From the Phoenix to the ATL...we go to the South!

Okay, I know it's been months - literally - since I last updated this bad boy, and I feel - as does Ana - that I have definitely done some injustice here.

Sooooo...let's just start from this weeks past happenings with our vacation:

Ana and I decided some months ago that we'd be taking this time off to do something, and that something would have been a trip to California for Ana's grandmother's birthday. It was announced that her g'ma was going to Mexico instead to visit family during this time, so this opened the possibility up to do whatever we wanted - with some restriction of course.

Immediately, Ana suggested a trip to see Kirk and Christi down in Orlando and I thought it would be a chance to drop in on our friend in the 'dirty south' Mike and his family in Atlanta. We talked it up with the parties involved and with no resistance at all - we were set for it!

Although the timing was a little bit off for us to see Mike DJ to hundreds of people at DragonCon in downtown ATL - which is just a mad gathering of sci-fi, comic, movie, and other freaks and geeks like me and the rest - for this weekend event at the first weekend of September of every year, we were able to spend the following weekend with Mike, Karen, and the boys, and then head on down to spend time with Chris and Kirk. Go to the link below to see what I'm talking about, and all the AWESOMENESS that is DragonCon, and the total SCENE that Mike's boys, Remy and Michael (aka P-Dubs), create at the convention - check out the Starbucks and the people snapping pictures!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKRJhNZsSy4

The time leading up to our trip just flew by and before we knew it we were packed up and ready to roll out! Our early morning flight from Phoenix landed us in Atlanta in the early afternoon. I had a splitting migraine from lack of caffeine and probably sleep, so it took a little while to recover, and we stopped at none other, but the famous diner/drive in, The Varsity. We walked in and the whiffs of fried...everything...hit us like a wave. The barrage of shouts from the workers of 'what'll ya have! What'll ya have!!!' is almost over-whelming. We stepped up ordered a chili cheese dog, an order of onion rings, a burger, a diet coke and the famous 'FO' - aka Frosted Orange. As you can see from the pic - the oil is oh so ever present in everything there...mmm mmm fried goodness...

And thus, what Ana and I deemed as 'The Tour of Fat' had begun.

After The Varsity we headed on up to Mike and Karen's. They're about an hour and a half outside the city in a town called Gainesville. We were just taken back by the green...everywhere!!! Gone were the long views from horizon to horizon of hot dirt and rock, and now we were surrounded by rolling hills of green and trees so thick we couldn't see through them!

Mike and Karen's home is beautiful! The boys have their own playroom, which is same size as our living room back home! Mike has a whole loft to himself for his office and schtuff including his drum kit, and DJ equipment, and TONS of toys-ahem...COLLECTIBLES. We went to dinner that night at a buffet that I gorged myself - hey, what can I say, even Karen pointed out that they had extra plates for the continued pile-on! The next morning Karen cooked up a killer breakfast of sausage, eggs, biscuits, tots, french toast sticks, even apple-butter for the biscuits! Oh, man she tore it up!!! Then we were off to Helen...

We headed up to the German town of Helen where Oktoberfest had just kicked off, and the Tour of Fat continued with a visit to candy stores filled with fudge and chocolate covered - whatever - and then bratwurst sandwiches and beers with Mike...oh, yea, I was ready for a nap. We headed back home, but not before stopping to pick up boiled peanuts.

Yep, I've never had them, but Mike insisted that it just ain't Southern for me not to dig in on this cherished snack. We loaded up and headed to the house, set up the slip 'n' slide (for the boys, Mike insisted that we could not and should not participate - no matter how many beers we have), cracked the beers, turned on the football game, sat down in some lawn chairs, and dug into the peanuts.

Here's some video Ana took of the boys going to town!

To describe them to those of you that have never had them, I will start with the process: first, the shells are still hard enough to need to be cracked. Not with your fingers however, with your teeth - this gets the first 'pop' of goodness that you receive with the salty or spicy (depending on which flavor you eat) as it coats your fingers and mouth. Now that it's open, the nut will not just 'come out', like 'normal' peanuts, you have to suck 'em out! The consistency is not what I expected. It's not crunchy like a normal peanut, it's soft and smooshy - kind of like peanut butter in a shell. I was a little drawn back, but soon found my disposal bowl full of spent shells, as I became increasingly addicted to the Cajun style.

We watched and laughed as we watched Remy and P-Dubs continually hit the slide, bounce, scream, and splash. Mike and I retreated into the house to begin the preparations for the grilling that consisted of chicken breasts marinated in chipotle for the adults and the lemon and herb slices for the boys and whom chose not to get the spicy side. Mike threw together the marinate before we left to Helen, so them bad boys were r-e-a deeee! Also joining them on the grill were some foil wrapped potatoes Mike and I 'did up'. The grill was fired up, more beers were cracked, and then - we feasted.

More beers, laughs, fun and games, and soon I found myself hopelessly passed out on Mike and Karen's couch in the TV Room - yes! Homeboy even has a TV ROOM WITH SURROUND SOUND!!! (Gawd I love this guy!)

The next morning we'd wake - half with hang-overs - as the boys had to get up and get to school, and Mike ready them up. Karen left earlier that morning to her job, and Mike would see to taking the boys to school, and after some cereal, and Mike and I with our Homemade Starbucks Coffees - YES! He's got a Barista Machine Karen bought for him where he can make his own Carmel machiattos! It was now 'inspection time' as the boys mounted up and grabbed their back packs, but first...big Mike had to check what they had stuffed in them. This ritual appeared to be consistent every morning before leaving for school for...out came the action figures, 'no you're not taken this...Star Wars ain't gonna go...' the comic books next, along with '...Spidey ain't gonna fly this time...P-Dubs, you ain't taken the ball to school...' and what was left on the table, was an array of kiddy-armament of entertainment galore. It was like a drill Sergent pulling merit points for contraband. Ana and I got a kick out of it - we forgot to take a picture of the table of the stuff Mike had pulled from their bags - but I hope you get the idea.

Mike and Karen are awesome parents. I hope only one day that I will have the relationship that Mike has with his boys, that I will have with mine. Mike is a great dad, and I am so happy that Ana and I chose to visit he and his family and they welcomed us into their home and had us stay with them. Thanks Mike and Karen.

We said our good-byes to the boys with hugs, Mike took them to school, we loaded up, and when Mike returned, we said our farewells, and 'have to dos this agains' and we were off to the airport to head to Orlando...

See my sisters post and pictures as the Tour of Fat hit Disney World! Click on her link below - she's an awesome writer...I'm just funnier.

http://lilieshavedreams.blogspot.com/2008/09/photo-plunge.html

I will post more of our fun times to come..due to this getting a little long winded...