To Do List: #1 Floss

I went for my first dentist visit in years. I was excited about having my teeth cleaned, but worried about cavities (with good reason). I was not prepared for the news. The dental hygienist (I think that is what they are called) talked me through some concerns on x-rays. She identified about 4-5 trouble spots to further investigate. While cleaning, she found a broken filling that she was amazed it was not causing me a lot of pain. So now we are up to 5-6. The Dentist comes in and points out another trouble spot. And was sure that the broken filling was what brought me in. So, in case you haven't kept count, I have 7 cavities. Ouch! I am about to get to know the dentist fairly well.

Saturday in Atlanta, Part 1

We woke up on Saturday and attempted to prepare for a very wet day ahead. We found our starting spot for the MARTA (public train/subway thing), parked the car, bought our visitor passes and we loaded the train. We decided what station we needed to get off and starting walking through the rain. We probably walked about 6 blocks in the rain and you could definitely tell by the time we made it to the CNN building. I had on galoshes and a rain coat, but the area in between my jeans were soaking wet. Everything went smoothly in getting tickets for the CNN tour and we waited about 40 minutes for our tour to begin. The tour was very interesting and we got to see a lot of behind the scenes stuff.

Next we decided to head over to the Coca-Cola Museum. Thankfully it was only drizzling at this point, so it was smooth walking. I had sweet memories of the Coca-Cola Museum from my childhood and I was excited to see what it was like as an adult. Overall, it was very interesting, but chaotic. I did learn what 4-D theater is...3-D plus moving seats. I actually felt old in the 4-D theater because I felt sick with all that stuff occurring. I remember my mom commenting on that in IMAX theaters when I was younger. The tour ends with tasting of Coke products from around the world. Since I don't drink carbonated drinks, I left most of the tasting to Zach. He was brave and tasted Italy's Beverly. You can see his reaction below.

Next it was back to the MARTA to find The Flying Biscuit for some lunch. Once again it was only a light rain/drizzle to the diner. We enjoyed a wonderful meal, especially the biscuits and grits. As we were eating, the sky opened up and Zach and I got a little worried. We were several blocks from the MARTA and it was going to be a long walk. Thankfully it calmed back down just as we finished our meal and we had easy walk back to the MARTA.

Stay tuned to find out what happened after our 3pm lunch.

Home, Not So Sweet, Home

Zach and I had a wonderful weekend together. I have a long blog that I will be writing soon about this past weekend, but until then...Zach and I arrived home today to a cold home. I commented that it probably just felt cold because we had been in a warm hotel room and we keep our thermostat pretty low (60-65*F) at home. We unpacked and started catching up on email, etc. I went and checked out the thermostat which said that it was 59*, but that the thermostat was set to 65* (65* is our treat on the weekends). I manually turned on the heat and cold air blew out of the vents. We turned it back off and headed out to church. On our drive and probably during church, I was thinking through the options. We know that the heating unit is working because it is blowing air, so it is not power (fuse, etc) . The pilot light on the fireplace was on, so it was not the gas. I thought it must be the pilot light in the heating/cooling system. Unfortunately, we do not have any booklets on the machine, so we were left to our own devices. We figured out how to take off several panels and we began looking around. Zach correctly identified where a pilot light should be, but there were no switches, buttons, etc. I phoned a guy in our neighborhood who happens to own a heating and cooling company to see if he could help us light the pilot. Unfortunately, he was already in bed, but his son came over to see if he could help. His son informed us that our unit ignites the pilot light each time the heat turns on and turns off when the heater is not running. News to me. This means that our problem is bigger than the pilot light. We will be calling a service man tomorrow:(

One Free Donut

For several weeks, Zach and I have planned on going on a trip together this weekend. We could never decide where to go. At first we were going to West Virginia, and then to Kentucky Kingdom, and then canoeing or to the beach. As the weekend approached, we discovered that none of these would be good options because the weather forecast called for rain (thunderstorms to be exact) in every single one of these places. So, last night after work we decided we would head to Atlanta because there should be plenty of indoor activities to keep us busy. We hit the road without any idea what we were going to do, where we were going to stay, etc. We found a hotel and eventually made it to the hotel. Right before we made it to the hotel, Zach spotted a Dunkin' Donuts sign and so after checking in, we headed to the Dunkin' Donuts. Inside, Zach asked for a chocolate kreme donut and the guy told him they were all out. After pointing out the one he wanted that said chocolate kreme under it, the guy said, "oh, chocolate kreme, yes we have that one" and proceeded to pick up two donuts. I interjected to say we only wanted one, there was some short conversation tossed back and forth that I didn't really follow as he put 2 donuts in the bag. As he was turning around he asked, "Is there any other ones you want to try." I said, "no thank you" as he reached for a strawberry frosted and filled donut to put in our bag. We were charged for one donut and we headed out. Zach ate the one donut he asked for and the others are sitting in our room.

