Fall Break

Here are the little tikes at the apple orchard. We all had lots of fun chasing Baxter around the place while he pretended the apples were balls.

After our wild weekend with the masked Agnes Scott girls, it was time to head back to reality of sippy cups, diapers, princess tiaras and lots of goldfish. In response to the overwhelming comments and hearing how prolific of a writer Scott is, I thought I would reply to that with a couple of simple photos of kids. That should nix the entire hugeness of his ego. Because honestly, who can top photos of beautiful kids.

Here we are about to leave. Just starting to get a little cooler.

Lillee is very happy to be with Chief I Swear to Tell the Truth. We have on our lovely stickers to be able to board the Blue Haired Blue Ridge Railway!

Mom and I getting ready for a ride of a lifetime with two small children. M&Ms - check, crayons and book - check, Measuring tape for Bax - check, sippy cups - check, lots of little gadgets to keep them occupied - check.

As Willie sings his rhymes and songs, Bax sings away... I thought even the indian behind him was going to start clapping his hands.

How cute - he so enjoyed hanging out with the fishing pole. Here he is in the middle of the river.

A Great Day for a White Wedding (Guest Blog)

I begin this story of the first full day of my thirty-fifth year in medias res. We returned from the Rose wedding and decided to operate the elevators under the influence. You never know what you'll meet riding fast glass elevators after midnight.

The characters in this scene are my wife, a bottle of Amstel Light, and two masked Agnes Scott students, as we all ride the glass elevators inside the Hyatt Regency. For a moment we contemplated crashing the Agnes Scott homecoming dance that was in full swing down in the ballroom. Instead, it was off to the room to smoke a maduro on the balcony.

The story begins at 3:00 when I returned from the Rock Ranch with Bax and LG. We returned, ate a piece of birthday cake, changed into wedding guest attire, hopped in the car and arrived at the Hyatt about fifteen minutes before the wedding was to start at Piedmont Park.

However, there was just enough time to do a self-portrait in the hotel room.



Take a moment to reflect upon our camera skills with a BAC of 0.000. They only get better as that number rises.

We had a difficult time finding a parking space and in finding a parking spot at Piedmont Park, where the wedding took place. Hence, the camera was left in the car and we have no pictures of the wedding.

I'll summarize. The wedding took place at the Clara Meer Dock at Piedmont Park with swans and ducks in the lake. It was something of an intimate gathering. We did not know the families very well. We had an invite and were not exactly crashing the event, but our connection to the parties was virtually tangential. We would soon change all that. In fact, we already had.

As we waited in the parking garage, Jenn asked a random well-dressed lady to take our picture. She did, and we learned that she had flown in from Pennsylvania for this wedding. We turned on the Jenn and Scott charm, and we became fast friends. Our work began in the parking garage long before we arrived at the wedding.



Louise's picture of us as we break the ice.


Our picture of Louise after we've put the broken ice in a tumbler and poured bourbon over it.

The trip to the Clara Meer dock was quite the Odyssey. The GPS took us to the address listed in the invitation, which was near the wedding site but far away from any available parking. After a brief detour into the Piedmont Driving Club (the application is on the way), curbing the tires, and a near collision with two gay men and their rat terrier, we walked to the dock and saw the wedding.

Among this potpourri of guests was a man in all black with a cowboy hat. We thought he was a wayward family member in town for the wedding. In the middle of the wedding, we thought he got fed up and was leaving. To our surprise, he picked up a guitar and played a song to the assembled congregation. Jenn later met this future Austin City Limits performer and became his first groupie.

I wish that he hadn't starting talking to Jenn right after catching the garter.

The evening wasn't all fun and games. Since the reception was at the Michael C. Carlos Museum on the campus of Emory University, I had the opportunity to show off my former almer mater, Candler School of Theology.

BAC still 0.000 as we take pictures on the quad.

I even went and checked my old mailbox. I figured I'd have a lot of mail to read, not having been there in over ten years.

Wait, who the hell is Sarah Szhneider, and why is her mail in my box? Guess I'll have to quit hanging up on those alumni people when they call asking for donations. After this experience, I had two choices. I could go to Canon Chapel to pray over this setback, or I could go and drink my sorrows away. ...

... so here we are, at the reception.


As luck would have it, the groom is an executive for a liquor distributor. One of the guests was a broker from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who deals in fine wines and spirits. I was feeling guilty about choosing bourbon at the Carlos over prayer at the Canon. Lucky for me the minister who did the wedding was in attendance and willing to hear my confession in the buffet line.


Here we are talking theology and picking up artichoke hearts.

Our newest friends, a real estate agent and his wife, from Yonkers, New York, suggested that we open the door next to our table out in the hallway, and suddenly our table was transformed into box seats. I sort of felt like Abraham Lincoln at Ford Theater with the angle this new view afforded us.


Taken from the box seat and enhanced with a zoom lens.

But we didn't stay seated for long. We spent some time mingling. I hung out with the maid of honor, the bride's sister, and we also met up with a wedding guest who will soon play the part of our friend Barbara Moon, in an upcoming bio-pic on the Lifetime Channel.

Maid of Honor, Kenny Chesney, and Jenn.

The Barbara Moon look-a-like, me, and Woodford Reserve

Alas, the evening had grown late, and we decided that we didn't need a cab. The hotel was but four miles away.



Come on baby, I got the keys.

We drove back as I chewed on a cigar and as Jenn stuck her head through the sunroof and photographed the skyline (also known as probable cause).

I think that big building up ahead is our hotel.

Soon, we were back safely at our hotel with our keys in the hands of a very sober valet, and we were off to ride the elevator with masked revelers. So ended a very full first day of my thirty-fifth year, a great day for a white wedding.

Birthday Boy

Yes, folks, he may look like a deer caught in the headlights. However, this is just Scott hamming it up for his big birthday dinner. We went down to Grits in Forsyth with the gang. I tried to organize a little soiree for him and we all had a lot of fun!

Poor thing had all of his friend's lined up on the sofas wanting to show off his ghetto tube and the cable had been cut off. I don't think cut off as in bill not paid, but it was showing no signs of life. I think he found some TiVoed CMT spotlights show featuring Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson.

The new 36 year-old has a big weekend ahead of him. Fun packed Auburn watching day along with a big wedding at Piedmont Park with a client tonight. We're staying at the Hyatt downtown so hopefullly 1/2 of Griffin won't wake up tomorrow hearing live reports about the Key family from Monica Kauffman. Then Sunday off to the mall and B.B., REI and to check on our injured, recovering friend Amy. Maybe she'll take us to lunch and let us use her handicap sticker.

I think Scotty is enjoying his birthday weekend. Just waiting for my mom to get here with the caramel cake today!

The whole gang L to R front row: Brennan, Becky, Renee, Niki, 2 dorks. Back: Lance, Dale, Jim.

Back row L to R: Lance, Dale, Jim. Notice below no pics of Dale and friend. Monica (I'm jealous) was in Savannah at a girl's weekend. Truly missed. We tried to take care of Dale.