After Santa Monica we hopped on PCH and made our way to Point Mugu, which is north of Malibu.  Even though the traffic is almost always bad on PCH, it is nice to roll down the windows, let the breeze in, and take in all of the sights.

We checked into our campsite and quickly set up.  I asked everyone if they wanted to hike or go to the beach, and the consensus was beach.  A quick drive across PCH and we were there.

The beach was pretty nice, but there were some sharp stones jutting out of the sand that you had to watch out for.

The last week before school started we took a quick trip Channel Islands National Park.  We left on Sunday after church and had lunch in Santa Monica.  Our first stop was a small shop called Sunny Blue.

Their specialty is omusubi, or rice balls.

As you can see, the store is really tiny inside.

I ordered the Sunny Blue Curry, D had the Kara Tuna, and the kids each had a Tokyo Tori (chicken with sweet and sour sauce).  Normally I would balk at paying $3-4 per rice ball, but I must admit, they were really good.  k even decided that rice balls are her all time favorite food!

n was not to big a fan of the complimentary barley tea, but I thought it was nice and refreshing.

Next we walked around the adjacent farmers market that is held on Sundays.

The longest line was at the Country Kitchen omelette station, so we hopped in line.  The assembly line was actually quite fast, so our was not too long.

You pick your own toppings, and your omelette makes its way down each burner until it is done.

We picked bacon, asparagus and cheddar, and it came with potato chips, which I found a little odd.  It was quite large, but we finished it without a problem.

We picked up a bag of oranges and bread for our dinner and walked back to our car.

I really liked how the paint here matched the succulents.

Doesn’t this look like a neat elementary school?

Cool public art!

We do not make it to Santa Monica very often, so it was a nice stop.  The weather was so pleasant and everyone seemed to be having a good time enjoying their Sunday.

We are starting our second week of school over here…the first time that we have started in August.  For Labor Day we took a quick trip up north to visit D’s family.  We borrowed a new CX-9 and put the radar cruise control to the test on the I-5.  It worked really well!  I always thought this was a feature that cars should have, and the future is now!  You set the speed you want to “cruise” at, and the car will maintain that speed, but slow down if the car in front of you is slower without hitting the pedal or brakes.  I also liked that it taught D what a safe distance between cars is, since I always nag him about tailgating. 🙂

On Sunday we ate lunch at Hurley’s in Yountville.  We were able to meet up with D’s cousin from Singapore, (upper right) whom we have not seen since our wedding!

The kids were also able to hang out with their cousin.  Grandma always buys them fun toys, and this time they played with a straw connector kit.

I know “Hotlanta” is probably a term that Atlanta residents are tired of, but we found it to be quite fitting.  The heat and the humidity made it difficult for me to breathe at times.

First we checked into the Residence Inn in downtown.  The building was old, and the hallways smelled funky, but our corner room was pretty nice.

I liked the lions on the building across from us.

We also had a partial view of Olympic Park.

Our first stop was CNN tower.

The building is pretty huge and impressive.

They own the Cartoon Network.  So cute!

The tour includes a ride on what I believe is the tallest free-standing escalator in the world.

The tour guide showed us some of the inner workings of a news anchor desk.  We also saw the newsroom.  There were some people working, but it was not too busy since it was Sunday afternoon.  Since news happens anytime, there are people working around the clock.  We learned that the news anchors store a week’s worth of clothing in their lockers in case they have to fly out on a moment’s notice.

They also showed a short video montage designed to pull at your heartstrings.  The tour ended in the gift shop, as most tours do.

Glitter CNN flip flops, anyone?

Or maybe some CNN winter accessories?

Next we headed to the Coca Cola museum, but made a few picture stops on the way.

The College Football Hall of Fame looked pretty cool.  We stopped in the gift shop, but there was very little Pac-12 representation.

D had just recently been to the Coca Cola museum while on a business trip, so I took the tour by myself.

They start you off with a cold Coke, which was nice on the hot day.

I chose Coke Zero, which I prefer to Diet Coke, for some reason.

Then you enter into a room filled with Coca Cola memorabilia.  Our enthusiastic tour guide told us some of the history of the company.

This dispenser is the oldest piece they have.

Then you watch an inspirational mini movie about Coca-Cola and life’s moments.  Another heartstring-puller.

The factory plant is offsite, but there were some displays.

There was a long line to take a picture with the polar bear mascot.

This was another picture opportunity spot.

I thought the display of art made with Coca Cola cans was neat.  I skipped the line to see the secret recipe vault.  Instead, I made my way to the best part: the taste testing room!

Each set of machines features various sodas from the different continents.  Each nozzle is labeled with the country and flavor.

Asia!  For some reason, I really liked Korea’s soda, but I don’t know what flavor “Joy” is.

South America!

Africa!

I did not try all of them, as that would be serious sugar overload.  The kids would have loved it!  On your way out, they give you a glass bottle of classic Coca-Cola.  Then you go to the gift shop.  It was too crowded, though, so I just met up with D.

We walked through Olympic Park and came across this sign, which I thought was odd:

Olympic Torch

I was sad that all of the restaurants that I wanted to check out were closed on Sunday.  We ended up with take-out from Flats, which was just ok.

We were back at the hotel before dark, and were able to watch some Olympics.

We drank my souvenir Coca-Cola for breakfast since we could not bring it on the plane ride home.  We ate our free breakfast at the hotel, which was actually really good.

The MARTA station was really close, so going to the airport was easy.

I took this picture at the airport for my sister.  Apparently it is a chain over there.  Southwest had a counter where they were giving out free soda and cookies.  I was also pleasantly surprised that Southwest is giving out actual snacks (not just peanuts) during the flights now, too.

