Whittaker Woman

A Year Ago Today, Losiah Became a Whittaker

So yes a year ago today marks our move,  but it also marks the day Losiah officially became a Whittaker.  Our adoption paper work was a long road and it has officially been 365 days of having that weight off of my shoulders! What a relief!
September 24, 2007
Woke up said good-bye to my brother, went to Starbucks with family, mother in law and grandma. Then went to the courts.




He became ours! Legally. And then we went home grabbed our bags and got on a plane to Atlanta. What a day! H

Apparently I Missed the News

There is no gas in Georgia! None! When we were coming home from church on Sunday I saw a big line by our gas station, but I just thought an accident had happened and people were getting stuck behind the cars.  Then later that day when my gas light was on, I drove to the gas station as I was pulling in when I saw a line of cars. I thought it was strange, but the soccer fields were just getting out so I thought maybe their was a group all driving together. I don't know? Now that I look at my thought process I find myself quite clueless.
Anyways I did finally realize everyone was waiting for gas and figured I'd drive down the hill and find a gas station with no line.
And I did... drove by many gas stations with no lines, and that was because they were out of gas. By this time I was  beginning to see some black between the gauge and the E line. Not a good sign. Finally I pulled up to a gas station and that had cars which meant for the time they had gas. Good!
Oh but I did not realize that I would be waiting 40 minutes just to fill up. Good thing my kids were having fun...

Well maybe Seanna was not, but Losiah had candy and Sohaila had something to occupy her!

Nothing like sitting at the gas station with three kids... It puts mommy in a happy mood!

Finally after I got up to the pump the only gas left was Supreme! But after that ordeal you suck it up and pay it!

Looks like fun! H

The North Georgia State Fair

He thought he was a big kid... He cried, and cried to be able to go on  a ride like his sisters.

Then he cried and cried to get off.

Carlos did a much better job at this story than I did. H

The North Georgia State Fair

This post is dedicated to the workers, better known as carnies. We decided that there needs to be a reality TV show on them! They were classic!

She was on the phone the entire time our kids were on the ride that SHE was in charge of!
Just in case you were wondering... His shirt said 'SAFETY FIRST' on the back. I was so comforted! :)
Ok so this guy was the man in charge of the Rat Race game we played. I could not understand a word he said. Mark finally had to come over and word by word translate for me. I was in another world tonight. H

The North Georgia State Fair

I think I will keep you captive all day by periodically posting pictures. Our friends Mark and Stephanie were the first people who invited us over for dinner when we first moved to Georgia. Since then they have continued to introduce us to the south. Tonight just might have topped me off!
Lets set the scene...
Tonight at the North Georgia State Fair... We played a game with rats!

We put our kids on rides that went in circles all night.

And we took every opportunity for a good picture!

Just Fascinating!

We were able to experience a little side of our community this weekend that just left me speechless.  We went to the East Cobber Parade, which is a parade that the "East" side of our county puts on. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...
 
"I Love East Cobb"... I told you all that the South still segregates. My community even splits its own county. Can you do that? It just sounds odd to me.
  
  
Carlos and I would like to nominate oursleves for Mother and Father of the year. Do you think we would fit the East Cobb profile? Carlos would have to buy some Khaki's and a Oxford!
 
  
And yes my favorite the senior Majorettes!

Welcome to the life of an East Cobber!

