Easter weekend

We had a nice trip to Alabama visiting family and friends over Easter weekend. Our Civic also rolled over 50,000 miles, ironically just outside of Talladega. On our drive over Friday night, we made a quick stop for dinner in Birmingham specifically to visit an old GT favorite that has now moved to Vestavia Hills, Kool Korner Sandwiches. Kool Korner was an old Tech standby on 14th Street for the best pressed Cuban sandwiches in town, until a few years ago when Mr. Ramirez was convinced by his son to move to Birmingham and retire with his family. Well, that lasted 2 weeks. When we walked into the store, Mr. Ramirez had just left, but his son was there and called him to tell him that 2 visitors from Atlanta were there. Well, he turned around and came back just to visit with us, and that was very touching. There also turned out to be a late dinner rush, so he hopped back behind the counter to help out after visiting with us for a few minutes. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, along with a new guava turnover that we were treated to, and I intend to make it part of our trip to Alabama whenever possible!

The new Kool Korner storefront in Vestavia Hills:

DH enjoys his first bites, including plantain chips, of course:

Enjoying my Cuban:

Mr. Ramirez behind the counter:

DH and I also celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this Tuesday, 4/2/10. Happy Anniversary, Honey! I love you!

Happy (Belated) New Year!

Belated Christmas with my family.

Winter walk along the Augusta Canal.

My sis and me at the Augusta Canal.

Wow! I just realized it's been almost a month since I posted!

We had a quiet Christmas at home before heading to my parents' house for a belated Christmas/New Year's get together while my sister was able to fly in. We celebrated the new year at my parents' Chinese Association in Augusta. The evening consisted of board games, karaoke, line-dancing (mostly by the older adults), playing with the kids, and culminated in a countdown, balloon-drop at midnight (which we helped to rig the night before), and Dim Sum goodies after midnight. All in all a good evening.

Happy New Year!

After New Year's, we headed to Charlotte to visit with SIL and got some big news - SIL got engaged on New Year's Eve! (Congratulations, J & S!) So we were very excited to be able to visit with her and FBIL for the weekend. We got treated to some delicious, homecooked, vegetarian meals by FBIL, and had a good time hanging out.

Back to reality, work has been busy and full of deadlines, but that is a good thing. We are looking forward to heading out to SFO for my cousin's wedding in early February. Any suggestions for things to do, places to eat, etc. are welcomed!

Ornaments - part 2

Today I'm highlighting some gifted ornaments.

This glass house with the "Department 56" hanger was given to us my my MIL when we moved into our first house.

This glass Christmas wreath was given to us by my FIL and SMIL when we moved into our first house as well. I believe they got it in Vermont at a glass factory they visited while on a trip. (The name is on the box that I store it in, but of course, that's already back up in the attic.)

This beautifully cross-stitched and beaded ornament was made by our dear friend, Connie. We had a crafty little group going for awhile back in college, and we did a handmade ornament exchange one year. I still love looking at it when I bring it out every year, and it also reminds me of my dear friends, too!

This is a terra cotta ornament, from Florence, Italy, that our dear friend Cyndi brought back for us after she worked there for several months. He has such a jovial face! It reminds me of all the fun game nights and dinner parties that we've had together over the years, and also a reminder that the season is a time to remember all of the blessings we've had over the last year.

On a bit of a side note, but in keeping with the season, I was so pleased to find out that our family was blessed with a new baby cousin yesterday! Congratulations, An and Eric, and welcome, little Jacob, into our family! A wonderful Christmas present, indeed!

Weekend in Atlanta

We had a great time with family in town this past weekend! I sort of felt like an Atlanta tourist on Saturday. MIL, step-FIL (aka Bonus Dad), SIL, step-SIL (aka Bonus SIL) and stepniece (aka Bonus Niece) came to Atlanta to visit. We went out for Dim Sum, visited the Georgia Aquarium, had late lunch at The Varsity, went to a GT Volleyball game, and then the "kids" went out for coffee and dessert at Cafe Intermezzo while the grandparents put niece to bed. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend with a whirlwind of family and friends joining us intermittently. Bonus Niece had a great time, I think (they also visited Zoo Atlanta and Imagine It Children's Museum while I was at work on Friday), and she is the cutest little girl I have ever met!

