Reaching Here

Ok, so the feedback from the new buttons has had me all jazzed about posting more often and getting some more Love or Funnies (No Hate yet!?!).  Problem is, I'm out of things to say. Well, I mean, I always have things to say, but I'm plum out of things to say that I think anyone wants to hear about.  But then again, that's never stopped me before.

Here are the posts I have started writing in the past few days and then stopped for whatever reason:

1.  I know that I shouldn't compare myself to other people, but I can't help it.  Lately I feel like I'm comparing myself to others ALL. THE. TIME.  And it's not good for my sanity.  But yet, I still do.  I stop at this point because the rest of this post just makes me sound like I'm whining and feeling inferior than everyone else, and nobody wants to hear that.  So I'll end that woe-is-me post at that.  At least this shows I'm not always Polly Positive.

2.  I'm a much more sane person when I take time for myself.  The past few weeks I've done that a lot.  I went to Charleston with the girls two weekends ago and my soul was better for it.  We laughed, we exercised, we even danced in the VIP section of some bar we were much too old to be in.  It was an amazing trip (although, Lukas would disagree...).  This weekend I continued taking some time out for me - my ATL girlfriends and I went and got our hair did at The Dry Bar Saturday morning, went to brunch and shopping afterwards and then had a group Valentines Day date night that evening.  Mr. Cob and I sometimes talk about moving away from Atlanta, and then we think about how great our friends are here and realize they're irreplaceable.  We really are lucky to have such great friends.

3.  Apparently I get insomnia two hours after falling asleep if I drink more than two glasses of wine.  A grandmother who does overnight babysitting with the little man is a necessity if momma wants a night out.  Reason #452 we should never leave Atlanta.

4. Tomorrow Mr. Cob and I will celebrate our 7th Valentines Day together.  I don't remember what I got him for our first V-day together, but he bought me pink bowling shoes and we went bowling.  He gets me.  The way to my heart is through shoes. 

5.  The little man said "apple" and "elephant" (well, sort of, kind of, you could get there, really) this weekend.  Dude is going to start talking for real any day now. 

First Date Flashbacks

Grandma Sip Sip is babysitting Lukas overnight tonight.  That means Mr. Cob and I are going out on the town! 

And by out on the town I mean out to dinner with friends.  We're wild like that.

So as any reader of this blog knows, I'm pretty baby-centric these days.  I have been for the past 9 months and two days.  Oh wait, you better add 9 more months on to that for when I was pregnant and baby-centric.

Naturally, over that time we've tended to hang out with our other kidded couple friends or about-to-be parent friends.  This way we can all bring our babies along and still have a social life.  Our talks usually revolve around babies, with occasional side conversations about such things as "Lesbians who look like Justin Bieber" or other, intelligent topics.

But tonight we're going to dinner with some "no kid" friends.  They're not anti-kid (as far as I know), they just don't have kids yet.  And the worst thing you can do with your "no kid" friends is talk about your kid the entire time.  No one likes that parent.

So in an effort to not be that parent, I've been reading various newspapers and trying to brush up on current events so I can pretend that I know what is going on in the world.  I'm secretly (or, ehm, not so secretly now) coming up with an emergency list of topics to talk about that have nothing to do with kids.

Maybe Mr. Cob and I should come up with a "safe word" in case one of us heads down that dreaded path.

I feel like I'm going on a blind date.

And I thought my dating days were over.

Wish us luck!  And feel free to send me any hip, cool conversation topics.

And if you're reading this and having dinner with me tonight, know that I am really excited and have already picked out the bottle glass of wine I plan on ordering!

Hot in Hotlanta

You know summer is here in Atlanta when the sweat, I mean glistening, starts the minute you step out the door. Sunday is the official start of summer, but it sure feels like its here in full force! Currently it's 94 degrees and that sun is just beaming down. What a beautiful day to be at the pool - there I go daydreaming again.

While this is a beautifully hot day in the Big A, it's a sad day in the Little A - Athens, that is. Today a historic landmark burned down. The Georgia Theater caught fire around 7am this morning and while the fire fighters were able to contain it, the roof collapsed and the interior is destroyed - all that remains are the exterior brick walls. While the GA Theater wasn't the most sanitary place and my husband always felt like he might get trapped in there one day (there were rumors that the fire doors didn't work and there wasn't a sprinkler system), I have many fond members from college there. Whether it was listening to some band perform or attending a sorority function, I always enjoyed going to the Georgia Theater. I hope it's rebuilt and continues on as a downtown Athens fixture.

Speaking of North Georgia towns, Mr. Cob and I escaped to one last weekend. We both took Friday off of work and went on a minication to Dahlonega. We hiked the trails at the Amicolala Falls State Park and spent the night at the lodge. The trails weren't as long as we anticipated, but it was still a beautiful hike and the falls were breathtaking. We did encounter two snakes!! But Mr. Cob said they weren't the kind to be afraid of...still not sure I believe him after watching him scurry past one! We also saw the BIGGEST tadpoles I've ever seen. Actually, I'm not sure I've ever actually seen a tadpole in person, but these were huge. A few already had their back legs and were just waiting for their front ones before they were true froggies.
It was nice to get out in nature and get some fresh air and exercise. We then went to the town of Dahlonega for some shopping and dinner. It's a very quaint town - perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon. We bought some locally made jams and wine at one of the shops - once we try them, I'll report back. We ate dinner at this Cajun restaurant called Gabee's Cajun Kitchen (90 Public Sq N Dahlonega, GA 30533 706-864-4417)- I would highly recommend it if you're ever in Dahlonega.

Then on Saturday, my sweetie planned a wonderful day at a local vineyard - Montaluce. Check it out: www.montaluce.com It opened about a year ago and this weekend was the celebration and opening weekend of their inaugural white wines. It was a beautiful resort-type vineyard. We took two "flights" of wine (for those not in the know, this is simply a wine tasting - admittedly, I didn't know that until this weekend, and to think, I claim to be a wino). We tried Montaluce's white wine flight and their "favorite reds" flight. All the wine was amazing, though I'm still not a huge fan of Chardonnay. We came home with two new bottles of wine, which I'll save for some special occasion (or just a Sunday when I run out of wine and can't go to the store and pick up a new bottle...gotta love Georgia). We also ate lunch at the restaurant and the food was fantastic - we had the meat and cheese plate to start (I can never resist). Then I had their salmon flatbread - delicious! And Mr. Cob had a shrimp pasta, which I loved more than him. It was a wonderful day and is a great day trip from Atlanta. They're opening an inn and spa in about a year which would be perfect for a romantic weekend getaway or a girls trip!

On the home front, we've started our next DIY project - screening in the porch. The wood has been cut for the frame and has two coats of white paint - one more coat and we'll be ready to frame the porch - hopefully tomorrow. Our vegetable garden is still doing well, though nothing has bloomed yet...maybe in another couple of weeks! The tomato plants are getting bigger as are the peppers and beans - I'm taking this as a good sign.

This weekend we're celebrating friends birthdays, going to hear some live music and most importantly, celebrating all the dads on Sunday!