Sassy in the South: Ringing in Fall with Coffee, Popsicles, Brews, and Good Friends.

This week has been another filled with quality time with great friends. On Sunday John and I spent the earlier part of the evening sitting outside Crestwood Coffee catching up with our small group. The shop itself is rather small and in a less hectic area of town- therefore providing a great setting for studying or good conversation. In addition to their flavorful coffees, they also offer a changing menu featuring homemade soups, baked goods, sandwiches, and breakfast.

Monday evening I headed back to the Hilltop (Birmingham Southern) for an AOII leaders meeting. Once again, it was so much fun to spend time with such awesome women and get to know more about their chapter in the process. Afterwards, I met up with John and headed to O'Henry's in downtown Homewood. Like Crestwood Coffee, O'Henry's offers a cozy environment wonderful for a date night or quiet study time. Therefore we had a weekday date night/study time. We were both really excited about going since their fall items were on the menu. Some of our favorites include their pumpkin spice coffee and hot apple cider. We actually love their seasonal pumpkin spice blend (brewed by Birmingham based O'Henry's Coffee Roasting Company) so much that we bought some to take home.

Tuesday night, after John rock climbed and I belly danced, we headed to Steel City Pops for a post work out treat. I know we go frequently, but it's just that good! I was hoping that we would catch their autumn flavors, but we were informed that we were a week early. However they let us in on some of their upcoming fall flavors including pumpkin, green tea, and pomegranate. I can't wait to go back and try them next Tuesday! While there, we decided to opt for some of our favorites that are good anytime of the year-coffee for me and vanilla bean for John. Both were refreshing, creamy, and absolutely delicious.

Wednesday, we headed back to a local bar & store that we fell in love with last week- Hop City. We liked it so much, that we decided to go again, but bring our good friends Lee and Lauren along! I tried a taste of the Angry Orchard Apple Cider (which was pretty tasty), but opted for the Terrapin Pumpkin Fest yet again. It was a wonderful mid week break with friends.

Thursday, I had the pleasure of spending another evening with some great friends, but this time with some of my camp friends. For those of you who don't know, I not only attended Camp Sumatanga during my childhood, but also had the honor of working there for five summers. Therefore, it holds a very special place in my heart as do the people that were part of my treasured time there. So, I was delighted to meet up with my friends Camille and Andrew for dinner at Vino. The beautiful restaurant is located in English Village and not only boasts delicious food, but an intimate and unique setting. The food was out of this world! I chose the Capellini Vino (grilled chicken, spicy cream, baby spinach, scallions and tomatoes) for my main entree and the Vino Apple Fritters & Ice Cream for dessert. Both were incredible!