Catching Up & The Exciting Adventures of Thoth

Okay, I'm clearly behind here. Let's see if I can recount the goings-on over the last few weeks...

Shortly after we returned from Houston, we received word that David's Grandmother Clo was not doing well. Basically her heart was wearing out, and she was not getting enough oxygen. Dear Grandmother Clo passed on August 29th*, and we quickly made arrangements to be in Cullman, AL, for her funeral on September 3rd*. She lived a good, long 94 years, and I know she is happy to be with Grandaddy Art after being without him all these years. I feel truly blessed to have known her. We did have a great opportunity to hear stories about her life, and to help start clearing things out of her house. It's quite a task when someone has lived in a house for over 40 years! (Another adventure, for another post).

Meanwhile, back at the "ranch," our kitty, Thoth, had somehow managed his escape out of the house while we were packing the car Thursday morning to leave. We were gone Thursday, Friday, and most of Saturday, returning at about 11 pm. I was outside the front door peeking in the sidelight and saw no cat. Unlocked the front door and stepped into the foyer and still no cat. Went into kitchen and saw food bowl, still piled up with food as we had left it. (Begin PANIC!) I turned to yell out to DH, "The cat is NOT in the house!" Of course, DH had to say, "That, or he's dead somewhere in the house." Yeah, not a great thought, although it would be highly unlikely that he just dropped dead in the house right after we left and didn't touch a bite of his food. SIL and doggie had already planned to spend the night at a friend's house to visit, so she and the doggie headed out to assist in our kitty recovery efforts. Meanwhile, I searched behind all closed doors in the house to make sure he wasn't trapped in a closet somewhere, and DH searched the grounds shaking the kitty treats (which doesn't normally work, but it was worth a try since it had been a few days). I resigned to going to bed because I was exhausted and still suffering from clogged sinuses. We left some kibble and water on the front steps, and left the front door open so we could glance out of the storm door occasionally. DH stayed up and watched movies and checked outside the front door periodically. At about 2:45 am (Sunday), I felt a cat being dropped next to me in bed! DH happened to look outside, and Thoth was sitting on the front steps. He immediately started meowing when he caught sight of DH, and then immediately purring after he walked in the front door and DH picked him up (if you know our cat, this is unusual!). (End PANIC!) Other than being a little dirty, he was just fine. He spent the better part of Sunday either grooming or napping. And being very loving (also unusual!). We enjoyed it while we could. I was glad that he appeared very happy to see us.

Overlaid on all that, our dear friend Cyndi was returning from Denmark a month early, due to the illness of her Aunt Kaye. Unfortuately, Aunt Kaye passed away a few days before she returned. Despite the consequences of her early return, we were still very happy to finally see her after a long year away, and met her at the airport and visited with her parents and brother at the same time. We were also able to stop by her house and have dinner with her family ("Crazy Chicken" - again, another story for another post) on our way back from Alabama, so that was also an enjoyable time despite everyone's sadness.

This past week, we've enjoyed a few GT volleyball games with the restart of the season, the last of the Louvre exhibit at the High Museum, an Australian Rules Football game. I also participated in the Corporate Challenge 5K walk last week, and finally rejoined the CRC after a little hiatus, so I'll be working off a little weight I put on earlier this year by being holed up studying for my AREs. (Thank goodness they're over!) On that note, I, along with two other coworkers, made it in to the "Achievements" column in our local Atlanta Business Chronicle. Nice recognition!


*Update - I got the dates a week off and corrected them.

