Atlanta Babymoon

I grew up just outside of Atlanta and have to say that when it comes to a "staycation", I am pretty lucky to be able to call Atlanta "home"!  Hubby and I are expecting our first little baby girl here in a few weeks and we decided that Atlanta would be the perfect spot for our babymoon... our last hurrah before she arrives.  We were given a two-night stay at a ::swanky:: Atlanta hotel for Christmas, so once we had a date chosen, it was simply a matter of packing a bag and driving 30 minutes south.  We decided to grab a bite to eat at a local haunt in Kennesaw first.  Our doctor appointment had ran later than we both expected (little Miss is doing great!), and by the time we got out, we didn't want to have to wait even longer to eat.  So we headed to Cherokee Cattle Co first.  It was a great choice and the perfect way to start off our weekend!  And then we were highway bound!

We got down to North Avenue just as the sun was setting (and creating a beautiful sunset).  I snapped this picture in my side-view mirror, just in case we missed it later.  The hotel we were going to stay at, the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown, was located right near to Biltmore Hotel and the Ga Tech campus' Barnes & Noble.  We found a great place to park the car that felt safe and convenient and then walked the block to the hotel.  When we walked in, we immediately started to relax!  The place was very swanky, and when I found out that we had a 16th floor King room with a city view, I just about swooned.  lol.  I made an audible "Oooooo" that had the receptionist smiling (suburb girl goes to the big city... yikes).  Then we made our way up and found our paradise.  I loved the view!  I loved the bed, and the pillows were fabo!  This was going to be a great weekend!  We decided to
just ::chill:: for the evening, and made plans for our big day in the city to happen on Saturday.

We woke up and had breakfast in the hotel restaurant: Briza.  Yumm!  The ambiance was very pretty and modern and the food was delish!  I had the Abercrombie Benedict (fried green tomato topped with ham hock, greens, hollandaise and a jalapeno) and hubby had the regular Eggs Benedict.  Both were great, and the fact that it was included with our stay made it even better!  After a satisfying meal, we took off and headed out towards MARTA for our jaunt to the heart of the city.  It'd been years since I'd riden on MARTA (back when I would commute to GSU as a freshman), and while sometimes a bit shady, it was horribly convenient.  And it provides a great opportunity for people-watching!  Once we got downtown, we headed out towards CNN and the Centennial Park district.  Our first stop was CNN for the tour (which was great by the way), and then we crossed the park, waved at the ferris wheel, and toured the new-ish World of Coke.  Both venues were extremely interesting and provided just enough "tourist-fare" for our curiosity. 

North Avenue Station

Waitin' on the train!

Before the CNN tour!

People doing work!  Look at all of those computer screens...

::oh so attractive::

G in front of the WoC



On the way to the vault that holds the "secret formula".

Fun with visual effects!

Just before the 4-D film!  :)

After our late morning outing that was quickly turning into an early afternoon experience, we decided that lunch was in order, and maybe a rest.  We decided to head back towards MARTA with the hopes of being able to make it back to the hotel.  (This mamma-to-be was starting to get tired, and that super-soft bed was sounding better by the minute.)  So we made it to the Peachtree Center Station area and decided to dine at Jalapeno Charlies which had a nice patio a floor up from street level so we could dine al fresco and watch the people pass by.  And this weekend was a particularly good weekend for passer-bys because apparently there was a "Furry Convention" going on right down the street so there were tons of people dressed up as giant stuffed animals, complete with big, fluffy tails.  It was quite a sight!  And we even ::considered:: popping in for a moment, but again, rest sounded good.  So we headed back to the hotel for our siesta.

Hours later, we were all rested and refreshed and ready for dinner!  We didn't want to go far, and we definitely didn't want to drive anywhere (and have to re-park), so we used the UrbanSpoon app on our phone and found a little place literally around the corner that sounded promising.  Cypress Street Pint & Plate was actually quite the find!  First of all, it was packed and have a great patio, but we ventured inside and found a booth along the back wall.  The was a huge bar in the middle, a few tvs scattered about, and people everywhere.  It had a great feel to it!  And the food was fabulous!  When we had first checked out the menu, it sounded promising, but they definitely delivered greatness!  We started with the fried truffle mushrooms (and had enough to feed an army), and then each had a burger.  I had the "Pickleback" which features lovely fried dill pickles.  And G had the "Sublime Burger" which was essentially a bacon cheeseburger with two donuts as the bun.  This preggers was dying for a bite, and my goodness, it was heavenly albeit messy.  The service was great and fast, and eventhough the place was noisy, I'd go back in a heartbeat!