Shopping Spree

Over the past week or so, I have been on a shopping spree (well as much of one as I am capable of). I began searching for a light weight comfortable spring/summer dress and ended up with a few more pieces. I am actually really excited to have new clothes and I think that says something about how often I buy new clothes Zach and I hardly ever spend money on clothing or even go shopping at all. It has probably been over a year since I have bought anything fun for myself. Through the process, I was reminded out of style I am and how my body is not conducive to the new styles. One of the main styles that is frustrating me right now are short dresses. I don't know how many spring dresses I tried on that hit well above my knee to make them look strange on me. All this to say, if you see me in something that you haven't seen before, be sure to compliment me;

Chandelier Changes

I wish that I had a before picture of our chandelier in our entry way, but I guess I wish not to remember it. I did take a picture of one of the panes of glass with a flower etched in it so that you can get a hint of what it looked like. Let me describe to you the old chandelier that did not at all mesh with who I am. Picture a small gold chandelier that has 5 arms. Already not me right? Now add a shade of sorts that surrounded the chandelier made of glass panels (one for each arm of the chandelier) with an etched flower in it. Really, really not me. It gave me sore feeling every time I had to turn it on. I had a friend come over to brain storm how we could change this ordeal. My friend suggested spray painting the old chandelier black and then changing out the glass panels for beads, ribbon, fabric, etc. I liked this idea and spent weeks searching for something to replace the glass panels. I could never seem to find the right thing. The other night, I had finally finished spray painting the chandelier and Zach suggested adding round frosted bulbs to it and not worrying about having any kind of shade for it. So, up it went and now we have a much more Marna Jane pleasing light in our entry way.

The Old (or part of)

The New (or redone)

Photos

I believe I mentioned that our friend took pictures of Zach and I in wedding garb. She is going to begin shooting with a wedding photographer here in town and needed volunteers to help build her portfolio. I thought I would share some photos with you and if you want to see all of them you can go to www.pictage.com/630351

Family Time

As mentioned before, I decided to go home and spend some time with my family over my Spring Break. Not long after I made it to Birmingham, I scooted over to my grandparents to attempt to cook them dinner. It was an amazing time with my grandparents. It is not often that I get to spend one on one time with my grandparents and this precious time with them was unbelievable.

The next day (Wednesday), I spent the day with my grandmother and my cousin at my grandparents house. I really enjoyed catching up with my cousin as we spent time with my grandmother. We spent time looking through old photo albums and just staring at how handsome my grandfather was as a young man, as well as what a beautiful lady my grandmother was. My grandmother was always in a cute dress with her hair done perfectly. There was even a picture of her in the snow in her heels. We eventually came to photos of our own parents as children and had a ball seeing them dolled up for Easter, etc all the way down the white gloves. That night I went out to eat with my grandparents and my immediate family. Very yummy and enjoyable.

Yesterday (Thursday), I got to take my little cousin Lilly to the zoo. She is 3 years old and a doll. She walked for many hours around the zoo taking in the many animals. Lilly loves animals and is not usually scared around animals. She got to pet a groundhog and a ferret. As well as, feed a macaw and a flamingo. The list of animals we saw is endless. I was amazed that she walked for hours while still being very polite in saying "may I please see the map," or "may we see another animal please." What an amazing little lady. She let me know that she was ready to go while we were in line to feed the giraffe by looking up at me and asking "will you take me home to my mommy please."

Feeding a Lorikeet

"Choo, choo!"

Being naturally beautiful

Following the zoo, my mom and I helped to work out the plans for The Farewell Drifters to play in Birmingham on April 3rd. Then I went and got Milo's for dinner. Yum Yum. After dinner, Meredith came over and we talked for a while. What an amazing visit. Probably the best in a very long time. Yea for adult Spring Break!

