Trip to Atlanta - Post # 2 - Cyclorama & GA Aquarium

As promised here are more pictures from our trip to Atlanta. Here are Bryant & Wayne relaxing after the concert at the hotel.

Bryant thought it was so cool that we had 5 pillows on the bed!

He was also amazed by the "fancy" folded towels. Even the toilet paper was folded fancy! It was just a Holiday Inn!

Here's Bryant outside of the hotel. We made it to the Cyclorama just before the rain came. For those who may not know, the Atlanta Cyclorama tells the story of the Civil War Battle of Atlanta, fought in July 1864. Once a popular form of entertainment that dates back to the 18th century, a cyclorama is a cylindrical painting of impressive proportions. The Atlanta Cyclorama, completed in 1886, is considered to be the world's largest oil painting. It's very educational, well displayed and inexpensive. We took our kids when they were young, mainly because we were hot while at the zoo and wanted some air conditioning. However, it is very interesting. Of course Bryant loved all of the guns and Wayne is a HUGE Civil War Buff. He has studied the war and the Generals for many years. Bryant outside the Cyclorama with a cannon.

Papa (Wayne) and Bryant

Mimi (Kim) & Bryant

We're getting pretty good at these self portraits!

After the Cyclorama we parked near the GA Aquarium and walked, in the light rain, to the CNN Center to eat lunch. We walked back to the GA Aquarium just in time for our 2:00 entry.

Sorry to say I can't tell you the names of most of the fish I took pictures of but some of the shots came out so good I thought you might enjoy them.

KING Crabs

The Aquarium has many "tunnels" that are glass so the fish, etc. swim right over you. Here is the underside of the of them.

The Sea Otters were entertaining as always. It was hard to catch them holding still to take a clear pic. They reminded me of Jasmine, our Fox Terrier.

Sea Turtle

I just LOVE this picture of Bryant looking into the big tank of fish.

I took a picture of Wayne and Bryant in front of this same tank last year. I thought it would be cool to take a pic here each time we visit.

I just had to take a picture of this fish made of feathers. I know Sandy and Terry will remember when HSN kept sending me the bird kit instead of the fish kit. I wrote on my review of the product that you better like your fish with feathers if you ordered this product! Well, here it is!

This is at the entrance of the Cold Water Creatures.

Wayne and Bryant at the Stingray pool. They are allowed to touch the rays at designated times.

This is another area where you can touch the inhabitants. This is either shrimp or starfish...I can't remember which.

This was my favorite...the Beluga Whale.

This was pretty cool...Here is a picture of one of the whales with her head out of the water...

...There is a screen by the tank showing you what the trainers are doing with the same whale at that time.

If you haven't been to the GA Aquarium you've got to go. We always order our tickets online ahead of time. It's quicker and easier to do it that way. I also suggest you spend the few extra dollars to go to Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow . It's a 3D Animated film in the 4D Theater. I guess it is really geared toward children but it is wonderful for adults. It is another favorite part of the GA Aquarium. We certainly had a great 24 hours. I'll post a few pics of Brandon's b-day the next time. Got to get to bed so I can get to church in the morning. Hugs ~ Kim

Trip to Atlanta - Post # 1 Freedom Concert 7/10/07

LET FREEDOM RING!

The Freedom Concert was AWESOME!!!! After I purchased the FC tickets for W & I we decided it would be fun to take B to expose him to, lack of a better term, "Patriotism on Steroids". The concert was WELL worth every penny and then some. Our seats were INCREDIBLE. We couldn't have picked better seats if we would have had our choice of all 13,000! No, we weren't on the front row but we were right next to where all of the celebrities entered. W was next to the rail and he could have literally reached out and touched them they were so close. The set up for the radio broadcast was right there too. It was so GREAT! ~

I took 350+ pictures in about 24 hours. I'm going to have to post in groups again since there is so much to share. After the concert, we spent the night in Atlanta and went to the Cyclorama, CNN Center, GA Aquarium and the Lemon Grass Thai Restaurant (W's favorite) for dinner in Marietta. After we got home B & I went to Perry to Brandon's for his 22nd b-day celebration. W was too tired after walking and driving all day. Anyway, sit back and relax and enjoy

Post # 1 - The Freedom Concert!

When we walked into the Gwinnett Center the first celebrity we saw was Ollie North who signed books and greeted the patrons of the concert. He was quite gracious!

It was a sold-out PACKED arena.

Sean Hannity, Talk Radio Show Host who partnered with Ollie North to organize these concerts to support the Freedom Alliance Fund that supports children of fallen soldiers with their education expenses, is a GREAT AMERICAN!

Honor Guard

Avalon performing our National Anthem

George W. Bush & Hillary Clinton look-alikes who did a pretty hysterical skit.

Here is a close-up of "The Pres" that shows how much he looks like GWB.

Lee Greenwood, who just performed locally for our local Independence Day Celebration, also appeared at the Freedom Concert. An awesome and patriotic performance as always!

All of these pictures were taken from our seats but I used my zoom on the others. I wanted to get the crowd waving their flags.

It was a beautiful site as all of the American Flags came out when Lee performed "I'm Proud to be an American".

Newt Gingrich

Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White right next to our seats.

I couldn't get a clear pictures of Larry so here is his image on the screen as he entertained us by being funny, as usual, yet as he closed he showed a very patriotic and sensitive side. It was great.

Another screen image - Ron White, which is one of Wayne's favorites. He didn't perform long but also gave a memorable performance full of gratutude and patriotism.

Sean Hannity, Neal Bortz & Clark Howard ~ Sean and Neal and the 750 Radio Guy (can't remember his name) as they got ready to sing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" with The Charlie Daniels Band.

