Kept Busy

I have sure been kept busy... and just with work!!

Actually, I haven't had a day off since last Friday (and I don't mean 4 days ago... I mean 11), but I took tomorrow off and will be doing almost nothing all day long. Kendol won tickets to a comedy show so that is the almost. I have bought champagne, orange juice, and peaches so I will be having a Mimosa/Bellini day - probably at the pool! I can't wait!!!

My new job is going really well! They are so laid back and so far the love me... but I expected no less. And they don't need me to be there until 9:30 or so in the morning... so I can easily walk to work!! And, they gave me a Mac laptop... its so small and cute. I can take it home and learn how to use it! I love it!

In other news, I had to go to court on Friday at 7am for the accident I was in... it was easy for me. But, the ease for everyone there depended on what door you went in. I went in the main door, as did about 50 other people. However there were about 15 people who had to come in a side door... in handcuffs!! The judge heard the people in handcuffs first and most of them were there on DUI charges and one was there on a laundry list of charges including speeding at 150 or higher and fleeing the cops. But there was one that made me giggle and got me in trouble with the court officer.

Everyone was in the court room in civilian clothes expect one man, and he was in his red jail jumpsuit. He was the last of handcuffed to be seen by the judge... his crime... urinating in public! Before 8am that charge to me is hilarious... especially since he was in handcuffs and a jumpsuit! I giggled. Which, I found out was a mistake. The court officer looked over to me and told me there was no talking in the courtroom and we needed order... that's when he saw that I had been chewing gum. He made the most upset face and started mouthing to me "no chewing gum" while making wild hand gestures towards his mouth. It is before 8am!!! I had to work really, really hard not to laugh at him. But, I composed myself and within 15 minutes I was in front of the judge. I plead my no contest and thanked the judge for his time before paying my fine and heading to J. Christopher's for some breakfast... then I was off to a day at work.

Never a dull moment!

So many changes...

So, since my last post I have been sick, the hole in my apartment has finally been fixed, I have gotten into an accident, and picked up another job. Little more explanation...

So, the Saturday after my birthday my throat started to hurt. I assumed the trouble was just too much birthday partying so I didn't think too much of it.

Saturday was my friend Britt's 21st birthday party! Kendol and I went out to his parents house for a cook-out before going to Fever to do some dancing. I wasn't drinking since I had drank quite a bit at my own party, I had to work the next day, and Britt's parents house was quite a ways outside the city. So, I make it back into town, get to the street that the club is on (which is about 2 mile from my apartment) and get into an accident! I side swiped a mini-van trying to turn lanes. My car wasn't too damaged, I broke the passenger side mirror and I put a good dent in the back panel of the mini-van. The guy I hit was pretty cool about the whole thing but we had to wait for about an hour before the police showed up and about an hour and a half total. I now have to go to court on Friday, August 31 to get my sentencing, but she gave me a ticket for an improper lane change. Unfortunately I never made it into the club and never got to do any dancing!! But, at least the accident wasn't too bad! And, I found out that Progressive is a pretty good car insurance company... I called them while we were waiting for the police to arrive, the had given me a claim number and set up a time for my car to be fixed. I got a free rental while they were fixing it and they did all the work. The car has been fixed and I am pretty satisfied with the service they provided.

Kendol's friend Carrie, who is currently living in Wisconsin but grew up down here, was in town for a friend's wedding and Kendol wanted to see her before she had to head back home so on Sunday we hung out with her and a few other guys at one of the guy's apartment pool. It was a lot of fun and his friend Carrie is really sweet.

The only trouble... I woke up the next morning and couldn't talk! My throat felt huge and I could barely get two words out before it hurt. So, I called in sick and planned to lay around all day and maybe watch some television. However, I slept until 11am, got up for about an hour before realizing that I wouldn't be able to stay up. Went back to sleep, did the same thing between 5pm and 6pm. Got up again at 9pm stayed up until about 10:30pm before going back to sleep. I slept the entire day!! And the sad part is, when I woke up on Tuesday I didn't feel any better! I called in sick again! However, by about noon on Tuesday I was at least able to stay awake!

I felt good enough to get some work done on Wednesday so I went to work and took a training class (they are giving us training Tuesday-Thursday for the next month so I have been having to go in on some of my off days) and then went to Buckhead Church to do some volunteering. The lady I volunteer for suggested that I give her my resume, they are looking for some people in their Information Technology department. So, once I got home I sent her my resume. The next day I had an email from Human Resources wanting to set up an interview. I went online and found that the job they were hiring for was part time, something I can do in my off days from Cbeyond. So, I had my interview and I now have a job! I am working for the church on Wednesdays and Thursdays starting next week.

On Thursday I had to stop down to the DMV to get my tags on my car renewed. I never remember but I need to bring them cash so it always takes me twice as long as it should since I have to stand in line twice but the building is right on the marta line and its much easier to take marta than it is to drive and find free parking so I took that. After getting my tags I went to work again for another training class and I started feeling really groggy again! This time it was more in my nose and chest... By Saturday night I was coughing enough to keep me awake and by Sunday night I was not able to sleep. Monday morning I finally broke down and called the doctor but they were not able to get me in until Tuesday so Monday night I slept sitting up and that worked pretty well. Tuesday I stopped in and the doctor prescribed me a cough medicine and an antibiotic. I went to the doctor on my lunch break and went back to work after I got the medicine. I took the medicine at work and it made me really dizzy!!! I got soooo sick at work the guys here though I should go home... but I was afraid to drive! So, I took a nap in the break room and stayed here until I thought I was well enough to drive home without getting sick on the way... which was an hour after my shift ended! I made it home safely, slept all night, and woke up feeling much better. I called my doctor and got a new antibiotic. I did much better after that!

And finally, I have been dealing with the ceiling hole and mold for the the last month since there was a leak in my bathroom ceiling about a month ago. Kendol cleaned up the mold and I have been contacting the office and writing them letters (as stated in my contract) for the past month with no real service on getting the ceiling patched up. So finally last week I wrote them a letter stating I would have to contact a lawyer and find out my legal rights if the hole was not patched up within the next week. On Thursday I got a call from the office manager stating it would be fixed that day... and it was! I was shocked but very happy. I spent Thursday night cleaning out that bathroom (it was fixed but they made a mess doing so) and then Friday night cleaning out the rest of the apartment. The worst part was the closet so I re-arranged it and got rid of about 3 bags of cloths. I am getting my closet down to only what I am really wearing, which is all I really have room for anyway.

After cleaning, Kendol and I went to our friend Whitney and Carol's apartment for a small party. It was nice to be out and feel well! I had a lot of fun too!!

Happy Birthday!!

I had a wonderful birthday! I spent the first half of it at the gym then relaxing. I took a really, really long nap! Loved every minute of it... hehe!

Then at night my friends and I went out to Eclipse di Luna, a tapas restaurant in Buckhead, for dinner and drinks. There was a live Latin band and the atmosphere was excellent! We got their 'all-you-can-drink-and-eat' special and we were able to drink sangria's, beer, and wine as well as an assortment of tapas for 2 1/2 hours. You better believe my friends know how to take advantage of that!! We had a blast drinking, eating, talking, and being goofy.

One of my friends got me a birthday cake and part way thru the evening they brought out the cake... the entire restaurant helped sing happy birthday. If I remember correctly the band even played along with them (however, it may have just been music in my head... I had quite a bit to drink)!!

I got a few other really fun presents. Grandma & Grandpa E. sent me a very pretty cross (which is about to be hung in the bedroom). My parents sent me a music-playing birthday card which was reminiscent of our Nashville trip (i.e. it plays country music) and when we were in Nashville they bought me a purse and bathing suit as well as helped finish my apartment up when they were here! Kendol took me out for the dinner and bought me a very nice outfit... dress, shoes, purse, and lotion. However, the dress didn't fit so it will have to be returned. Kendrick bought me a very cute D&B pink purse. Marcus and Ashley got me a pink rolling pin and mat from William Sonoma. Whitney and Carol bought me an assortment of goodies including a thong, candle and holder, and shot glasses. Victor stated my gift is 'in the mail' and I will get it next week with dinner at his apartment. And last but not least Cleveland gave me a gift certificate from Bed, Bath and Beyond. I have such thoughtful friends and family and I love all the gifts I received!!

After dinner we went to my friend Los' apartment for the after party. However most of us were wiped out by the actual party so the after party was quite short. I have no clue what time I got home but woke up around 10am... with only a slight headache. It wasn't anything that an Advil, some coffee, and a good breakfast couldn't take care of!

I am working on getting all of the pictures uploaded. It should be completed soon and once they are they will be added with the rest of the pics on the left hand side. I still am loving the camera my parents bought me for Christmas. And, you can thank my friend Kendrick for all the wonderful pictures... he is always my camera man! I can remember to bring the camera but can never remember to take pictures!

Other birthday news... on Monday the guys at work got me cake and ice cream as well (since I am generally only at work with everyone on Mondays). And, the cake was made from scratch by one of the techs! It was very good!


In other news, cause I know not everything this week revolved around my birthday... even though I think it should have! Hehe.

