Atlanta: Part II

Our next stop was World of Coca Cola.  Some say that World of Coca Cola is just a huge Coke commercial...I would have to agree.  Atlanta is world headquarters for Coca Cola.  Coca Cola was invented in Atlanta in 1886 by John Pemberton.  It was first sold in soda shops like the one below where the syrup was added to fizzy water while customers sat at he bar.

This little kissy monster is in the new Coca Cola campaign entitled...Open Happiness.

We saw tons of Coca Cola merchandise...

We also saw a 3D movie.

I had some slight technical difficulties with my 3D glasses...yes my ears are crooked...very crooked.

Our favorite part of World of Coca Cola was the "Taste It" exhibit.  We entered a huge room with Coca Cola products from around the world.  We got to taste test whatever we wanted too.  Some made us cringe and some we wanted more of. 

We watched how Coca Cola was bottled and were given a commemorative bottle to take home.

All I have to say is that Coca Cola has done an amazing job of marketing their brand.  The marketing continued as we walked out through the gift shop.  People literally had baskets full of merchandise they were purchasing.

Atlanta: Part I

Seth and I just got back from our most recent adventure...a trip to Atlanta.  Our birthdays and Valentine's all fall within 3 weeks.  We decided to celebrate these events all at once with a little getaway.  We hoped in the car Thursday afternoon when I got home from work.   After about an hour of driving we were back to 3 lanes freeway and about a half hour after that we started to hit the traffic of Atlanta 

After checking into our hotel we went to dinner at The Highlander a bar which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  We shared a bowl of their famous Jamaican Jerk Chili...wow was it spicy.  It came with three jalapeno corn fritters...basically a corn and jalapeno flavored doughnut.  We also tried a couple sandwiches.  We ventured to downtown to get our bearings for our next day. 

Friday morning we headed out really early.  We found a sweet parking spot downtown and were some of the first people to walk through Centennial Olympic Park.  Yes it was just us and the homeless people.  Slightly terrifying but I knew Seth would protect me.  Seth favorite sculpture was the one pictured below.

 

We made an attempt to imitate this work of art... 

After dinking around in the park we headed across the street to CNN.  We started it by taking the escalator on the right up eight flights.  This escalator just has supports at the very bottom and the very top. We visited a simulated control room to see how the producers line-up feeds and keep the show going.  We also visited a sample studio to see a TelePrompter and green screen in action.  We watched a live broadcast and saw the production room where reporters were preparing upcoming stories.  I couldn't help but think of my sister-in-law Mary, who works in broadcasting.  I can just imagine her producing one of these shows.  She would have definitely loved the tour. 

 

Seth found a penny machine...it made a Ben 10 cartoon penny.  Ben 10 happens to be his favorite cartoon besides Phineas and Ferb.  Oh the simple joys in life.  

 

 

Happy Birthday Hannah!

We hope you have a wonderful day!  We can think of at least eight reasons why we love you...

1. You are a great cuddler

2. You are CUTE

3. You have a great laugh

4. You are fun to tickle and you always come back for more

5. You are related to us

6. Only your right foot smells

7.  You love to wear dresses

8.  Your name is spelled the same going in both directions

Jalapeno Popcorn

Seth's new favorite treat is Jalapeno popcorn.  He has made it twice in the last week.  He adds some cut up Jalapeno to a little oil and heats it up.  Then he adds the popcorn and lets it pop away.

He made it the first time while I was away.  When I came home he said that it was hot...I took a bite and then a second later the flavor hit.  This stuff is hot.

P.S. Checkout Seth's haircut.  I have just assisted him before...but this time I bit the bullet and held those shaky trimmers.  Not to bad...if I do say so myself.

Valentine's Dinner Party

We invited some friends over for dinner last week.  They have three sweet kiddos so we wanted to do something special.  It was the day before Valentine's Day so hearts became our theme.  We prepared some heart-shaped pizzas for the kids to put their own toppings on.

Seth prepared a huge variety of toppings.  All of the kids picked cheese as their toppings.  My favorite combo was pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese.

The kids liked the pizzas...but they loved decorating sugar cookies for dessert.

Thanks for coming over...it was fun to celebrate with all of you!

Birthday Blessings

My birthday was last week.  I'm lucky enough to share a birthday with my sweet Dad.  This was one of the first years that we have been apart on our birthday  We talked on the phone and he promised to wait to order a marzipan until I can be home to share it with him.

This was my first married birthday.  I was surprised when these flowers appeared.  FYI: We have just one car and I had it all week.  Somehow Seth managed to get these flowers.  I asked him how and he insisted that it remain a mystery...I have a feeling he may have gone a very cold scooter ride while I was away at a RS Activity.  What a sweetheart.

 

My best friend sent me the game Qwirkle.  We were introduced to it at a New Years Day party and have been wanting it ever since.  We have already played it twice.  I think I may be an addict.

My parents sent me a wheat grinder.  I have been desperately missing my Mom's homemade wheat rolls.  Seth agrees that this present was as much for him as it was for me. 

Here is a picture of our first batch...

Thank you all for your birthday wishes!  I loved talking to family and friends on the big day. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Reason #5

Seth is pretty handy...and he proved it once again.  It all started with the snow storm last month.  The snow storm kept us out of school for almost a week and kept us in our apartment for almost as long.  When we got around to cleaning the snow off our car we noticed that the driver's side windshield wiper was acting a little funny.  Well in the excitement of school being canceled, our trip to the BMW factory, and our weekend in Phoenix we forgot all about the windshield wiper. 

Flash forward to the night we arrive home from our Phoenix trip.  It is after midnight...our plane touches down...we take the shuttle out to long term parking...we scurry to our car in the drizzling rain...we turn on the windshield wiper...nothing happens.  We assess our situation...it is after midnight on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we are over two hours from our apartment, no car repair shops are open.  We did the only thing we could...we prayed.   We made it home safely.  

The next day when we got up it was still raining.  We had just 3-4 hours of sleep and had to get to school and work.  Well, we made it to our destinations and the rain continued.  We made it home that night,  with stops along the way to manually move the windshield wiper.  When I called the dealership they indicated that if the windshield wiper had frozen to the windshield in the storm that the part would cost $300-400.  I got a little frazzled because $300-400 is no small chunk of change.  Of course this happens less than a month after the warranty on our car expired.  The dealer also suggested that we attempt to tighten the windshield wiper bolt.  I told Seth and the next day he headed out with his tool box and fixed the windshield wiper.  I do realize that I probably could have tightened the bolt myself but with that said it sure is nice to have someone around to do it for me.

P.S. We are planning a little get-away to Atlanta.  This place has held a special place in my heart ever since the 1996 Olympics.  I watched every moment of the Gymnastic competition and loved seeing the U.S. team win the gold.  There is so much to see and do in Atlanta...this may just be the first of many trips.