"Sublime Burger"

"Pickleback" with Greens

Specials and entrance to Cypress Street Pint & Plate

The next morning, we had breakfast at Briza again and then finished our staycation with a visit to IKEA.  We found a few essentials and then made our way back up to the burbs.  All in all, it was an amazing weekend and the perfect opportunity to relax and still see some sights and enjoy some great food! 

Yay for reflective surfaces!!

A cloudy Sunday morning.

:selfie::

 Now, we are ready for the next adventure! 

She'll be here before we know it.

 

Little Miss at 28 weeks!

new year...

Today I woke up to a nasty storm, and instead of pretending to be productive and work on things that need working on, hubby suggested that we go chill at Starbucks.  Honestly, who am I to deny anyone (let alone myself) a trip to Starbucks... especially in the name of ::chilling::.  And so, we donned warm weather rain gear (because our weather is super duper sporadic) and headed to a favorite spot on the south side of Kennesaw.  And that's when the want to blog came rushing back.

2013 was an amazing year!  So much happened, and it feels silly to reduce it all to a sentence or two, but here goes.  We traveled to Slovenia and literally had the time of our lives exploring half way around the world.  A month and a half later, I found out I am diabetic and probably have been for months without knowing it.  Two months after that, we found out we were pregnant, and given our history and more recent diagnosis, it was a shock, but a glorious one.  By the end of the year, we had learned that the little baby growing in me is a girl, and in just over 3 months (97 days to be exact), she is due to enter this world!  Follow my journey here.

A rainy day in Ljubljana, and my souvenir umbrella!



In front of our "apartment" and the Ljubljana castle.

In Piran, on the cusp of the Mediterranean!

Lake Bled, Slovenia

It's a girl!!!

100 days (and counting)

Our lives are changing, but it continues to get better every day!  I am so thankful for my husband and his continued awesomeness!  He has been my rock these last couple of years and I am so excited to be bringing a baby into this world with him!

In other news, I am in the midst of my second #project365!  My first project took place during 2011, and was an amazing testament to myself and my year.  The ability to find interest in everyday life and document it in a picture was a task, but in the end, one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done.  Now, after a two year break, I am ready to start again!  You can follow my progress through my instagram account (which also links to my facebook and twitter).

It is my goal to blog more, and of course, take lots of pictures!  :)
And while a new year most often means a new you, for me, I am the same, but better.  Life continues to amaze, and as my grandfather used to say, it's "gettin' better every day!"

Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca

A delish plate of yummy goodness!

1 spaghetti squash
1 jar Gia Russa Puttanesca sauce
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 lb. mild sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium white onion
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 pkg fresh mushrooms
20 baby carrots
Minced garlic
Canola oil
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp. light sugar blend (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

- Preheat oven to 350.
- Slice spaghetti squash in half. Remove seeds. Place flesh-side down on baking sheet lined with foil. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until tender.
- While the squash is baking, chop all of the veggies into bite size pieces. Over high heat, heat oil and garlic in a large pan. Add veggies. Saute until tender and slightly browned. Put aside in a bowl.
- Add meats to the pan and cook until done. Drain. Set aside.
- Lower heat to medium. Add puttanesca sauce and sugar blend to the pan. Stir. Add veggies and meats back into the pan. Stir to combine. Add can of petite diced tomatoes. Stir. Let simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Once spaghetti squash is done, remove from oven. Using a potholder, carefully hold the squash in one hand and divvy out the squash, using a fork, onto plates. The fork will make the squash separate into fine strands, resembling spaghetti.
- Top with the puttanesca mixture and parmesan cheese as desired.
- Enjoy!

4 servings (with leftovers)
Total time: about 40 minutes

Notes: I found that one half of the squash was the perfect amount for 2 people. So hubby and I had enough for dinner last night and lunch today. Plus, there was even more Puttanesca sauce left over after that. I simply put it in a container and stuck it in the fridge. I can totally see myself making a nice snack out of that alone…  So yumm!

Got free time.



(grandeicedsugarfreevanillalattewithbreve)

Will coffeeshop-it-up.

-----

Two seats down from me, there is an older gentleman reading a book that has to weigh 15 pounds.  He has his crisp cream colored fedora resting up-side-down on the table, next to his iPad (cloaked in leather), his car keys, and his phone.  All holding their respective places on the table amongst the ranks of his grande latte (or maybe its a black coffee?).  His pressed pants and shirt, along with the shiny loafers gives me the impression that he is a person of great importance, and I would take him to be rather serious.  But the fedora is throwing me for a loop.  It's so Cuba, so Miami, so fresh for the hipsters of today.  It's refreshing to see it sitting there, especially the way its placed on the table.  It's speaks of respect, and quality.



Said man with his fedora.

It's different from the Adidas baseball cap in my sight line a few seats away, or the cowboy hat at the counter...