The air conditioning in the building stopped working on Sunday... and we just got it back today! Gotta love it. This week we had record breaking temperatures in Atlanta and of course, no air! The temps have been over 100 degrees... with the heat index putting the air temperatures over 108. And, they stated that the pavement temperatures (can you believe they can now tell you how hot the pavement is??) are in the 140's! So, you can imagine how hot my apartment could get! Luckily at night we were able to turn the air fan on high, open the one window that my apartment has, and let the 70 degree temperatures circulate. Then in the morning we would shut everything up and leave all of the lights off. Also, we elected to have dinner out of the apartment instead of cooking. All in all it really did stay quite cool in here!

After a lot of thought I have decided not to continue with the same volunteering group thru Hands on Atlanta so I will have to find another group to volunteer with. There was a gap between my believes and theirs. Even though they were really nice people I don't think I can volunteer with them and have a clean Christian conscious.

But, I am now volunteering on Wednesdays and Fridays at my church. The lady that I am helping works Sunday thru Wednesday so I come in on Wednesday and help her with random office work and then on Fridays I get all of the bulletins ready for Sunday.

Well, back to uploading pictures and this apartment needs a good cleaning!

Volunteering

So, I have had another busy week!!

The chruch has updated the name for the 'small group'... they now call them 'community groups' which is probably good because everyone at work makes fun of the name 'small group' they say it sounds like an AA meeting or something. So, now I am trying to use the term community group when referring to the group of women I meet with on Monday evenings.

Either way, we have been reading a book called Peeking into a Box of Chocolates and we read a chapter basically on greed. They recommended volunteering as a way to help with greed, which is something that I had been wanting to do both in and out of church. The trouble for me was I work on Sundays and there was no real way for me to help out (I run straight from work to Church). So, I said a little prayer and then went onto their website. I didn't find anything about signing up as a weekday volunteer however I did find a link to become a member of the church. I decided to give it a try. So, I am now in the application stage of becomming a member of a church!

So, I went to church last Sunday and was thumbing thru the bulletin and found that they are now looking for weekday volunteers! God said 'ask and you shall receive' right! He wasn't kidding! So, on Monday I emailed the appropriate parties and started volunteering on Wednesday. It's mostly just light office work but its a start for volunteering inside the church.

But, that didn't take care of my want to volunteer outside the church. I did some more research online and found a group thru Hands on Atlanta that delivers food to the homeless. So, Wednesday morning I joined them and had my first experience inside a shelter. It was a mens shelter and it was an overflow shelter... so basically they take everyone that the other shelters didn't take. There were a few things that I am not sure about with the group but I need to keep volunteering... whether or not I stay with this same grouop.

On Thursday I went to a lecture at the High Art Museum. Kendol got me a Marta pass so I can now get around Atlanta without having to drive (its pretty nice) so I took that to the museum. I am a member of the Museum so I try to go at least once a month to check it out! On Thursday they had a lecture on a painting called 'Mrs. Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes (Edith Minturn)' by Cecilia Beaux. It was really interesting to learn about the lady who painted and the lady who was painted!

That night Victor and I had a 'Going Out' night. We went to Geisha House, a new sushi bar/lounge in Atlantic Station. We had a ton of fun people watching!!

Friday I did a ton of walking. I walked all around Piedmont Park, ran some errands, and walked to Trader Joes to get some groceries and then walked about a mile or so home. I think I over did it though because I woke up yesterday morning with a pretty sore back... which hasn't gotten better yet! Hopefully it won't take too long to get over this! Hehe!

Once again... pictures!

Oh so much fun (and work) seeing my parents!! Hehe!! I met up with my parents not last Sunday, but the Sunday before last in Nashville. They had gotten in Friday with my Uncle Mike & Aunt Linda and the 4 of them had rode around their Harleys and saw downtown Nashville, so they knew exactly where they wanted to go for dinner on Sunday night... Wild Horse Saloon. The Wild Horse was a ton of fun and we got free dance lessons. That's right, I, my parents and my Aunt Linda can now do a two step.

The next day, after my Aunt and Uncle left my parents took their vehicle in to get the air fixed and we drove my car out to The Hermitage - Home of Andrew Jackson. We spent most of the afternoon touring the house and grounds in 100 degree weather (my mom was a little warm) before heading back to Nashville for dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. Luckily before we got back to Nashville the vehicle was fixed so we picked that back up and drove it around... the air worked wonderfully. We toured the main streets, hopped in and out of a few bars, was asked for money by the largest bunch of beggars that I have ever seen... no lie, they were obese. Before heading back to our hotel room.

The next day was spent out at the Grand Ole Opry. Which, is HUGE. First we toured the Opry. Next we walked thru the Museum. We also toured the Opryland convention center/hotel/coolest place in Nashville! It was absolutely beautiful. Hard to describe so I would say just check out the pictures (as always... to the left, to the left). That night we watched a concert put on by a large list of people (Porter wagoner, Bellamy Brothers, Bill Anderson, Jimmy Dickens ~ very funny!, Trace Adkins ~ super tall!, Kellie Pickler ~ looooved her!, Pat Greene, and Jo Dee Messina). All in all, was my favorite day in Nashville. Unfortunately on the way back home the air died in my parents car... again!

So, our next day... the day to drive back to Atlanta started out a little later than planned. But, they thought they had the air working again so off we went. We took a quick detour thru the Jack Daniels distillery... and a bit of trivia for y'all... Jack is distilled in a dry county! Gotta love it. We did get our picture taken too while we were there. Check it out... can you find us in the line up?

We got back to the ATL around 8pm. We headed right back out to get some fabulous ribs at Fat Matt's Rib Shack. I think my Dad really, really liked it! Afterwards we headed down to Flicks on Fifth and watched Dream Girls for free! I love summer in Atlanta!

The next couple of days my parents helped me put the finishing touches on the apartment! It was wonderful, we got curtains hung, lights in (I now have a dining room light), I have a 'European' ice maker (aka ice cube trays), my closet door works, I have a dish towel holder, the balcony has a cover so I can sit outside and not get soaked and lights underneath of it, a step ladder so I can reach everything in the kitchen, and the bedroom is properly arranged. Also, they got me a tool box with some nice new power tools. Kendol, I have to say, is quite happy about the power tools. He didn't like it when I was trying to install everything after the move without the proper tools.

We also spent one day at my friend Victor's condo. He made us a fabulous dinner of boneless ribs, his home style mashed potatoes, and some veggies. It was wonderful. And I think everyone enjoyed the conversation, time with friends, and wonderful food. We stayed until after 11pm, but by that time we were all tired.

The next day, after a bunch of trips to home depot, ikea, the library and the mall we came home and finished all the projects that were listed above. While everyone was doing that I made us a steak dinner. It was wonderful and a dish that my friend Tahir, who has his food block on the left hand side of this blog, has made several times. There are a lot of versions of this dish, depending on what he or I have in the house, but they are all based on one thing, butter and high heat. Generally there is some kinda steak rub with whatever I have on hand which is put on room temperature steaks. Let that sit for about 15-20 minutes. Then I add some butter and honey. Pan seer it on high. Then the pan goes into the oven at anywhere between 350 to 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Let it sit 10 minutes (very important step... never leave this step out). Then a homemade sauce. Everyone seemed to love it! In my humble opinion no steakhouse can compare to my dish ;)~

Then, back to reality. Saturday morning when I got up for work my parents headed back home. They took a detour thru South Carolina so they could ride their motorcycles around the mountains. But they are back, safe and sound, in their own home. It was nice to have them here while it lasted.

However, that wasn't the end of the busy week for me. Saturday night was Ashley's birthday party. There were quite a few people taking pictures so I didn't even get my camera out but we had a blast. We went to an Italian restaurant out in the Highlands. Really cute, really good food! I was impressed. And I had bought a cake from Publix... always tasty!

On Sunday I had my normal shift at work and then went to Church. Then Monday was the usual Small Group.

Tuesday was anything but usual... I woke up and though, hmmm... my lip feels funny. I looked in a mirror and saw that my upper lip was sitting funny, a little puffy, and blotchy. And tingly. You know, like after you have a cavity filled, that kinda tingly. I think, well, maybe I just slept on it funny (maybe). So I wait but within a half hour my lower lip feels the same way. And then it starts spreading into the rest of my face and down into my neck. Hmm... I had my allergy shots the day before but they make you sit in their office for 20 minutes because if you have a reaction that's when it should happen. Non the less, I give the allergist a call. They tell me to take an allergy medication and then they write me a prescription and tell me to fill it and take it immediately. And, if the problems get worse see my doctor. I gotten 2 of the allergy tablets down but it was still getting worse so I called my doctor. They advise me to get the medication and go straight to their office. If I feel any difficulty breathing they asked that I skip their office and go right to the emergency room. I was scared to do that because the doctor is literally 2 miles from my apartment... the emergency room is a good 30 minute drive away.