Houston = humid but fun

DH and I had a whirlwind long weekend in Houston. It was the convergence of many relatives. Simply put, several convenient coincidences allowed members of both my mom's and dad's side of the family to be there while we were. This meant herding cats bunnies (my cousin Justus has 2 house bunnies, Badger and Peppercorn) relatives, several cars, big meals out, and random sightseeing - all typical at my extended family reunions/vacations.

Highlights from our trip:

Thursday: We arrived mid-morning in Houston. After a quick stop at my aunt's house, we headed to lunch at Ninfa's on Navigation (awesome fajitas and homemade tortillas), a trip to the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, taking photos of ducks and ducklings at my cousin's girlfriend's office park pond, visiting my maternal Grandma and Grandpa's resting spot, a big Chinese dinner with family at Fung's Kitchen, and hole-in-the-wall Mexican shaved ice.

Friday: Breakfast and coffee at Brasil, an outing at the Menil Collection (including the Cy Twombly Gallery, Rothko Chapel, and Dan Flavin Installation), hanging out at my cousin Justus's apartment (where we stayed), visiting cousins Eric and An's place (playing with doggie Skyy), and attending my cousin Marina's Rehearsal Dinner at Cafe Ginger.

Saturday: Early morning play time and photo shoot of the bunnies and cousin Justus, breakfast at Baby Barnaby's, a walk downtown to see some of the skyscrapers (yes, nerdy architect stuff), coffee at "The End of the Universe", a visit to the Beer Can House, and, of course, my cousin Marina's wedding at The Houston Club. The bride and groom were beautiful and handsome (respectively) and a great time was had by all! (We also played a late game of Ticket to Ride, which I actually won! So of course I had to add that in there.)

Sunday: I took an early walk with my cousin and his girlfriend through their Montrose neighborhood and took some photos while DH caught a few more winks, then we headed to Laredo Taqueria for some late breakfast (excellent tacos and homemade tortillas!), a group of cousins headed to the theater to catch District 9 (interesting) and took us by a Jamba Juice (to satisfy my craving - they really need to open some up in Georgia!), a quick stop at the Williams Water Wall and Galleria Mall before another big Chinese dinner at Confucious Seafood Restaurant with the family, then a cousin outing to see the Houston Dynamo vs. Seattle Sounders - our first ever MLS game!

Monday: We hopped onto a flight at the crack of dawn and got back in to work in Atlanta at noon. (Thanks, Justus, for getting up so early!)

Click on the images below to see my photo albums:

Houston - Part 1

Houston - Part 2 - Marina and Nicholas

Houston - Part 3

March Madness, part 2

Well, I actually won third place in the March Madness office pool! Whoda thunk? My $14 of winnings will at least pay me back for playing ($5), and my sister is claiming the rest, since she influenced me to put her Heels going all the way. First place went to a co-worker's teenaged son, who is probably going to spend his winnings on a video game or two. Second went to another co-worker, who paid himself back $5 for playing, then donated the rest to the beer fund.

DH and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on Monday with a nice dinner at La Grotta, a very nice and long-standing Italian restaurant in Buckhead. They are offering a prix fixe "Stimulus Menu," which was very tasty - a glass of wine, appetizer, and entree for $21.95! (There's also another location at Ravinia - theirs is called the "Bailout Menu.") Normally their entrees probably start at that price! The special is running through the end of the month, so if you're looking for a new place to try, we highly recommend it. For Starters, we tried the Golden Beet salad and Risotto del Giorno - both were excellent, but the Risotto was absolutely delicious (chicken and zucchini) and could have been a meal in itself. For Entrees, we tried the pork tenderloin scaloppini and the grilled marinated hangar steak - also equally delicious, but I really liked the hangar steak. I may have to go back for my birthday at the end of the month...hmmm... We had dinner here after our wedding 7 years ago, so it was a very nice evening of memories. Of course, we had to splurge a little - we got tiramisu AND creme brulee for dessert. Yum!

