Thankful

As I sit here at the Quad Cities airport, thanks to not having gotten on my first flight, I really can't complain because I just have so much to be thankful for. And it gives me time to get caught up on a few things I guess! Like this blog, for example. The past month has absolutely flown by, yet again. But I don't mind being busy...keeps life exciting haha. I have been able to enjoy many fun times with friends, colleagues, and family. We had a Corporate Sales happy hour at a great nearby restaurant called The Feed Store. It was so nice to chat with and get to know my co-workers better, outside the busy work environment that doesn't always allow for leisurely conversation. The holiday season got off to a good start with a Junior League event at Belk department store, that I graciously got to attend thanks to an invite from my friend, Stephanie. We enjoyed free food, drinks, live music, special sales, and more - a nice break from the usual weeknight! That weekend also featured a birthday celebration for my other friend Steph, at the Victory Sandwich Bar in Inman Park. Lots of people gathered for some fun times, pics, and of course their famous Jake and Coke slushies....seriously amazing haha.

Some of the crew celebrating Steph's b-day

The next weekend was Thanksgiving, and I was lucky to be able to work remotely that Wednesday, so I could make it back to MN on an early flight. With my low seniority, I need all the help I can get to make some flights when it's a busy travel time! Back home, the entire family was there, including grandma and grandpa Doc. I had a great run with Danny one afternoon, and was excited to be able to keep up! That doesn't always happen these days. I also got to catch up and go out with dear friends Marisa, Claire, and more:) Yay! Thursday was of course a lot of cooking, and had a great dinner with all the Docherty's and Clancy's...14 people around the table! Friday we avoided the shopping rush, but visited a few stores along Grand Ave and enjoyed some beautiful weather! That evening we had a fun family and friends happy hour at the Happy Gnome, and got to catch up with a lot of people, as we were especially lucky to have Claire back from Australia! Saturday was nice and relaxing before I took a really early flight back to Atlanta on Sunday, just to not risk getting stuck.

Catching up with old friends out at Billy's

 Three generations of Docherty's :)

Gathering at the Happy Gnome!

The following Friday I headed south instead, and met my friend Erica in Florida. We took a short drive to Tampa to meet her friend, and had a great dinner at this taco place called Lime, followed by the best frozen yogurt I have ever eaten! All flavors were gluten-free, even the Cookies'n'Cream and Cake Batter! O.M.G. yum haha. The next morning we were up early to leave for the Tough Mudder race in Everglades Park...needless to say we were a little nervous about it, after reading about some of the course details! But it turned out to be AWESOME. I loved it. We had such a great team that went through the whole course together and had tons of fun while getting super muddy! It was 11.5 miles with over 25 obstacles that included fully submerging in a basin of ice water; crawling/walking/running through muddy pits, creeks, pipes and tunnels; carrying logs through a lake; climbing over walls and hay bales; monkey bars, a plank walk, and rope climb over water pits; running through fire and electro-shock therapy; jumping off a high dive, and much much more (you can check out a preview of the course map here: http://toughmudder.com/events/florida/). We finished after about 3 hours of fun in the sun and got to celebrate after. Heading back from the race, I was lucky to be driving right through Orlando where my Dad was staying for his Sales Conference!  It worked out to stay there, and that way I wouldn't distract Erica from preparing for all her finals the next week:), and I got to enjoy a great dinner with tapas, spanish dancers, and good company. I also experienced the "Watering Hole", a special conference room for post-dinner gathering and drinks, and met a ton of wonderful people my Dad has worked with for many years! The next morning I joined in an early Nike 5k fun run and had a delicious outdoor breakfast as the sun rose. Afterwards I was able to check out some of the new products and give a few opinions before I caught a flight back to Atlanta. SUCH a great weekend:)

 Tough Mudder finishers! Official headband and all

One of the obstacles - that's me on the far right!

The next week I fit in some yoga and another great run with Nisha. Friday night we picked up some pizza to go and watched a movie at my place - and let me tell you - that was the FIRST movie I have actually watched in my apartment since moving to Atlanta. Aka...that's how busy I have been these past 6 months. Crazy. The rest of the weekend was full of getting together with friends for coffee, lunch, and church, some exercise, a massage (!), running errands, cleaning, cooking, and all things domestic haha.

