Left Calgary on Jan 8th for a week pit stop in Atlanta Georgia before venturing on back to Panama on Jan 16th, 2010 (wow 2010)
Our departure out of Calgary was a nightmare... the worst we have ever experienced. It was amazing how in one airport no two people had the same information or rules. Emma left in tears, I gave a bag away and a few choice words were flying... But we left Calgary and all went well after that.
Sooooo.....
Why Atlanta Georgia we have been asked? Well simply... we had a stopover there and I wanted to see what Atlanta was all about. We have never flown through the south so this was a great excuse to spend a week exploring before the kids started back at school after Christmas break. Our kids got one month off for the holidays which was great timing to see the sights.
We stayed in the area of Buckhead which was filled with great restaurants and shopping. We could not believe how friendly people in Atlanta were... it is true what they say, there is "Southern Hospitality". It almost did not seem real how nice people were. It did not matter if it was the hotel staff to a parking attendant... everyone was nice! (sad we were so shocked by that)
Atlanta was an action packed week. We took full advantage of our time together as a family checking out all that Atlanta had to offer. There is so many amazing museums filled with culture that we just did not have time to get to. One day we will be back.
(a quick pit stop for some pants for the kids at Old Navy... It was COLD in Atlanta which I was not totally prepared for. I had to take this picture... the kids were posing as customers came into the store and it was cracking everyone up)
(I thought this picture was comical. The boys wearing their pompom toques (cute, i love them) and enjoying their nuggets together... I envision them as old men meeting up for coffee in the same position. These are my amazing boys)
Monster JAM! American Style
Trent wanted to take the kids to the Jam and it was a fun night in the Georgia Dome! Trent found tickets at a pawn shop (so resourceful) hours before the show began. This night was for Daddy..haha
(nothing like a Monster Jam with 70,000 other screaming people. I get goose bumps every time the American Anthem is sang, there is such immense passion and pride that is in the air)
(Ev liked his ears covered up with his cute but very overpriced ear muffs)
(WHAT DID YOU SAY MOM? i CAN'T HEAR YOU... )
(Superman made some great air... The kids were all cheering for their favorite truck)
(East was excited with the Monster Jams outcome with Maximum Destruction putting on quite a show)
Atlanta Children's Museum
It was a fun afternoon enjoying all the expressive stations at the Children's Museum. I loved the molding tables, Trent created Shrek while Emma & Everett had free range to paint a whole wall. It is always interesting checking out CM in other cities to see what they have.
The first few days we were in Atlanta it was freezing. The weather was not normal and at one point it was colder in Atlanta than it was in Calgary. We were NOT prepared for that. With a very limited amount of pants in our house I had to do laundry because we all lived in the same jacket and pants most days...
(the three musketeers)
(East got locked into the bubble, Em was enjoying that)
(we had lunch at the famous Buckhead Dinner. The waiters all wore white suit jackets and ties. We looked like a site waltzing in with our travel winter wear. The milkshakes were a hit as you can see)
Limo Time!
Our hotel's shuttle service was in a limo. We rented a mini van to travel around in the day but the kids were instant on venturing around in the limo at night heading for supper. It was alot of fun to sit back, relax and watch the kids squirm with excitement. Trent put his DJ Trick Trax show on and drove us crazy mixing music to drive around to...haha... Love you honey!
(this is what I call service. The hotel shuttle was a SUV limo. It was comical getting out of the limo and peoples bewildered looks at us)
(Easton said "We are like rockstars!" East has the best one liners)
(the boys shaking it up to DJ Trick Trax mix.. lol...)
Georgia Aquarium!
(Great picture Family xoxoxo... The Aquarium was very educational and fun)
Georgia Aquarium!
This was an interesting day! The Georgia Aquarium self professes itself as the largest Aquarium in the world. From the many aquariums we have been to it sure seems like it is. The exhibits are separated into multiple sections from fresh water - tropical fish - touch pools etc. It is a pretty amazing place! The aquarium prides itself on being a research facility as well. The kids and i had a behind the scenes tour which had pretty phenomenal technology behind the glass windows.
(Ev checking out Crush as he swam by)
(the kids noticed the blue frog wrestling the yellow frog underneath... priceless moments to remember)
(a neat shot of a tropical wonder I wish we could see naturally in the ocean)
(Ev admiring the jelly fish tank. I am fascinated by jelly fish, they are so interesting and strange at the same time)
(I came around the corner and found Em and Easton like this. They are such buddies and I hope the bond lasts a life time. They will forever have in common their crazy parents... haha)
Trent SWAM with Whale Sharks and other creatures!
