TODAY

I am grateful for...

1. family
2. friends
3. answers to prayers
4. the past
5. the future
6. freedom to choose
7. warmth
8. hope
9. love
10. forgiveness

BELIEVE IT!

Dear Cafe Rio Employees,

When I decline your offer for dressing, it is because I don't want any. No need to ask me three times and then give it to me anyway... Over the years, you have wasted gallons of dressing on an unappreciative recipient.

Gracias for your future efforts on my behalf,
R

GONE WITH THE WIND

In honor of Pioneer Day, I trekked across the country last weekend to visit my friend, Kristan, in Atlanta. Oh, Atlanta!

We started the trip off right by going to the Margaret Mitchell House, which is the birthplace of "Gone With the Wind." Peggy wrote most of the novel in a small apartment on Peachtree Street, which has been converted to a museum dedicated to her and her wonderful novel. The tour guide told us that "Gone With the Wind" is the second best-selling work of all time, topped only by the Bible. Wow!

While at the MMH, we had made a vow to never be hungry again, so we decided it would be prudent to head to Mary Mac's Tea Room for some lunch. The place was hopping, the waitress was enthusiastic, and for the first time in my life, I was a minority in the room. I thought the restaurant was delightful, and it definitely satisfied my desire for some homemade Southern Cooking. The waitress made us try some sort of soup made out of turnip greens, which was surprisingly delicious, despite its putrid color. I also tried fried green tomatoes for the first time, which were surprisingly mediocre, despite their being fried. The dumplins were divine, though, as were the macaroni & cheese and sweet potato souffle. Maybe it wasn't the most balanced meal, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

After lunch, we made our first attempt at visiting the High Museum of Art. Our plan was foiled when we unexpectedly punctured a tire and had to wait for that to be repaired. This was for the best anyway, as we didn't really want to go anywhere that wasn't named after a lady with "M" alliteration in her name. So we drove back to Krissy's home in Roswell and decided to tell Atlanta Proper "Au Revoir" for the day. We went to dinner with Kristan's hilariously loud family, picked up ice cream at a place called Brewster's, then hunkered down to watch a James Bond flick.

Saturday we went to breakfast at the Flying Biscuit, which is a campy little joint with pretty good food. Kristan let me try her grits, and I think I ate more of them than she did, since they were a novelty to me. Naturally, we went to the pool after breakfast, where I got fried in a few random spots (clearly my sunscreen application wasn't quite consistent). The gals in Kristan's family are ridiculously tan, so I think they could have stayed there all day, but we were running out of time, so Kristan and I took off for our second (and more successful) attempt of visiting the High Museum of Art, which was a fairly nice museum. Kristan blogged about an exhibit called On the Beach which was fabulously interesting. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I think it is something you have to see to really appreciate why it is so great, but trust us, okay?

The Varsity is supposedly the world's largest drive-in restaurant, and I believe it. It was ginormous! We didn't dare really eat there, since we could smell the grease from about 3 miles away, but we tried the "F.O." beverages (Frozen Orange), which basically tasted like a slushified Dreamsicle. Yum!

Next we began our drive past millions of churches to the Disneyland of Georgia (which is not anything like Disneyland). Yes, that's right. Ever heard of Stone Mountain? Droves of Southerners go there nightly to watch the Laser Show Spectacular, which is pretty much weird. That's the only word that really comes to mind when I reflect upon my S.M. experience. It was definitely weird. And did I mention weird? They basically do a laser show on the side of a rock they affectionately call a mountain. Whoever "they" is. Anyway, here's a tidbit: the guy who sculpted Mount Rushmore began the etching on Stone Mountain but abandoned it when the Mount Rushmore commission was offered. Some other guy had to finish it. Anyway, we had fun sitting out on the grass and eating our picnic dinner whilst talking/playing cards/people watching prior to the show.

Sunday we went to church, then to see an antebellum (pre-Civil war) home called Bulloch Hall. The museum docent was very knowledgeable, and it turned out that we picked a great house to visit, as it is the location where Teddy Roosevelt's mother grew up, and thus where his parents were wed. I would love to own a house like that someday... so much character!