Holiday season soon was in high gear, with shopping to do, an awesome potluck gathering at Cathy's with slow cooker barbequed beef tacos, Leann's delicious hard cider, super soft gluten-free snickerdoodle cookies thanks to Matt, and more yummy goodness:) We had another potluck that week, this time at work, which gave me a nice break to meet some new faces in town from NY and Europe.

I could hardly wait for Friday to get here, so good thing the week went by fast! Friday was exciting because my sister Laura was coming to visit me in Atlanta!! Yay:) She got in that evening, and after debating going to an outdoor Gavin DeGraw concert or just chilling and going out for dinner, rain on the drive home quickly provided our answer. So we had a nice, relaxing dinner at Buckhead Pizza Co, sharing some salad and gluten-free pizza (really good by the way!). Saturday I survived my first long run since surgery in April, all thanks to Laura, and went 10.5 miles on some incredibly hilly trails along the Chattahoochee river. Success despite some sore calves haha. After some delicious breakfast of homemade french toast and turkey bacon, I got to show Laura around the city a little, and did some browsing in the Virginia-Highlands neighborhood. We decided to stay there for dinner and try out La Tavola, a small Italian restaurant. Let's just say we were members of the clean plate club that night;) SO good...definitely a must-go if you haven't been there (http://www.latavolatrattoria.com/). And they have a great heated patio in the back! That night was Dan's Christmas party, where I was so glad that Laura got to meet a bunch of my friends:) We also did a little tree decorating, and contributed some delicious puppy chow and homemade guac to the table spread...I think no leftovers was a sign we did a good job haha. We slept in a bit after that night, and then took her on one of my favorite running routes around the Brookhaven golf course. We fit in a little Christmas shopping, mass, dinner, and then embarked for the Atlanta Botanical Gardens holiday lights display that night...it was FABULOUS. So pretty to look at, with live Christmas carolers singing, hot drinks, flowers, and more. We ended her trip on a high note, with a more "adventurous" dinner at Ecco (quite delish), and then....the AMY GRANT CHRISTMAS CONCERT at the Fox!!! It was wonderful. Definitely brought back some good childhood memories of playing that CD on repeat most days leading up to Christmas, and especially while doing all our tree decorating:) And the night couldn't be complete without a post-show stop at Cafe Intermezzo for dessert of course. So tasty (they even have an apple crumble cheesecake that's gluten free!) and such a great environment. I sadly had to send her off back to MSP the next morning, but had the most wonderful weekend:)

 It's an Amy Grant kind of Christmas!

 Atlanta Botanical Gardens

 Holiday lights display = B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L

Out at the Fox Theater for the concert!

The next week flew by, with more holiday festivities, and Friday I was off again, this time to meet the fam in Iowa City for Christmas. I successfully made it, thanks to a heads up from my friend Reed about an open flight to MSP, that allowed me to get to Iowa fairly easily...otherwise I might have been out of luck! It's always great to be back with the family, and another bonus is that I am never at a loss for running partners (except when they go too fast haha). I got a nice run in with Mom and Dad, bringing me back to the days of Hawkeye track and cross country and running all over town. I tagged along with my Mom and aunt Julie to pick up some last minute stocking stuffers for all the cousins, before heading to mass with the fam. We thought a 3:15 arrival for a 4pm mass would be well sufficient, only to grab the last two remaining rows in the entire church. The place was full by 3:45 and even started early! Wow. That evening featured the long-standing tradition of everyone gathering at my Grandma's house for soups, ham, football, cards, presents, and just hanging out. There were some exciting grab bags this year too! Gotta love the "steals" haha. Christmas day morning was spent with the family and then we all headed out for a long run...I did my second 10 miler! Though barely survived (and yet, Laura still went on for another 4 more miles! Amazing). I was definitely worn out! I have a looooong ways to go still. From there we visited more family and then just relaxed as we packed and watched a little football later that evening. The next morning I opted NOT for the 7am flight out of Moline (an hour away) and instead settled on a little sleep and the 11:30. Which I didn't make of course. But then made the next flight and even got first class! With a little wine and comfy seat, I was able to kick back and relax. Not too bad;) And again, I am reminded of how blessed I am. So thankful.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Out and about

Yet again, time has been flying. I've enjoyed a beautiful fall so far in Atlanta. Temps in the 60-70's in November is definitely a welcome change:) I can hardly believe the holidays are almost here. We haven't even made it to Thanksgiving yet and I'm already seeing news stories about what to do with your leftovers and Christmas decorations in stores! I think I'll wait on that haha, although I might need to get a mini tree for my apartment.