At the Georgia Aquarium they have a program where participants can scuba dive in the massive tank with 4 whale sharks, mantis, and thousands of other sharks and fish. This truly will be a rare opportunity to expereince something like this. Thank you to Trent for offering for me to do the dive instead, but now that Trent is on a role for swimming with sharks it just didn't seem right I go without him. (xoxo honey)
(Trent is swimming right by a whale shark named Trixi. Easton said that Trent looked so small compared to the enormous figures of the whale sharks)
(Trent swimming overhead of us while we stood in the tunnel below. The scuba divers had all intension's of swimming towards the right of the tank however a large Grouper was deciding otherwise. The Grouper was holding his territory and did not want anyone in it. We found this out when Trent surfaced)
(this might be the grumpy looking Grouper that was standing guard... Trent is the wee looking diver below)
(look the Mantis... boss ...the Mantis)
(reach out and touch someone! It was funny as Trent became the captive and we on the outside pointed while hoo'ing and ah'ing at the funny fish on the inside. Pretty cool)
(you can see the great distance of Trent's hand. The glass separating us from him was 2 feet thick and weighted 120 tons with dimensions of 60 feet x 27 feet)
(good-bye fishes.... Trent said it was an awesome time in the tank)
(The kids and I got a behind the scenes tour while Trent was diving. Here one of the whale sharks made a very close swim by. While we were at the top of the enormous tank a whale shark swam right up to us. I was in ahhh so I fumbled to get my camera and the amazing fish was gone)
(this was Trent at dinner after he went diving. His nose started to bleed which can happen when you scuba dive while you are a bit congested. To help his congestion he took a decongestant and it knocked him right out. He was great company at Shanes Rib Shack... haha... )
World of Coca- Cola
This museum was ULTRA cool. Atlanta was the birth place of The Coca Cola Company, Home depot and CNN. Alot of ambitious people have came out of Georgia. The World of Coca-Cola museum has all the old memorabilia known to coke. We watched a couple funny 3D movies, watched a whole production line of how a "bottle of coke" is made from empty bottle - to - cap on - to - finished product bottle. It was very interesting.
(some of this memorabilia dates back to the early 1900's)
(we met up with the Coca-Cola polar bear!)
(Coca-Cola is the official sponsor of the Olympic torches so here on display is many previous torches that have circled the globe)
(a very cool display of the enormous amount of products the Cola company owns)
(the kids just starting their tour of 64 different kinds of pop from around the world. There was a fountain station of the popular drinks from Africa, Europe, Asia, Latin America, America. There was a few tasty kinds and a few down right disgusting flavors. YES the kids tried all different flavors and then some. There was no shortage of sugar highs for a while..haha)
(A toast to Coke... the kids loved the World of Coca Cola. At this station we did a taste test between. Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero ...and regular Coke came out on top with an oldie of Cherry Coke close behind)
(A free coke for everyone to take home. Oh just what we needed after taste testing 64 pops already! The World of Coca Cola was very cool, very educational how the process works and alot of fun visually. It was a great museum one of the kids favorites... I wonder why ;- )
Atlanta Thrashers! Hockey Night ...
A MUST READ story:
Trent wanted to go to the hockey game and heard that hockey does not draw a large crowd. Resourcefully frugal Trent found great seats for $20.00/ ticket on Craigs list. Trent contacted the seller and agreed to meet him at a near by mall outside of Starbucks.
As we approached the mall I noticed a gentleman with his hoddie up on a bench outside of Starbucks. Trent at the time was also wearing a black hoodie. Trent parked our van illegally at the curb around the corner and jumped out of the van. All of a sudden I see Trent walking very fast towards me on the passengers side yelling at me to move the van. I look and right behind me and there is a police truck.
Well... I immediatley thought Trent bought illegal tickets and he was about to be arrested. Turns out it was a sercurity officer giving Trent the
ONE- TWO...
"Son, I don't know what kind of business you are doing here but it is not acceptable.
"Use your brain Son, you can't park illegally here."
"Don't argue with me Son!" Trent was speachless.