But, I got my prescription and went straight to the doctors office. He looked at me and said it was a mild reaction, I shouldn't have to worry about breathing problems but injected me with a medication to help stop the numbing feeling much quicker than the prescription would do. After the injection I had to wait 30 minutes before I could leave and I could see why. It was a stimulant and it was like I drank a whole pot of really, really strong coffee. I was shaking!! It didn't help that I was afraid to eat that morning in case whatever I ate would aggravate my symptoms! But, after about 30 minutes I could once again pick up my glass of water and drink it. The doctor sent me home and told me to get some food in my stomach. I ate a ton when I got home and a few hours later I was no longer shaky... but really, really sleepy. I guess after the big high is the big low!

Yesterday Kendol and I were going to watch the last movie being played at Flicks on Fifth this summer, 300, however right when we left the apartment the heavens opened up and there was a huge lightning storm! Instead we stopped a Blockbuster and rented a movie!

Tonight I am hosting my first dinner party in the new place (thanks to mom and dad for all the help to make the dinner party possible). Victor, Roy, Ashley, Marcus, Carlos, and Britt should all be coming so I will have a full house. But I am ready! I am making lasagna, salad, and a fruit dessert. I am excited. Ok, now to take 30 minutes to clean, an hour at the pool, and time to start cooking!

More Pictures

I am sitting at home enjoying a relaxing Friday afternoon (well, for me its more like a morning... I slept in way too long). But, in the mist of watching Sex & The City re-runs I decided to upload some pictures that have been taken in the last week. I added them to the list on the left hand side. There are a few from the Peachtree Road Race from July 4 and some from VJ's graduation party last night. Enjoy!

Ok, time to get back to relaxing (and maybe a little cleaning)!

I'm in a VIDEO!!

Hehehe!!! If you have been keeping up in my blog you know that Ciara & 50 Cent shot a music video in front of my apartment about a month ago. Well, the video is out... and I didn't get cut!! Hehe!! Its a VERY quick shot, but if you watch it...



you will see that Kendol and I are sitting on the front stoop of my then apartment (now last) as she walks by in a yellow short suit. I am excited to at least be in the video!! P.S. the street she is walking down is never that clean (they kept watering down the sidewalk) nor that busy. You almost never see anyone sitting outside their apartments. But, still... very cool!

Heineken Party - Glenn Hotel

Last night I rounded up a few of my friends and we went to a release party for the new Heineken Light Slim can. The party was held at the new Glenn Hotel (formerly Bed Atlanta - where Victor's birthday party was) and we had a ton of fun!! There was free Heineken (the only beer I really drink) so we all enjoyed the music (the DJ rocked!!) !!

Only 5 more days until the big move! I am really excited for the change and am looking forwarded to a smaller place. We have just about everything boxed up and hopefully just enough boxes for the rest of the stuff we still have out. Although I am looking forward to the moved I will miss being neighbors with my friends Ashley and Marcus as well as the view from the apartment.

There is always something going on around here and that saying has never been more true than last Thursday. I was getting ready for Screen on the Green (last week they played Carwash) when Kendol came home and told me I had to move my car. Apparently my car was the only one still on the street in front of my apartment and there was something going on that they had to have it moved. After moving the car we noticed more and more people gathering in the empty lot across the street but because there are a lot of creative students around here (there is tons of different student housing within one mile in every direction of my apartment) we didn't think much of it. Then we got a knock on the door, answered it, and was asked by a nice female if we would mind if they used our stoop in a video that they were shooting. I didn't mind but out of curiosity I asked who or what the video was for. Apparently it was for a Ciara and 50-Cent video for the newly-released song 'Can't Leave 'Em Alone.' How exciting!! Since we were just sitting around inside the house we decided to sit outside and watch all the people at work... I was amazed at how many people it takes to put together a video! But, even more amazing they asked if we wanted to be in the video!! We are just background and all we did was sit on my front stoop and smile and wave as she walked by but it was fun!! We'll see if they keep us in the video or edit us out (I will let you know once the video is released) but it was fun to be a part of the commotion. I tried to take some pictures outside but was told that wasn't allowed so I took some pictures from my bedroom window of Ciara. I didn't see 50-Cent until we were about to leave for Screen On The Green and he was a little ways away on another street so I didn't get any pictures of him but you can check out the pictures I did take by clicking on the link on the left hand side.

You can thank my parents for the expanding picture section... they got me my camera for Christmas!!

Packing

Today is day #1 for packing. We got some of the items off the walls and got a couple of boxes packed (mainly wine glasses and such from the kitchen). I figure if we get a box or 2 packed every week then the last week we should be in pretty good shape. I have already gone thru the closet and the kitchen and got rid of a lot of items that are not used. Once we get into the new place I will have to get rid of anything that just doesn't fit.

Kendol and I will be going to a apartment-warming party for a friend of his tonight. I put together, what I thought to be, really cute house warming gifts!! Tell me what you think...

Yesterday, Kendol and I went to a taping of the Tyler Perry Show. He is a comedian who has done movies and TV. Right now he has a show called Tyler Perry's House of Payne. But he is wanting to start a talk show, which is what we went to. We were part of the 'live-studio-audience' and had a lot of fun... now lets see if this show actually goes on air!

After the show we went to Piedmont Park to watch Casablanca for 'Screen on the Green.' We met up with Marcus (Ashley was still working), Tod and Marie, and a couple of Marcus's friends. The nice thing about having Thursdays off is I am able to get there early enough to get us good seats. The show starts at dusk (about 9pm) and Kendol and I had gotten there around 6pm and we brought a picnic dinner (I had made BBQ Chicken the night before so we had the leftovers in sandwich form, watermelon, and the broccoli/cauliflower salad that I make) and a bottle of wine for while we waited. We got there a little late however and next week I am planning on being there around 4:00 so we can get a really good seat! I love sitting in the at the park anyway so this just give me a good excuse!!

And, starting next Wednesday 'Flicks on Fifth' starts again!! There are free movies and it takes place, most appropriately, on Fifth Street. Its fun being in the park and there are a lot more people who show up for Screen on the Green (I would guess there were 30,000 people there that night) however Flicks plays newer movies, ones that just came out of the theater, so that is fun too!

Sick Day

I stayed home from work today... I am not feeling well (again). And, I am not the only one, Kendol isn't feeling well either. But, we don't have the same things... I have a massive headache, sore throat, and achy. He has a stuffy nose and just feels bad. It would make so much more sense if we had the same problems!! Hehe.

Strawberries!!!

Kendol and I spent today surrounded by strawberries!! We drove out to Fayetteville (about 40 minutes away) and picked about 16 pounds of them. LOL!! Ton, I know. But, we made a lot of jam and one really nice strawberry pie out of them. And, obviously we still have some left over for snacking! Love it.

A lot of the day was actually spent looking for the jars to put the jam in and the Sure Jell to make the jam with. Apparently, not many people actually can food any more. I didn't realize... hehe! But, we found (large) mason jars at Big Lots and finally found the Sure Jell at Publix. The manager at Wal-Mart said they only carry canning supplies in the canning season. Which perplexed me, I assumed we were in the canning season as I was looking for canning supplies. Anyhoo...

We did have a lot of fun and will not run out of jam this year!! I will also have some to give to friends and Kendol's mom. I am guessing they will enjoy it. For pictures check out my food blog. Enjoy! I know I will!

(another) move!

yes, its true... I am moving again. Packing up my bags and moving just down the street from where I lived last year. Ok, so its back in Buckhead (aka North Atlanta) but its got what I need... a cheaper price tag.

In my quest for culinary school I decided I needed to reduce my monthly cost of living. Once I honestly looked at my living expenses there were quite a few key items that needed to be cut back... the very top of the list was where I rest my head. My apartment has been costing about half my pay every month so it was only economical to change.

I am moving into a studio at Heights of Lenox (floor plan is A2 for those who are interested) and it will enable me to really increase my savings. Its also in a very central location ~ a block from Lenox mall - huge mall, and a Marta station - the ATL underground train, and within walking distance to Publix, Target, a movie theater, tons of restaurants, and my church. Its very wooded though and by looking out the window of my apartment you wouldn't tell that its a busy area - except you can see the sign for Bloomindale's above the tree line. And, if gas prices become too high (or my car decides to officially break down) I can walk a block to Marta and take the train 2 stops to the CCT (Cobb County Transit) which will take me right to my job. Right now its not very economical since I would have to get passes to 2 different busing systems but you never know what gas prices will do!

I am pretty happy with the decision!!

Fire

Here is what I woke up to outside my apartment at 9am this morning... thought it was interesting. I heard a noise, what I thought was someone hitting a car (other people said it sounded like a gun shot), but when I looked outside I realised it was neither... it was a vehicle on fire. It was parked, no one was in it, but it was on fire. Sounds suspect to me. As you can see, most of my neighbors were home to but luckily the police was here before the pictures were taken and the fire department were not far behind. Still, all the smoke set off the fire alarms in the complex... very noisy. So, I sat outside and watched the fire department put out the blaze.

Pictures, pictures, pictures...