Charlie Daniels - He and his band were GREAT. He put on quite a show. This is especially amazing because he is 70 years old! Charlie has apparently put out a few gospel albums and he sung his favorite hymn as well as mine, "How Great Thou Art". W told me after we got home that listening to Charlie's rendition of that beloved hymn was a life moment for him. It reminded him of his Daddy singing hymns at church and special events.

I was so impressed with Ollie North. He is so passionate about his love for America and his support for the troops. He got choked up a couple of times as he spoke about their sacrifices.

We had a real treat as they showed a live satellite feed of 4 soldiers currently serving in IRAQ. Some of their family members were at the concert but didn't know they were going to have the live feed. It was such a heart moment.

Rick & Bubba - couldn't get a clear shot of them either.

Suzanne Carpenter Montgomery & Gentry right by our seats

Montgomery NEVER stops. He's a real showman. He stepped off the stage (accidentally) and fell after the first song. He dusted himself off and got right back up there and kept on. I know he had to be hurting the next morning!

MG & Sean

MG & Sean saying goodnight as all of the American flags waved.

Outside of the concert. B was certainly a good boy. He got a little bored when the politicians were talking but was ready to recite the names and positions of several offices of our government if he was asked to do so.

Self portrait of W, B & I. It sure was a GREAT night!

Gotta go so I can get in bed. I'm still pretty exhausted. Stay tuned for the next post, probably Saturday. Hugs to all!

Tough Day, Trees & Life's Journey

It was a tough day today. I attended 2 funerals. I've attended many funerals in my life but I don't believe I've ever attended 2 on the same day. A dear friend's mother passed away after a long battle with cancer. Our friend, her son, wrote a beautiful tribute to her and read it at the funeral. After he buried his Mama this morning, he attended Clay's funeral this afternoon. Both services were honorable tributes to these 2 wonderful people that we lost. Both families will be in our prayers for their healing and peace. ~

As promised here are pictures of our tree removal that took WAY longer than anticipated. I've been putting off posting these because I wanted to take a picture of the area after the trees were removed. However, the only time I can remember is late at night when it's dark! So, I just took a couple and you'll have to use your imagination.

This is what it looked like, from 2 different angles, before the 8 trees were removed. (The 9th tree is on the other side of the yard.)

Here is one of the trees that was already topped and I snapped the pic just as it was starting to fall.

To give you an idea of how high up this guy is, look closely in this next picture to see if you can find him. We decided this is not a career we are going to try late in life! I think you have to be crazy to do this...or at least it helps!

W & B camped out in the front yard (out of harms way) to watch the trees come down. W is explaining something to B but I'm not sure he's paying attention.

Here are the after pics I took tonight. I tried to lighten them some so the quality isn't as good but I think you can see well enough. We have some work to do in the azalea bed...well W does because I am deathly allergic to poison ivy, oak, etc. and that bed is loaded with it.

W is so meticulous about his lawn. If you go back to the before picture it shows how beautiful the lawn was before we started. However, this is what it looks like now. You can even see the log marks where they were on the grass for so long. Once his hand heals I have no doubts that it'll look beautiful once again!

Well, we're off to the Freedom Concert tomorrow. I don't know who is more excited W or B!?! I hope to take lots of pictures and share with you when we return.

~

I know this is a pretty long post but I can't finish before saying we continue to be blessed by our church, Lifepoint. Our message on Sunday was about Life's Journey. Brother Joe encouraged us to go where God leads us. We think we have our lives all mapped out and planned but it's typically what we want and we miss tremendous blessings doing it our way. If we only trust more our journey would be GREAT!

Thank you all for your GREAT comments on my last post. It really inspires me when you leave comments. Thank you and I can't wait to share my pics from the Freedom Concert in a few days!

The last 2 weeks...

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I've posted. I spent all of last week preparing for the craft show in Macon and helping Wayne since he broke his left hand on Tuesday evening, 6/26. They were able to put him in a removable splint that he'll wear for 4-6 weeks. He goes back to the Orthopedic doctor on 7/20.

~

I know many of you check out Sandy's blog and have probably seen the photos she posted of us at the craft fair. ;o) Though they were "less than flattering" pics (her photography was GREAT but she didn't have much to work with) several of our friends and family let me know that they were thrilled to see the pics of us at the show. We was honored that she took the time to come to Macon to support us especially since she was leaving for vacation the next day. She also spoiled us, as usual, by bringing us some Beauty Control products for our hands. She's such a doll! Here are some pics of the things we painted before the sale.

We sold several personalized Welcome Signs, a few vases and MY BIRDHOUSE!!!!! It was hard to let my birdhouse go since I spent so many hours on it but it was a friend of Stephanie's that "adopted" it. We also got a few orders for custom Welcome Signs. We didn't get a picture of everything we personalized but here are 2 things we sold and personalized there.

I painted these two signs while we were at the craft show.

Stephanie has gotten several orders for canvases, welcome signs, & a birdbath (it'll be our first). We were surprised that several people asked us if we did wall murals. That is something that we haven't done yet but are interested in doing when we get a little more confident. I'd also like to thank Ashley, Brandon and Jessica for coming to see us and Rob and Heather coming and helping us pack everything up. We were so exhausted when we were finished I'm not sure Steph and I could have done it without Rob & Heather! We appreciate you!

~

Weight Watchers update...

Week 1 - 10.4 lost

(They made me weigh twice because they couldn't believe it!)

Week 2 - 3.4 lost

Total after 2 weeks - 13.8 lost!

~

I got 4 inches cut off my hair last week.

I'll leave the update on the trees for the next post.

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July.

I need to add here that we lost a dear friend on Friday. Our facilities manager @ work and good friend, Clay Kirk, passed away suddenly of an apparent heart attack. It just won't be the same without him. His sweet wife, Tammy, and son, Clint, are in our prayers.