Adventures in A Town
Hello again, it has been too long since my last post. Although I have wanted to sit down and write, I have not found the time nor the words to describe my latest experiences. There have been some changes in ownership with the cooking studio and my schedule was pretty busy there for a while. After a quick transition and some schedule adjustments, things have slowed down some with my schedule at the studio, per my request. I felt like I was missing precious family time. As soon as Frankie said that she was missing me, I changed my availability so I could be home more. Specifically, I wanted to take her on some adventures. I love teaching the homeschool kids how to cook, but I realized that the time I have with young Frankie is limited and I should make her my priority. So off we went on a few short journeys, long travels and exciting adventures.
In February, I took Frankie to Atlanta to celebrate one of my very best friends, who is her Godmother’s birthday. We celebrate many important birthdays in February. My Mom’s birthday is the 2nd, and although she is no longer Earthside, we still celebrate her, because we miss her dearly. Then the 10th is Frankie’s Godmother, Angie’s birthday, the 18th is my nephews, and the 19th is my sisters and Frankie’s best friend Maebz. All very special people to us and we love to celebrate them!
While we were in Atlanta, Frankie and I went to Children's Hands On Museum | Children's Museum of Atlanta (childrensmuseumatlanta.org). The weather was rainy, so it happened to be the perfect place to take her for the day. Having grown up in Atlanta, it was nice to show Frankie the parts of the city that I love and tell her stories of when I was young. Although much has changed since I was little, it still holds plenty of memories and has tons of kid friendly activities to enjoy. The Pink Pig was a very small roller coaster at the top of the Rich’s Department Store in downtown Atlanta that we would ride, usually during the Christmas season. Atlanta’s Pink Pigs Live in History | Atlanta History Center Although it is no longer there, a ferris wheel was erected near Centennial Olympic Park – Georgia World Congress Center Authority (gwcca.org) after the 1996 Olympics took place. My plan was to take her to ride it after our visit to the Museum, however the rain put a damper on that plan (no pun intended).
I did not let the rain stop us from having an adventure though. There just so happened to be a Johnny Rockets: burgers, shakes, fries, and fun in Atlanta, GA close by. It was only a short walk-through Centennial Park. We popped open our umbrellas, put on our rain boots, and off we went. As a kid I remember going to eat Johnny Rockets, the feeling of stepping back in time to when my mom was young was enchanting. It was as nostalgic as I remember it being. We ordered burgers, fries and a milkshake. Frankie seemed to really enjoy the atmosphere, but mostly, she enjoyed the milkshake, of course. Over lunch I told her about the first time I had Johnny Rocket’s and many other stories about my childhood. It was reminiscent of when my mom would tell me stories of her childhood. These are the things I will never forget, and I hope the same for Frankie.
It is my hope that Frankie will learn that if she has an adventure planned and it rains, have the adventure anyway, dance in the rain, don’t let anything stop you from having fun. There will be times that things will not go as planned. Instead of getting upset about it, embrace it. Sometimes the best adventures happen when plans don’t turn out the way you expect them to, and this was one of those times.
The next day Frankie was having a spend the night party with my sister Caron at my dad’s house. It was time for me to have an adult night with my closest girlfriends to celebrate Angie’s birthday. We went out for Mexican and Margaritas, then to see Hamilton - Broadway | Tickets | Broadway | Broadway.com at the Official Page of the Fox Theatre in Atlanta | Fox Theatre. What an incredible show! I saw it first as a movie and loved it. I never could have imagined how much I would enjoy it live on stage. These performers were incredible! Not one missed line, or missed step was had. Not only is the story told in such a way that you want to see it over and over, but the songs, the dances, the actors all left me in awe. I would have never imagined that they could be so mesmerizing. One day when Frankie is older, I will take her to see it live at the Fox. It will be a lifelong memory for her, and I look forward to giving her the experience.
As we wrapped up our trip to Atlanta, no trip is complete until we have breakfast at Waffle House - Good Food Fast. Another nostalgic place for me. I know that 90 percent of the time we eat nutrient dense food while traveling, to keep from getting a travel bug. As a matter of fact, when we travel by car, we bring most of what we eat with us in a cooler. Usually, it consists of homemade chicken bone broth cooked noodles with carrots and fresh herbs, farm fresh eggs from Smyly Farms Online Store (square.site), my nephews farm, and fruit. However, Frankie is fond of waffles, and I grew up eating Waffle House, so it is only fair that we have breakfast there before leaving Atlanta, and so we did. This time we ate at Waffle House # 943; Margret was the cook, and it was the best darn Waffle House I’ve ever sunk my teeth in. Frankie will always get a waffle. As for me, BTL plate, scattered, covered, smothered and stomped on by the cook (if you know, you know)! With a full tank of gas in the car and full bellies, we descend back to Florida and that concludes our Atlanta trip.