town and away from home... we definitely say that Priceline is the way to go.  We got dinner, valet parking and the room for $75 less that what we'd have payed for just the room if we'd booked on the W's website.  And if you're ever looking for a fabulous dinner with great service that isn't fussy?  We say Market by Jean-Georges fits the bill.  A hidden gem!

And in other news... the W stocks their rooms with Bliss spa products.  And I'm officially obsessed with the Lemon + Sage Body Butter and the bumpy little "soap slab".

{ It's like sunshine in a squeeze bottle. }

 Cheesecake and beauty products.  No wonder I loved this place!