Rabbit Rescue

I am excited to have something to share. I warn you that it not all happy, but I am going to share anyways. This morning Sheba, our cat, was playing with something in our room. She enjoys playing with twist ties and so I assumed that was what it was and didn't get up to check. After some amount of time, I came out of my sleep enough to think, "oh no, she has been playing with something for too long and hard for it to be a twist tie." I immediately jumped up out of bed to indeed find Sheba playing with a small live animal. Remember I had been awoken from my sleep, so I didn't know what it was yet. I grabbed Sheba and threw her in the closet while Zach got dressed to take the animal outside. At first I thought it was a mouse, but then thought it too big, but I knew it wasn't a rat. I forget what Zach guessed, but he was wrong too. My next guess was a chipmunk. Well, I turned on the light and got close enough to realize it was a tiny little cottontail rabbit. Unfortunately, Sheba had injured the bunny and it was not in good shape. We took the bunny outside and then freed Sheba. I took to cleaning the blood from the carpet while Zach when back to sleep. I got back in bed for a short period before I hear Sheba come back in the cat door and into our room. Of course she had another little bunny in her mouth. I made her drop it and I picked it up in a towel. I started calling vets (and my mom). Unfortunately, I had to wait a little bit before the vets opened. I finally got in touch with a vet that recommended calling some wildlife rescue places. Walden Puddle had a great answering machine that gave me ideas of how to take care of the bunny until they opened and could get back to me. As I was doing this, Sheba came in with another bunny. (I know, I am not a fast learner.) I took both baby bunnies and put them in a shoe box together lined with towels and then placed the box on a heating blanket to keep them warm. I close the door to keep Sheba out of the room and went to find the den. I watched Sheba climb the fence into our backyard neighbors yard. I found the den, but I could not find any more babies. I saw what I believe to be the mom in the next yard over (which I could not get into). About this time Walden's Puddle called back and said that I would have to bring them in because cat saliva is poisonous to baby bunnies and that they needed antibiotics. Because of the situation, they are safer there than here, so they now have a new home for a couple of weeks before they will be released back into the wild:D

Adult Spring Break

Today as of 3pm, I am on Spring Break. This is my first Spring Break as a full time employee of a school system. I have been looking forward to the break for a while now. There was some stirring inside me that pulls from childhood memories going on a vacation with my family. As the break has approached, I have begun to realize that Spring Break as an adult is not nearly as much fun. At least not this year. Instead of going on a fun vacation, I have a list of work jobs to be done around the house. But no worries, hopefully I will get some things done and then I will go to Birmingham and spend some much needed time with my family.

Oh Yes

How could I forget to post about The Farewell Drifters. I just wanted to let everyone know that their website (www.thefarewelldrifters.com) got a major facelift, so you should check it out. Also, they just put out a 3 song "single" with 2 new songs and 1 cover.

What Nots

Budget

I am so happy to say that we finally made it through a month without any extra house or car expenses. Sad to say, that it did not last long. This month we have already had to take the Blazer in:(

Spring

I am so excited to see Spring arriving. I stole some more daffodils yesterday to replace my old dead ones. This Saturday and Sunday were in the mid 70s and sunny. It is amazing to me how it only takes a few days for plants to burst forth. There are so many more daffodils out and now all the pear/cherry trees are blossoming. It is so pretty. To take advantage of the weather, Zach picked up sticks out of the yard and cleaned up the "flower gardens". We have two small flower gardens that don't really make sense to me. Zach and I were dreaming of what we could do to the front yard to liven it up a bit. Maybe soon I will be attempting to grow things. We will see how that goes.

I feel like I had more to post, but it has left me for now.

A Meal for Me

As you might have read or heard about in person, I have become a bit frustrated with the grocery shopping and cooking on a budget. I don't care that much about dinner. I care about dessert, but not dinner. Last month, I made a new chart to compare prices between stores and Zach and I started writing out meals for the week. These things definitely helped, but I still felt like I needed a break. So, Zach is in charge and it feels amazing! Zach is in charge of getting the long list of groceries on the list and fitting a meal in between work and the evening's activities. Of course I know that he won't really experience what I experience since he won't really think much about it. He will just come home and find something to make, not thinking about how that meal will affect the entire month's budget or whether that is something that I would want that night. That is fine. At least I have a break. Today was wonderful. I came home and just relaxed trying to make my way through emails and find some way to overhaul our chandelier while Zach fixed dinner. I promise that meals taste better when you are not involved with the making of them. Mmmmm...what a night. I am definitely looking forward to many more meals made for me this month. I hope that it doesn't negatively affect next month (there I go again worrying about the future).