A Very Downton Day

        My entire family is hooked on PBS's Downton Abbey! If you have not watched it I highly suggest you start. As an Amazon Prime member you can watch now the first two season. I began watching it between the first and second seasons. Even the preview gives me the chills! 

      Being home on spring break now and my birthday in April, my Aunts, sister and mom come up with a wonderful idea of a surprise downton abbey tea party to celebrate. I was told we were going boutique'ing in their town and we were stopping by my aunts house to condense cars. My only tip off was how slow my mom was driving and her texting and driving (both are something she hardly does). Anyway we arrived and all four of them plus my grandma were all dressed up ready to greet us. After piecing it all together I was led into the house to change into the outfit they bought for me- of course it included a crown. We than condensed cars and were off to a tea room. We had a three course low tea which included a chi tea, african tea and finally my favorite a strawberry kiwi tea.

Lady Van Thompson and the Dowager 

(mom and grandma) 

                                  

Picking our tea cups. My aunt to the left was coming straight from the hunt! 

 

The aunts and me after tea. 

my birthday tea cake! 

Lady Van Thompson and her daughters 

(my mom,me and my sister)

      The owner of the tea room came to our table to briefly give us some history of tea. It is so interesting how different countries serve tea and what they serve with tea. (The more I learn about the European culture the more I wish to travel abroad.) It was only fitting the I received the first pieces of a tea set for my birthday! The design is Prince Albert Country Roses and I love it! Hopefully I will slowly develop it to become a full set and pass it down to a child of mine in the far future. 

Lady of Glass and myself 

(my aunt who gave me a tea set and myself) 

All in all it was such a downton day!

C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS!

    I finally went for my first ice hockey game! It was such an experience, in a good way. The seats were high but we had a good view of the ice. Sadly we lost to the Carolina Hurricanes but still really enjoyed the night.

I bought the jersey super cheap during the lockout

     The game moves so fast and I really didn't understand much. Fortunately the little kid behind me (he had to be at least 5) knew his hockey and through his commentary I learned a good bit about the sport. Capitals fans are tough! They were fairly harsh on the refs and opposing team- what happened to good sportsmanship? The atmosphere was really awesome, a lot of red and a ton of die heart fans. I don't think I will be one of them but would defiantly enjoy watching more games!  

Color is Magic at The Greenbrier

        The girls went for a spa weekend at The Greenbrier- which is a resort in White Sulfer Springs, West Virginia. The hotel served as a hot spot for railroad owners and other notable families around 1910. During WWII it served as a army hospital and a relocation center for Axis diplomats.After the war Chesapeake &Ohio railway bought back the property from the government and reopened the resort.  Dorothy Draper redecorated and its open attracted many luminaries such as the Duke of Windsor and the Kennedy family. Recently the resort has hosted Presidents, Vice Presidents and foreign dignitaries.  A total of 26 presidents have visited The Greenbrier. The Resort houses a PGA tour golf course, wonderful spa and even a Cold War bunker. 
       

"Color is Magic" - Dorothy Draper 

Main Ballroom- how wonderful would that be for a wedding?! 

                                          

Headed down to the spa! 

Enjoying the relaxation room before treatments! 

    We had a blast! Drove in Friday night and hit the sack. Saturday we explored in the morning and hit the spa for a good portion of the day. I went from a hike in the late afternoon before tea time. After getting cleaned up for dinner we had happy hour and a great dinner at one of the restaurants in the resort. Sunday came too quick! After a quick hike and breakfast sandwiches we hit the road to come back home.

Happy Hour! 

 To have your own girls weekend find more information here!

UP UP & AWAY

    It is finally Spring Break! I am super excited to head home- even if they are getting 5 inches of snow today. But before I can embark on my journey through the Memphis airport and in the friendly skys I have to pack. Even the word packing scares me. I loath packing, I loath unpacking. Typically I just through bunch of stuff in my suitcase and call it done. Or throw it all in the dirty clothes and call it over. But this time I have to bring work clothes, warm weather clothes, resort clothes AND normal around the house clothes. 
    If you think I am being a baby, I am not! The issue is there isn't enough room for my shoes and belts. The work clothes were easy and warm weather clothes just took up a lot of room. Resort clothes were fun to pack- I love letting my preppy side run wild. The trouble came with normal clothes, in Oxford t-shirts and yoga pants is totally acceptable... that's not really what is the norm back home. If there is one thing I hate it is looking like a slob. This deed has let out mass random piles of clothes that needed to find their home. I am the worst packer, I totally over packed and am just gonna squeeze more crap. I wish the airline understood this issue and give me an extra bag for just shoes and toiletries. Totally a first world pain...

Success for Mississippi!

     

    

     Mississippi doesn't do many things right, obesity rates are high and poverty rates are even higher. Hell Mississippi's state constitution allowed slavery up until 4 days ago. But after two years of research a Pediatric HIV Specialist from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dr. Hannah Gay has cured a Toddler of HIV. Dr. Gay began treatment on the girl when she was 30 hours old, after her mother received no prenatal care and was not diagnosed until hours before giving birth. The infant received antiretroviral drugs upon the delivery as an attempt to control HIV infection.  The infant received the drugs for 15 months. She was receiving early standard antiretroviral therapy, or ART which is a combination of three drugs that suppress and stop the process of the disease. It is the early care that saved this toddlers life. The doctors suspect that this little toddler will not need life long treatment. 

       This is just a remarkable finding! The fact that this break through came out of Mississippi is just fantastic, health care is not what most people think of when they think Mississippi. 

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