Church in Atlanta, Anyone?

OK, does anyone out there have a good church they can suggest to me in Atlanta? Hubby and I are searching so it's been a different one every other week since I've moved. I'm Baptist and need some good foot-patting, hand-clapping, gospel music. I also need a convicting, tell-it-like-it-chis, bible-based, Holy-Ghost-filled, preach-up-a-storm, pastor. The other thing is I'm not big on mega churches, but I'd be willing to give it a shot. On top of all this, if there's one located anywhere on the North side of ATL, that would be great too, but hey - Have Bible. Will Travel. It doesn't have to be Baptist - I'll do non-denominational. As long as they're worshipping Christ and is Biblically based, i'm cool.

If you want to suggest your church or a church you've visited, I'd love to hear from you! Thanks!

Great Budget Travel Tips

I'm frugal. Not cheap - frugal. I believe even if you have money, why spend it if you don't have to? There are many ways to achieve the same affect or get what you need without spending top dollar. I think this comes from growing up without a lot of money and learning to stretch the funds and still have fun with what we had. My parents believed in saving and never living beyond your means, and that has stuck with me.

My husband and I love to travel. Although I don't do it as much as I'd like these days, I've been to some great places both domestic and international: all up and down the East Coast from Boston to Miami, Alabama to Vegas, Seattle, Chicago, Hawaii, Canada, the Bahamas, US Virgin Islands, Mexico, London, Paris, a few spots in Italy, Spain, Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Japan, and a few others...

After spending 2 weeks in Thailand on our honeymoon and spending very little other than the cost of the airfare, I thought I'd share some of our tips to help you have fun and keep a few more dollars in your pocket so you can do more SHOPPING! Some of them only really apply if you're traveling internationally but most are universal.

1. Book your hotel early and check the hotel's website for special "online only" travel deals. Be aware that some great deals involve not being able to cancel last minute or you have to pay in full at the time of booking, so don't let this be a trip with one of your flaky girlfriends or some guy you recently met who might back out on you. Before you book, call the reservations desk and ask them if they can give you the same price or better.

2. If you're going with your mate, tell them it's your honeymoon (or birthday or anniversary or some celebration) -- they may very likely give you free upgrades or amenities. We paid the special Internet rate for a basic room, and got upgraded to a deluxe suite on the club floor and got a happy honeymoon cake all for free!

3. Don't eat in the hotel's restaurants or restaurants in big tourist spots. They are much more expensive since they cater to tourists. Take a walk a few blocks out of the way. Ask a native for restaurant suggestions. We found great restaurants that had more of the local foods and were way cheaper than the hotel restaurants or touristy spots.

4. Go grocery shopping when you get there. Even if it's at a 7-11 or find a local mini-mart. Get drinks and snacks to keep in the hotel room or carry with you on those day tours or to have on the beach. You'll save lots from using the minibar or ordering food every time you're alittle hungry. And if traveling internationally, you don't want to get caught on a bus tour in the mountains and the only local snack is a boiled egg or some exotic fruit you know nothing about. Granola bars always come in handy!

5. Want a free tour of the island or city and love architecture? Call a realtor and tell him/her you're interested in buying some property there. This is great for getting tours of islands and seeing sights that you can drive by. I love architecture and design, so I find it fun just seeing the types of houses people live in and seeing how they live -- especially in other countries. If it's a beautiful place, you may actually consider someday buying there, so it's not a complete lie! Feel free to buy the realtor lunch if you like -- he's spending his gas on you anyway.

6. If you have the time, take advantage of timeshare presentations to get the freebies. Now, sometimes you just want to be left alone, but spending two hours in a presentation might be worth $200 in meal vouchers or a couple free tours. Just know that the more questions you ask, the longer the presentation will last.

7. Don't purchase tours through the hotel. Look for fliers for the local tour companies in public areas or find tour companies out in the busy touristy areas. The hotel up-charges a lot! And when you find and deal directly with someone at the tour company, you can bargain with them. Many companies sell the same bus tours or boat tours and just take a cut off the top. Make them compete for your business!

Or make your own tour. Sometimes it may be a lot cheaper to just catch a cab or rent scooters or a car, and take your own tour. Instead of paying $100 per person ($200 total) for a bus tour around St. Martin to 3 tourist spots, we rented a scooter for $50 for the day, when to those three places, and drove around the entire island and still had time to shop. We got to go at our own pace and had lunch when we wanted, and got to see much more. Find out where the tour is taking you and what the entry fees are for those locations. Are they just taking you to free spots like the craft factory and scenic overlooks? or are you paying for entry and transportation? Do your research -- you'll be surprised how much you save!

Be safe in your travels and feel free to suggest more budget-friendly travel tips. I'm always happy to learn new ones!