So, I have added a whole bunch of new pictures to my list. I have some from a day at Piedmont Park, some from the trip that Kendol and I took to Savannah, and some from a walk around Midtown Atlanta. They are listed on the left hand side. I had fun getting them together and I hope you have fun looking at them.

A few other changes...

My job. Still at the same one but I have a new schedule. I now work Saturday thru Tuesday, which sounds horrible but I work 8 or less hours a day so I have been working between 28 and 32 hours a week. Soooo nice!! Also, I got a raise! Don't ask how I pulled off the two, I don't even know, but I am enjoying it while it lasts!

I am sleepy all the time again. So, I am back in the doctors office, however I now have a new doctor. One big problem with my previous doctor is that her office is now about 1 hour away from my apartment so driving out there was a chore, especially when I was not feeling well. I when to my friends Marcus & Ashley's doctor and I love him. Hopefully he will be able to get to the bottom of my sleeyness. All I know, is that if I sit down at home (or sometimes at a friends house) I fall asleep. Last night I slept 11 hours and then took an hour nap this afternoon. Now, this would be bragging if I was still going out every night, but with the new schedule I haven't gone out at night in a few weeks!

I have been looking into culinary school. I love to cook (and have started a cooking blog... check it out if you want... its also on the left hand side) and have not been enjoying my line of work (besides the new reduced schedule) so I thought about going back to school. However, after seeing the cost of going to school I decided I need to get some money saved up. I am back on a good budget. My biggest expense is my apartment so I am starting to look at another apartment that would be about half what I pay here. We'll see what I find.

Running. Now that its warm I am running outside again. I ran my longest run ever, about 7 or 8 miles. I ran all over Midtown and it took about 1 and 1/2 hours. I was sore this morning but still got up and went to the gym this morning.

Northside Drive

So, interesting that I was not the only one with a sore back... it must run in the family!!

And for those interested... yes, I was affected by the bus accident that happened in Atlanta. And for those who are not aware:

A bus full of college baseball players was in the HOV lane going south on I-75 and took the Northside Drive exit. The driver didn't realize that he had taken the exit and thinking he was still on the expressway; went up the bridge, went straight thru the intersection, broke thru a barrier, and toppled upside down over the bridge back onto I-75 South blocking all lanes southbound. The bus driver, his wife and 4 of the players passed away. There are still quite a few people in various hospitals around Atlanta.

The Northside drive exit is the one I generally take to go to and from work and since I don't have the TV on in the morning I didn't realize until I was at the bridge that I couldn't take my normal exit (I go North) so I had to detour to another road. It was very backed up with everyone on the expressway taking it since they couldn't go south. But, I eventually made it to work.

Yesterday, Victor drove me home. We took the same exit that the bus accident had occurred on and Atlanta DOT has added a ton of signs signifying that its an exit and that you must stop at the top of the hill.

My car is still in pieces. Marcus got to the part the mechanic said was the problem and he found it to be fine. So, he has purchased another part that could be the issue and he will be replacing both. Hopefully it will be done soon. Luckily Victor has been giving me rides to and from work and Marcus and Ashley have been letting me borrow their cars when necessary.

And, this weekend may be one of those times. They have changed our schedules so that 2 times a year we have to work 2 weekends in a row. This weekend is the first of my 2 weekends, so I will either have my vehicle back (fingers are crossed) or I will borrow Marcus and Ashley's.

Otherwise, it has been beautiful here in the ATL. In the 70's for the past week. Last weekend Kendol and I spent a lazy Sunday at Piedmont Park. He loves to paint so we brought some food and drinks, had a picnic, and he painted. Quite a few people stopped by our blanket to see what he was making. I did a lot of people watching and helped him paint a little bit.

Its supposed to 'cool off' here this weekend and get into the 60s and rain. But, they said the same thing about last weekend. Either way, I will be working 10 hour days so I hope its cold and rainy (mean and spiteful, I know)!

1921-2007

This week has been uncannily busy...

To start with my Grandpa (on my Dad's side) passed away last Friday and I was able to find a flight that I could afford on Midwest up to Michigan on Saturday. The flight I booked had a layover in Milwaukee and when I got to the terminal I found that my flight had been delayed longer than the layover time and Midwest had no other flights to Michigan that I could take so they booked me on Delta. Luckily I made it at the same time on the Delta flight as I would have on the Midwest flight however my luggage did not. We were unsure when, or if, the luggage would arrive so the first thing that we did was go to the mall and get me a 'just-in-case' outfit.

After picking up the outfit I was dropped off a group of cousins and cousin's friends for Jenny's co-ed bachelor(ette) party. Unfortunately I was in the same jeans & t-shirt that I wore on the plane (just a side note... I had left 70 degree weather in the ATL for the 'blizzard' conditions of MI) but I was able to get into every bar and had a blast dancing. I never realized how much easier it is to dance in flats, instead of heels! The bachelor and bachelorette didn't quite make it to midnight before having to go home and in order to keep the party going we needed a new bachelorette and I was designate... by process of elimination (by that time we were down to my cousin Marie, her friend Vicki, and myself - and everyone in the club knew the other 2). As the designated bachelorette I carried the baton (aka whip/tickler) proudly and I used it unsparingly... on the dance floor. We had more fun then 3 ladies should before my brother came back to the club to pick us up.

I was happy to see my luggage had arrived on Sunday morning but I still wore most of the 'JIC' outfit that was purchased the day before at the showing for my Grandfather. My old clothes went very well with the new ones and the funeral home did a very good job with everything.

Monday was the funeral and it was held at the VA hospital that my Grandpa had been staying at. It was a beautiful service and I, with everyone else, shed a few tears. It was sad to see him go but knowing where he has gone, I know he is happy to be there.

Afterward we all ate and then a group of us cousins went shopping (I can't seem to get enough it) at a local mall. Marie and I ended out the night with her showing me a few more Grand Rapids pubs.

Tuesday morning my parents, Marie, and I went to breakfast, stopped by my Grandma's house to say good-bye and then I was back to the airport for my flight home. I was picked up at the ATL airport by Kendol. I could tell he had missed me... he had picked me up with some very beautiful flowers in hand!

I had taken Wednesday off work to give myself time to wind down. I woke up to a very beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day so off for a run I went. But, I think the stress of the weekend had finally caught up to me... not long after getting back home my back knotted right up! After a few back rubs, some icy/hot, and a heating pad my back is finally starting to loosen up.

Still, a sore back has never stopped me so last night Marcus, Ashley, Kendol and I headed out to Wild Bills (OTP - Outside The Perimeter - the country bar I took my family when they visited during Christmas) for FIGHT NIGHT!!! I had never been to a boxing match before but my first time was a lot of fun. There were quite a few different matches including 1 with 2 females fighting each other. They were quite entertaining!!

Today Marcus picked up my car and started tearing it apart for me. I have been losing coolant and found that the problem was a part in the engine. The mechanic wanted to charge me a ton for it but Marcus told me he could do it for me. He thought he could finish the job in one day but once he got started he found that it would take longer than than. I am hoping to have my car operational by mid-week... but the time is worth it for the money being saved.

Then Victor called me with a ticket to watch the Hawks play the Knicks and Roy was kind enough to pick me up. Roy, Victor, Mike, and I walked from Roy's house (less than 1/2 mile) to the Phillips Arena to watch the game. It was fun!!

Tomorrow doesn't look like its going to be any less busy... after going to church, I will be going with Kendol to meet his Mom. After that I need to get some studying in for the CCNA exam that I still need to take. The last few weeks have not been so good for hitting the books. But, I should be getting back into it now...

Hope you are having a great week!!

Happy (Belated) V-Day

So, since the last post...

I am still studying for the CCNA... I am having a hard time staying focused but I am still working on it. I had a busy week outside of studying which means that I probably should be studying now but oh well.

I am still having car trouble. I have an appointment to take it into the shop this Wednesday. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it won't cost too much, but then I have a few different things I need them to look at so it doesn't look promising. Either way, with my current situation I need a vehicle so it will get fixed.

My small group is meeting again after a break and we met at my apartment last Monday. Not everyone was there so we mainly socialized but it was good to get together.

Kendol and I went to see 'Romeo & Juliet' at the Shakespeare Tavern on Thursday and it was a ton of fun!! The Tavern rotates different plays (obviously by the name they are all Shakespeare plays) and I am hoping to go back to see another.

Last night Kendol, Victor, Mike and I went out to Aiko for a fun night of dancing. There were people taking pictures and I found them online so I have added them to the page. About a year ago I used to go to Aiko with my friend Chris every Saturday so it was nice to go back. Kendol's friend was the DJ and did a great job!

Mike, Me, Kendol, & VJ

Me & Kendol

In other news...

So, I have gotten a lot calmer lately... I must be growing up!! LOL. My life has been consisting of a lot of studying for my CCNA (Cisco certification) which I am planning on taking in March. There are a couple of guys at work who also want to do the same so we have formed a study group. We meet two days a week after work and help each other out. Ok, so they mostly help me out, but one of the guys has been working on Cisco equipment for 15 years so he has a little bit more time invested in this than I do. :)

Other than that, I had a big car scare last weekend (it was big because I know nothing about cars). I had some errands to run last Saturday and as soon as I got back to my apartment all of the coolant drained out of my car! Pretty bad, I thought. I had people drive me to and from work all last week and my friend Marcus was able to look at the car yesterday. He put more coolant in and nothing happened. No leak. I have been driving it around yesterday and today and it has been good. Marcus thinks that maybe it over-headed and drained the coolant... I know no better so I will agree with him.

