Kathy and I drove downtown to join Ted and a couple of his workmates to celebrate Ted’s birthday. It was a gorgeous fall day. Ted gave us a tour of the bridge design floor. We got to see Jenny and her shrine to Austin. We also got to see Ted’s workspace, which looks like a next of paper, only instead of having an egg in the middle, it is Ted’s chair. In Ted’s defense, the place was not designed with paper in mind, especially the giant rolls of plans he has to reference. He probably needs to just take over more cube space like Jenny has done.

We walked to the Georgia Tech campus and had lunch at Juniors. It was mostly college kids rushing in and out for lunch. We all grabbed stools along the back bar, so it made for a good vantage point to watch all of the cooking and coming and going.

On Saturday, Kathy had an all day RCIA workshop, so the three girls and I drove up to Athens to help celebrate Ted’s birthday at Gramalie’s. I dropped Kelly and Gabrielle off downtown to shop at a craft fair going on, as well as walk around. They quickly ran into Nicole who was able to join them for the tour. Claire needed to study, so she stayed with me. I went by Grant and Jami’s temporary house, where Fiona and Michael showed me their new rats. Grant explained that he researched having rodents and decided rats were the smartest and wouldn’t bite like gerbils and mice. He picked out the big gray one (on the right) because it had “dumbo ears.” Michael got a brown and white one (on left.)

We all then headed over to Gramalie’s to watch the UGA Auburn game and enjoy a very pleasant afternoon and evening. At dinner, I noticed Ted was sitting with 7 girls. (Kelly’s friend Jessie had joined us) so I had to get a picture of that. Grant, Michael, and I ate at the counter. (Jami, like Kathy, was off on some mission.)

Ted chose a chocolate outside yellow inside cake, which mom made and was delicious. Ted explained he used to pick different cakes (like strawberry) since Dad would always get a c.o.y.i. two weeks earlier. Without Dad’s choice in play, the c.o.y.i. has moved up on Ted’s list. Perfectly delicious logic to me.

Carol (the thoughtful child) reminded us all that it was Mom and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary. She Grant and Jami sent flowers. I called Mom pretty late Friday night. She was reading a book and “napping between pages.” She said she had a little display of her wedding album, wedding photo, and the flowers Carol Grant and Jami had sent her. I asked her to send me a picture of it, so she did. (Click to zoom.)

As the first born, this reminds me that I also have a 50th coming up.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Our plan was to meet at Danny’s mid-afternoon and then go to the airport to pick up Nicole returning to the Peace Corps. I drove from work. Kathy and Kelly drove from home. I got there early, so while sitting with Danny at his kitchen table, he got an email translation of a voicemail just left by Kelly on his cell phone. (Danny uses Google Voice to handle all of his voicemail.)

Now Kelly knows Danny does this and that Google will translate her voice message to text to send him. So she talks funny and even uses pig Latin to trick Google.

Somewhat exasperated, Danny reads the following out loud to me:

Hi if we Ian. Don’t you know I fit to get off that so if you need to call and tell us what exited to get off that house job her. Robert didn’t lose sweetie. 2 less okay doing drive in non 3 cross day. My name is Dan.

So he just called her back to find out they were looking for an exit number…. which they had already figured out. We all arrived over an hour-and-half before Nicole came up the escalator.

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