Living it up in Atlanta!

While getting the ball rolling on my networking efforts, I still had plenty of time to enjoy some fun and frolic in my hometown.  The second week in April kicked-off with Book Club.  I think I have mentioned in previous posts that my favorite thing about this particular Book Club is that discussing the book is not as important as enjoying cocktails and gossiping with the ladies!  Miraculously, many of us had actually read the book (On the Island) this go round and we spent a good portion of dinner discussing it.  It was such an easy, light read and it got all of us pumped up for spring since it was set in a tropical location.  We went to Goin' Coastal for dinner as part of our ongoing efforts to match the cuisine with theme of the book.  Only Donna had been there before and we were all pleasantly surprised how delicious it was.  We all got caught up on each others' lives including plans for vacations, house renovations and upcoming children's sporting events.  Fun all around.

I've continued with my swimming, walking/jogging and bike riding which keeps me busy.  I am thankful that my herniated disks remain stable and haven't been causing me any pain or other issues in over a year.  YAY!    My sessions with my nutritionist came to and end in April which made me sad since I enjoy her so much.  But, we agreed to keep up a social connection and immediately scheduled a dinner with our mutual friend, Sam.  We went to Cakes and Ale in Decatur on April 16 and it was fantastic!  If you are looking for a yummy dinner spot, check it out here!  We enjoyed great conversation and agreed to make it a regular thing.  I look forward to the next dinner.

Cille had sinus surgery on April 17 and I volunteered to help out with the girls (Nora and Annika) in any way that was needed so I popped in to see Cille in the afternoon and then walked down to get the girls at day care around 5:00.  There is nothing better than the first moment they spot you approaching and get all giggly and excited!  I love that moment.  Nora and Annika gave out hugs and kisses and we headed home to see Mommy and her 'nose bra'.  They agreed to be extra gentle with her and let her rest which isn't easy for a 4 and 2 year old.  They did great, however!  I had blocked off the rest of the week to hang out with Cille while she recovered. I brought lunch over to her place on Thursday and when she took a nap I went for a jog through the neighborhood.  About halfway through a bird pooped on me.  I know people say that is good luck, but I am calling BS.  It was totally gross and I still had 35 more minutes to go before I could change my shirt.  YUCK!

Cille in her 'nose bra' post sinus surgery.

I know this is disgusting but if I had to suffer through, you might as well, too!

Bird poop on my shirt from my jog in the highlands.  YUCK!

I had my regular 'Ladies Dinner' with 5 former colleagues on April 19 and we decided to go back to our original dinner spot, Maggianos.  It is a chain, but the food is good for sharing and it is centrally located for everyone.  We got caught up on everyone's 'new' jobs and goings-on from life.  Denise told a hilarious story about catching her young son attempt to steal a pack of candy from the check-out line at Walmart after she had recently cut candy out of his life cold turkey.  In an effort to teach him an important lesson about being a criminal, she drove to the police station to 'turn him in'.  Needless to say, he won't be stealing anything else any time soon.  We all laughed and laughed and laughed at her quick thinking!  The night we had dinner was the day of the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect.  Cille and I had spent the better part of the day on my couches watching the live coverage, but she had to leave to pick up the girls at daycare and I had to leave to go to dinner before he was found.  So, I spent much of dinner doing what I hate - checking my phone for updates from CNN.  It couldn't be avoided.  I'd invested so much time and energy in the story by this time, I had to know the outcome.  As everyone knows, he was found in a winterized boat in someone's backyard in Watertown, MA.  I am still processing the horror of the Boston Marathon bombing and don't have my thoughts organized enough to write a post about it.

Jeff came to town for business and the Dogwood festival for about 5 days at the end of April and we had a great time enjoying the fabulous weather.  Alicia had her annual party on Saturday night... she had more delicious food than an army could eat!  On Sunday I invited Daniel over for a BBQ so he and Jeff could catch up.  It was great to see him and our spontaneous BBQ turned out to be fantastic.  Jeff had this awesome potato recipe he prepared and I made marinated chicken, broccoli salad and grilled vidalia onions.  Valenti gelato for dessert.  YUM!  Daniel filled us in on the latest in his life and we rehashed hilarious stories from my days at Intuit.  Good times...

Renee, Alicia, Jeff and me at Alicia's annual Dogwood Party!

Those are bottles of Fireball we're holding up...

My friend Peter continues to recover well from his open heart surgery and prior to him going back to work, we had plans to have dinner with our former colleague, Lou Anne, when she was in town for some training.  We went to 4th and Swift so that he wouldn't have to drive very far and enjoyed a delicious meal with some delicious wine.  It was great to get caught up with Lou Anne and see Peter well enough to be out and about at a restaurant.  It's hard to believe it's been 7 weeks since his surgery.  Where does the time go?

I got a surprise call from my brother and sister-in-law asking if I could fly up to Boston to stay with Parker and Evie due to a last minute travel conflict they had (business trip for Paul, girls weekend for Nichole.)  Of course, I jumped at the opportunity.  That action-packed trip will be covered in the next post!