Scoop'd

Any business with the tag line "bringing you Hawaii one scoop at a time" is going to catch my attention. In case you're wondering, Scoop'd did get my attention with one little menu item....Hawaiian style shave ice.

I don't eat snow cones, I eat shave ice. I guess you can take the girl off the island, but you can't take the Island out of the girl.  Hawaiian style shave ice is actually 'shaved' off the block. It's very soft and fine. They are traditionally served with one scoop of vanilla ice cream or azuki bean paste in the bottom of the cup/cone. Some stores will drizzle sweetened condensed milk over the top. This is normally called a "snow cap".

 

Since I missed the soft grand opening on Thursday, I ventured out there this afternoon. As soon as I walked up to the counter, one of the owner's, Crystal, welcomed me into the store. Another good example of the power of social media.

I already knew I was going to get a shave ice, but there were so many flavors of ice cream & sorbets, I had to stop and drool at the glass. I got a sample of the red velvet ice cream and fell in love. I will be back for that one. I'm pretty sure I saw Kona coffee ice cream on the menu as well. That is my all-time favorite flavor. So, I'll be going back for more anytime I'm out in Turkey Creek.

But back to the shave ice, I ordered my  usual strawberry and was pleased to see the plastic cups they used, just like back home. I got 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream and couldn't wait to taste it. Crystal looked a little nervous, but had no need to be. It was perfect! It was better than the one I got at Lappert's Ice Cream in Vegas. If they had those little wooden spoons, it would have felt like I was 5 again.

There are a lot of different things out there, not just shave ice & ice cream. They offer cakes & pies, sundae's, floats, sorbet's and even coffee. The space is open and bright and very comfortable.

I think I'll take my mom out there when she drives in for the Bristol race. I give this place 2 shaka signs. I hope you all stop by for a visit, you won't be disappointed.

Daytona 500 Champion & Knoxville native...

...Trevor Bayne was named 2011 Professional Athlete of the Year by the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.

I actually walked right past him and didn't realize it was him till it was too late. I couldn't believe how little he was. He couldn't have been more than 5'6" and maybe 125lbs soaking wet. But he's just as cute in person as he is on TV. I thought about leaving Jr Nation for about 2.2 seconds.

2011 Daytona 500 Champion

They do exist

I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, twice. The second time, Guinn & I went to see it in 3D. I thought all of the 3D movies would have the Harry Potter style glasses.

I saw it for the second time opening weekend. I was shocked when the girl at the ticket window gave me the regular glasses. I even asked the guy working the line, but he told me they were all out. Confused, I shot text to my co-worker, who's boyfriend works for Regal. It was then I found out those glasses were only suppose to be for the midnight shows.

I watched the film in those cheapo glasses and didn't think another thing about it. But when I got home, I got a Tweet from someone showing me that the Pinnacle DID have my beloved glasses, I was sad.

The next day, I went into the office and half joked that I was ready to write a strongly worded letter to the management at the Pinnacle. Apparently my co-worker told her boyfriend what had happened. Sometime between then and now, he went out there to figure out why I was told they were out for my show, but available for another.

He made a few calls and found a few pairs still floating around in Kansas City. So, he had them flown in for me. How awesome is that? Another point to show the power of Twitter! But overall, much thanks to Dean for going out of his way to hook me up with the specs!!

They're all mine...

Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony

While I was on vacation, Brad accepted the invitation for us to attend the 30th Annual Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony. I didn't even know this was going on. Once I got back to the office, I realized it was going to take place on Thursday the 28th. That's "Free Tea Day" at McAllister's. I'm not going to lie, I was a little sad I'd miss out.

This afternoon, I found out Scoop'd is going to have a private event for friends & family the same night. I've been waiting for them to open all summer! They're suppose to serve Hawaiian style shave ice! But, I can always hit up the grand opening.

The event I'll be attending will benefit the Boys & Girls Club. My company purchased a table for ten and since Brad & I have been helping with the Great Knoxville Rubber Duck Race, which also benefits the B&G Club, it just made sense for us to go.