Also, I have started dating a guy named Kendol. So, when I am not studying or working I am generally hanging around him. We met at the coffee shop right by my house a couple of weeks ago. He works there and is studying at the Art Institute of Atlanta for his degree in graphic design. This weekend he and I went with the girls from my small group to a bar called Johnny's Hideaway. Its a dance club for the 50+ crowd. Don't know why but a few girls from the group love to go there. It was a little awkward at first but once we made our way to the dance floor we had a blast!

Finally, we went to church this morning and the sermon was all about the mission trips that are going to take place this year thru the church, which got me thinking about going on one. I looked up the trips and I am praying this week about whether I should go or not. Please pray for me as well!

Now back to studying...

Holy Forever Batman...

So, it took me way too long to post again. But, I did want to let you know that things have been going really well for me. For Christmas my parents bought me a digital camera so I (finally) took some pictures of my apartment. I have linked them on the left hand side under the picture section.

It was great having the family down for the holiday. I decorated my apartment and we spent the week all around the ATL. I was happy to have them down here!

Also, I just got back home today from a trip to NYC!!! I loved it!! Ready to move. Hehe. Ok, that may take a minute to get together but in the mean time I have good memories and good pictures. They will also be along the left hand side as soon as I have them added.

Other than that life for me has been the basic grind, which would be a lot more interesting if I actually posted when things happened!!

Hola

Always something going on! I have been keeping myself quite busy. Work has been crazy as always. It has been so crazy that I have actually looked into getting a new job. I interviewed with a few places but after interviewing I realize that I need more experience. So, I am back into getting certified. Wish me luck and I pray that I can stick to it this time! I have a friend at work who is helping me out a ton!

Outside of work, I have been working out a lot. It helps a lot to reduce work stress and I feel so much better when I am done! There is a park close to my house so when I don't feel like going to the gym I run to the park and back (somewhere between 3 and 4 miles). My goal is to get to 6 miles before the Peachtree Road Race next year.

I still have my small group that meets on Monday nights. We had some problems getting everyone together for much of the summer (everyone is busy!) but we are getting better now!

Still going out dancing here and there. Not as much as I would like... but as much as my body can handle! I generally go to a club with a friend of mine on Thursday nights and we dance the night away. I always walk out of there as one big ball of sweat! Love it!

I have some friends who live in the same apartment complex that I do and we have been into watching Nip/Tuck and Project Runway on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. We generally do dinner and then watch the show. Its a lot of fun!

On the weekend I am trying to study and have fun. This Friday I went out with a friend to a club called Verve. We had a blast. It is 3 stories tall and has a bar on the roof. It has a pretty nice view of the city and we sat up there and chatted for a while. After that we went to the second floor, where there was excellent music playing, and danced! It was a great night.

Saturday I hung out with Victor during the day. We went shopping at Sam's Club and then hit the gym. He was driving me home afterwards and we decided to check out a burger place right by my apartment. The food was fabulous!

I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning, doing laundry (with my very own washer and dryer!) and studying.

Around 7pm I decided I couldn't study any longer and called up Marcus and Ashley. They came over, we made dinner and watched a movie.

In other news, I am still waiting on the whole liver thing. I did the ultrasound and it came back clean and healthy. So, now I wait until November to get more blood work done.

I have also taken up a new hobby... painting! Last weekend I got some brushes and some paper and had a ton of fun. I am now looking into some art classes.

Well, that is it for now!

Happy Birthday

So, I had a great birthday week!! I started out the week celebrating my friend, Todd, birthday at a local bar.

Then on Tuesday he called me and informed me that he wanted to share one of his birthday presents with me... he was given tickets to the Mariah Carey concert on, none other than, my BIRTHDAY!! So he, his girlfriend Marie, and I went to the concert!! I was so excited because I have been a huge fan of Mariah since I was in middle school. So, we went to the concert and our seat were the furthest back you could get. Sean Paul opened for her so we sat up there for his performance. Then we found out a friend of Todd could get us into the VIP section. So, at intermission we moved!! We were so close to the stage by the time Mariah came out!! She sang beautifully, she looked fabulous and we had a blast!!

Then on Thursday I went out with my friend Mario to a dance bar called the Masquerade and we danced the night away. They have two dj's going... one playing hip hop and the other playing 80's. It was a ton of fun!!

Then on Friday a few of the guys took me to the Falcon's home opening pre-season football game. Our seats were about 10 rows back from the field and the Falcon's won by a field goal kicked in the last second of the game. We had a blast cheering for the team!! As we were sitting there one of the guys pointed out we were sitting by Ray Buchanan who used to be a player for the Falcons!

On Saturday I helped my friend Amy celebrate her birthday with a dinner at Nancy G's in Buckhead. It was a lot of fun and I was able to meet quite a few new people. After dinner I headed out with Carlos and his friend Angel to Compound, a dance club by my house. The other big club in Atlanta had closed down the weekend before so this club was packed! I happened to bump into quite a few people that I knew so it was fun to see everyone and dance!!

I had to work on Sunday but after work my friend Lawrence took me out for a birthday dinner. It was a fabulous birthday week!

The Daily Grind

So, of course I have been incredibly busy and have had no time to posts (so sorry)!! But, with my birthday on Wednesday my festivities actually started last weekend when Victor took me to the India Arie concert. We had a ton of fun and India Arie has an amazing voice, however, after about song two it started to absolutely down pour! Luckily Victor brought an umbrella, which helped for a while, but the rain was so hard that we ended up soaked!!

Then last night my friends Victor and Victor worked together to throw me a little birthday party, which was so fun!! The made dinner, got me a beautiful pink watch, and a group of us went to Earthlink Live for Erykah Badu after party/jam session. All the going out that I do and last night was probably the best time that I have ever had going out! DJ LV spun first and he was amazing. He had the crowd going for a few hours. Then a singer named Jan got onstage and led the jam session which consisted of about 25 different musicians playing a plethora of instruments. They rocked for a few more hours until Erykah came out. She sang a few different songs and she too has an amazing voice. After she was done onstage Queen Latifah came onstage and sang a few of her songs. I didn't know the songs that she played but at 3am she had the entire crowd going. Dancing and singing... it was amazing!!

In other news...

My job has changed a little bit again. I am now heading another team at work, working a different schedule (8am-5pm), and have a new manager. This new team doesn't work from phone calls but from emails and escalations so there is a lot more work and a lot more stress but I am working with the best of our tier one technicians so that helps out a lot.

I have been having some medical issues again. I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago on what I thought was pink eye and exhaustion... what I found out (after a few doctor visits) is that I had a viral infection in both eyes and an elevated liver count. I have gotten eye drops for the infection, I have to wear my glasses for about the next month, and no makeup. But, for the elevated liver count... they haven't figured out what has been causing that. While all the testing has been going on I haven't been able to drink alcohol and I have to be very careful on taking any medication, including tylonol. I have been tested twice... after the first count came back they did some further tests but didn't find anything so they thought it may have been a fluke but after the first test came back high the doctor is unsure. So, I am going to be tested again on the 15th and if its still high they are going to do an ultrasound on my liver.

Other than the above, I have been keeping busy putting the finishing touches on my apartment, doing a few dinner parties for friends (I am getting to be a better cook every day), working out at the gym again (I was so proud I ran 4 miles last week), going to my small group, and getting myself ready for taking an art class (which will begin mid-August).

Well, back to the normal grind!!

Updated

So, I can't possibly try to fit everything that I have been doing lately into this post so I will hit the high points.

To start out with... HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!! I am going to Centennial Olympic Park tonight (after work) with a friend to watch the fireworks! I am excited and can't wait to be out of work... today is my holiday to work... yuck!

On a great note... I moved again!! I sent out an email with my new address on it. If I failed to send it to you please let me know! I love my new apartment!! I now live in what is known as West Midtown. My apartment is in the loft style but is two stories. I, with the help of a few friends, painted a few of the walls before moving in so it feels more like a home than an apartment. A couple of friends live in the building next to me, which is a lot of fun. I moved on June 24th and have already spent a good deal of time at the pool! Love it!! There is also a lot of places that I can walk to, which is another bonus. I spent Saturday afternoon walking around and seeing what is available. In fact, we are walking to the fireworks tonight!! I have money saved up for a camera, so now I need to do some research and hopefully will have a camera soon. Once I do I will take a few pictures and put them online.

A lot of my free time was spent planning the move. Other than that... I am still in the same small group so I have been seeing them Monday nights, I have been working for the same company (hit my 2 year mark on June 28th), I have been going out dancing with friends, volunteering at church, and trying to have fun!!

Well, back to work!!

I caught you a delicious bass...