Intrigue.  That is it.

It's the ability to capture attention and cause wonder.  I think that is the essence of people in general.  That's why I love the coffee shop experience.  It's not enough to simply exist within the same space as someone... but to be able to wonder about them alludes to a different connection.  The fact that every person has a story, has a beginning, has a series of events that brought them to a space is one of my greatest wonders of all.  And it blows my mind on a daily basis.  It is amazing that every single person {on this planet} has a life.  Every single person has a story to tell. 

I want to hear every story.
They are all so interesting...

Book Reviews/ Insights

"It is with utmost trust that we receive the tales of those who would give them to us." - anita shreve

The books that I have read thus far this year...
"The Hunger Games Trilogy" by Suzanne Collins

"Suffer" by E.E. Borton

"50 Shades Trilogy" by E. L. James

"The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks

"The Weight of Water" by Anita Shreve

And while I should refrain from talking about them as a whole because I don't think that would be fair to each one, I will say that they were all good!  At the time, each served it's own purpose of feeding my imagination and sufficing with my own emotions so that they each became an effective litany of memory all placed upon the bookshelf within my mind.  I remember each one well enough to present opinions and/or insights based on emotional connectivity and overall likeness.

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

I went in to this series with high hopes.  I was aware that the first movie was coming out and I had little enough interest (and effective praise from my friends) to purchase the books and delve into the world of the Hunger Games.  It was easy enough to get engrossed in.  I was immediately interested in the whole process of their society and the stark difference between the Capital and the 12 Districts.  And so I read.  To me, the books were well written... there was a lot of emotion and imagination written into the pages and I had very little trouble imagining the scene.  Yes, the children were going to fight to their deaths.  Yes, the chemistry between Katniss and Peeta was intriguing enough to make me worry for their safety, for the sake of the relationship.  Yes, the hunger games were brutal, if not poetic.  All that is all well and good.  But what I didn't account for was my outright questioning of the Collin's intentions by the end of the third book.  I found myself asking why would Collins want the series to end this way?  What are her reasoning's for the heartache?  I think I hold so much trust that authors have the audience's best interest at heart that I am confused when it ends badly... especially when it didn't necessarily need to.  Like I said, I started off with high hopes, but by the end of the third book, I was depressed.  7/10

"Suffer" by E.E. Borton

This was supposed to be a light read.  One of my friends knows the author and I came into the book with the sole purpose of giving it a shot and seeing how they wrote.  I was pleasantly surprised!  It reads much like a show on the USA Network would play out.  It's a story of revenge told from the victim's point of view set in South Florida... images of Burn Notice flash through my mind as we speak.  And I actually think that my predisposed interest in these shows had given me a nice starting point when it came to this book.  The book in itself is quite graphic.  But it needs to be.  The acts warrant the retribution and as the outsider watching everything unfold, it helps the reader get involved in the story.  All in all, I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't high literature, but it was a nice read.  7/10

"50 Shades Trilogy" by E. L. James

I loved these books!  I was extremely leery of entering into them because of all of the controversy.  Even the back covers don't do a good job (in my opinion) of adequately explaining the true nature of the books, but I dove in anyways.  And I haven't looked back.  The books are fabulous!  The amount of emotion that James was able to convey is beyond explanation!  The story is good, the sex is good, and the ending is what is was supposed to be.  This is the first series I have re-read and will do so again in the near future, and time and time again, I'm sure.  Oh, and I have also really enjoyed exploring the music mentioned in the books, casting my top picks for the characters to play in the upcoming theatrical version, and having more appreciation for the playfulness of my husband.  10/10

"The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks

I started reading this right after '50 Shades', and as a result, I found myself trying to dig up the same emotional response.  I just don't think it's that sort of book though...  This is the first Sparks novel I have ever read, and even though I have seen some of his movie adaptations, I wasn't sure how this was going to play out.  I was, however, pleased!  The story was good from the beginning.  I was drawn in, if first out of curiosity, and then continued to read because I was intrigued and it was good, if only mildly "fluffy".  In the end, it was a nice easy read that kept my attention and left me wanting to see the movie (like as soon as it comes out on dvd...!).  8/10

"The Weight of Water" by Anita Shreve

I happened upon this book by chance... it was in the freebie pile at my work and I picked it up because the back cover compelled me enough to read it.  And so I did.  I have to say, compared to my last reads, this one was much more heavy.  I had a bit of trouble navigating between the past and present stories, as they were presented, but can now look back and see that they mirrored each other enough to explain their play.  All in all, it was a good read.  I love a book that has some good life quotes, and for that it gets extra points, but the main plot took a while to get developed.  I guess there was a lot of back story, which is all well and good, but by the end of the book, I sort of felt like the climax had been skimmed over and we had to use the epilogue (of sorts) to figure out what had happened.  Overall, the book was quite melancholy and somber.  I felt sorry for a lot of the characters, as familiar and normal as they may have been, and would have liked to have had more from them.  But apparently there's another book for that: "The Last Time They Met".  I'll have to look into it.  8/10


Review

One of my most favorite things is going back and reviewing old projects... Be it school projects, photo albums, or blogs, I love re-reading what I wrote, reacted to, and imagined.  It makes me smile! 

