Georgia

On the night of Sunday March 1st, 2009-

3,000 people slept in the Atlanta airport.

I was NOT one of them.

Thank goodness....

(I've slept in many an airport. Not a fun activity.)

On Thursday Feb 26, my alarm went off at 5 am. Time to fly to Georgia. I rolled over and thought, am I really doing this? Am I really flying by myself across the country for 15 minutes? But that little voice in my head kept saying "your destiny awaits you." (or was it..."get up you lazy bum, and don't waste a $350 plane ticket"..?? I'm not sure which.)

So I landed in Atlanta on a sunny afternoon, excited about escaping the Utah winter. My friend Katie (who moved to Atlanta during the summer) picked me up from the airport. And I got to spend the afternoon with these two cute girls!

It was so much fun to hang out with them and I'm so thankful they let me stay at their place, even amidst the chaos of their packing and moving. (I later figured out that my timing coming this particular weekend was actually even WORSE than I thought it was....please read on.)

So Katie drove me around Atlanta, and to my INTERVIEW at Georgia State University on Friday afternoon. It was POURING. (As we ran through the downpour, I thought it was hilarious and beautiful. I sighed and thought, "oh, my first southern rainstorm! how lovely." .....Little did I know that the rain's evil twin would emerge soon.)

And so commenced the 15 minutes. Though the tour of the campus, conversations with students, and writing sample probably took an hour or so, the actual interview was 15 minutes.

I must say I was very impressed with the program, and the awesome urban campus, and I would love to go there. I hope they pick me! I'll find out the first week of April. (though chances are slim... 60 interviews. 20 students will be chosen. yikes.)

And that night I got to hang out with these two:

Natalie and Josh! (Jonny's sister and her husband, who live in Athens) They did an amazing job of showing me around Atlanta, taking me to fun shops, restaurants, and my favorite part: a little blues bar, featuring Lazy Lester. It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen/heard in my life.

Saturday Natalie and I had a girls day: (it was still pouring. too bad I did not bring my galoshes)
-pictures of the famous Stone Mountain

-Martin Luther King Jr. birthhouse, memorial and display


-yummy cakes at Cafe Intermezzo

-AND shopping at Atlantic Station!

Even through the constant rain, I was amazed by the huge trees everywhere...they were beautiful.

This seemed to be the fated weekend to visit Georgia, because my Father-in-law was also there for a conference.

So we picked up Jonny’s dad at the airport and went to dinner at an amazing restaurant. Mary Mac’s Tearoom. I ate:

-collard greens

-fried chicken

-grits

-fried green tomatoes

-biscuits and gravy

-fried okra

-cornbread

-baked mac n’ cheese

Holy cow. I discovered that my mouth loves Southern food. Though I can’t say the same for my hips…

We went to the hotel and got ready for bed. And so again, I set my alarm for 5 am, and fell asleep happy. Excited to see Jonny and be home for Sunday lunch. Dreaming of my handsome prince, I slumbered soundly in the hotel room…unaware of the unexpected surprise that brewed in the clouds outside.

We woke up to a drizzly Sunday morning, with clouds that looked determined to start something. Natalie drove me to the airport. Lets just say, it was the first of several trips (bless her heart). Phone calls and standbys and more cancellations, and about 8 different confirmation numbers….That day was consumed with me trying my darndest to LEAVE Atlanta as soon as possible…and everyone else SO excited about the SNOW. The most they’ve had since 1993. Bad timing? Yeah. Definitely.

Delta canceled 300 flights that day.

And 3,000 people slept in the airport. NOT ME. Thank goodness for conferences and kind, generous father-in-laws who have nice hotel rooms right across from Olympic park. And my public transport skills…riding the MARTA was a great adventure.

So Natalie and Josh came back to Atlanta to play, we ate some more good food, watched dad’s presentation, and I took a tour of the CNN center.

Not too bad. I’d miss 2 more days of class for that any day. But I also missed someone else. Like crazy. So by Tuesday night, I was SO ready to get back to snowless Utah. After a 53 hour delay ....

This cute guy:

Picked me up from the airport last night. Mmmmm. Its good to be home.

6 days. For 15 minutes. Wowza!

Thanks Thanks Thanks to everyone who sacrificed and made my extra long stay in Georgia wonderful. :)