Georgia On My Mind...Garage Sales

This weekend I was looking forward to selling all of our junk that we have piling up in our garage. You would think that after moving across the country we would only have what we need, but we don't. We have a ton of things that need to go!  I guess with 3 growing kids things just pile up. So I decided to have a garage sale.
Garage sales are big here in the south. Which for those who were wondering were big in Cali too. 
The difference is that in California garage sales usually take place on Saturdays only. Here in Georgia people have garage sales on Friday and Saturday. I was actually excited about this because Carlos has Friday off so it would totally work with our family schedule. 
I woke up early on Friday and began the chaos. It was around 8 o'clock when Seanna began to whine...
"Mommy why doesn't anyone want to come to our garage sale?" Her feelings were hurt that no one had come.  And that is when I realized that not only is there a difference on the days people garage sale here but also the time they garage sale. In Cali if you do not have your stuff outside and ready by 6am you have missed the boat. People start at the crack of dawn in Cali and by 11 am people are done shopping. Yesterday it was after 8am when we had our first car. Most signs I see around here say that they start around 8 and go till about 3pm. That is a long day of selling.
Finally it was around 11 am when I realized how conditioned I am. There is a five hour window of patience that I have for garage sales. Once those hours are past I AM DONE. Pack it up, give it away... I am finished. So I conclude that even though people here in Georgia have two full days of sales this California girl can't do it. I will give 5 hours of my life to selling junk after that it goes off to the Salvation Army. H

2 minutes and 45 seconds

That is how long it takes to get here from our casa! The nature that is within city limits just amazes me!
      

I love Atlanta!

 
 
I love how many visitors we have had since we moved here. This is one of my great friends Amber and Jeremy. Amber was at Sandals back in the day when it was small and everyone knew each other. Now her family lives in Michigan. We decided to introduce them to the south by eating lunch at FAT MATT's BBQ!
I love visitors! Who's next? H

Georgia on my mind

People ask me all he time what I think about living in Georgia. They want to know how it differs from living in California. So I have decided to start a post series called...Georgia on my mind. I am simply gonna share the things I see everyday that are different. I love Georgia, I would not move back if I could... someday, but right now I am  happy where I am at. So here goes my new series.
 
Your parents parents... What do you call them?
I must admit, my family is full of nick names... We have Nani, Nannan, Nana, Kiki, Lita, Mama, Papa, Tia, We've had Tata, Nino, Nina, Pop-pop, and the traditional Grandma.  Some of the names are traditional and others are random and off the wall.
I have heard tons of names, well at least I thought I had.
This weekend we were at a birthday party and I was handed the duty of writing the who gave what list. I was so embarassed because half of the names I had NEVER heard before and had no idea how to spell them. There was MeMaw, MeMe , Mama, Nanny, Mom-Mi,  Grand Dow, Poppy  and all the grand dads. I did the best I could, but it was just one of those moments I realized I am not in Cali anymore.

What do you call your grandparents, what do your kids call your parents? H

Summer Rain

I must say this week has been delightful. I have loved the rain we have had all week. There are leaves that are beginning to change and fall is in the air! I must say I love Georgia today!

   
What brings this kind of smile to your face? H

Where is the dang umbrella when you need it?

It was just like the movies, the rain began right when it came time for Sohaila to be picked up from the bus, it was a coming down, but as soon as she got off the bus it was a down pour! As I was leaving the house I realized that the umbrella was in the car, with Carlos. Which is a very practical spot for it, because I was home all day. I did not need an umbrella, well except for the 2 minutes it took me to walk to the bus stop.

We look terrible, we actually look a like in this picture. I don't know what that says... She looks like my daughter when I look like a drowned rat? HMM. Can you say pretty! Ha!
We were laughing so hard, sometimes it takes something going wrong to make a great memory! H

Our Summer Guest Finale

Wow have we had a summer full of guests! This past weekend was the last set of visitors for at least 3 weeks. :)
Bogie and Becca came to visit! I have known Bogie for 14 years! We hung out in the same group in high school and have remained friends. They opened up their home for the whittaker's two years ago when we needed a home for a month. I guess you can say they started the co-living madness that I have embraced.
Anyways it was a fun weekend.
We got a sitter and went out one night.

We went to some Pig and Peaches festival!