Oh wow... it has been so long that I will not be able to recall it all!! I just let myself get too busy! So, I will try to hit the highlights...

Marie came down 2 weeks ago and we had the most fun!! She got in late Wednesday night so we spent the night catching up and sleeping. The next day I took her shopping to some of the local shops after which we went to Piedmont Park.

Later that night we went for tapas at Pura Vida. I have only been to Pura Vida one other time but I loved everything on the menu so when we go there I told Marie not to worry about anything on the menu its all good... and then the first thing we chose was the first thing I didn't like!! And neither did Marie!! However, the nice thing about tapas is you order a few different ones and we loved everything else that we ate!! After dinner we met up with my friends Tahir and Carlos and a few other people for dancing at Tongue & Groove. We spent the rest of the night dancing away and loving it!!

Angie and Kevin, her husband, came in Friday at about 5am so of course we all slept in on Friday then did 'breakfast' around 1pm at IHOP. Kevin and Angie wanted to go to the Aquarium so Marie and I lounged around the pool where we expected to do some relaxing and reading but instead met a very interesting character named Pappy. He did keep us entertained for a few hours! Friday was Kevin and Angies wedding annivesary and since the got married in Jamaica I took everyone to Eats for Jamaican Jerk Chicken and then ice cream at Zestos!

After dinner we all went with Marcos, Ashley, and Carlos to Eleven50, another dance club in Atlanta. I have been to Eleven50 before but never in the summer and I must say that its SO much better in the summer!! There is an outdoor balcony that, in the winter is closed, was wide open... it was a beautiful view of Midtown Atlanta!!

On Saturday Angie and Kevin decided to go to Savannah so they got up quite early to head out. They were only planning on staying for one night but loved it so much they never came back to Atlanta!

So, Marie and I once again slept in and then I made breakfast before heading out to Phipps Plaza a very high-class mall very close to where I lived. We had a lot of fun trying on cloths that we can't afford!! I actually tried on a pair of shoes that cost more than my monthly rent payment!!

After shopping we headed over to Tahir's apartment where he was hosting a dinner party. We met a whole lot of new people and ate some really good food before heading out to Vision and meeting up with Marcos, Ashley, and Carlos again. We did have fun dancing again however Marie hurt her finger while dancing so we sat for a while.

At the end of the night I took a few people home and on the way to the last stop Marie and I noticed that my car was acting really funny... I was a little nervous and when we got out we found out that my tire was flat!! Then Marie, with her hurt finger, did a lot of the work on trying to get the tire off before a really nice Domino's delivery man stopped and changed it for me. By the time we got everything taken care of it was 5am!!

The next morning I got up "early" (about 11am) and went to NTB and got the tire fixed. Luckily I had gotten the extended plan so the tire didn't cost me anything!! I was very happy about that!!

Once I had gotten back and cleaned up we met back up with Tahir for brunch at IHOP and then went to the Atlanta's Farmers Market... which is huge!! Marie and I were
entertaining ourselves around the live fish tanks when Marie caught me one delicious bass!!

After fishing we met up with Victor, Vic, James, and Wayne who were playing pool at Woofs. After they got bored of pool we all went to Blake's by Piedmont Park and had a ton of fun! But, when Marie and I left we realized we hadn't ate anything since brunch so we stopped at Landmark Diner, a local diner, for some dinner... it was pretty good!

Monday we met back up with Tahir at Cafe Intermezzos, which has the best desserts!! Marie and I split lunch and we all shared our desserts... it was chocolate overload!! Marie and I then headed to Lenox Mall and spent our last few hours together shopping!! It was so nice to have her in town for the weekend!

Last weekend I helped Chris with his promotions at Six. Although there wasn't a lot of people there I had a ton because I haven't ran with Chris in quite a while!

On Saturday I got up and spent eight hours helping Victor paint his loft. Even though there were three of us and he lives in a one bedroom loft we only got about half way done!! Needless to say we were all tired but still had to go out!! Victor, Bobbie, Wayne and I went to a few bars before ending up at Wet Bar. We danced, met a lot of new people and had a ton of fun!!

Sunday I went back to Victor's house and did laundry while attempting to help Victor with his homework. Afterwards Tahir stopped by my apartment and we were going to play tennis but got to the court at 10pm which was the same time that they turn off the lights! So, instead we went to play pool (and of course I won)!

Since I have already written a book I will leave this post with just my past few weekends!!

House

Another full and busy week for me down here. On Easter Sunday I went to church with Jordan. Jordan and his family went to Jenison Christian Church with my family a long time ago. Thru the grapevine his mom found out that I was living down here in Atlanta and her son moved down here a few months ago so they got my number from my parent and he gave me a call. This was the first time that I have seen him since I was probably 10 but he looks a lot like I remembered him to.

On Monday I had my usual small group meeting and then on Tuesday Adel and I watched the movie ATL. It is (obviously) a movie taped about some high schooler's here in Atlanta. It was a pretty good movie but also had a lot of comments about life here so it was very interesting.

Wednesday after work I went to the gym with Carlos. It has been a while since I have gone to the gym but it felt so good to work out, I really need to work on making it a part of my weekly routine!

Thursday I went with Carlos, Ashley and Marcos to Sutra Lounge. We met up with another group of people there and had so much fun dancing the entire night! It had been a little while since I had been out dancing so I was very excited to go!

Then on Friday I went out with some of the people I had met the night before. First we went to Cosmo, a trendy bar/dance club in Midtown. Some of the bar is outside and after we arrived it started pouring but we just stayed inside where it was dry and danced. Once the rain stopped we decided to go to another club called House. All the people I was with really liked the music at house so they were excited to go. However, as soon as we got outside it started raining. The guy that went with us decided to be a gentleman and get the car so us girls wouldn't have to walk in the rain, which was quite nice of him. But, by the time he had gotten the car and drove to where we were it was down pouring. I had to walk about 3 feet but by the time I got into the car I could wring my hair out it was so wet! Rain or no rain we were on to the next club. By the time we got to House it had stopped raining but we were already soaked but ready to dance. We danced for a while but the normal DJ wasn't there so the rest of the group was not as into the music so we left and went to one of their apartments. We chatted for a while and I learned how to play chess... it was quite fun!

I got up Saturday morning and put a down payment on the new apartment so it is now official!! I will have the new place on June 20th and I will have to send out the address soon. I am looking to paint a few walls before moving all of my things so I have been having fun trying to pick out the colors.

Afterwards I went to VJ's and met his Mom and Niece, they had driven down for the weekend from North Carolina. We went to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, visited the grave, and walked around the museum. Then we went to the first annual wing festival on Auburn Avenue, which was a ton of fun!!

Later in the night I met up with Carlos, we rented movies, and I ended up passing out of course... I am so good at falling asleep to movies!!

Today was my volunteer day at church which means that I stood by the door and greeted everyone on their way in and out of the service. I had fun and was at the door with Tiffany, one of the girls from my small group. After church I met up with Victor and James at Park Tavern and we ate lunch. I had a burger, which was very good, and I learned that I now like coleslaw... which I found to be quite interesting because I never liked it before! Park Tavern is right on Piedmont Park so after we ate we met up with Carlos at the park. We enjoyed the beautiful for a while and then walked to Blakes for a drink. Carlos and I then left and played some tennis. I haven't played tennis in a quite a while so it took a while to remember how to swing a racket, but we had fun anyway!

two weeks... really!?!

Ok, I need to remember to post every week... going back two weeks will be nearly impossible but I will give it a try:

Monday after I posted I joined up with a friend to watch the NCAA final game with Florida and UCLA. My friend is a huge from California and a huge UCLA fan so they were quite upset when UCLA lost.

I have been racking my brain to remember what I did on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday but I really can not remember. Terrible how bad my memory can be!

Friday after work a group of us met up at Two Urban Licks for dinner and cocktails. It was a lot of fun to see everyone outside of work and to chat about non-work related topics! After Two, VJ, Carlos and I went to Red Chair and then Halo for a few more drinks. We had a lot of fun running around town.

Saturday night I had a Bachelorette Party that I attended. The Bachelorette was a friend of Carrie's and Carrie was the hostess. There were six of us girls that went out and the only ones from Atlanta were Carrie and I. It was fun introducing the city to the rest of the girls, however one of the girls had car trouble so I spent half the night helping her get her car towed! But, we ate at Nova, a southwestern style restaurant that I hadn't been to before. It was a cute atmosphere but it wasn't one of the best places that I have been to in the city. After dinner we went dancing at Compound, which is one of my favorite clubs downtown! While at Compound I ran into quite a few people that I know but haven't seen in a while so it was fun seeing them again. Also, there were photographers taking pictures of all the groups. I got a business card from one of them and he sent me one of the pictures... not all of the girls are in it but I thought it was cute!



Sunday I met up with Victor and a few other guys at Piedmont Park for the Dogwood Festival. Unlike the name implies the festival is not for dogs but art. People from all over the world set up booths and display their art for people to view and buy. It was a beautiful day and we had a ton of fun browsing and then people watching!

Monday nights are always dedicated to my Small Group, so as usual we got together for our usual meeting.

