Signs of Spring

Spring has definitely arrived in Atlanta! I took this picture outside of a cute speciality foods shop in my neighborhood. They make all sorts of wonderful homemade spreads, pestos and spice mixes. Just walking in there makes me want to plan an elaborate picnic in the park! Although Bella Cucina is a local Atlanta company, they have been featured in Southern Living and on Oprah! Check out their website at http://www.bellacucina.com/shop.asp
Happy Spring!

Good things to remember.....

Happy Tuesday!

Finally, a house update!

A couple of more recent pictures of the renovation. Here's the front:

And from the back. The backyard is really sloped so we added a retaining wall so the yard will be more usable.

A list kind of day

I've been neglectful of my blog lately so here's a recap of what's been going on lately. In list form, because I love lists!

• Finally joining a yoga studio and starting to practice more regularly
• Spending a long weekend in NYC to celebrate my 30th birthday!
• Seeing Wicked in NYC
• Driving 2,241 miles - from Atlanta to Richmond, VA and back for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Shopping for and wrapping Christmas gifts
• Christmas in Virginia with both families
• Holiday parties, holiday parties, holiday parties
• Self-assessment/review period at work
• Making an overwhelming amount of decisions relating to the (re) construction of our house (pictures coming tomorrow!)
• A low-key New Year's Eve celebration with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Wisteria, and a nice bottle of champagne at home with Jackson (he even gets a little sip!)
• And since it's now snowing and freezing cold in Atlanta, I thought this little note that I saw on the fun blog of a fellow Atlantan was appropriate:

That pretty much sums it up! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season!

puppy talk

Last night, we were having dinner with some Junior League friends and their husbands and we started talking about our dogs. Oddly enough, we all admitted to having a "dog voice". For example, when I get home from work and ask Jackson how his day was, Cary will respond in "Jackson's voice". So now I'm curious - who else has a voice for their dog??

sample sale anyone?

Kate Spade is having an online sample sale!

Click here: http://www.katespade.com/samplesale/login.jsp and enter your email address, which puts you on their emailing list.

Happy Shopping!

busy, busy weekend

I just love when my weekends are full of fun activities and this weekend definitely delivered!
Saturday morning started off with the JLA bus tour. We started out at Zoo Atlanta where we watched the adorable pandas (I wanted to bring the baby one home with me!), the parakeets, and the lions - while learning about the zoo and the volunteer opportunities there. Next up was Atlanta Community Food Bank and Atlanta Union Mission. All three stops were extremely interesting, educational and eye-opening!

After the bus tour, I sadly had to pass up lunch at Taqueria del Sol with my provisional class to run a few errands then stopped by the house and chatted with our contractor and finally headed home for a quick lunch before leaving for an alumni event.

The event, a fundraiser for a scholarship fund at my school, was a big success and tons of fun with bbq, local beer, and Yacht Rock Revue - a fun and highly entertaining local band.

After some much-needed sleeping in Sunday morning, Cary and I took Jackson on a super-long walk around our neighborhood debating the pros and cons of various window styles. I think we finally narrowed it down to 4 styles! Next up tonight - roof shingles and doors! The excitement never stops...

Is it just me, or does the end of the year seem to speed up and get even more busy?