And Finally we just hung out. Bogie had an infection in his knee and so they spent 10 hours in the ER on Saturday! It is always lovely to have a little IE in the house!  Wow it has been quite the summer! H

You ask, I'll answer set 15

*So how does the southern culture and way of life differ from that of the West Coast?
Posted by: Roland | May 13, 2008 at 06:05 AM

HA! I will have to say that once and a while Atlanta will occasionally give me a glimpse of Cali, but for the most part I am in a different land. One that is far far away!
The Comida, is so different! They "BBQ" here and in Cali they " BBQ", but if you ask any southerner about the way California BBQ's they will correct you and call it grilling.  There is a gigantic difference! When you talk about southern BBQ,  you are talking about greasy, messy and wet! In CA when you BBQ you "grill" your food and it is healthy and fresh! Plain and simple here there is more sauce than meat and in CA there is more meat than sauce. Oh and don't get me started on Mexican food here!
Neighborhoods: In CA you live in a neighborhood, but here you belong to a neighborhood. You are identified by your community you live in. Each community has a name and you better remember it because that is where you are from! It's very important. When the end of the school year came each community had a sign out by the neighborhood entrance that had each graduating senior's name on it. You would not see that in CA! I actually love the community spirit!
Environment: GA- Bugs, Trees, weather! CA- Bugs= really only ants and black widows, trees= only if you plant them, and weather= only sun!  I love the weather in GA, the seasons! The storms, oh it brings joy to my soul! The trees are fabulous I just wish there was a place I see a horizon, oh how I miss me a CA horizon! And the bugs, well you know how I feel about those guys.
Southern Manners/Politeness:  Hmm, lets just say in Cali,  I would NEVER get a thank you note from my dentist like I got today! That's a first for me!

 

So to answer the question, things are different. I miss my friends and family, I miss Mexican food and In N Out, I miss real mountains, but when push comes to shove I love it here! GA is home for now! H

Let me ask you now, How does where you live differ from your home town?

You're bigger than he is...

I know I am bigger than these palmetto bugs, but I still run like a baby and scream like a girl! But look at that tiny little spider taking down that nasty bug. It is amazing! I just wanted to tell the palmetto bug that he was bigger than that spider and  to RUN! H

Calm Cool and Collective...Yeah Right!

They were fine with the thunder that clapped as they played outside, but as soon as the wind picked up they were done. The best part, was the fact that I watched it all. They were so cute. They frantically collected their toys and then their brother as they rushed inside. I loved watching it go down! H

No time wasted!

We woke up early and went on a hike near our house! You got to love the nature that is in the heart of the city limits! It is amazing!

Carlos let tus have a fun day out with out the kids!  We shopped till our feet could not carry us any longer.

Then we came home for some Korean food by our roommates and then the grown ups went out on the town!

It is 4:05am and we are still going. I guess I am not going to do my 10 mile run in the morning. Opps!
Tell me what is the best thing you did today?

Mine was to dream! Oh how refreshing and powerful and hopeful dream can be! What is the best thing you did? H

Welcome to the south J, Welcome to the south!

I gave her fare warning about possibly seeing one of the finer things that the south has to offer, but when it actually happened she yelled like a girl and bolted for the door. Look who came to visit...
Look at the Kelly doll that is in front of this animal. It was gigantic! I immediatley called James who was in his room down stairs, but no answer. I had to attack this myself. So I pulled out the bed...

I tried to make it run from out of the bed, but it ran into this blanket.

Carlos came home but refused to help me. He is the biggest girl out there.

Finally the deed was finished. Thanks to my macho man who ran like a girl after he did it!
Oh how I love the south! H

One thing after another...

My poor brother came to visit at a terrible time. He was here two weeks the first week was our road trip and the second week was a week of recovery for me from the road trip. Needless to say, I was not able to give him my perfected tour of the ATL. So with less than 24 hours left together, we decided to loaded up the car and go camping!

We drove out to Stone Mountain. For those of you who are not familiar with this area, Stone Mountain is a huge rock that protrudes from the earth and they call a mountain. It is cool, but when you grow up with this as your back yard it is hard to be awe-struck. The campground was beautiful! It was nestled right on the banks of the lake and had great views. The kids were so excited to play in the water. All was well, until we realized that swimming in the lake was prohibited, but being the good rule breaker that I am, we continued to swim! It was the hottest day of the year here. How could I tell these guys to get out of the water?