Tuesday Adel stopped by and helped me study for my job. I am trying, again, to get certified in CCNA for Cisco, which is the manufacturer for the routers that we use at work.

Wednesday night I checked out a condo that is for rent. I liked the location but I didn't like the set up of the actual condo. It is on the first floor but its a sunken floor so the window sits at ground level and it felt like I was in a basement. Since I am not a fan of basements to begin with I wasn't too thrilled with the condo. I think I may have narrowed down the places I want to move to one. On Monday I plan on calling them and letting them know. So, please pray that I am making the best decision!

After viewing the condo I went back to work for training in the newest protocol that I will be supporting at work. It was good information but I didn't leave work until about 11:30!

My group at work has been doing an exceptional job so on Thursday the director over the department that I am in gave me two tickets to see the Atlanta Thrashers, the NHL team. I tried to give the tickets to one of the guys in the group but none of them wanted them so I went with Adel. The Thrashers won! It was a high scoring game and lots of fun to see!

Afterwards I met up with Carlos, Ashley, and Marcos at Ashley and Marcos's apartment. Ashley and Marcos live in the apartment complex that I like and live in the style apartment that I want so it was nice to see the place with stuff in it. It was very cute and I am now very interested in living there!

Friday after work I went shopping at the Lenox mall and then met up with Ashley and a group of people at Poncho's, a Mexican restaurant just down the street from my apartment. It was fun hanging out with Ashley again and meeting some other new people!

Today I went for a hike in Marietta with Adel and his dogs. I haven't been on a hike in a very long time so it was nice to get outside the city and into the nature for a short time.

After the hike I ran some errands and then met up with VJ and James at Piedmont Park to run. James is going to be in the Peachtree Road Race (I forgot about signing up) so VJ and I went to help James train. I was already tired from the hike and I am somewhat out of shape since I haven't been working out much since I was sick so I was more moral support than anything but I went quite a way on my own!

Work has been going really well after the change, for the most part. It is hard sitting on another floor from half the people I used to work with and the people that I go to for questions but over all I think this may have been the best move for us. It will be nice in a year from now when we are all sitting on the same floor again!

Grape, Kyma, Coco Luna??

Another week and have been so busy again... right back to the way that I was before. I am working hard on not being out too late so I don't get sick again!! But...

On Monday I had my usual small group meeting but not everyone showed up so we watched a movie instead. Afterwards I got in some grocery shopping before crashing at home.

Then on Tuesday I went out with a friend to Coco Luca, a Cuban restaurant here in Buckhead. It was fabulous!! We

The next day I worked out with VJ after work before heading to Kyma, a Greek restaurant downtown with another friend from work - Carlos - and met up with a group of his friends. I had a lot of fun meeting some new people and having fun conversation!

Thursday night I celebrated another friend's birthday at Grape, a wine bar in Buckhead. We closed down the bar but we were having too much fun to head home so we went and danced at a club downtown called Sutra.

Friday I went out with Chris, Carrie, Carlos, and a few other people to Frequency, again! We, once again, danced the night away!

Saturday I spent the morning looking at apartments. I fell in love with another loft downtown. It is called Mattress Factory Lofts and they are true lofts... exposed brick and concrete indoors, very open, wood flooring, huge windows and a beautiful view of Atlanta. I need to call them back at the end of this week to see if they will have an opening in June. If so, I will probably be moving there!!

If not, I found another place on Saturday called the M Street Apartments that has two story, one bedroom apartments that are very nice. They have a view of Atlanta, but not as nice as my first choice, and they are different in that they are two story. My second choice is either this complex or the complex I saw last week.

But, the craziest part was when I went to M Street I walked into the leasing office and saw one of the ladies I met on Wednesday when I went out with Carlos!! Small world! It was nice seeing and talking to her again.

After apartment shopping I went with Carrie to pick up some gifts for a bachlorette party that she is hosting this weekend before leaving the city to go shoe shopping!! I have been looking downtown but wasn't finding what I have been looking for so I decided to go to Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse, which is my favorite shoe store and found 3 pairs of shoes, very exciting!! I had lunch with a friend while I was out there and then looked around the mall, but really didn't find anything I was looking for.

I then went to Matt's house, he lived right below VJ to pick up some boxes to bring to my house for the move. When I got there and parked in the lot by his house I saw a mutual friend Vic outside and he was getting his car towed!! The night before he came downtown, dropped his car off at Victors, and then something happened (no clue what) that made it so he was unable to drive his car! (He got it safely towed home)

After Matt and I took the boxes to my place we went to Victor's for dinner and then we all went out to Vic's house to watch King Kong. In my normal fashion I fell asleep in the first 10 minutes of the movie!!

Sunday was my day to volunteer at church and luckily I remembered to set my clock ahead so I was on time! After church I went with a few of the ladies from my small group to watch Failure to Launch which was very cute and very funny!

After the movie I went with VJ to Piedmont Park and then we had a drink in a near by bar. Afterwards I came home and started cleaning out my closets so I am more prepared to move!! I am too excited!

Today was the first day of our new work schedule. I now am a supervisor and have three technicians that are under me. It is interesting and very challenging right now since I still do the same job I did before but now I have three people reporting to me. But, once we get things going and I am able to teach my tech's a few things I think this will work out pretty well. Its just the adjustment period that will be interesting!

200th post!!

I just realized that this is my 200th posting. I just wanted to make everyone aware of this fact :) Man, do I have a lot to say!!

a victor and kristie weekend

I have had another really fun weekend!! Actually the fun started on Thursday. I watched Dave Chappelle's Block Party which is out in the theaters and basically its the 'behind the scenes' look at a musical concert he put on in Brooklyn, NY. It has a lot of my favorite musicians so I really enjoyed it!!

I am starting to get another usual... Chris host parties at a club here in Buckhead called Frequency so Victor, Matt, and I went out to party with him. DJ Kermit hosts the party with Chris and he does an excellent job mixing up the music so we had a lot of fun dancing!! Next week they are supposed to have a guest dj, 4-Ize. I have been listening to his music and am pretty excited to hear him live.

I have been thinking about moving from my current location here in Buckhead so I decided that if I am going to think about it I better start looking. So, Saturday I dragged Victor from complex to complex looking at apartments. After a lot of looking I decided that I really am more interested in renting a loft over an apartment and I found a loft in the new Castleberry Hill district that I really like. Also, it will be more downtown, which I love. I am waiting to find out if they will have an opening for when I am ready to move. If not, I am going to look at privately rented lofts.

After all the shopping both VJ and I were 'starving' so we stopped at Einstein's for a quick bite... which was fabulous!! Yumm... actually I had leftovers so I had an excellent dinner again today!

We tried to stay up long enough to watch the Dukes of Hazzard movie but both fell asleep in the first 10 minutes! All that walking really tired us out.

But, amazingly, we were not tired of each other so today we went to the gym and swam laps before taking Oden to Piedmont Park. It was a little cool but sunny so I wore long johns under my pants and was fine!

It was nice to get out into the fresh air this weekend!! It make me crave summer even more (if that is possible after the fabulous Florida vacation)!

Blind Blues

Just one quick note, last night I went out to Blind Willies , a blues bar, in the Virginia Highlands. I had a ton of fun talking, drinking, and listening to great blues. Definitely one plus of living downtown is all the fun things that are going on! (Now I just need to get a camera to document them!)

FUN FUN FUN!!!

Oh my have I been busy... uploading pictures!!! But I now have all the pictures from the family Florida vacation uploaded, finally! There are about 250 pictures on the link to the left - Florida - March 2006 so if you would like, take a look.

We had a TON of fun on vacation. We got in on Friday morning at about 1am. After spending the night in Tampa we drove to Daytona. On the ride we stopped at the Bentall's to say hello. They were friends of my parents from Jenison Christian Church.

After stopping we spent the next three days at Daytona for Bike Week. It was amazing to see all the bikes. There was also a ton of noise!! Although we had a ton of fun I was ready to get away from the noise on Sunday afternoon.

After leaving Daytona we went to Grandma and Grandpa Engelhardt's villa in Venice where we spent the next week enjoying sun, shopping, eating, golf, and cards. We had the most wonderful weather... it averaged 80 degrees and sunny the entire week!

For those of you who are curious... I think I may finally be over strep!! I am still sleepier faster than usual but I don't feel so sick all the time! So, I continue to sleep more but am feeling good again.

Another side note, I went to Frequency on Wednesday with Victor, Chris and a few other people from work and saw Tommy Lee as the DJ. It was pretty cool to see and Chris took some pictures. When I get the pics I will add them to the blog!

This weekend I went back to Frequency on Friday. Chris and DJ Kermit are promoting there so I went to support my friends! Saturday during the day I did all my errands and then on Saturday night I went out with Carrie, Amy, and Jennifer to Fado for the Post St. Pactrick's day celebration. Today I picked up VJ from the airport... he went to Houston for a black tie party... and have been doing a of work around my apartment and relaxing. I had a lot of fun this weekend!