It looked like a shady deal was going down. Two big dues in hoodies outside of Starbucks exchanging cash for something in an envelope. It was a great lesson for the kids to see that people are judged for their clothes and for where and who you meet up with. (those darn hoodies)
As it turned out our tickets were legit and we sat in the 6th row from the rink in club seats for $20/each at an NHL game... not to bad but it was a good laugh seeing Trent get read the ride act for his business dealings..haha
(it was a wee bit chilly out so a hockey game seemed fitting. We went to see the Thrashers vs. Ottawa Senators. It was hilarious because when the crowd cheered "Lets Go Thrashers" Everett screamed LOUD... "Lets Go CANADA" he turned quite a few heads..haha)
(Everett wearing his new Calgary Flames shirt thanks to the Simpsons... he loves it thank you! We were quite early to the game for pre-game warm up. However throughout the Phillips Arena I would say just over half of the seats filled up)
(Emma won a shirt by yelling and screaming at the mascot.... Be loud baby.. be loud)
CNN TOUR! Awesome...
CNN was very cool. We took a tour of all the behind the scenes of the news you would be watching on TV right now. It gave the kids a great perspective of what it takes to get a program on idiot box and all the people and components that work together.
("This is CNN" ... pretty cool place, the hub of all the breaking news)
(here we are at CNN Atlanta headquarters)
American Adventure -
(it was a Ghost Town)
(it was a Ghost Town)
We were in Atlanta while all the American kids were back in school. On a Wednesday we made our way 20min out of Atlanta City to America Adventure Park. Well our heads hung when we pulled up and only on other car was in the parking lot. I read prior that the park was open during the winter months. Trent said "just go check to see." I walked up to the entrance and pulled on the door and it opened. I looked inside and it gave me the chills. It was all dark inside but NOT a sole around... very erry.
Went back to the car and told Trent there was no way I was going in so he decided to waltz in. With the kids in tow he wondered through the darken building and found the manager. Next thing I know Emma came running out and said LETS GO! The manager opened the place for our kids enjoyment and we had a great afternoon.
(This place consisted of a huge foam battle zone... it was fun to shoot eachother)
(East reloading with the assistance of the super-vac)
(the kids had the run of the WHOLE place... they dictated what rides they wanted and how many times to ride them. East said again "we are rockstars.")
(we were the only ones.... the kids had alot of fun)
ANNIE! At the famous Atlanta Fox Theater we also had the privilege of taking in the musical Broadway show of ANNIE. What a treat that was. The kids loved the show and were troopers so late at night. We were all blown away at the singing talent of such young girls... The Fox theater was BEAUTIFUL, still original all the way down to the phone booth in the powder room.
The Varsity
- famous Atlanta Burgers
(We hit some fun eating spots while in Atlanta and The Varsity was our last stop. This place has attracted some big names from what we are told. Not to many things go by that I don't take a picture of...haha)
(we got to experience the old fashioned drive-up. Our waiter was a hoot and the onion rings were not to bad)
(our last dinner was at Ribs etc.... they were YUMMY. Easton savoring the last Rootbeer in the place. He looks just to cool :- )
Back to Panama!
We had a great flight back to Panama on Jan 16th. The kids started school on the 18th and we are now back to Latin life.
(this is classic. Everett likes to play in the shower just sitting and singing in there. Emma was checking him every 4-5 minutes while I was cleaning out closets. All of a sudden Emma said "Everett fell asleep!" yes he did! He was so tuckered out and so relaxed in the shower that he just laid down and went nighty night. This is one of his best spots he has fallen sleep. CUTIE!)
Trent's parents came!
Trent's parents made their way down at the beginning of Feb. It was their first trip down here and the first trip out of North America in 25yrs. It was an action packed week of site seeing and touring the country side. They had a chance to see how we live each and everyday in the ease of flip flops and shorts.
(we took a bit of a tour through the old city of Casa Veigo. The kids were the tour guides for their grandparents)
(out to the beach for the weekend. Trent's parents enjoyed the quietness of it but not the water so much. It was a hot couple of days since it is summer here)
(notice Trent's little friend on his shoulder... This was Ally the monkey at the beach restaurant we ate at. It was a restaurant owned by a Canadian and Ally roamed the place trying to steal fries. She almost got Everett's sandwich right out of his hand)
It is Carnival here next week. It is a week of water fights, parades, with lots of loud music and parties into the wee hours of the morning. The city pretty much shuts down and everyone parties day after day after day. I guess it would be equivalent to Stampede week in Calgary, just 24hours a day here.
Happy Valentines to all. Give your loved ones a hug and a smooch!
Thanks for following along and reading my babbling.
Until next time.
All our love
Jody. Trent. Em. East and Everett xoxoxo