Former B&G Club member, Bernard King will be the guest speaker. Not only is he a B&G alum, he's also a former Vol and NBA player. Former Vols QB Heath Shuler and Reggie Cobb are two of the inductees. I was hoping for Peyton Manning.

I also noticed that Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will be named "Professional Athlete of the Year". I hope he's actually at the event and doesn't pre-tape his speech. Should be a good time for all.

Flashes of Light...

Clip of "Larger than Life" in Orlando, 7/22/11. After all these years, the Backstreet Boys still have a few slick dance moves...

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...

Just a little clip of "The Right Stuff" in Orlando, 7/22/11. I was more excited to see that Jonathan got a little more camera time. He'll always be my favorite New Kid...period!

Friends help you move...

...real friends know how to finish this sentence...and had another fun filled weekend in Orlando.

Jessica & I drove down for a quick weekend trip. I'm happy to report Speedy made it down and back unscathed. Our trip down was an event on its own. It took us 3 stops to find some bloody fresh squeezed Florida orange juice. Luckily, the 3rd time was the charm, but those cups were so tiny, we had to get refills to taste anything. Only after our 3rd cup did we see the "please only take one...blah...blah...blah..."

By Friday night, I was ready for another NKOTBSB show. Little did I know this show was about to top the Nashville one. The rain couldn't even put a damper on my evening.

Diamond Dave & his brother, Michael, dropped Allyson, Adaya, Jessica and myself off a few hours before the show. Just enough time to grab a quick drink and dinner. You know any night that starts off with a "wine me, dine me, key lime pie me" martini is going to be pretty fantastic!

Fast forward to the concert. Glee's Matthew Morrison was the special guest. I've only seen one episode of the show, but I may have to start watching it now. He was good! Since she was on vacation, Jessica decided to hop back on Twitter for a bit. You'll have to ask her about her tweet to "Matthew Morrison". It gave me quite the chuckle.

 Who knew he was so delicious?

There's really nothing else I can say about NKOTBSB than I already have...but I thought they killed it, again! It just felt right to see them in Backstreet's home town. You know, the boy band capital of the world. I think the biggest draw for me was, neither group took themselves too seriously. They embraced their roots and had fun with it. I'm pretty sure Adaya & I looked at each other once we heard "The Right Stuff" and both jumped up like a couple of teenagers. It was a riot! I also heard that *NSYNC's Joey Fatone was in the audience. I missed seeing him on the big screen since I was looking at my camera.



 This one's actually kinda hot now...

I saw a couple of Donnie's tweets earlier in the day. He kept "wondering" what they could do to give the Backstreet Boys a special homecoming. I had no idea it had been 12 years since the BSB played to their home crowd. (Kenny, don't you wait that long)

Back to the point, I kept hoping that they would bring Kevin back. The arena, myself included would have gone bananas. But they did something even bigger. They skipped the "let's introduce the group" bit. Let's face it, if you don't know the nine guys on stage, you should not be at the show.

They huddled at the back of the stage and started a countdown. By the time they got to "1" I couldn't hear myself think. I had no idea where to look, but I finally found the cause for the screaming. Boyz II Men appeared at the tip of the stage and we all went bonkers. I just remember hearing an "Oh $*!%" coming from my left and probably more coming from my own mouth.

Jessica and I had just been talking about them while we were laying out by the pool earlier that afternoon. They were down a member too, but still broke out the plaid shirts & Phillies hats. I'm pretty sure we got "Motown Philly", "I'll Make Love To You" and I think all 12 of them ended with "End of the Road".

Now that's what I call a homecoming surprise!

Boyz II Men, but no ABC or BBD

Saturday was the ultimate day to relax and unwind. Allyson drove us out to Ormond Beach to visit her mother-in-law Mimi and spend a day at the beach. I've never been to Ormond before, but the beach was nice and not too crowded. We had a nice surprise when we got there. Michael & Maddie were there to enjoy some fun in the sun too. Allyson's blog has a few photos of M & M enjoying some daddy/daughter time in the sun!