This will conclude our posts for Atlanta.  It was fun to explore a new-to-me state.

One thing that I was a bit nervous about was that we did not have a scheduled ride back to Atlanta from Dahlonega.  It is a good hour away, and Uber drivers seemed scarce from Dahlonega.  Thankfully, the best man and his wife agreed to give us a ride, as they were headed back to the airport to meet their children in the afternoon.  That morning, we did a double-date hike at Amicalola Falls State Park.  We hiked to the top of the falls, and this was our view:

On our way back down we had a better view of the waterfall:

There were some interesting “Super Mario” mushrooms in the forest.

We then stopped off to drop of the tuxes and ate lunch together at a Mexican restaurant in the food court.  They are such a nice couple, and it was interesting to learn about their lives in Austin.  Afterward they dropped us of at our hotel, and it was time to do some sightseeing in Atlanta!

Saturday afternoon, D had to go with the groom and the groomsmen to the Wolf Mountain Vineyards to take pictures and get ready for the wedding.

We tried to take a selfie in the hotel room before he left, but it proved a little difficult.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIx33-aBgMi/?taken-by=limbylim

I hitched a ride with the best man’s wife closer to the ceremony time.

The setting was beautiful.  There was even a light shower before the ceremony, which was special since rain holds a special meaning for the couple. #LetItRainAsWillis.

This being Georgia, it was quite warm and humid.  The couple took this into consideration when they made their wedding programs into fans!

The cutest ring bearer (bride’s nephew).

The bridesmaid D was paired up with was the bride’s cousin (her parents are to the left).  The parents mentioned that they thought D and their daughter looked like they could be brother and sister, which I thought was funny.

After the ceremony, there was a time for refreshments.

The father-daughter dance was a hit.  I heard they use to enter father-daughter dance competitions when she was small!  (She is now a dance instructor).

I can see why this place is popular for weddings.

Dinner was buffet-style and was delicious.

The cake was from Whole Foods and had a difficult time in the heat!

The groomsmen had a good time preparing the getaway car.  Notice D’s addition of “Go Bears”.

Overall, it was a lovely wedding.  I have only met the groom a few times, and I did not have any time to talk to the bride, but I am so happy for them and wish them the best!

On Saturday morning, we had time to explore the “little” town of Dahlonega.  Just down the street from our hotel was the University of North Georgia.  And where there is a college, there must be a Starbucks, right?

Everything is quite walkable and the town square was too cute.

We found this restaurant called The Picnic Café.  We ordered a sausage egg biscuit for breakfast and later I ended up ordering lunch from there too!  Outside of the café there was a guy hanging out wearing a coonskin cap, but I did not have the nerve to take a picture.  Again, that is something that you do not see in Southern California!

D had lunch with some of the wedding party at an Irish pub called Shenanigan’s.  That name cracks me up.

There was also a charming little garden.

The garden even had a Little Free Library.  Love that!  I have seen them online and in magazines, but this was the first one I have seen in real life.

Even the town law firm is “little” and cute!

Back at the hotel.

One of D’s friends from B-school asked D to be in his wedding party, so we flew out to Atlanta a couple of weeks ago.  The kids happily stayed with my parents from Wednesday night to Monday afternoon.

Our flight, which had a transfer at St. Louis, was thankfully uneventful.  We then took MARTA to Dunwoody, just north of Atlanta.  MARTA was easy to navigate and convenient.  I believe MARTA and BART are cousins!

I didn’t realize until now that I took a picture of my Hello Kitty luggage tag.  I find it hilarious that D leaves it on when he travels for business.

The groom graciously picked us from the MARTA station and drove us to our hotel.  Almost as soon as we got in the car, we were stopped by a duck goose crossing.

I had to take a picture, because that is not something you see in Southern California!  They really took  their time, too!

I stopped by the lounge and grabbed what ended up being my dinner.  They served fried catfish, coleslaw and pasta salad, which was pretty decent.  There was also mushroom bisque, which was too salty.  I should not complain, since it was free, however!

Meanwhile, D met up with the guys for the bachelor party at a Braves game.  There was a rain delay, so D was out quite late.  I, on the other hand, supremely enjoyed my time watching HGTV, taking a long shower, doing my nails, reading and chilling in the hotel room.  What is really luxurious is not having the nagging feeling that you should be doing something productive, like when I am at home.

Small, but nice room.

The next morning we enjoyed our complimentary breakfast.

There was also eggs and bacon, not pictured.  Later that morning, D picked up his tux.  Then we hung out at Perimeter Mall and waited for the groom to finish up some last minute errands.  I felt bad that we had to rely on him for a ride, but it’s tricky for us to rent cars since our car insurance only covers company cars.

We arrived in Dahlonega, the wedding destination, in the late afternoon.  Our room at the Dahlonega Square Hotel was quite spacious and nicely renovated.

I was pleasantly surprised by this cute welcome gift from the bride and groom.

What a treat!  And it did provide some much need sustenance during the rest of our trip.

The rehearsal dinner had a country western theme, so we changed into our clothes.   I bought our shirts at Goodwill and D was able to borrow a belt buckle and bolo tie from a co-worker.

That belt buckle was just ridiculous.  And it is from Nissan-ha!

We then went to the rehearsal, which was up a small mountain, at a winery.

Afterward we went back to the hotel for the rehearsal dinner.

The food was Texas BBQ, and catered by a friend of the bride and groom.  The groom went to Texas A&M, hence the theme.

Pardon this picture of the remnants of my peach cobbler, but I wanted to take a picture of the bowl!

They even had themed wine!

However, what made the night really special was the heartfelt sharing that occurred during the toasts.  The couple’s deep commitment to God was also demonstrated when they had a time of worship at the end.