For The Journey Not just the destination…

As of this past weekend, I have lived in Georgia for a year. I can’t believe it’s June already – time really has flown by.

I wasn’t sure I’d like Atlanta, but I do. The best part is being close to the moutains – I never expected that. Least favorite is the traffic, but it’s not unbearable, especially with audiobooks.

I still have a ton more things and places to check out and do around the area, but here’s some of the things I’ve done so far as an Atlantian, in no particular order:

• Eaten at The Varsity
• Gone to the Coke Museum and Fernbank Natural History Museum
• Tubed and kayaked on the Hooch
• Sailed on Lake Lanier
• Traveled outside the state – to TX, IN, NC, MS, and AZ
• Had house guests – my parents, Thomas parents, my brother, Cat, Gorski, Dorsey, Brian, and Bill
• Rode the MARTA
• Visited the Alpine-like village of Helen
• Saw shows at the Fox Theater, the Roxy, and the Variety Playhouse
• Went to a bus campout
• Shopped at IKEA
• Bought a house
• Got engaged
• Got a job
• Started going to church at UUMAN
• Lived in an apartment
• Found 7 geocaches
• Hiked at Blood Mountain, Rich Moutain, and Rave Cliff Falls
• Camped at Amicalola
• Had Jury Duty
• Visited Piedmont Park, Chastain Park, and several parks in Roswell and in the Mountains
• Had a party at my house
• Attended a party at someone else’ house – Halloween and New Year’s Eve
• Attended DragonCon
• Took a class – Swedish and Landscaping
• Went to the Scandiavian Festival
• Hosted Thanksgiving dinner
• Visited a Haunted House
• Went to The Underground
• Organize and walk with a team for the Race for the Cure
• Eaten Brazilian, German, and Slovakian food
• Ate a fish taco, turducken, collards, beets, and boiled peanuts
• Discovered bar trivia
• Went to the Drive In

And still on my To Do list:

• Go to the Aquarium, Cyclorama, Zoo, Callaway Gardens, and Six Flags
• Place a geocache
• Go to the Ren Festival and State Fair
• Go to Lenox/Phipps Mall
• Go to the IMAX, preferably on Martini night
• Go to the outlet malls
• Skate on the Silver Comet
• Host a group dinner at our house
• Eat at Dante’s Down the Hatch
• Eat at Soutern Skillet
• Go to the Dogwood Festival
• Visit Ga Tech and GSU
• Go to Agatha’s Mystery Dinner Theater
• Go to a Brave’s game
• Go to Stone Mountain
• Go to Savannah
• Go to the Farmer’s Market
• Use our hang gliding gift certificates

So what else am I missing?

It was a productive weekend – not particularly fun, but I got alot done.

I mostly worked in the yard, clearing out some of the ivy for the shade garden. I layed out the hostas and ferns to see where to plant them. I bought some impatiens to go near the ferns, and I planted some petunias around the mailbox. I also repotted my tomato plants into bigger pots and put cages around them.

I posted photos of the garden, as well as finally finishing up my fav shots (from Thomas and me) of my cousin’s wedding two weeks ago.

• Starting the Shade Garden Photos
• Chris and Randi’s Wedding Photos

I did get to meet up with my friend, Courtney, on Saturday night for delicious Cuban food at La Fonda. We also went to the Hungry Ear Coffeehouse and listened to 4 amateur folk musicians. We had a pretty good time and decided we need to go more of those – and maybe the Cliff Valley Bluegrass Festival in August.

A few weeks ago, Thomas and I were visiting a state park and they had an area set up where they take care of hurt wildlife. They had a blind hawk and an owl – I forget what had happened to the owl. They explained that the birds were there for their life, since they would not be able to stay alive on their own in the wild due to their injuries.

That morning, a wild possum had snuck into the hawk’s cage to share his food. The hawk didn’t seem to mind, but once the possum was in, the rangers had trouble getting him out. He was so stressed he was shaking, and every time they got close, he beared his very sharp teeth. We didn’t stick around to see the outcome, but we took photos while there.