I actually used an SPF 8 sunscreen on Saturday. I normally rock the 4, but I knew I needed to go a bit higher. I also need to thank Michael for spraying me down with some SPF 30. He promised I would still tan, and not have to worry about the burn factor. By jove, he was right! I now have the perfect "end to summer glow".



 I could wake up to this every day...

My toes love ticklin' the sand...now

After a quick lunch at LuLu's we headed down A1A. No, we weren't looking for Beachfront Ave, we were heading to the birthplace of NASCAR, Daytona Beach. I can't imagine what that place must be like on race weekend. The Daytona 500 is one of my "Bucket List" sporting events. If the schedule holds true, the 2013 Daytona 500 should run on my birthday. I think I need to go to that one.

Whew, my fingers are tired of typing...and I'm sure I've left out a funny or two, but all in all, it was a great weekend with great friends! Special thanks to Allyson & Dave for welcoming us into their home, again!



You never know...

...who's going to show up at an NKOTBSB show. Especially when the tour stops in Orlando, home of the one and only Backstreet Boys.

What did they do for their homecoming? Um, they had Boyz II Men join them on stage. Needless to say, the four of us at the show flipped out. More photo and video in upcoming posts...

"...your favorite sin, will do you in..."

My current favorite sin, traveling. Where has the time gone? How is it almost August? It feels like I was just thinking about making all of my summer plans...now they're about over.

There are a few trips that never got off the ground. Maybe I'll try and squeeze them in next year. I might have to draw up a contract to make sure they actually occur.

As far as I know, my 2012 schedule is wide open. The only thing I'm working on is a trip to Vegas with the high school gang to kick off the college football season. Notre Dame and Navy play in Ireland on September 1st. Since I highly doubt anyone else would be able to cross the pond with me, my buddy Quast suggested we all head to the desert. How did  I not think of that first?

Oh well, I think it would be a hilarious trip. I can't believe how many of my friends have never been to Sin City. I have this strange feeling one or two might get lost. Another might get punched in the face and another might run naked down the Strip.

And besides, just in case the world ends that December...we'll always have Vegas!

It's been a good run...

As I type, it's 8:28 PM and I've been awake since 1:45 AM. Why? Because today is the opening day for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2".

I have to be honest, the purist in me was a bit disappointed in the film. There was so much detail and story within story in the books, it was hard to get all of that on the big screen. And the 2.05 hour run time was just not long enough.

I left feeling a little let down, but glad I went to the 3 AM show. It would have been more difficult to sit in an office all day, waiting to break free.

While I was waiting for this morning's show to begin, I saw that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter down in Orlando opened after the midnight shows. Now that would have been fun. It wouldn't have been sticky hot and there would have been less of a crowd.

I feel bad for my friends Ally and Dave who live a stones throw from Universal. I don't think they've been able to enjoy their season passes too much due to the insane amount of people down there. Especially this year. In a perfect world, I would have planned my travels a whole lot better and been in Orlando for the midnight show. Then I could have been one of those crazy people running around in Hogwarts!

It All Ends...

...on 7/15/11. That's when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 will finally be released. It's hard to believe this story has finally come to a close. 

It's no secret I love all things Potter, so it should not come as a surprise I decided to hit the 3AM show. I want to see if before I read/hear any reviews. I mean, I went to the bookstore at midnight when the books were released, so it seems fitting.

I think this plan will work out quite well. I'll be able to take a quick nap after work on Thursday, hit the movie, grab a quick breakfast at Pete's, then head into the office.

ID4

Happy 235th birthday America!

I hear Joey Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs, in like 10 minutes in today's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Challenge. I like hot dogs, but come on...62? That's just gross.  But I hear he also won $10,000 for winning the darn thing.

I don't know there's any food I could scarf down in that kind of quantity in that kind of time frame. I would throw up on the spot.