'where-you-At'lanta?

For the Mr.'s birthday and father's day combo gift, I took him to a skateboarding exhibit in Atlanta at the Museum of Design. This trip warranted note on a blog as it was filled with hair pulling, amusement, delight, upset and frustration. We started our journey from Greenville after a beautiful meal of Indian fare to celebrate my 31derful years of life. As soon as we get on the highway, we were stopped because of an accident; enter GPS. Our friend Agnes, the Garmin, told us a route to bypass the traffic which worked slightly until we figured out the rest. The ride was smooth hereafter and we arrived at the hotel at about 2130. I was pleasantly welcomed to a cool, breezy evening, friendly service and glass of red. A nice end to a nice day.

This morning we headed to the lobby and were greeted with a crowd of buffet-goers, and this should have been expected with a freebie breakfast. I imagine it was busier than usual since there were some family reunions happening. We grumbled through and found some sub-par eats and headed on our way. With slightly empty stomachs we decided to find another place for a meal on our way to the museum; one that would hold us over until dinner time. And so it starts.

The trip was calculated to be only 14 miles. Even in city driving, this should only be about 30 minutes. We left at 0930, followed Agnes' directions, albeit ridiculous for the most part and still by 1030 had not found our destination. If I would have seen Peachtree Center Ave NE once more, I would have hurled a log. I had the address entered from online and the building numbers were within 0.3 miles of where we decided to park. We were fast approaching 1130. MODA was nowhere in sight. At this point we opted to head upstairs to a mall we found across from the garage, asked a security guy where the heck the museum was and had a slice before going back to the car and driving some more. Prior, we walked to the address given, saw nothing and I called the museum. The problem: MODA moved and this was an old address. Fantastic! Additionally, as we were driving out of the garage, we realized it was one you needed to pay before you left so we parked again, paid and left.

We entered the new address into our phone's GPS and continued. Irritated as all heck, we found another garage, parked and went on our way. We still had no idea where we were, bumped into a nice guy from LA who was also lost and confused and our trio walked together and FINALLY found our museums. He was headed to High and we, across the street. Success!

Needless to say, we are a tired pair tonight but we had a really nice time. Zach was able to meet one of his favorite artists along with his wife and young son. It was a really great experience and we enjoyed (once we got there). Moral: do not head into Atlanta on GPS alone. Get your act together beforehand.

The Greener Things

It is of no surprise to me that the sayings 'green with envy' and 'the grass is always greener' are similar. Not only because of their color choices but both reflect a longing to have something you do not. You may indeed be envious of your neighbor's lawn but these quotes hold true of always wanting something more. Having recently moved from the outskirts of bustling metropolis back to not, I can safely admit both statements are descriptive of my mood.

The thought of living near a city has always been attractive. Things to do, places to see; endless entertainment. A place where people are not just like one another, a place to learn and somewhere people want to visit. This is what we had for 2.5 years. It was fabulous. We met wonderful people, ate wonderful food, did a bit of traveling, had some relatives near that we usually do not and had a place to work on the resume a bit and gain more than life experiences. However, on the side, I felt sad to be far away from those in the south and wondered what it would be like to there again. After a visit with family in July and September, we made a decision to move. It was not an easy one and I still think about whether it was the right one. We have our reasons for coming back and we are sticking with it. However, a day does not pass that we think about what we gave up and who we left behind. If I dwell on it too long, I get sad.

My green of the north is that the weather suits me, the landscape is beautiful, the people we met and became friends with are there and relatives live there. My heart will always be in New England. I love four seasons and if I have to shovel and wear boots to have a tolerable summer, than so be it. My one and only gripe - $$.

My green of the south is that the rest of the family is here, the babe can be near her family and cost of living makes me sane. The coast is beautiful and I have dear friends that live here also. I don't have to shovel and my rent is dreamy.

Everything has it's price and it's making the best of the situation. We are trying to learn that and be content and I am happy knowing my New England is just a short flight away.