Blessed

So. I had a really good weekend this weekend.

Probably one of the best since being down here.

It started on Saturday. It was really nice outside – it’s been rainy lately… which is ok, cause we really needed it. We were in drought status. But it makes for doing things outside more difficult.
Anyways, since it was nice, my dad, Diane, Kendal and I went to the lake. The bummer thing is, unlike Michigan, there isn’t a lake around every corner, so we had to drive an hour to get there. But the cool thing is, also unlike Michigan; this lake is at the base of a mountain. So needless to say, if you got tired of swimming, you could just look around and take in the awesome view.

We did all the normal things people do at lakes. We rented a paddleboat, read, barbequed, and went swimming, of course. We also played the “spectacular catch” game (Daniel) and I had some pretty great catches, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, though there was no HydroSmash. So no diddlies. Or even diddly-squats. (If you don’t know what that means… don’t worry about it).

This lake also has a high diving board. And I went off it. I’m glad that I did it cause now when I play whoonu, I can actually have an opinion for “the high dive.” It is a card. And it was… an experience. I’m not sure if I’ll ever do it again because of the gallons of water that went into my head through my nose and ears… but, like I said – I’m glad I did it. And, just so you know, this thing is like… 20 feet above the water. So it’s no small task.

And then Sunday was the best ever too.
I went down to see Brian in Atlanta. And it was awesome. I haven’t seen anybody from school since the Slagers’ wedding, so it was really really cool.

When I first got there, we went to a mall called the Santa Fe Mall. Brian had never been there before and wanted to check it out. So we did. And it was… an experience, that’s for sure. I don’t think I can really explain just how… different this place was. It was clearly a Mexican/Hispanic mall. Brian and I were… I think the only white people there – definitely the odd people out. Almost everything was in Spanish first and then English. The storefronts looked like they could be outside… but they were inside. The best way we came up with to describe it is that it was like walking down a road in Mexico, except instead of dirt, there was tile. And then obviously a ceiling. The best thing about it, though was we got to see a live Mariachi band. I’ve never seen one before, and they were pretty good. :)

It was a pretty small mall, so we didn’t stay there very long. We left and made our way into Atlanta. For the next 2 hours or so, we just drove around, and Brian showed me… everything, really. It was sweet. I got to see where he works. We actually drove into the Bowen Homes, and he showed me where he saw the drive-by. I also saw the neighborhood where T.I. grew up. Just driving through those places was… sad. I don’t really know the right word for it… but it’s definitely one thing to read about this stuff in books, but it’s a whole different thing when you see it. It really makes you realize just how blessed we are.

We did more driving around. And it was still sweet.

For dinner, I experienced Firehouse Subs for the first time. Brian's right. They're DEFinitely good.

And to top the night off, as I was backing out of his driveway headed for home, I hit a tree. Yesss. Probably the best part of the night. Just kidding. It wasn't really at all. But, it's ok - it didn't hurt the car (or the tree) at all. :)