Christmas in February

We spent a great weekend in Aiken (SC) visiting with my parents and sister. It was sort of a late Christmas gathering, as DS decided not to fly home during her New Year's holiday due to unreasonable airfare. Actually, it was nice to celebrate on such a wonderfully warm weekend, and in fact, my parents proposed that we just start celebrating it later, as a Christmas/Chinese New Year get-together, which sounds great to me! We spent most of Friday evening catching up, playing Wii, eating our traditional Chinese hot pot dinner (aka Chinese fondue), and of course, exchanging gifts. Saturday was so warm, we went wandering around downtown Aiken to see the shops and what's changed since last we were home, and then took a walk through Hopeland Gardens. We took some very nice family photos, thanks to the nice sunshine! Here are some of the shots, and also the very nice earrings by Jennifer Chin/Lush Metals that my DS gave me - thanks, Sis!

Merry Christmas!

DH and I are enjoying a nice quiet Christmas at home for the first time in our 6 years married. Last night we attending a Christmas Eve service at Northside UMC. The music was really good and we enjoyed singing all of the Christmas carols. I always enjoy flipping to the front of the United Methodist Hymnal and reading John Wesley's Rules of Singing. We sat around some good singers, and some people who weren't singing at all. DH and I were trying to make up for some of the slack. I was pleasantly surprised at the end of the service when we wished those around us "Merry Christmas," that the woman in front of us turned and said to us, "We really enjoyed your singing." Ah, more people should follow John Wesley's rules!

We're working on a yummy dinner for two - grilled ribeye steaks, green beans, and sticky rice with mushrooms. I think we'll be having vanilla ice cream with apple bundles and cinnamon sugar cookies for dessert. I hope everyone out there is having a Merry Christmas!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles - Massachusetts

I'm going to try and summarize our trip by state, so hopefully this works out to two parts. Part 1: Massachusetts...

Dad, Mom, Lena, me, and David in our annual scarf photo.

As I mentioned in the last post, we made it to my sister's via Amtrak from Boston (South Station) to Springfield without a hitch. We had a great weekend seeing my sister's place and visiting Northampton, Chicopee, Springfield, Holyoke (where my sis and I were born), and Longmeadow (my first home). Northampton was really charming, and we enjoyed a nice brunch at Sylvester's as well as a big Christmas kickoff shopping weekend in all the shops (20% off weekend). We had a cold but enjoyable walk around the Ashley Reservoir, which was actually partially frozen the morning that we walked it, but beautiful nonetheless. We also had a really nice dinner with my old babysitter, Betsy, and her mom, Ruth. It's been 27 years since they've seen me, so it was a fun reunion for all of us!

Lena, Ruth, Buddy, Betsy, Mom, Dad, David and me.

My sister's birthday is coming up this Thursday (Happy Early Birthday, Lena!), so we went ahead a celebrated while we were all together by having dinner at a great little German restaurant in Chicopee, Munich Haus. We then went back to her place and indulged in a very yummy Truffle cake that we bought at a bakery in downtown Northampton.

Enjoying our wurst and schnitzel at Munich Haus.

Monday morning, we headed to NYC via Amtrak to New Haven and then MTA Metro-North Railroad (a commuter train) into NYC Grand Central Terminal. Our friends Val and Tim picked up a pretty nasty bug on their drive up from Atlanta, so we were advised to stay away from their hotel room initially. Luckily, we were able to stay with our dear friend Cyndi's brother, Ben, in Brooklyn for the first two nights, so other than a little longer commute time to get into the city, our travels were not delayed too much. Thankfully, Val and Tim were able to recuperate somewhat and able to start seeing the sights with us on Tuesday. Stay tuned for more on our NYC adventures in the next post!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Part 2

Well, we made it through Boston and are now enjoying a great weekend at my sister's place in Chicopee, MA. It is COLD here! We went about 20 mins north yesterday to shop in quaint little Northampton (home of Smith College), and it was supposedly 3 degrees farenheit with wind chill! Brrrrrr! We spend today visiting the neighborhood that my sister and I lived in for the first few years of our lives, which is about 20 minutes SE from here - Longmeadow, MA - and then having dinner with my old babysitter's mom, and maybe even my old babysitter herself and her husband! That would be really cool. I have not seen them since I was 6 years old. Looking forward to another good day, and then we head to NYC in the morning. Please help me pray for snow not rain this coming week, otherwise it will make for some pretty stinky parade-watching. More pictures and stories when I get back next week!

