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…)

Christmas Festival of Lights – Natchitoches, LA

Natchitoches is the oldest town in Louisiana, the Bed & Breakfast Capital of Louisiana and home of the famous Natchitoches Meat Pie. On our way back from Houston, we decided to make a detour through Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-Uh-Tish) to catch the Christmas Festival of Lights before it ended on January 4. Although this is the 88th year of the festival, I’ve only been to see the lights once before – suprising considering I grew up only 60 miles away in Shreveport.

However, it wasn’t until the Christmas lights were featured in the 1989 blockbuster movie “Steel Magnolias,” starring Sally Field and Julia Roberts, that people in Shreveport started paying attention to Natchitoches – the sleepy (yet Lousiana’a oldest) town situated on the Cane River. Although I enjoyed the lights when I saw them for the first time in 1991,  things can change in 23 years. Would the lights be worth this crazy jaunt? (more…)

Chicago, Wisconsin & Michigan Itinerary

During the summer of 2014, we created a driving trip to Chicago, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan about two weeks before the trip. Why a driving trip and why those states?

Millennium Park, Chicago

Let me back up. We had flown for the Boston/Maine trip and the Seattle/Vancouver trip, but had driven for the Washington DC/Shenandoah NP trip. The cost differential between flying and driving was significant enough that we wanted to drive somewhere again. But where should we go? I looked at our map of the US and drew a circle around places within 12 hours from home. Chicago was one of the cities that had popped up.

Since I was missing Wisconsin and Michigan from my visited states list, I wanted to incorporate those as well. A brochure I ordered from Wisconsin highlighted beautiful lighthouses in Door County. From there, we realized we weren’t far from the Upper Peninsula and could swing around and see Mackinac Island. (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…)