The front porch of the supper club.

The outside of the supper club building

Erik, Elizabeth, Nicholas, and I at dinner.

Hula girl at Mumford

Mumford and Sons came to town last week, and in spite of Nicholas being out of town and unable to use his ticket, I invited a girl friend to hang out on…you guessed it…a school night. 🙂 It was a Tuesday night and in spite of the pending early alarm, we headed to Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta via Uber, ate at the food trucks and swayed to the sultry voices of the boys.  A semi-pro hula hooper was within spitting distance and we admired her tenacity as she twirled and hula-ed a glow-in-the dark hoop until late into the night.  It was perfect weather and I wanted to stay until the end; I remember wishing that I’d been courageous enough to make a career jump at the end of last year, and then maybe I wouldn’t be bound to the early, dark, morning get up.

The week went in a blink and come Saturday, we made even better plans.  It was the Reynoldstown Wheelbarrow Festival (stifle laughter) which is just up the street from us.  We drove a mile, parked at our friends’ place and walked to the street of food trucks.  Another friend lived on the exact street closed down for the festival, and we had front row seats to the food mania.  Mangault Park, across the street, spilled with live music and vendors all day and we laughed, made new friends, and told stories until we decided to move the party more homestyle in order to have a bonfire and home cooked dinner.  It was an amazing day/night and I kept thinking about the incredible chain of events last year that fell into place for us to move back here.  I’m so thankful for the friends with whom we’ve reconnected and the new friends that we have been lucky enough to meet.

Last night, we went to the number one supper club in Atlanta–Push Start Kitchen, on the West side.  It was literally a goat farm with loose chickens out front of an old brick building filled with single family flats; we had dinner Sicilian style in the upstairs flat which was literally someone’s home; we had one of the most amazing dinner’s we’ve ever eaten–we were served a 5 course dinner including drinks to accommodate every portion.  It was so cool to experience something entirely new with a couple who have quickly become our closest friends in Atlanta.

Work has been taxing for both of us lately, and I’m so thankful that home is our haven and our friends and family are our support.  I breathe easier the moment I walk in the door of our townhome, and when I look at our social calendar I can dismiss a bit of the work day stress.

Today it poured the majority of the day, and before making my Target run to collect ingredients for my D’Amico Food Board this week, I put on my galoshes and I stood out in the rain for a little while, just rehydrating in the name of the last seven years of San Antonio draught.  A few folks walked past with their umbrellas and half waved to me, as I think they were concerned about the crazy girl with her face to the falling rain.  As cliché as it sounds, I felt like I was losing the dirt of the week and hydrating for the week ahead. While the days have felt more challenging than I expected, I’m so thankful for the many things that feel fantastic about being back in ‘Atlanta, and even more thankful that I get to spend every day with the one I love, as we creep up on ten years of marriage.