Sunday, September 22, 2013

Monday, September 9, 2013

ATL-ORF



Ali, Uncle Scott and Mary

Said goodbye to my sweet PawPaw this week, and celebrated his life with family and friends in Drewryville, VA. Even met some family members I'd never met and Mom hasn't seen in years. It was  great connecting with everyone and sharing our favorite memories of such a wonderful man who taught us all quite a bit about life, love and family.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Athens (GA)

The Classic Center hosted us for a western style hoe-down during our strategic planning retreat, and Paul and I got into character :) 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

ATL-JAX



We took a long weekend to celebrate Shannon's birthday and our anniversary in style on Amelia Island. It was a much-needed break after a crazy crazy couple months. We had lots of R & R and Riley got to join in on the fun. Despite  the rainy forecast, we had amazing weather and got to soak up lots of sun, sand and surf. Shannon even took a surfing lesson. We ate yummy seafood (multiple stops to Timoti's - our favorite:) and came back with a cooler full of fresh seafood to hold us over at home :)  

Saturday, July 20, 2013

ATL-LAX

We are laughing. 

Year 3 of institute. Check! Another amazing experience with some of my favorites... Love these beautiful peeps. And the gorgeous LA weather. Christine joined me for the first part of the week before making the drive to Napa for her best friend's wedding. Fun times! 

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

ATL-DFW



4 days in Dallas for our summer research meeting. Great science and a memorable meal at Stampede 66. Yee haw!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

ATL-SFO

Quick in-and-out for a committee meeting!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

ATL-DFW



Just a quick in-and-out for a committee meeting. Borrowed LIz's boots to look the part. Yee haw!

Augusta



Spent a few days in Augusta this week for the GSAE Annual Meeting and had a great time catching up with old friends and picking up a few new along the way! Cute town!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Friday, May 3, 2013

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Sunday, April 14, 2013

ATL-RTV

Shannon fishing during the golden hour
This year we wanted more rest and relaxation on our vacation rather than rushing from museum to landmark on a sightseeing adventure. And with our ten year anniversary coming up (we've been together ten years this April 12), we wanted sun, sand and alone time. Beachy, but not a resort that could be anywhere. Somewhere off the beaten path. Shannon found the perfect place, and we booked it just in time. A great rental house on an island in the Utila Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras.

Die-hard Braves fan that I am, I had a tailgate planned for the first weekend home game on Saturday, April 6 so we couldn't depart until Sunday, which meant we couldn't fly to the islands directly (Delta only flies to/from Roatan on Saturdays). Which meant we had a little adventure on the mainland on Sunday, but we're grateful we got to see a little of the countryside as our driver took us from San Pedro Sula to La Ceila, where we caught a ferry to Utila.  There, our host ushered us to the grocery so we could pick up essentials for the week, and then dropped us off on our island.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the resident cat, which Shannon quickly named Kitty Kitty Yah Yah Cha Cha (yah yah for short), who showed us around her island. With two docks, comfy kitchen, dining and living areas, and our choice of bedrooms, we quickly settled in and spent a week together in our perfect paradise. Getting home was a bit less adventurous than getting there since we were able to get a direct flight (just 3 hours) from a nearby Island (Roatan) home to Atlanta with no trouble.

Now, being alone on an island for an entire week and swimming, snorkeling, cooking, sunning and reading was absolutely amazing, and it may sound glamorous, but balance the image in your head with the following: solar power, no air conditioning, 'primitive' shower heads (aka PVC pipes;), plenty of mosquitoes, and a few nights with no breeze to cool us as we slept.

We couldn't get enough of the views, the gorgeous water, the brilliant sun, the perfect balmy weather. Several varieties of palms, fruit-bearing shrubs, tall-reaching pines, the resident pelicans, an iguana, and a pair of noisy blackbirds completed the scene. We cooked delicious food, from chorizo con huevos y tortillas to shrimp tacos to steak fajitas and frijoles, and of course all the coconuts we could eat. We swam and snorkeled daily, collected shells each morning, read for hours on end, fished off the pier, and enjoyed each other's company. The snorkeling was unbelievable, with endless varieties of tropical fish. The second day, we saw a small eagle ray stirring up sand on the ocean floor. The next day, Mary had a too-close-for-her encounter with a very large eagle ray (five feet wide and coming straight at her to say hellloooooo)! 

All in all, an experience we'd gladly do over, again and again, but definitely not for everyone.  You can see photos from our adventure here.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

ATL-SFO



ATL-DCA

2 day meeting at HHMI - spied a blossom or two! But it's frrrrreeezing here.

Friday, March 15, 2013

ATL-MDW

I had a meeting in Chicago and it just so happened to fall on St. Patrick's Day this year. Visiting her favorite city on said 'holiday' has been on Julie's bucket list for like ever, so I was spared post-meeting loneliness and got to spend my after hours with my beastie - what more could I ask for? Turns out, our other beastie was also in the city for a bachelorette weekend so we got to see Christine as well - double score!! We had a fabulous time eating our way through the city (per usual) and even got to see the river dyed green!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

ATL-MCO

I had a meeting in Orlando this week. AT Disney. How could I not ask my favorite munchkin to join me? Oh, and his mom. Who happens to be my BFF. I was in meetings until Saturday afternoon and super jealous of all the fun they were having, but they were good enough to show me around Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning when I had some free time. We had a BLAST! We did magic kingdom Saturday evening and animal kingdom Sunday morning and took our tired but happy tootsies home with hearts full of memories that will last a lifetime. It's so wonderful to see Disney through the eyes of an almost-six-year-old!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

ATL-PWM

The beardo @ Sunday River

Monday, January 14, 2013

ATL-SLC

Things happen when it's -10 on the mountain
Shannon spent the weekend skiing in Park City and had a great time. He's a natural and with a few more lessons under his belt, it looks like yet another hobby in the works ;)