Anyways the day went on. It was hot! No, it was HOT! You know the kind of hot where you begin to loose all sense of rational thinking. Where you will simply do anything to keep cool. (Like swimming in the lake). 

Around 6pm things began to look better. Carlos arrived, dinner was cooking and best of all the sun was going down. However, after a hour of dusk the heat had not let up. It was so bad that Carlos asked me if I was crying, because he saw "tears" rolling down my cheeks. Nope it was sweat! When that happened I threw in the towel and said I was done. I was 20 minutes away from my own bed and AC. There was no way I was going to sleep in this. I am a camper, I love to be dirty, I love to sleep on the ground, but the heat... NOPE not going to do it!

My poor brother worked so hard to get he tent up, he was a good sport! Once we packed up, a storm rolled in and we were so glad to be on the way HOME! We did have to stop and get my brother's canvas bags off the roof! I am telling you it was one thing after another!

H

H Mart Makes mom Happy!

Well H mart made me so happy that I took my mom there too and mother like daughter she loved it too!

Thunder Rolls! And Rolls! And Rolls!

The Whittaker's are on the road! Last night we started our road trip to Virgina. Our trip began a little late when my brothers flight was delayed. However the long dark road from Atlanta to Asheville was nothing but boring. For people who have been born and raised in Cali it was MAGICAL. I think we yelled Holly Cow about 1,343,973 times! This is why...
 

 

H

When in Georgia and it's a billion degrees, GO OUTSIDE!

 
There really is not a reason to be outdoors in this heat!
That is until Papa comes and teaches you to skip rocks.
 
The calm before the storm!
 
The rocks soon became boulders!
 
But it was fun! Sweat and all. H

Touring ATL

We started at the Vasity for snacks

  

 

We went to see the MLK museum and the home he was born in.

 

  

It was so fun to be a tourist for the day. We went to the Varsity, then to the High Museum of Art to see a fabulous photography exhibit on the Civil Rights Movement, followed by a walk around the MLK Museum.

It is just great to have so many things to do at our finger tips when visitors come! So you tell me, where are you from and where would you take someone if they came to visit. H

GA vs CA and GA won!

I have to say that since the past 10 years while I lived down to So Cal I have not been able sit in my front yard and do fireworks. But times have changed my friend! It was so great! We had a great night and the best part of all... MY PARENTS ARE HERE! Which is gigantic! This is their first real fly to a destination vacation! I am so excited! H
 

 

Summer is in the air!

Well, you all know how Spring is in the air .... ENDED. I hesitate to post our summer series, but you know my blog... the good, the bad and the ugly gets shared so here we go.
Looks like just a junky flower planter right?
Nope, we have more little feather friends.
Look at mama's face. She looks like she is about to attack me. H

My man wants action!

Carlos has been out of town for a few days, and to make things worse...
he was in Cali.
However, he did come home with... Some Animal Style Love.  

The fries did not resurrect as well as I had hoped, but the hamburgers were delicious! Even at 9am! WHAT A MAN I HAVE!

Southern Decor

Do you like my new decorations? The are in my color scheme!
Welcome to the south! H

Take me out to the ballgame...

All I have heard all day long today was the tune to the Tomahawk Chop. My kids including Losiah have been chanting the tune and swinging their arms. I guess we can say we are officially from Atlanta now.


Seanna did a little barfing action earlier in the day and it came back at the game. Luckily we were able to be by a nice restroom and did not have to cover the toilet bowl of a public stadium.
Does that say mom or what. I am laughing at that picture!

I told you.

And of coarse we learned how to do the wave.
I love things like this... On the way home (we left a little early) the girls asked to listen to the game on the radio. It made me think of my Nannan, who always has her little radio on.