NYC or Bust

Some how, some way, be it train, plane, or automobile, we are beginning to plan our Thanksgiving trip up north. "Why go up north where it's cold?" you might ask. Well, our reasons are two-fold: 1) to visit a spend a holiday/early birthday with my dear sis in Chicopee, MA, who's been there for 1.5 years now, and we haven't visited yet, and 2) see a group that we know - the GT Marching Band - in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. First off, our visit to Lena's has been long overdue, and secondly, if one ever is going to see a big parade like Macy's, isn't it more fun to see someone you know in it?

I'm starting a list of things to do while we're up there. If you have any activities that I should definitely not miss, please send them my way. Or if you live up there now and want to meet up with us, let me know! We are planning to be in the city at least 2-3 days - more if we can afford it or find a spot on a friend's floor. On my list so far: the Parade (of course!), MOMA, Lombardi's Pizza (note to self: bring appetite AND cash), maybe a show or two (Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Spectacular, Broadway, Birdland, Late Night with Conan O'Brien?), and a couple of fave shopping spots we discovered on our last trip (Pearl River Mart, Manhattan Portage, Rizzoli Bookstore, etc.)

My friend Val and potentially her DH are interested in heading up that way too, so we've got a carpool going at this point. If we drive, we may stop halfway and stay with some of her family. Also, DH has found a spot on the way that he wants to stop and see - check out his post from Sunday. All recommendations welcome!

Seattle!

Seattle!

We spent a fabulous week in Seattle! The weather was perfect and cool for the most part - a very enjoyable break from the Atlanta heat. We got to see a lot of sights, and of course enjoyed the family reunion aspect and my cousin's wedding! For more photos, click on me and DH above. We stayed in a rented house just north of the University of Washington campus, known as the University, or U-District. We were able to walk around their beautiful campus several times and enjoy the neighborhood farmer's market on Saturday morning. Some of the sights we got to visit include: Seattle Center, the Space Needle (didn't go up), Snoqualmie Falls, North Bend (home of where Twin Peaks was filmed), Everett Boeing Plant, Experience Music Project/Sci-Fi Museum, Olympic Sculpture Park, Bellevue Botanical Garden, Seattle Public Library, The Chapel of St. Ignatius (outside only), The Edgewater Hotel (where my cousin's wedding was held), just to name a few spots. We did a great walking tour on Friday evening with a private tour guide that one of my cousins arranged - that was great too. I really enjoyed spending time with cousins on my Mom's side - all 8 of us were able to make it this time. And on top of all that, we managed to look up one of our GT classmates and have dinner with him and his wife. They joined us on the walking tour too and learned a few things about Seattle that they didn't know. Anyway, now back in the heat of the Atlanta summer and wishing I was back in 70-degree weather...

Our House - B&B

We've had a slew of visitors this past week, including my parents this past weekend and DH's Aunt Marjanne and Uncle Tim passing through town Tuesday night. Marjanne and Tim are so fun and always a joy to visit with. We enjoyed a nice dinner with them at Willie Rae's on the Square and had some friendly Wii competition back at the house. We went to visit them in Pensacola last year, just after we got the Civic. They liked it so much, as you can see, that they got one this year for themselves! Gotta love a happy customer! :)

Looking forward to the weekend when we take off for Seattle. Good times ahead, and boy do I need a vacation!