Well, let's see what all I've been up to...

Usually weeknights aren't anything too exciting, but I actually had a few busy evenings recently. Several co-workers got together for my friend Cathy's housewarming party, with food, wine, a game of "Apples to Apples", and of course seeing her new place! I joined some other friends to check out a comedy show at the Vortex "Laughing Skull" in Midtown the following night...I had never been to one before, so figured I might as well go. I saw Joe Mande, who actually is from St. Paul and went to Central High School, and now lives in NY and has been on Comedy Central and other big shows. He was pretty funny I must admit. That Friday I was able to get away for a sunny lunch outside with co-workers at a nearby cafe. I miss being outside while I have to work all day!

Comedian Joe Mande 

My co-worker and friend, Cathy, at our sunny Friday lunch break!

After the full week, I needed that weekend to catch up on some sleep haha. I did venture off to check out a different trail close to the first one I found...it was okay, just short, so I had to do some extra exploring. I also enjoyed another beautiful day by meeting a new friend for lunch on the patio of Front Page News. That Sunday was Halloween "theme week" for kickball, and our team "Elephantitis" made it out in style haha...or should I say, with a case of elephantitis. It unfortunately was one of the least fun games we played because the other team was completely drunk on a Sunday afternoon and rather obnoxious/annoying/slow/rude...you get the picture. But we always manage to have a good time:)

 Trail #2

 Team Elephantitis

Our kickball team on a (slightly) more normal day;)

The next week I tested out a kickboxing class. It was pretty good...fun to try something different, although my shins took a beating from having to kick the bags! bruises:( We also had a mid-week happy hour to unwind at the restaurant Tap in Midtown. That Friday I finally was able to welcome my mom to Atlanta!! After a long day of travel (thanks to good old standby and a school holiday in MN creating lots of travelers), she made it:) I was able to give her an extensive our of my 700-something square foot apartment (it was tough to cover everything in such a short time haha), then took a little walk to get outside and pick up a few groceries and some Halloween socks for the morning. The socks were for our debut race that Saturday at the Run Like Hell 5k, beginning in the famous Oakland Cemetery. It was a lot of fun despite the incredibly hilly route...we got to see some great costumes, listen to some good tunes, visit the grave site of Margaret Mitchell (author of Gone With the Wind), and actually were crowned champs! The "trophy" was a really cool mini-version of the historic lion statue in the cemetery that stands over the grave of unknown soldiers. A chilly morning turned into a gorgeous sunny day, as we visited the Green Market at Piedmont Park (picked up a few heirloom tomatoes and persimmons - one of my favorite fruits from Spain!) and then grabbed a warm coffee at nearby Caribou that we took to drink on a bench in the park. We replenished with brunch at Parish in Inman Park...one of my new favorite places! I just love the atmosphere and character of the building (plus the food's pretty decent too;). We did a mini walking tour around the neighborhood after that, and then headed back to clean up and rest up....yay for naps haha. I heard about the Little 5 Points halloween parade and festival, so thought it would be interesting to check out. And boy, was it "interesting". Needless to say, I won't be going back...but at least now we know! A much better dinner experience followed at the restaurant Noche in the Virginia-Highlands, with some awesome tapas! A few shops and a nice walk to Yoforia for some dessert topped off the night quite nicely:) Due to the full flights that weekend, we decided to aim for an early flight back to MN to avoid mom getting stuck all day, and she ended up making the first one, so that worked out great! Short trip, but oh so fun:) Since I was already up, I made the early morning yoga session before heading home to take a long nap. Sunday followed with typical happenings like kickball, mass, groceries, etc, but I got an extra bonus with a skype call with Morah in Spain!

