Atlanta Zoo

Hannah and Drew took their first trip to the Atlanta Zoo today. It was really nice, and they had a great time. The big hits for them were the gorillas, especially the baby gorilla mom found quite adorable as well as the panda bear! Gorgeous sunny and 74 degree day, loved every minute of a nice family day before work starts tomorrow. Wish us luck!

By Georgia we made it!

We finally arrived "home". After a week of packing, and a week of traveling, we arrived in Atlanta last night. The arrival greeted us with 72 and sunny weather, just what was ordered for our Atlanta meet and greet.

Our arrival has not been without it's drama... of course, what is my life without drama. Water filled u-haul and a visit to the new daycare that left me in the parking lot crying. So, we dried our clothes, wiped off the toys, and found a new daycare in a few hours that felt warm and loving, unlike our first pit stop. So, if that is all that has gone wrong at this point, we are good shape. Problems solved.

Hannah and Drew were champs on the care ride here, no fussing or crying at all. They were awesome. They are loving sharing a room in the "condo" as Hannah calls it. And... they went to the park twice today and loved running around the grass and swinging and sliding. They couldn't had been more thrilled to be outside. Hannah is already begging to go swimming... we keep telling her is it just a little too chilly for that.

Todd is all kind of happy being able to shop at his favorite grocery store Publix again, and I am all kind of excited to wear flip flops and take a walk outside. It's the little things... Now, if we could just figure out how to get from point A to point B, life would be easier. Tomorrow we will be shopping for a GPS.. oh and a house too. Wish us luck!

A rest stop at the Dice's

One of the benefits of our move to Atlanta is being closer to family. We were able to stop in Ohio on our way from Minnesota to Georgia. Grandma and Grandpa were nice enough to pick up Hannah, Drew and Mom at 1am in Cincinnati after canceled/ delayed flights. Not a fun time traveling, but that didn't stop the fun once we arrived. As always, Hannah and Drew loved spending time with their cousins, aunt and uncle and grandma and grandpa.

thanks for a great time everyone!! I am guessing Grandma and Grandpa are finally getting some rest since our departure.. until next time!

My Girls

(From left to right...) Stacy, Kim, Me, Heidi, and Leanne

Last night was a special treat from Todd, he surprised me with a private room at a great restraunt downtown for one last girls night out. We started out at Bar La Grassa, which was nothing less than delicious and ended the night with the girls above at Coopers in St Louis Park. We had a great time catching up, laughing and just having fun girl time. I will more than miss these friends to say the least, but also know they are friends I will always keep in touch with, so I really do know that it isn't a good-bye, but a "I will talk to you next week on the phone" kind of end to the night.

Thanks girls for a great night with great friends. And a special thanks to Stacy for the ride home :) I love you guys!!!

Where is the "good" in good-bye?

Hannah, Drew, Eleanor, and Ben... pen pals forever.

Hannah promises to talk to Eleanor on the computer every week. ( we'll be buying them a webcam asap)

And Kim I am... lots of phone calls, emails and even some girls weekend trips are needing to be planned. I am lucky to have known someone that is so hard to say good-bye to. So, I refuse to say a real "good-bye", I prefer to give a hug out the door as we always do, and plan our next outing like nothing has changed. I can't bear to think about the reality of not seeing them week after week, so I chose to ignore the obvious move in front of us. True friendships like this don't happen every day, at least not for me. Kim, thanks for always being there for me at a moments notice, always understanding, and always making me laugh. You guys are our family away from home, and you are the sister I never had. You know we love you guys.

I read a good quote the other day that made me think of our friendship.... "You never leave someone behind, you take part of them with you, and you leave part of yourself behind".

A New Adventure

The decision has been made. After almost 13 years in Minnesota, I am saying good-bye. With many mixed feelings of sadness and excitement, we are entering a new chapter of our lives moving to Atlanta, Ga. While this has been the hardest decision of my life at to this point, I know that it won’t be the hardest thing I ever experience. I am lucky and grateful for that, and that fortunate that my future is filled with opportunity for me, for us, for our family.

Throughout the journey I continue to reflect back to my move from Ohio to Minnesota. What I was feeling, why I made the decision, how I was going about it. Why was it so much easier to pick up my life at 22 years old, move 1000 miles away and not know a single person in the entire state of Mn than to take this new journey with support and love from my family today. I remember being 22 and wanting a new experience in life, a little adventure, and to just plain prove to myself that it was something I could do on my own. And, let’s face it, in the back of my head a little voice was telling me, if I fail, I know Mom and Dad will always be there for me. I knew I had the support and love from my family to take this adventure on. So I did.

This little adventure at 22 years old was without saying, the best decisions of my life. Not only did Minnesota bring me to meet my husband and later my two most precious gifts, Hannah and Drew, but it gave me confidence in a successful career, sense of independence, and a different perspective on the lifestyles, surroundings, and knowing how much there is to offer in life. I have met many, many amazing people, friends that have become family to me. Friends that know me better than I know myself. Friends that know when I need a hug or a funny joke to lift my spirit. Friends that accept me as I am, laugh with me and at me, and I know will forever be in my life. You know who you are, and I love you, and thank you.

So, it’s almost 13 years later and here we are. Heading south. Trading in winter coats for flip flops. “Hotdish” for Grits, and Minnesota Nice for Southern Charm, and last but not least, A Bullseye for an Orange Apron. Over the last 13 years, I grew up. I’ll be honest, the adventure I was seeking at 22 has been replaced with the desire for security and comfort in life, friendships that I don’t want to replace, and a job that I came to love that became harder to leave than I ever imagined. But all the wonderful advice from family and friends, and sole searching over the last few months made resonated with me in different ways. I came to the realization that if security and comfort was always the right answer, I would had never taken this adventure to MN, and look at what I would had missed. When Mom asked me “ what happened to my little girl that was full of adventure and wanted to move to NYC”.. I asked myself… “What the hell did happen to me?” She was right. ( Hard for me to admit). So here we go. Throwing caution to the wind with the possible obstacles that lie in front of us, focusing on the positive, the opportunity, and future.

Here’s to you Minnesota! Thank you for 13 great years. A journey, an adventure, and a time in my life I will always cherish and will forever be grateful for.