And now, I feel like writing.  I've been reading so much lately that I have all of these emotions and opinions and reviews that I want to get down onto some sort of written medium that I can revisit in the future and reflect upon.  I shall make it a goal to review what I read!  Goodness knows I have enough opinions...  :)
That being said, I'll start soon hopefully!

Rua Wulf. A review.

Rua Wulf.  The Goat Farm Arts Center.  Atlanta, Ga.
"There is a precipice of choice your toes sharply stand on." - Guide

The story was familiar enough... familiar enough in fact to draw you in.  What with the movie deals, TV appearances, and countless written versions, the tale of Red Riding Hood has become quite the story to tell and re-tell.  So when a chance email revealed the opportunity to experience the story in a never-before-had sort of environment, G and I were happy to give it a whirl.  After all, it was something different, it was close enough to be tempting, and the night was perfect!  And so we went.  Upon first arriving, it took us a second to figure out if we were in the right spot.  We arrived about 40 minutes before we were supposed to, and when we drove down the drive, we saw what appeared to be abandoned buildings, many falling apart (literally) with the windows broken in, huge sliding doors, and random animals roaming about (a turkey, chickens, dogs, a pig, and goats...).  We drove around, looking for any sign of life among the many parked cars, and after a little bit of discovery, it was clear that we had stumbled upon a collection of artists' studios and lofts; an amazing space filled to the brim with energy and creativity - the perfect setting for a play.  We started getting excited...anything that came from this space had to be amazing!  And it so was!

The story was traditional in that there was a young girl with a red riding hood, her mother, grandmother, and the wolf figure.  And while there was the traditional girl-goes-through-woods-to-grandmas-house, there was a deviation from the stone path (as it were) and a new sense of choice that changed your view of how the story really went.  Before long, you were caught up in the passion and intensity of wonder and young love, the awakening of senses and the need for acceptance and love.  And in the end, after everything was out in the open, and the intensity of the confusion and sexual desire between the characters really did have you a bit shaken, you were left in the throws of the after the "happily ever" and for that, you had a new meaning to the story.  It was incredibly well done and delivered... I am still in awe!

One of the things I loved most was the use of the cotton gin ruins as the backdrop for the scenes and the evolution within the story.  You really got to see and explore almost all of the areas (12 acres I think) of the site, and with each place, there was a new part of the story to tell.  And there was even a surprise intermission tea time!  For me, tea time was basically a loose adaptation of something you would find in Alice's Wonderland... or I thought so at least.  Four long skinny tables sitting underneath a ceiling-less building and an endless night sky, lined with white linens, cloth napkins, mismatched china, and chandeliers made from wire, flowers, and tulle.  Very whimsical, and very appropriate!  And as we were sitting there at the long decorated table, sipping our delightfully hot teas and snacking on dainty little cookies, I couldn't help but think that this might be the perfect place for us to be completely blindsided by a turn of events...  Here we were, basically trusting our lives to the souls before us, who were leading us around a dark, crumbling mass of land and dilapidated structures.  We followed them, willingly, (afraid to be left alone in the dark), as they lead us into tight, dark rooms, closed the doors behind us, and subjected us to whatever they pleased.  We were their pawns, and we couldn't help but oblige their every move.  How freely do we offer ourselves to potentially ::sketchy:: situations for the sake of artistic experience?  Apparently even more so freely at the chance to hear a good story, in a cool part of town, with the addition of tea and cookies!  But we trusted them and their intentions, and in the end, they delivered!  The story was amazing (a necessary rearrangement of an all-too-familiar tale), the actors were some of the best performers I've ever seen, and the venue could not have been better.  I think the fact that you had to cling to each other for fear of tripping only heightened our sensitivity to the sounds and bumps that made the story come alive.  And boy were they using it!  It was so much so an art installation come alive!  Flowers were made from deconstructed bottles and jugs, decorated and hung from the trees.  A forest was created inside a building by hanging yards of linen, with dramatic lights playing up the characters with intense shadows.  But for me, just being in that space was enough drama.  I don't think I can convey how truly awesome it was, but if you have the chance, you must experience it!  It was amazing!