Adult Field Trip

Today our office celebrated a record breaking year for our department.  We decided to be ultimate Atlanta tourist and had the BEST time!  When I left the house this morning, Ben asked if he needed to sign my permission slip - he's such the "jokester"...

We started off the morning eating breakfast at West Egg, then headed over to the new World of Coca-Cola.  I had toured the old World of Coke, but the new one was built a few years ago and I had never been.  It was lots of fun!  We were joined by about 10 other summer camp field trippers - oh the joys of fighting to taste all the different drinks with 200 children running around :) 

We left there and headed to the CNN Center for a "VIP" tour.  My co-worker's husband works at CNN and was able to take us into the studios and behind the scenes - places you don't get to see on the "peasant tour" ;) 

We are heading to Memphis soon to celebrate our year with the other 1,000 co-workers!

World of Coca-Cola

Before the 4-D film in World of Coca-Cola.  Let's just say it was more like a ride!!

They told us the official Olympic torch just arrived and this was it.  Hum....I bet that one is in London.  Either way, I'm an Olympic geek and will now tell everyone - I touched the torch!



Newest studio inside CNN.



The rents are in town....

My parents went on a cruise that ported out of Jacksonville a week ago and decided to drive back to Louisiana via Atlanta and stay the weekend with us!  YAY!!  Ben had Air Guard this weekend, but was able to spend Thursday and Friday lunch with us. 

The last time my parents were in town was for our wedding and our house was literally a tornado.  They LOVED seeing everything.  On Thursday night we went to the Atlanta Food Truck Park where we ate lots of yummies and then came home to celebrate mom's birthday (1 week late) with Gigi's cupcakes.  On Friday, we did our normal routine when they are in town - SHOP!  Macy's and Ann Taylor Loft are always the top shopping spots.  On Friday night we headed to the Braves vs. Mets game and stayed until the end - midnight!!  The electricity in Turner Field did go out for 15 minutes, so that was definitely an adventure. 

My parents wanted to take Georgia peaches home for several people and wanted to go to a Farmer's Market.  I suggested Kroger - HA!  We did go to the Sandy Springs Farmer's Market and basically tasted everything in site!  The only peaches at the market were from South Carolina, so they opted for some yummy Georgia Peach jelly. 

We let mom pick our dinner on Saturday night so we went to Chuy's for yummy mexican food.  They left early Sunday morning to head back to La.  It was so much fun spending time with my parents.  I love when they come visit!! 

On a different note, on Sunday, I got to see my friend Reid go public with his faith (baptism) at our church.  It was so neat to hear his story on the big screen and then see him get dunked!!  God is GOOD!!!

The Big Easy

So those that are reading this probably know that I'm from Louisiana but NOT from south Louisiana!  There is a HUGE difference.  The north is more "Duck Dynasty", Baptist & Methodist and the south is more Mardi Gras, "Swamp People", and Catholic.  See the difference?? 

There is one thing that we all agree on and that is the food!  I LOVE cajun food!  We might make it a little "cleaner" in north Louisiana, but it's still all scrumptious! 

This weekend, we were sitting around thinking what we wanted to eat.  I was in a funk and needed something to get out of it, so I thought....CAJUN food!  Living in Atlanta, there are slim-pickins for real Louisiana food.  There is this one place about an hour away that is very authentic and YUMMY, but we didn't want to drive an hour.  I googled and found a place about 15 minutes away from us. 

I got my "cajun" fix in, but it wasn't that great.  Basically, it was a bar with some Louisiana-style cooking.  The popcorn crawfish were pretty tasty that we had for appetizers so we were both excited for our entree.  My po-boy was ok but I got it with cajun fries and they came out with fries and like 2 grains of seasoning.  I have learned that people in these parts do not know what "Tony's" is when you ask for it, so I've started asking for cajun seasoning, BUT, if I'm at a "Louisiana restaurant" they should know what Tony's is.....  When I asked for it, I got a blank stare..... 

All in all, the food was ok.  Ben's Lagniappe didn't sit very well with him, so needless to say, that will be our last time at The Big Easy Grille in Atlanta.  Now to continue to search....

Peachtree Road Race

I know this post is a bit late, but I'll explain why below....

Before the wedding, Ben and I were doing P90X.  I knew this would come to an end after the wedding was done, so I wanted to do something together that would help keep us fit.  I am NOT a runner, I repeat, I am NOT a runner!!  Somehow, I decided that I wanted to do the Peachtree Road Race (10K) with Ben this year.  In March, we got our acceptance into the race through the lottery process and then a few weeks later, I started training. 
Ben definitely helped me because I would have QUIT if I would not have had accountability!  Those last few weeks (end of June) were HOT!! I ran 6 miles twice before the race so I knew I was good to go, but I was still scared about coming in last place - of the 60,000 people that ran....
Long story short, we were in the last group of 60,000 racers on July 4.  I was nervous and excited....
We made it and I didn't come in last place.

My overview of the Peachtree Road Race is it's a fun and festive race that you must do once if you live in Atlanta because it's a staple.  If you are an avid runner and just going out for a morning stroll to enjoy the surroundings, then this is awesome!  Since we were in the last group, pretty much 75% of the people were walkers and there was no "etiquette" of moving so people could run, so we struggled with keeping a pace.  There was literally one time when Ben and I were the only ones running and trying to navigate between the thousands of walkers.  If we would have been in an earlier group, I know it would have been easier, but it was definitely a struggle. 

I ran, I conquered, and now I'm done!  Ben might do it again next year, but I am hanging up my running shoes and going back to P90X or something similar! 

As for why the post is so late....
I was waiting for the photos that we took throughout the race to get posted.  They were finally posted and 1 digital photo cost $29!!  I am NOT paying $29 for 1 digital photo!!  That's just absurd!!

It's a Party in the USA!

Miley Cyrus' song "It's a Party in the USA" never gets old!  Perhaps in 20 years it will be the new Lee Greenwood's "I'm Proud to Be an American"??  Probably not, but let's be honest, I LOVE them both!!

On Saturday night, Ben and I threw our first party at the new casa!  I definitely went overboard by doing all the cooking and decorating, but whoever called me practical??  We had burgers, dips, pasta salad, and a dessert bar - many things were "Pinterest inspired".  We had over 40 people in the 101 degree weather, but with our friends, there is never a dull moment.  Lots of laughs and fun were had by all!  Enjoy a little glimpse "pre-guest arrival".

My new favorite cooking tool - decorative icing kit.  Super quick & easy!  The tall cake toppers were downloaded free from an online store and then I glued them together.

 These balls were not Ben's friend!  They kept falling throughout the day, BUT one never fell during the party!

With a ladder, a rock tied onto fishing line, Ben got creative in hanging these balls from the tree over the patio.

We tried to re-create Miami Vice drinks that we had on our honeymoon because they were red, white, and blue.  Unfortunately, when they are not delivered by your butlers Jashayne & Orlando, they are just not as good :(