Also His Birthday

Friday was Adrian's birthday. So he geeked-out at his conference and then spent the evening with the boys and me. I bought him dinner and ice cream because he deserved the special treatment for everything he does - even if some of it drives me bananas.
Caden's birthday was a couple of days prior and he wanted to wait until we were there to celebrate.
So on Saturday, I snuck off with Tonya to the local grocery store (if you ever watch Alton Brown on Food Network, it's where he films his shopping trips - so cool). We surprised Adrian and Caden with a very delicious cake that I am still dreaming about. Happy Birthday to both of them! Without acknowledging their exact ages let's just say they are 30 years apart and leave it at that. :)

ATL Trip

(Centennial Olympic Park in the daytime and nighttime as seen from our hotel room.)

Adrian had a conference to go to in Atlanta and we tagged along. We stayed at the Omni Hotel in the CNN Center. It worked out great. It's very centrally located to all the attractions. We arrived Thursday night. Adrian's conference was all day Friday so he set out around 8 am. The boys and I got ourselves ready and attempted to leave the hotel. That is until Travis took the fast train to meltdown city. So we made our way back to the room and after a few tries (and a visual barrier made of armoire doors and a blanket) he took a nap in the pack and play. Nicholas and I watched Monsters vs. Aliens. Then it was time to try leaving the hotel again. Phew. This time we survived waiting for the conceirge driver (yes - one of the perks of a hotel like the Omni) to take us to the Imagine It! kids museum. We rolled up to that place in a shiny black Escalade because we are awesome like that. There were a lot of activities and it was just perfect for them. Entertained for several hours with lots of exploring, pretending, and creating.





























Oh, and I could see Nancy Grace's gorgeous mug from the room, too. I took this photo just for my mom. They are like separated at birth and would just love each other to pieces in real life - not. ;)

After Adrian's conference was done we went to Johnny Rocket's for dinner. So good! Then we went to the Georgia Aquarium. During the summer they are open late on Fridays, it worked out great. It was a bit pricey to see giant fish tanks, but the boys were in awe.














I wanted to find a way to put one of these in my purse and cook it up for supper later.






SHARK!













ANOTHER SHARK!






















Saturday morning we drove over to Marietta to spend the weekend with Adrian's cousin and family. We are so grateful for their hospitality. The boys played and played for hours with their cousins. And we got to just hang out all day - so relaxing.






























































Believe it or not, all three boys slept on an air mattress all night. Travis had issues staying on but he didn't complain. Nicholas and Travis will remember their first slumber party fondly. We can't wait to visit with them again.

About God

Nicholas and I were snuggled on the couch watching HGTV (he really likes House Hunters and guessing which house the people will like). He asked if I knew what God looked like. I explained that a lot of people have ideas but no one knows for sure. He told me that when God made him he saw her. And she looked like the tooth fairy.

My Tough Guys

I own the toughest guys around. You don't want to mess with them. They ride hard core bikes and have serious tattoos. And do not even think about stepping between them and their Cocoa Puffs. They mean business.

Days of Grace: Day 29

I haven't done one of these in a while and it's a random day, so why not?

1. Travis is 22 months old. He's almost 2 years old!?
   
2. Today marks 7 years at the same employer. I can still remember my first day in training class. I even still talk to the guy who sat next to me.
3. I went to the chiropractor for my routine neck adjustment. He also checked out my right knee. It was out of alignment but no cartilage damage to report. I can try walking fast, i.e. not power-walking, this weekend. And maybe run next week. If the realignment sticks - cross our fingers.
4. I finished off the rest of my homemade guacamole with Travis's help. He really likes to help people eat.
5. Nicholas can't tell time yet and went to bed with Travis at 8 pm.
   

Life Winners

I participate in a meme every now and then called Weekly Winners. You post your favorite photos from the week on Sunday morning and share them with others through the hostess's blog. I've decided these two photos from yesterday are much more than this week's winners. I can't put into words how I feel looking at them. I wish I could bottle them up and keep them this way forever. My boys rock my world everyday.

Corporate World

This past week our maintenance guys have been feverishly installing new paper towel dispensers in every bathroom and above each break room sink. We can now wave our hands and get a strip of paper the perfect size. Gone are the days of dispensing before washing, trying to move the lever with your elbow, or just using your wet hands to move the lever. We can now look foolish waving our hands in front of the sensor that will probably only work half the time.
And how does a company afford to install fancy new paper towel dispensers? Well you stick with the routine of laying off people on the first Tuesday of every month, for at least eight months straight. Luckily, I'm not one of them. Phew! But thank you to the people who will turn in their badges and laptops this week, begin collecting their severance pay and unemployment, and soak in what's left of summer. I can wave my hands and make paper towels appear like magic - and then go back to my desk to pick up the slack!

Fresh New Do

I went to my only hairstylist this afternoon. I've been going to her since the week she moved here from PA. She's married and doesn't have kids. So we talk about lots of other great things in the world. Her husband is a mixed martial arts fighter. A sport which I enjoy, sometimes we talk about his fights, training and weight-cutting. Or we talk about TV shows like Lost and Survivor. Today's topic was her new 125 gallon salt water tank. Fascinating. And I can tell she's really excited about the process to set it up and get the ecosystem established. I don't know if I'm one of her top favorite clients or not. Maybe she doesn't get to talk about herself very much and everyone gabs her off about their own lives. I was totally open to hearing about the tank, the extra work of having invertebrates, and how clown fish decide their gender after they've grown up a little. Imagine if humans decided their gender in middle school once it's obvious who will be larger - and those become the females. Totally freaky.

As always, I went with pretty much the same style I've had a for a few years running. Sometimes I add bangs, sometimes I blend them away. I've become a "hair stuck in the collar" hater, so the back of my hair has to be a little higher. Today I went with the more casual bob, instead of the perfect sleek bob. (I read a blog that referred to it as casual - as opposed to messy. More glamorous, right?)

How do I look?