Plush Alligator Attacks

No, not really. Though mascots can cause some real havoc at kids birthday parties. Kids don't know whether to cry or hug them.
My adorable niece Ava turned 3 last weekend. Finally in town for her birthday I got to experience what was Avapalooza.
Mort drove up from Florida for the event and finally got to meet Pete & Adi who I'd been telling him about for years. We all wanted to go golfing but the weather didn't cooperate. Very disappointing.

Kim is a great mom - you should have seen us getting balloons in and out of her car the day of the party. Looming thunderstorms and strong winds always on the cusp of a storm.
Ken arranged for two huge bouncy houses and I knew, oh yes I knew that I was going to finally get in one of those things.
No small children were harmed from the antics of a 33 year old girl jumping around inside an inflated enclosed space complete with double slides, tunnels and obstacle courses. Oh and thanks for getting in there with me Adi.

Tornado Damage & International Travelers Return Home

We toured the downtown area shortly after the tornado. Some streets were still blocked off due to broken glass hanging from windows far above the street.
























































Spring has also hit Georgia and every day there is something new coming into bloom. Cherry trees, tulips, pansies, and explosions of paper white dogwood flowers.
Sunny skies one day and warm thunderstorms the next. I am loving the weather. On warm weekdays, people fill up the park as if it were a weekend. It doesn't get cold when it gets dark rather the temperature maintains well into the night.

Rob spent the last week in March in Belize visiting his brother Scott who left city life behind in Seattle and broke for tropical paradise for the foreseeable future.
Rob left without confirmation that Scott knew he was coming to see him and through the help of some island locals he was guided to Scott's house after a day full of travel and the two brothers enjoyed a week together.
Rob sent home regular photo updates of things like trained baby raccoons, drunk Brits and typical island life. Click here to view his albums on Picasa.
He did come home with some exotic treats such as beer and a cookbook filled with Belizian recipes (lucky me, I got an authentic dinner).
I missed him very much and started my new job while he was gone.













Adi and Pete were also gone at this time. Their destination was Argentina for 10 days.
Check Adi's blog for that recap - coming soon.










Yep, I was pretty much jealous of all of them as I descended into the subway system to make my commute to Buckhead every day. Never underestimate the power of souvenirs people.

Downtown Atlanta Tornado

Thanks for all your emails and phone calls. We are fine and were actually in Newnan when the tornado hit downtown Atlanta. The worst damage is a few miles away from our loft. Click here for more on the tornado.

Famous Blue Raincoat













Kim told me yesterday that Leonard Cohen is going on one more worldwide tour.
This is one of those appearances that you wait half your life for. I've been reading and listening to Leonard Cohen for almost 20 years. I found him in a library when I was 16 and swooned like every other Canadian who takes pride in this national treasure.
Sitting in front of Ticketmaster this morning, credit card in hand, I pulled the trigger.
A trip to Toronto to see Mr. Cohen in June then finally, showing Rob my old neighborhoods in La Belle Ville of Montreal after the show.
Some things are worth charging. You know I'll never regret it.

Hello Ball

I haven't been writing as my efforts have been dedicated to seeking employment here in Atlanta. It's a full time job often performed from early morning to mid-afternoon. It's a bigger market than Santa Barbara and potential employers have been candid in relaying that they receive upwards of 200 applicants for open positions.
I found a really useful online service that has helped me in my search: Hound.com. They scan company Careers pages directly rather than provide a third party posting service like Monster.com. It's been an easy way to familiarize myself with companies that are located in Atlanta or the Atlanta area.
I have a 2nd interview this week with a company in Buckhead that provides data management services. It may sound dry but it's a Product Management specific role and the company is currently quite small. I think I could have an impact there. More on that as it develops.

A couple Saturdays ago Kim got Rob and I onto the green at White Oak, a Canongate Golf course. The weather was perfect and Kim dressed me up in proper attire. I've relapsed into jeans and t-shirts every day again.













My sister is impressive. She can hit the #$% out of the ball and has a very pretty swing that I aspire to have one day. Plus she looks adorable in an argile sweater vest.
I saw photos of my swing. It is U-G-L-Y. I did however make contact with the ball 90% of the time which Kim tells me is a good sign. I only lost one of my custom balls in the water (5th hole?). Mort gave each of us a box of personalized golf balls for Christmas...













Yes, it says HOMBRE because that's my nickname. Yes, it means Man in Spanish. I assure you, I am a girl. It was given to me years ago and it just stuck.
I caught air on the last of our 9 holes and intend to schedule the lesson with a pro that Rob gave me for my birthday. I can see how this game can be addictive. Thanks for my inaugural game Kim!










Oh - and the latest on my parents who I found out unexpectedly were in Mexico for weeks...













They are alive and my dad even learned to scuba. Not bad for a ~ahem~ 39 year old.

Atlanta Oddities

Nearing the three month mark of living in Georgia, we have noticed some strange things here.

1. Hand made license plate"tabs". These are everywhere though this is the best one I've seen so far:










2. The Dwarf House at Chick-Fil-A which is a local chain of scrumptious chicken and biscuit restaurants. How do dwarfs play into this tasty equation?













3. A game called Big Buck Hunter:













4. Tornado warnings every second day. Seriously, the weather takes up about half the local news programming:










It did rain harder than I've ever seen it rain anywhere. Normally at 5pm it would still be light out. Not that day...










5. Unexplainable signs that can't be for real...but they are! For instance:










Along with our search for these oddities we have also been continuing to search for a good match in our professional lives. Rob is extremely popular this week with interviews almost every day. My search has not led me to a company or position that has been a good fit yet. I'm considering a career at Kinko's or perhaps a professional dog walker.

In between job hunting, cooking up a storm and enjoying the warmer weather in the city I got to spend some time with my sister and niece this week. The Georgia Aquarium should be considered a wonder of the world. It houses the world's largest tank, about the size of a football field. At almost $30 for general admission I really hoped it would be worth it and it was, especially since Kim treated.

Behold




















































You're asking yourself - could that kid be any cuter? I think not.
It was a great day with family.

Later in the day as Rob watched Ava, Kim accompanied me to an appointment. We both love to cook. So why not check out Le Cordon Bleu Atlanta Academy? Yep, a full tour of the facilities, expectations and cost. At a whopping $39,000 it is a dream that might need to wait a little while.
Note: if you have found this blog and happen to want to make a donation towards um, bandwidth in the amount of $39,000 that would be swell.
I'm glad I went to check it out and even more so that my sister went with me.
That's the kind of day I moved here for.

Happy V-Day Baby

Breakfast by Rob. Awwww!