Family Night #11 Beach Night

Well I confess, we have a packed week and there was no plans of a family night, however we did through Alyssa a great Beach Night for her birthday. You could totally use these idea's for a family night.
I made pudding and topped it with raw sugar and chocolate sea shells that we made.

For the kids I put their pudding in sand molds. The things that look like butter are shells. The picture really does not do it justice.

The beach is Alyssa's favorite and I wanted to make her feel at home so everyone put on sunscreen so we could all smell like the beach. I made her sit with her feet in sand like at the beach. We also had a bon-fire and smores just like we would at Huntington.
 
We even got sparklers and sang happy birthday to her! It was a lot of fun!

And like every family night the girls asked... Mommy can we do a beach night again. Those are the words I live to hear.

Now it's your turn. What did you do special with your family this week? Here are the rules...Share it on your blog then link back here!!! This is very simular to the blog carnival that Shannon has explained here. Email me for questions. H

Welcome to the south...

This kid wont stop sweating! If we are outside this is what he looks like.
 

When the sun goes down, on our side of town

Every night like clockwork the Whittaker Team is outside huntin'. For fireflies that is. I know Ya'll in the south call them Lightnin' bugs, but they are fireflies to me.

 
Well the little bugs can only entertain you for so long...

How fun is this one. And if you look real close on the one  below you can see little yellow lines which is the little bugs flying. So magical!

H Mart Makes me Happy!

H mart, I wonder what the H stands for? Heather? Hungry? Happy? Well, truth be told H mart made Heather hungry and then made her happy!
 
We went with the Cullins to a huge Asian market. So far the best one here in the ATL!

We had great Korean food, and were able to stock up on some of our favorites! Have I told you how wonderful it is to live with someone who cooks real Korean food?

Anyone need some Kimchee?

How about some salted jelly fish for 8 bucks? Anyone?

Maybe some fresh Talapia? I love this market! There is just nothing that takes me home
faster than experiencing a little culture. Oh I get so full when I spend time with other peeps that aren't white. Sorry East Cobb Peeps, I love you, but heavens a little color here and there just warms my soul! H

Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee ...

Uncle Eddie came for a visit and we went down to see some nature! I love that this is literally 2 minutes from my house!

Cali sick

I typed home sick but changed the title because Georgia is home now. I actually love it. However I am missing me some Cal-iforn-I-A! I have been on the verge of tears all afternoon. I guess I just have the summer blues.

I want to see a horizon on a mountain like this....

I want to be at this lake with these people...

I want her to make me some of this...

I want all of us to be in one place together...

I want to climb this mountain for the fifth time in 5 years...

I want my girls to run with this dog down this road to see the horses...

I want to be able to go here with these guys. I just want to go back to Cali!
I want $1500 to fly my family home.
Oh, the summer time blues.
Ok tell... where is your pillow and then where is your HOME?
 H

More Bugs!

Ok, so you all know my bug issues here in Georgia. I am in shock at the amounts of creepy crawlies that live in this state, however we have been patiently awaiting one little guy since we got here and he arrived last night. Yep, Mr Firefly! We have been talking about them since the day we boarded the plane to come to Atlanta and last night he came for a visit. You should have seen this west coast family out in their PJ's and glass jars trying to capture the little guys. It was quite the scene! After many failed attempts Daddy Carlos captured one and we got it in our jar! Then our little guy decided to boycott our fun and refused to light up again. What happened? Why the sour attitude from Mr. Firefly? Any tips for a rookie firefly catching family?

We thought maybe he did not like his jar so we put him up in the grand hotel and still no luck!

Please help us! H

Pine Trees, Pine Trees, GO AWAY!

 
Pine trees, pine trees, go away, our garden needs the sun to stay!
One thing about gardening here in Georgia is having to plan around these dumb trees. In our back yard we have a limited space where the sun actually shines, the trees block the sun form my little garden most of the day.  We shall see how things turn out. I thought I would give it a try since the tastes of fresh tomatoes are one of my all time favorite things! What can't you live without eating in the summer?