 Lion statue at Oakland Cemetery

Persimmons! Soooo good

Halloween parade in Little 5 Points...it was crazy over there!

I put off my Sunday cooking for the week to Monday, and then enjoyed a great run with Nisha on Tuesday at Piedmont park! Wednesday I was double lucky to be able to get together with my friend Donna for dinner, and then other friends (the Steph's:) for food/drinks at Cafe Intermezzo...love that place! And such a great time catching up! Thursday brought about some last-minute shopping for a Halloween costume at a few stores in Little 5 Points...it was busy, but managed to get everything so that was good! I decided to be brave and go out BOTH nights for Halloween weekend...a rarity for me, but after years over never celebrating because of having the Big Ten cross country championships that weekend, I was overdue haha. Friday night featured a pub crawl in Midtown with friends, that took us to Ri Ra, Flip Flops, and Cosmo Lava. A little rain didn't dampen the evening, as it was a ton of fun! I got really lucky and actually slept in until 11:45 the next morning...that NEVER happens! I guess I needed it haha. That afternoon I got outside for a long walk on such a great fall day (can you tell I am liking the Atlanta weather?! haha) and went on one of my favorite loops around the Brookhaven golf course. That night was the BOOnanza party at the Buckhead Theater. I met up with friends JP and Nate beforehand, and then was so smart as to forget all my money and ID, so we had to make a little detour on the way to the party. I had never been to this venue before, but it was really neat. There was a big stage with live music downstairs, a dj and dance floor upstairs that we hit up for a while, and then another stage with music outside in a tent that played some great old school tunes! It was a pretty crazy party...lots of people, lots of awesome costumes, and lots of fun:)

 Halloween pub crawl in Midtown!

 First stop...Ri Ra

 Pre-Boonanza...JP, me, and Nate

 Getting in character at the upstairs dance floor haha

One of the impressive costumes!

The next weekend I got to experience even MORE fun, with the Boddicker girls reunion in MN:) This is when all 5 of my mom's sisters, my grandma, and several cousins all visit for a weekend of shopping, food, drinks, and hilarious conversation (following the drinks haha). I flew in late Friday afternoon and we had a delicious dinner at my aunt Renee's house. Saturday, I got to tag along with my sister Laura for a little early morning run (that what I do these days...just try and hang on!). Then Kevin had his State cross country meet, so we all headed out to cheer him on, and he did amazing! Got 6th in the entire state after never even being ranked all season. So proud:) We fit in a little shopping that afternoon before another big family dinner and of course some ice cream cake to celebrate the big race! I ended up catching an early flight out Sunday so I could fly nonstop and also get a few things done back in Atlanta before the work week started. And I was actually pretty productive, so it paid off! Plus the extra hour of sleep didn't hurt;)

 Grandma and the Boddicker sisters

 Fans gathering pre-race

Got to see my old teammate Molly Noel!

 Kev's cheering squad post-race

 6th place!

Proud fam:)

 DQ Blizzard cake (the best:)

The young "Boddicker" girls

This past week, I had some wonderful visitors in Sara and Bud Dunn! We both had pretty busy schedules, but had a good time catching up in the evenings:) I also got to fit in another (almost) weekly run with Nisha and this time got a tour of the Georgia Tech campus because Piedmont is pretty dark with the time change now. But it was a great loop and always wonderful company:) Friday night we got to celebrate Sara's birthday and went out to dinner at Murphy's in the Virginia-Highlands. The food was terrific, and I tried out a new wine thanks to a recommendation from Sara (she is awesome and started her own wine importing business!), and picked up a few wine tasting tips in the process:) They headed back to Michigan on Saturday, and I took time to get some stuff done around my apartment...laundry, dishes, errands, you know...the fun stuff haha. But I also made mom's enchilada recipe, wrote this blog finally, and got to skype with Morah again, so not a bad day!

