New Ice Rink Inside the Perimeter – Center Ice Arena, Sandy Springs, GA

“We’re going to be sore tomorrow!” my husband announced as we left Center Ice Arena this afternoon with our two children.

He is right, but the adventure was well worth it.

Seeing that this weekend’s weather was going to be cold, rainy and gray, we decided to try out the new ice skating rink that opened ITP – Inside the Perimeter (Atlanta speak for inside the I-285 loop). The facility opened just in time for the winter holidays.

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My husband, who played hockey as a kid, was looking forward to skating on a “real” skating rink. In the past, we’ve skated at Centennial Olympic Park and Park Tavern, which offer smaller scale, temporary rinks during the holiday season. Not only was this a permanent, regulation size rink, but they offered a choice between regular skates and hockey skates. (more…)

A Night in Bethlehem – St. John’s UMC Atlanta

A family tradition is to take a walk through Bethlehem sponsored by St. John United Methodist Church in Atlanta. It’s usually held on the first weekend of December and this year didn’t disappoint. Centurions at the city gates yelled out, “Sign the Census. Sign the Census.”

 

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The first order of business is to sign the Census rolls upon entering Bethlehem

 

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After signing the scrolls on the table lit only by candlelight, we entered the city. It was bustling with music, drumbeats and people all over the place. In one corner was a woman selling bread. Another market vendor sold bright jewelry but gave beautiful precious stones to the children. Soldiers urged people along to pay their taxes. A group of children were getting their Hebrew lessons. One woman came up and asked us if we had seen the bright star in the sky. (more…)

Vogel State Park – Fall Hike

Autumn:

Crisp Air.

Harvest Time.

Fall Leaves.

Time to get out of Atlanta and go “Leaf- peeping”

The Former Lumpkin County Courthouse is now home to the Dahlonega Gold Museum

First stop is Dahlonega. Flags and crosses honoring veterans line the streets leading into the town of 5,000 residents. Central to the historic downtown is the Dahlonega Gold Museum. Housed in the original Lumpkin County Courthouse – the oldest courthouse in Georgia, the museum details the history of the first gold rush in U.S. history. (more…)

Japanfest 2014

Welcome to Japanfest
Welcome to Japanfest

One of my daughters is taking Japanese in middle school this year. Although we’d been before, she wanted to make the trek up to Gwinnett Center to attend this year’s Japanfest the weekend of September 20. This was made more appealing by the two free tickets her teacher gave us.

My favorite performance of the two-day event is Matsurizo Taiko, a professional ensemble of Japanese drummers that regularly perform at Epcot. As we made our way to the auditorium, the usher said,”I’m sorry. It’s too crowded for you to enter.” No, this can’t be happening, I thought to myself. We still had a few minutes before the show was to start. However as more people came behind us and expressed disapointment, he shrugged his shoulders and let everybody in. “You have to stand up and there’s no security,” he warned. Inside the dark auditorium, we could feel (before we could hear), the constant boom, boom.boom of the large drums. Despite not having seats, the performance was captivating as the 14 men and women kept us entertained. (more…)