happy monday

we spent our weekend working on our casa, making room for the new baby (no worries, folks, it plugs into the wall), frying fish with the hanks family, and doing a Sunday photo shoot with an aspiring country singer, Catherine Kimbro. all in all, a win.

this guy...

He's a slow mover. I like him. Thanks to White House diner in Buckhead for having so much personality.

knobs and pallet wood

You probably already know by now that I'm on a serious pallet wood kick. Maybe I'll get over it soon but for now it's free, easy to find, looks cool, and generally doesn't smell too bad. This is the latest installment in the apartment.

Our coat rack was pretty overworked so I came up with this simple alternative. I used various knobs that Sara's had on her dresser growing up, a piece of pallet wood cut to the size I wanted, two small pallet scraps to lift the piece off the wall a smidge, and some screws I had laying around. I took some of load off the coat rack and it really helped balance the room.

Time: 30 min.

Cost: $0

riga pt. 1

We traveled from Pärnu, Estonia and headed towards Riga, Latvia on an express bus. These buses are cool. They have super comfy seats, a fancy bathroom, wireless internet, and a coffee bar. They also make no stops between the point of departure and the destination. We didn't know that when we booked the tickets and we were meeting my Uncle in Baltezers, about 20 km outside of Riga. The bus driver didn't speak a lick of any language we knew and seemed unwilling to stop for us. It took a lot of persistince but we were dropped off close to Baltezers - on the side of the highway - with a dead phone - and with cars zipping past us at 100 km/h. We walked to a roundabout right off the highway and waited. Luckily Uncle Jerry is a smart guy and was able to find us, in the middle of knowhere, in under 25 minutes. From this point things only got better.

Let me give a brief summary of Uncle Jerry's story for all you viewers at home. Jerry moved to the Baltics in the early 90's with Peace Corps. He liked it, saw potential, and stayed. He eventually married a fellow Peace Corp volunteer, Denise, and settled in Riga where they are raising their 3 daughters. Denise teaches at the university and Jerry operates Rat Bastard Management (really). Despite the wiseguy name, the company is quite successful and Jerry is well acquainted with all the big whigs and scalawags. The combination of them having hookups and knowing their stuff makes Jerry and Denise incredible hosts. We were treated like kings.

They took us out in Riga, for hands down, the most lavish night of my life. I didn't get real pics because I was too busy enjoying the evening. First we visited Taka Spa. Incredible. I'd never been to a spa before and this place was crazy.

You start in the dressing room (which is crazy fancy) then you head out to the 'pools and baths' and hang out go in between the sauna, steam room and three different temperatured pools. 45 minutes of just relaxing. Next - hot stone massage. So dope. Who needs adderall? Get me a massage and I'll hear every word you say!

After the massage, they send you to a quiet room to drink tea and eat biscuits and crap. Sounds ritzy fritzy but I loved it. You won't find a spa like this in Atlanta, I checked.


After the spa we went to an upscale restaurant around the corner that was called La Boheme, I think. Whatever it was, it was delicious. This is a meal I remember for a while. Great food in great company and there were little fly's painted in the urinals. Target practice!


Latvia isn't known for it's food, but Jerry and Denise sure know where to go get some serious grub. I have never eaten better than my stint in Riga.


The Hotel...oh the hotel.

Jerry and Denise really hooked us up with this one - the executive suite. I never imagined I'd stay at place like this. This was a brand new hotel and it looked spectacular from the outside. When we walked through the revolving doors, I became a kid again. Everything was exciting and new. The room was insane. Two bathrooms, two TV's, two showers, huge living area, office, huge bed, heated floors, heated towel rack, an amazing view of Old Town Riga, and our very own sauna. Nothing was cheapy, everything was top notch.








The people at the hotel said everything in the fridge and all the food was free or 'taken care of' in our room. I called the front desk three times to confirm, and then I completely took advantage of the situation. I left nothing behind. It was awesome - awesome until I found out that I was misinformed. Sorry Jerry!

We were in Riga for a few days and we saw/did much more. Next up, Jerry's furniture refurbishing shop and other fun things.

lazy sundays

the best day of the week. today feels like this:

i got nothing

Sorry we've neglected the blog. Life's is busy here in Romance Central.

Back to work....



More soon, I promise.

buckhead church: walking wisely weekend

We've been busy and it feels good to always have things to do. Here's a shot from Buckhead Church's Walking Wisely weekend. Like everything this church does, this 'retreat' was well executed. It was an honor to be a part of. The kids went wild all weekend and it made for some great pics. It was a little tough to shoot in low light like this but I was up for the challenge. I have just under a thousand pics I need to sift from. Praise God for digital photography and Photoshop and extra praise for a wife who teaches me how to use them. Back to work, much to do.

Update: Check out more of KC's photos from W3 in a little gallery I threw together. -S

video chat serenade

we've neglected the blog this week (and recipe sunday for a couple), cause we've been busy! kc has been rockin' out some projects in the studio and i've got a couple side projects i'm designing for. still cranking at 9pm means lots of work getting done, except for a quick concert via ichat.

chicago [day 3] & [day 4] :pt. 2:

Grandma Wirth is a tough lady. She raised seven kids, held down a farm (cattle, corn, beans, you name it), battled pesty 'coons, traveled lots and lots, smoked a cigar, and fed several trillion cats. She can operate machinery better than me, and way better than you. She can also spit farther than any of us. She's a thoughtful host and my pop gives her credit to the best burger he'd ever had on one of his first visits to the farm. It kept him coming back for years (this story could be another blog entry itself). She always treated her (many many) grandchildren like adults and she never let us get away with nonsense. She has been known to be stern, however she is always just. She has rock solid faith and lives her life Bibically. A lot of life lessons were learned under Grandma and Grandpa's roof. My memories of growing up around the Wirths are awesome. I wish I could capture some of these feelings towards this place through a lens, but I'm just not that good yet.