Strep

Well, since the last time I have posted I have pretty much been sleeping!! Why?? Well, I started not feeling very good on Tuesday morning and by Tuesday evening I knew I was sick. I took Wednesday off but just kept feeling worse. When I felt even worse on Thursday morning I went to the doctor who informed me that I have strep. She gave me a shot and sent me home. I slept on Thursday, then on Friday, and was feeling well enough to work on Saturday. I felt even better on Sunday so I went to church and I felt back to normal on Monday (I was so happy) and I went to my small group. Then, about 10:30 or 11:00pm on Monday I started feeling worse! Tuesday I felt worse again and by yesterday the illness was back in full force. I called my doctor who prescribed me some antibiotics and I have been pretty much sleeping since then!! I am feeling a little bit better, my throat doesn't feel swollen shut, but I can barely keep my eyes open. Its about time for me to go back to bed!!

Johnny's Hideaway

The Pistons lost?!?!? Say what?!?!? They actually lost by 1 point. I was so disappointed... I was so ready to make tease everyone after the game that 'my team' won. Instead EVERYONE made fun of ME!! Terrible. But, I had so much fun at the game. We were not courtside but we were very close. We had a lot of fun cheering, talking, and teasing each other!!

On Thursday night I got together again with Amy and Carrie. We ordered a pizza and watched Napoleon Dynamite!! Only the best video ever... gosh!

Then on Friday the three of us plus Amy's friend Jennifer meet up with Christina (another girl from our small group), her beau and their friends at Johnny's Hideaway. Johnny's is a dance club for, um, established adults. The average age of the customers is about 55 and there are a few rules to the club - no music post-1990 (which they actually broke a few time for Madonna) and no drinking or smoking on the dance floor (which the dj had to remind a few people a couple of times). Needless to say I was quite skeptical at first. But, it didn't take 5 minutes and I was being asked to dance. I had fun dancing with random guys of different age groups through out the night!! And, Aunt Dawn would love this, they played Copacabana by Barry Manilow and I sang the entire song!!! SWEET! They also played a lot of Frank Sinatra, which I loved! It was a TON of fun and a huge change from the normal Atlanta club scene. Amy's friend is having a birthday party there in a couple of weeks so I may be going back soon.

Unfortunately I had to get up for work on Saturday and I stayed out way too late on Friday night. I drank a ton of coffee to keep myself awake. Then on Saturday night I went to Vic's house with Victor (yes, they are 2 different guys) and the three of us ate dinner, drank wine, and then tried to watch a movie. I say tried to because as soon as we put the movie in each of us passed out!! But, Vic is an extremely fun friend of my friend Victor who I have hung out with a few times. You can see a picture of him on the pictures from Victor's birthday.

Then on Sunday Victor went with me to Buckhead Church and we met up with Carrie. It was so nice to have a group of friends to sit with at church! After church I we stopped by Chris's apartment to drop off a belt that I had borrowed from Tiffany. Afterwards I met up with a new friend of mine, Enyinna, and we watched the movie Four Brothers and ate dinner at Jack & Jills. Jack & Jill's is a sports bar chain that is all over Atlanta but I had not been to one until last night. I met Enyinna about a month ago at Tongue & Groove.

Today is going to be errand day and then I will meet up with my small group later tonight.

Pistons!!!

I still am not feeling the greatest... not sick, not well but something in between. Everyone down here seems to be on the edge of a cold/flu... probably because of the constant change in weather!! But, for me, its been just enough to slow me down a little bit.

Once again this week I kept my going out to a minimum... I actually only went out on Saturday but had a ton of fun!! I went out with John and Heather to Compound. I have only been there a few time but I have fun each time I go. I also ran into a friend that I had lost touch with there so it was fun to catch up a little bit!

Generally on Mondays we have small group but we do not meet on the first Monday of each month so instead Carrie, Amy and I met up to watch the movie In Her Shoes and to eat dinner. We had a ton of fun together and decided that we must do this more often!!

The rest of the week has been the usual work, workout, study. But, as my title states... I am going out tonight to watch the PISTONS!!! They are playing the Hawks tonight and Alex, a friend of Victor's, works as a accountant for Phillips arena so he got us tickets to watch the game. From what Victor has told me we are on the floor!! I am very excited!

Holiday Party

Another full and busy week!! I am still on the same work schedule, I am trying to fit in the gym five days a week, and I am now starting to do some studying outside of work for my job so I have cut back on going out to fit some of that in!!

After work on Friday a group of co-workers went out to 285 Sports Line for drinks and dinner. We had originally gone as a farewell to a guy who was leaving for another job but he didn't show up so we had fun celebrating without him! Afterwards I went out with Chris, Daniel, Tiffani and Brittani to Eleven50. We spent the rest of the night dancing away!!

This Saturday was my company's Holiday Party which at an art gallery very close to my apartment. It was a really nice to see some of the guys I work with, the same guys who wear jeans everyday, dressed up. We had a lot of fun mingling with all the people from different department who we see around but haven't had the opportunity to talk to before.

After the holiday party Victor, Chris, Tiffani, Daniel, Brittani, Eric, a few other people and I all went downtown to Vision. Tiffani had connections that got us in the VIP section which was really fun!

I haven't been feeling very good the yesterday and today so I have kept it pretty low key. Last night I watched the movie House of Flying Daggers, which was really good! Today I went to the salon, worked out with Victor, and then went to my small group. Now I am relaxing and thinking about going to bed early!!

True Fashion

In my true fashion I spent the past week out and about. Monday after small group was Tongue & Groove, Tuesday was Aiko, Wednesday I watched the Transporter with a friend, Thursday was Mako's, Friday was laundry at Victor's, Saturday my small group got together to play Scene It and watch the Miss America pageant (Miss Georgia came in 2nd) and then a few of us went to East Andrews, and finally yesterday was American Pie and the House.

Also, in between going out I am fitting in work outs and dance classes as well as putting in my days of work!! Since it was an extremely busy week I really slept in today!! I had my small group meeting tonight which was fun as usual! I am now catching up on past episodes of Las Vegas (gotta love DVR)!!

Updated

Ok... I have gotten my pictures from NYE uploaded... click on the picture below or the link on the side to view the rest of the pictures!!



Also, I found that Kellia has a blog so I have added her as a link.

And... I must brag... the sun is shing and it is currently 70 degrees outside!! I am sitting on my balcony enjoying the day!!

Time is of the Essence...

I am finding out more and more every day how much time is truly a luxury!!! Never enough time to type out my daily life!

First things first...



So, since last updated I was going to tell a little bit more about my family's visit... it was so nice to have them visit me, especially since it was the first time they have visited me in the ATL. We went to all the touristy parts of the city... Coke building, Underground, CNN Center, Piedmont Park, Centennial Olympic Park, Hard Rock Cafe, Lenox and of course a couple of Harley shops! Speaking of shopping, we also went up 400 to the outlets and found some really good deals up there!!

I finally got my TV stand (which was my parent's Christmas gift to me along with some cloths and ornaments for my tree... thank you for the gifts)! It is so nice to have my living room set up!! Woo Hoo!! Along with my living room, they also brought down some antique green chairs for my patio which look perfect out there!! And, for what they called my "apartment warming gift" they got me a coffee maker which was well used while they were here. Finally, I got really lucky in that my dad and brother did some much needed work to my vehicle.

They also got to meet my friends Victor and Chris. Since a lot of the people that I now know and associate with revolve around these two friends I was glad that my family and they got to meet!

The other pretty big event for me was NYE and I had a ton of fun!! Just about everyone that I know ended up in the same place so I got to spend my New Years with my closest friends... Victor, Chris, and Carrie... as well as about 15 to 20 other people that I have gotten to know in the past few months. We went to the opening of a new club called 'House.' Chris knows the owner of the club so we were able to get into VIP so that made it even more fun. House is located in Underground Atlanta which was where the Peach Drop occurs so needless to say it was quite busy. Instead of driving or taking a cab I walked with Victor and Duuna from Victor's house... which was just about a mile but was well worth the hike!! Luckily Chris brought his camera so there were pictures taken and I will be updating them soon to this blog!

In the past week I didn't go out to the clubs at all... since I was out all night for NYE I decided I needed to lie low for at least a week. Instead of going out I went to different friends places or had them over here, we made dinner, and watched movies. Not to brag but I have been told by a few different lately people that my cooking is very good!! It is pretty amazing since most of you know where I started from (and for those who don't know... among many other feats in the kitchen I have started a fire in a microwave, burnt rice krispy treats, and cut my hand so bad making tapioca pudding that I needed surgery).

I also need to brag about the weather that we had here today... I was outside today in a tank top and shorts!! It had to be in the mid-60's at least!! I was so happy with the weather and spend some of my afternoon at Piedmont Park!! The park was absolutely crowded and it was so much fun to see everyone walking their dogs, flying kites, playing sports, having picnics, playing instruments and just enjoying the atmosphere of the day and of the park. I spent the evening with Victor, Kevin, and Oden (Victor's dog) here at my apartment. It was nice because we could leave the balcony door open for Oden to walk in and out of but it didn't make the apartment cold!!