Til next time with love, Jennie

hello fall:)

Fall has definitely arrived in Atlanta, and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous! High 60's to low 80's during the day, sunny, and a crisp breeze:) I can handle that (although I do miss the pool days!). Well my weekly updates are turning more to monthly updates, but I guess being busy is a good thing right?! I cannot believe it is October already...time is flying by, but always fun as it passes:)

I think I left off with Labor Day weekend, and after all my crazy travels, I was in need of a rest weekend, especially because I all of the sudden started to come down with a cold...which is no fun. I think the freezing AC at work does not really help my cause. That Saturday I was bummed to miss an outing to Lake Lanier with some friends from work, but it paid off because I was feeling SO much better by Monday. Chilling at the pool, with a good book in the sun did me well:)

One evening next week I went to "Cocktails in the Gardens" with a friend at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It was a really neat event, and packed! I had no idea that was the place to be on a Thursday night haha. I also started up with a kickball league that plays Sunday afternoons in Piedmont park. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it is AWESOME. Simply stated. And I love my team...they are all fantastic and so much fun...it's been a great way to meet new people and feed our competitive sides as well! We're pretty good too...I had no idea that there is strategy in Kickball...but there is. Good thing they help me out haha.

Cocktails in the Gardens

The next weekend I was a little more energized to get out on the town. It was my friend Jenni's birthday that Friday, so I met up with a group of people at Ormsby's for dinner and hanging out. This is the bar with all of the games (bocce ball, pool, air hockey, etc), so you definitely stay entertained. I played a game of Skee-ball for the first time in forever...gotta love it, but I do need some practice haha. Saturday I met up with other friends (and made new ones!) for a BBQ and football viewing...so many great games on these weekends, I love it! Sunday brought another game of kickball (tally one for the W column:), some hot yoga (which I am sooo out of practice), brunch at this great cafe called Parish's, browsing booths at the Piedmont Art Fest, a get together with some work friends and fellow MN fans to watch the Vikings game, evening mass, and some cooking for the week! Full day, but great day:)

Egg "muffins" I tried for the first time...turned out pretty good! 

Nice for a quick breakfast when I am running late:)

I usually am not too adventurous during the week, with having to get up so early for work everyday, but I made an exception this week for a concert. I got to see Foster the People at the Masquerade with a friend, Tut, and it was AMAZING! They had a huge lawn space and outdoor stage hidden behind the venue, and the band was incredible live. The song "Pumped up Kicks" on the radio hardly does them justice. To avoid the traffic rush right after the concert, we ventured to Carroll Street Cafe - a great little place hidden on a narrow neighborhood street, and got some (decaf) coffee. On the way we passed through this new park area built in Inman park that had a huge pond and fountain, all lit up, with walkways over the water and tons of greenery - it was gorgeous. All in all, well worth a late night!

 Foster the People concert

 The park

The park again (photos don't do it justice!)

The next weekend marked my first trip back to Minnesota since moving down to Atlanta! So that was exciting of course. I joined my fam, aunt and uncle, and family friend for a late dinner at Axel's on Grand, and then my tired little self just went to bed haha. Quite the party animal I know. BUT I had to get rested for the big Griak cross country meet the next day! That took up most of the day, and I got to see awesome performances by both Kev and Laura! So fun, and so proud of them:) I headed off to Wilson's home for a cross country family potluck at his barn, got to hang with Laura a little at her apartment (and warm up too! it was cold!), and caught up with Marisa after! Yay:) Sunday I was in no rush to head back to Atlanta. I got to enjoy a great 5 mile run with Mom and Dad on my favorite Summit Ave boulevard that morning (longest run since my surgery at the time!). Then mass with the fam, and coffee afterwards at our friends, the Bard's, newly opened Claddagh Coffee Cafe....it was my first time there and I loved it! Such a cute place, with exposed brick walls, an additional seating area with couches downstairs, gluten free treats (!), and of course great coffee. The whole family went on a nice walk after since it was such a great day outside, so that was fun to chat and catch up:) I left for Atlanta that evening, and had a smooth trip back by way of Chicago.