Look out, she's about to learn you something.


Grandma has had arthritis for as long as I can remember.....but she can still play piano better than you. She'd played at church every week until a year or so back.


Cousin Arielle's baby Cayden. Grandma's been looking after this little guy for a few months while Arielle is working. Big time smiler. Big time observer. As soon as he learns to walk, he's probably going to steal your job.



This is Grandpa's arrowhead collection. He found all of these while working his farm, including the stone cross. All the arrowheads are in a large frame on the wall and I've studied it for years. I cannot get enough of it. They also have a super old piano and an awesome cane collection which have both fascinated me since I was a kid. I, however, failed to get pictures of them.

I miss my Grandpa. I think that everyone who knew him does. He was as wise as he was witty and as warm as he was plump. Grandma and him were on the same page and were a great couple. They raised a smart, honorable, fun bunch. I think Grandma misses Grandpa Joe more than anyone, but in his absence I feel like she's really lived. She's traveled with her sisters, she traveled on her own, she gives her time and money to people who really need it, enjoys screwdrivers and Kahlua, and she doesn't worry about petty things. I look up to, respect, and appreciate Grandma and had a good time just being able to be with her for a few days. It's a real privilege to be able enjoy and share my family with Sara.

That's it for Chicago this time. I can't wait to go back.

Thanks to brother Corey for doing all the driving and dealing with newlyweds. Anyone wanting to throw free film gear and software his way earns cool points.....

chicago [day 3] & [day 4] :pt. 1:

We spent day 3 and day 4 in Hinckley with Grandma Wirth and had so much fun driving around, seeing a few places we grew up and playing in the snow, it deserves it's own post.

Hinckley is a small farm town one town over from where my mother grew up and where my family lived in the early stages. I have nothing but awesome memories from this area and I'll probably share a few over time. For now, enjoy some of these photos:

[grandma's windbreak]

[grandpa's barn]

[grandpa's bins]

[one of our favorites]

more here.

chicago [day 2]

We made it to the Giessen's Saturday night. Grandpa Giessen was a little older and much wittier than I remember. Grandma Giessen was shorter than I remember and showed Sara everything in the house, explaining every detail of every decoration (including the Christmas decorations which they had yet to take down). Sara is an incredibly patient wife.

We had brunch Sunday morning with a few other family members. It was a very loud kitchen. Sara and I retreated to quieter places while brother Corey held down the talkative folks.

Here are some pics from the festivities and more on Flickr:

What is that??

re-furb : wall gallery

I created this little gallery of 24 candid photos from our wedding. They bring a smile to my face every time I look at them. We'll put more formal photos up elsewhere, but for the living room I wanted something really fun. The decorative wood pieces are a find from our honeymoon -we brought them home from KC's uncle's furniture restoration shop in Riga, Latvia.

chicago [day 1]

 

We arrived in Chicago on Friday evening to loads of snow and chilly weather. We found a cozy diner and had some tasty treats at Huck Finn's (now added to the list of food joints I must hit while in Chicago). 24 hours of fun every day and ice cream on your donut. All good in my book.


We met my cousin Nick for breakfast. I like this guy - he's got a wicked mustache. My family calls him Waldo because they can never find him, but we managed to meet up with him after he had a quick visit to the police station the night before. In my humble opinion, not all stop signs are mandatory anyway. He whipped up some whole wheat pancakes and we smothered them in jam, blackberries, and honey. Great breakfast, great company, good times.





After breakfast we loaded up and headed to The Field Museum for some learnin'.






[diorama or herd of corn dogs? ....]

We then preceded to grab a deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's (which was yummy) and then drove around the city a bit before heading to the Giessen's. I need to spend more time in this city. A few hours is hardly enough to get the full picture.





View a bunch more pics on our Flickr.

chicago snow & shenanigans

KC, Corey and I are in snowy Chicago this weekend. (OMG I've never
seen this much snow!) Tonight we're headed to Grandma and Grandpa
Giessen's in Mokena, but today we've spent the day being tourists.
Pictures from last night, breakfast this morning with Cousin Nick, the
Field Museum to come later. For now, it's Chicago-style pizza time!

Oh and it's not that cold. Really- snow (and the fact that it's temporary) makes it all worth it.

budget Wrapping

Free wrapping paper compliments of Super H Mart. Sara has good ideas.

recipe sunday no. 4 | lunch for friends

This Sunday we had Lauren & Zac over for lunch: 3 very successful new recipes, one oldie-but-goodie, and one epic fail (which we didn't serve). I should also mention that this was the first meal that KC & I were really able to cook together in our kitchen. The square-footage of the space is ridiculously small and the layout is barely conducive for one person. Cooking together is usually frustrating, but with some planning and prep work this weekend we made it happen.

Okay, it's official. We're Whole Foods junkies. I love having a full, green fridge. We're still fans of Aldi, but nothing beats the freshness and experience of Whole Foods.

First up, Crispy Beer Flatbread. This was really good. We cooked it on our pizza stone and pre-sliced it before cooking so they baked into the right size.

Next, Tuscan Soup. KC thought the dish would be a man-dish because it's pretty meaty, but L & I enjoyed it too. The bacon garnish adds a lot. We made the chicken stock from scratch, which was totally worth the extra effort. 

For dessert, individual Molten Chocolate Cakes with vanilla bean ice cream.

We also had KC's killer bread, always a hit. And the no-go-dish was Herbed Quinoa Salad. I've had quinoa many times and love it, but mine turned out really mushy. I'm not sure if I cooked it too long, or not enough. 4 out of 5 isn't bad though.