monday meeting OOTD

oh monday. today was long so this post is short. i had an early birthday supper at my favorite restaurant in knoxville, Sunspot, with some of my very favorite people and then formal meeting. i saw it as the perfect occasion for breaking out the tights and leather booties for the first time!

j. crew jeweled collar sweater, j. crew wool skirt, brown opaque tights, ivanka trump booties

and i can't pass on the opportunity to brag on my brother a little bit! today he shot his first deer with a bow! i am so proud of him! good thing he enjoys venison meat because i won't be eating any of it! 

xoxo,

clp

p.s. birthday countdown: 12 days 

top five knoxville restaurants

now that i am back in knoxville, i thought i would share my favorite places to eat around here with y'all! there are countless delicious restaurants in knoxville but these are the ones that i frequent quite often and always take out-of-towners to.

1. aubrey's: by far one of my favorite restaurants ever. their menu has a little bit of everything, from soups and salads to burgers to pasta. my favorite thing to order at aubrey's is the baked squash vegetable side dish but i honestly haven't had a thing from there that wasn't good. the service is always excellent as well. 
2. sunspot: i just discovered this at the end of last semester and wish i had discovered it sooner! as part of the aubrey's restaurant family, it does not stray from having delicious food and top-notch service. the atmosphere and design of the restaurant is really cool, with large patios and open air-seating. this menu too has a little bit of everything, including many dishes for vegetarians. my favorite is the sweet potato tamale that comes with portobello mushrooms, black beans and salsa. i need to try something new but i can never resist it! as a bonus, all the food is prepared with fresh, local ingredients. they also have a half price wine night on wednesday that many of my friends enjoy! 
3. tupelo honey: well worth the wait. i cannot express how good this restaurant is! the menu boasts items that are traditional southern but with modern spins. i hear their bloody mary's are to die for and they serve breakfast all day (my favorite meal of the day). the complimentary biscuits and honey are mouthwatering and serving sizes are generous. my favorite breakfast dish to order is the breakfast bowl, which is made up of goat cheese grits topped with black eyed pea salsa verde, an egg and bacon. i also love their black bean burger with any of the fresh sides. 
4. dead end bbq: best barbecue around! dead end's barbecue is some of the best that i have had. i like it because it is not "wet" bbq but it is also not dried out. their hot sauces have just the right amount of spice and they also have other choices on the menu that don't include barbecue. i always order the pulled pork plate with the mayor's beans and jalepeno cornbread. my whole family loves it and we may even get it for a tailgate this fall! 
5. chesapeake's: i have been going to chesapeake's for as long as i can remember. it is a locally owned restaurant specializing in seafood, but their non-seafood dishes are excellent as well. the entire family (and by entire, i mean entire) usually makes a trip to chesapeake's at least once during football season but mom and dad and i try to go more often. you can't leave without getting a slice of key lime pie! its a little piece of heaven! 

other restaurants that i enjoy here in knoxville are ye olde steakhouse, surin of thailand, litton's, don gallo's, copper cellar, cafe 4, tomato head and calhoun's. there are even more that could go on this list but if i had to choose only five to eat at, those described above would certainly be at the top of the list. next time you are in knoxville, i definitely recommend any of these restaurants! you won't be disappointed!

xoxo,

clp 

its only tuesday?

what a whirlwind of a past two days i have had. now back in knoxville for the semester, i feel like i haven't had a moment to sit down...

yesterday, the plan was for my mom and i to move in everything (with the exception of things that required manly-men) into the apartment that i would be living in this year. however, upon arrival we were informed that the unit was still under construction and that i was supposed to move into a temporary apartment until it was ready (which was a 3 bedroom - there are 4 of us). the funny thing was that we had called over two weeks ago and were told that the unit would be ready for me to move in. also, my uncle, who owned the unit, had given me the key to my room that very morning. obviously there was some miscommunication. you can imagine our frustration when we learned that we would be having to move my things not once but twice and also that we couldn't unpack everything and get settled. and then to top off this saga, i discovered that diet coke leaked onto my clothes on the drive here. the cards were just not in our favor. nonetheless, after a few tears and a breakdown or two, my mom and i got everything moved in the best we could (neatly stacked in piles) and my cousin was kind enough to let me sleep on her mattress. fingers are crossed that the apartment is ready by saturday so i can officially move into my first apartment!

my little bedroom for the week! 

after our horrible day, mom and i went to Sunspot for my first dinner back in knoxville. it is one of my favorites and mom had never been there. i love the sweet potato tamale (i need to branch out and try other things) and mom loved her fried green tomato BLT sandwich. i must say hers looked as good as mine! they also bring you yummy salsa and fresh chips to accompany your meal. 

it is officially recruitment time in tennessee! retreat began today and as a chapter we are working on getting the best possible pledge class. i have no doubt that we will do so with all the improvements that our recruitment team is making. 

since i will be spending the majority of the day at the alpha chi house and the TRECS is closed, my workouts will not be as intense this week. i think it will be good for my body to treat this week as sort of a "recovery week" and give my body a break for once. i will still be doing some cardio, but it will mostly just be walking at a fast pace on an incline and then some light weights and ab work. everyone needs to lighten the load sometimes. 

being the homebody that i am, i am already missing my mom and dad (and i guess my brother too). it will take some adjusting for me to get back in the swing of things here in knoxville, especially with the craziness and stress that comes with recruitment. add in the apartment saga and i am about at my stress limit but i will just have to keep on keepin' on. there may not be many recipes or OOTDs this week but i will be trying to blog as often as i can. fingers crossed that the rest of the week goes smoothly and that the unit is ready for move in saturday! 

xoxo,

clp