Claddagh Coffee Cafe

During the work week, I enjoyed some nice lunches with co-workers (Cathy, Jaime, Deanna, Leann...just to name a few), as it is always great to chat and sit outside for a bit! I also got to run with with a friend, Nisha, in Piedmont Park one evening, and then had dinner after at nearby Jason's Deli...such a nice time! Another activity I recently took up thanks to a Living Social deal, is CrossFit. It's right by work, so super convenient, and a great workout! I needed some sort of motivation to help get me stronger again, after all my time off with my surgery. This leaves me sore and pretty exhausted, but I like it a lot! Plus, the people there are great.

Last weekend I got to welcome Grandpa Docherty to Atlanta! He was passing through on his way to his two ship reunions from WWII, so I took him out to dinner at the restaurant Wisteria in the Inman Park area. I had never been there before, but the food and service was wonderful! They even had a gluten free menu for Grandpa (another Celiac) and I. We enjoyed a wonderful two hour conversation before I took him to meet my Uncle Dave, who would bring him the rest of the way. I then made a quick stop at home on my way to the (surprise)....airport! I decided to take a last minute trip to Chicago to watch Danny and the Iowa Hawkeye girls race the next morning. Dad picked me up at the airport, and I stayed downtown that night with my fam. I had a nice (but windy!) walk Saturday morning with Mom along the lakefront, and great breakfast too! Then off to the race, where I got to surprise Danny, since he didn't know I was coming. He gave a great effort, and was fun to cheer on:) It was also great to catch up with some former teammates! After we chilled at a local bar/restaurant, and then I got to quick see Danny's new apartment before I had to head to the airport. I was pretty tired, so decided to head home then instead of having to get up early Sunday morning. I got in early enough to have a late dinner, watch some tv/football, and get a good night's sleep:) We continued our undefeated streak in Kickball the next day, and I also stopped by a grill out at a co-workers house right near the Park...got to enjoy some Sangria too...took me back to my Spain days!

The restaurant Wisteria

I had a few more weeknight outings this past week, when I went to see the Broadway play Wicked at the Fox theater with my friend Steph, and it was AMAZING! I want the soundtrack so bad haha. I also had a nice dinner with some Iowa MBA alums, hosted by the career services team that was in town for a big career fair. It was held at the restaurant Two Urban Licks, which is in a really neat renovated warehouse, and had great food too. Friday night I met up with some friends from work at the Irish pub Ri Ra, and from there "hopped" around a little, checking out the new club reign (unfortunately disappointing), and then to Cosmo Lava, which was fun but didn't quite fulfill our search for a good dance party. Another time I guess! I kept busy the rest of the weekend with some apartment cleaning, cooking, yoga (that kicked my butt! dang), a massage (yay! I was so tight haha), church (checked out a new one and really liked it!), a trail run (first in Atlanta!), and kickball, where we suffered our first lost in a tight 1-0 game that came down to the last inning:( Definitely intense. You seriously should witness this game.

 The inside of Two Urban Licks

 At Ri Ra with the Delta girls! (Priyanka, Diane, and Cathy)

Cosmo Lava with Pilar and Jared

Trail along the Chattahoochee River...awesome crushed gravel, wide, and lots of activity!

And now...I am hoping to finish this (long, I apologize) post so I can get to bed! Love my sleep:) And need it too!

Til next time...

xo Jennie

What a Whirlwind

Wow time has been flying! I can't believe it's September already...crazy. And for the first time in, well lets count...about 19 years...I am not starting school. But that's okay, I think 19 years of school is enough haha.

Well lots has happened in the past few weeks. I had a special visitor from the Netherlands come, so that was exciting:) We went to a concert one evening at the large amphitheater here in Atlanta and saw Parachute, Michelle Branch, and the Goo Goo Dolls all play...music was great! Visited the town of Decatur one day and I experienced my first New Orleans-style "Snow Ball" (http://www.neworleanssnoballcafe.com if you want to check it out) and it was quite tasty! Perfect for a hot summer summer afternoon.

 The Goo Goo Dolls

The next weekend brought us to Battle Creek, MI for the Amy Yeast Memorial Tennis Tournament. We had gone a couple years ago, so it was great to be back and see everyone!  There was even a mini Hawkeye tennis reunion, so it was fun to see some familiar faces. The whole Battle Creek crew is fabulous, and made the weekend fun filled with golf, tennis (of course), boat rides, dancing and drinks at the the riverfront bar, even a casino trip, and lots more.