We ate dinner at Kristan's grandmother's home, then headed to the airport. It was a fabulously fun-filled weekend. Thanks for being such a great tour guide, Krissy!

I felt so busy throughout this week, but when I stopped to think about everything I did, I realized the list mostly consisted of entertainment....

I watched "The Great Gatsby" with Mike, Chrissy, and Jacque on Monday night after a pool party at the home of one of our church leaders. To be honest, I LOVE the book, but cannot, in good conscience, recommend the movie. It was so looooooooooooooooooooooong and drawn out. Not only is the book 3,000,000 times better, you could probably read it just as fast. Consider yourself warned.

I finished "Year of Wonders," which is a novel about a small town in rural England that is afflicted with the plague. The residents decide to quarantine themselves from the neighboring towns, and several folks turn a little bit kooky in their hopeless and desperate isolation (a la "Lord of the Flies").

I went to Welfare Square and helped bag bread in the bakery, which I guarantee was more fun than it sounds, thanks to fun folks who were there.

I watched "Australia" with my cousin Caprice. Hell-o Hugh Jackman! Everyone kept saying the movie was really long (which it was), but it was interesting. It made me wonder how I would fare in the Australian outback. If you haven't seen it, you might want to add it to your list.

I read an amazing book called "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." It was a real page-turner, so it only took me a day to read it. The style of the writer was definitely fascinating. Also, the subject matter was emotionally intense. I'm not kidding when I say I couldn't put it down.

I watched "Gone With the Wind" in preparation for my upcoming trip to Atlanta. I thought it would be great to brush up on my history of the Old South so that I can appreciate the things I see when I'm there. The Margaret Mitchell House is definitely on the list.

Well, that's all for now. Until next time.... ciao.

INSPIRATIONAL?

FOR THE CAUSE...

My friend Betsey organized a team for Relay for Life, which is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. The idea is that someone from each team walks all night long from 6 p.m. until noon the next day as a demonstration that we will not give up on the fight against cancer. Let's just say that it turned out to be an interesting night...

Here are some highlights (in order of occurrence):

Josh belts out some karaoke (and likes it).

Tyler and Mike set up some tents.

In the process, Mike discovers that we possess a perfect lightning rod for the impending thunderstorm.

Josh and Betsey start quacking.

Mike, Elizabeth, and I act really natural while Josh snaps our photo.

(Yes, this photo is blurry/cheesy, but is the only evidence that I was there...)

Elizabeth and Kate bundle up.

Mike loses his head.

Betsey blows away.

'Twas a fun-filled night, despite the lack of sleep. The weather provided an adventure for us all... not only was it raining/lightning part of the night, but the wind at the mouth of the canyon wasn't exactly soothing. Let's just say that the event started out with nearly 500 people, and ended EARLY with only about 100 remaining.

Yes, other folks quit when their tents started blowing down the hill, but our team held out strong all night. I will do it again next year (hoping for better weather, of course).

BON APPETIT!

I just finished Julia Child's autobiography, My Life in France, which was delightful, to say the least! Julia and her husband, Paul, were both very passionate people, and this book made me feel like they truly lived life to its fullest. I loved reading about their relationship with each other, and the different ways they were able to support one other through various periods of time. Although I know practically nothing about cooking and wine, it was fun to learn a little about the technicalities of the cooking process that Julia worked so hard to perfect for her cookbooks. Also, the novel was filled with a smattering of Paul's photographs, which were impressive, to say the least. If you're looking for a good read, I highly recommend this. The book will make any reasonable human want to go to Paris.

I was fascinated to hear about Julia's intensity and focus in life. She might have been hard to be friends with, due to a highly dominating personality (just speculating), but here is a photo of the two of us, taken a few summers ago at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. I would love to go back and spend more time dissecting the replica of her kitchen sometime soon...

But in the meantime, bon appetit!