 Sunset over the lake

 Hawkeyes!

Kathy Sue and Sara Dunn! Love them:)

New York City was calling the next weekend, but we barely made it because of bad weather all up the East coast. We were almost ready to go home and give up when we were able to get on to a delayed flight at the last minute...oh the joys of standby travel haha. But we did make it and had a great time visiting Bart's old roommate. Saturday featured a great ferry ride to a beach on the Jersey Shore (not quite like the tv show haha), and dinner at an amazing restaurant called Megu, thanks in part to its Restaurant Week prix fix menu;) Sunday was relaxing, although a bit competitive when it came to our intense game of mini golf at one of the Hudson River piers haha.

 The Jersey Shore...you know it!

 The ferry ride was like a mini boat tour of NYC!

 Mini Golf

 View of Manhattan from the apartment

 Dinner at Megu

I got a few major crises out of the way when it came to getting locked out of my apartment one night and not being able to get back in until after midnight, and also having my car breakdown in my work parking lot...but no major damage done, just temporary frustration haha. I'm hoping I'll be in the clear for a little while now. Other new adventures included seeing the show "Guys and Dolls" at the historic Fox Theater...it was a lot of fun and what a beautiful building! Another night we got great 2nd row seats in the outfield for a Braves game, and otherwise enjoyed making some good dinners, touring Piedmont Park, and just relaxing:) If only I didn't have to work...so sad that I will never get another summer vacation! But welcome to the real world right;)

My next weekend was a joyful reunion of friends for miss Katy Schumacher's (now Heggen!) wedding to Danny. I was a little late getting in on Thursday, but was able to make the second half of the bachelorette festivities in downtown Des Moines. Friday we had a nail party (thanks Katy!), got the reception venue set up, and had the rehearsal and dinner, followed by drinks on a bar patio with the whole wedding party...I was amazed by how many neat little bars and restaurants there actually are in Des Moines! Super cute. Saturday was the big day, with big fun and celebration:) Katy looked beautiful and the whole wedding was so simple yet elegant...well done you two!! They got married at a small, old barn, with the reception at Zart, that had amazing food (lots of gluten-free too! They are so thoughtful:), and of course...quite the dance party! All in all it was a great weekend and I am so happy for the new couple:) Love you guys! And SO SO great to see everyone again, with Claire coming from Australia, Emma from New York, Shelby from California, Mar from Minnesota, Leah from Ohio, and me from Atlanta...yay yay yay...I miss you all already.

Getting ready

 After the rehearsal in the Sculpture Park

 

 Cocktail hour at Zart - reception venue

 A toast!

 Group pics in Waterworks Park

 Wedding party at Simpson Barn - ceremony site

 Danny and the girls! haha

 Waiting for the couple outside:)

John, Emma, and Dad!

Now it is Labor Day weekend and I finally have some time to catch up a little. We got off of work early on Friday, so that just made my day...and landed me at the pool:) Can't complain about that! I met up with a few friends, and also fellow Hawkeye alums - Reed and Steph - to watch the Iowa football game on Saturday at the Brewhouse Cafe. They won by the way haha (but granted it was Tennessee Tech, so I would hope that would be the case!). I wandered around the neighborhood of Little Five Points a bit afterwards (where the Iowa bar was)...it has more of an eclectic vibe and was packed with people walking about, so fun to check out. Saturday night was more football with friends...it's definitely big here in the south! I also learned that Friday's during football season are official "wear your team colors to work" days haha. I guess I'll have to break out some black and gold! The rest of my weekend was spent being productive (yay!) around my apartment, so that I also had time to relax! I watched an entire movie for the first time since moving, with a friend from work - Cathy, and got to test out my new couch in the process...verdict = COMFY:) And if anyone hasn't seen it yet, "Just Go With It" is actually a really funny movie! Much better than I expected. Well that's it for now I guess! Til next time:)

 Steph - newly moved to Atlanta!

Go Hawks!

Love, Jennie