Why Did I Get Married?

Y'all know I loves me some Tyler Perry. The man is truly a talent of this decade. Me 'n Madea go way back -- like bucket seats.

Well, with all the new hype surrounding Tyler Perry's latest motion picture production, Why Did I get Married? (in theatres this weekend) and after watching the Oprah show promoting it, I thought I'd share my own personal thoughts and at the same time give some insight and observation of my first month of marriage.

I have to say the number-one reason I wanted to be married was for the companionship. As I've gotten older, I seem to have fewer and fewer friends. Fewer people I trust, and fewer people I feel I can do things with and really be myself with. I wanted that one person I could rely on and just be ME with and not worry about whether they would still like me or love me if I did something they didn't like. I wanted someone that I could feel safe with, who could hold me when I needed to be held, or share my throughts and life experiences with -- whether good or bad. A spiritual partner. A road dog. A confidant. A best friend. Someone I coulg grow with and who would help me to be a better person. Someone to love me for me. Someone for me to love.

I also wanted someone who would be a good father for my future child(ren) because I do want a family. A guinea pig for my new recipes. Someone with some muscles for when I need some furniture moved around. Someone to take care of the car and take out the garbage. You know - those manly things. LOL.

I thank GOD that I found all those things in my Gushy-bear. He is all those things and much more. I'm not going to go on and on about how wonderful he is and how he constantly tries to be the best man he can be for me. But there are just a few things I want to say to all the looking ladies -- a few things that may tip you off to whether he'll make a good husband or not:

Make sure you find someone who tells you you're beautiful even when you've put on weight, have no make-up on and have morning breath. Make sure he doesn't mind helping with the dishes or washing clothes or cleaning up after you if necessary. Find someone who will pop a pimple for you or just smiles when you make a stinky, instead of shunning you for the funk. If you want kids, see if he doesn't mind babysitting your seven nieces and nephews. Make sure he loves his family as much as you love yours. Make sure he has goals and dreams beyond anything he already has achieved. If you value education, make sure he READS -- and I mean something other than magazines on how to outsmart the latest Playstation game.

BTW, The Why Did I Get Married soundtrack also sounds like a must-have. You can sample it on the website too!

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Saw the movie Friday night. LOVED IT. By far, Tyler's best movie production yet. A couple slow spots and alittle over acting in some areas... maybe alittle too many tears even. But overall, we loved it. This is a definite for the DVD collection! 8.5 of 10 stars!

Happy for Hoda

I just have to say that I'm loving that NBC's Today Show has made Hoda Kotb (what kinda name is that anyway?) a regular news anchor on the weekday show (formerly a weekend anchor).

Along with Matt and Meredith, they've got the black (Al and Lester), Asian (Ann), and Latino (Natalie) demographics all covered. And I must say I'm loving Tiki Barber's becoming a national correspondent as well. Adding Hoda has only impressed me more. She's got a great presence and I love that she's willing to go all out -- even with a nationally televised two-step.

As a long-time Today Show fan, these people have become a part of my breakfast routine so I say, "BIG UPS to NBC and the Today Show producers or whoever it is that is in charge of "talent". I think you've got a great team!"

New Food Discoveries in ATL (new to me, at least)

Now that The "A" is my new home, I just thought I'd share some of my new discoveries with you...

Seasons 52 Restaurant at Perimeter Mall. Awesome, fresh food, the don't deep fry and keep everything healthy and transfat-free. The pork loin and the scallops are to die for. Love the mini-deserts because they allow you to get a taste of everything! Thanks to cuz'n Lori for sharing this place! And if you like wine, they have tons!

Copelands Cheesecake Bistro at Atlantic Station. Rich food. Great atmosphere. Mac 'N Cheese will make you gooey all over! And the fried catfish melts in your mouth. Beats the hell out of the original Copelands!

Canton Cooks in Sandy Springs (Hammond at Roswell Rd) is one of the best Chinese food joints I've been to in ages (thanks to the hubby). Their hot and sour soup will kill a cold, and the Mongolian Beef has just the right combination of sweetness and salt. Don't go there for chic atmosphere or a romantic dinner, but if you want great taste, it is THE SPOT for Chinese.

I'm BAAAACCKKKKK!

I've been gone for a long time... I'm just not realizing HOW long -- almost 5 months. Forgive me! Life has been wonderful and tumultuous these last months and I have so much in me to share and get out of me... I fear my carpal tunnel will go into code red. Time had become such a commodity this summer, so blogging was one of those things (along with pleasure reading and working out) which had to be cut back.

Just to give you a quick breakdown, here's what I've been up to since we last encountered (and my excuse for being MIA for so long):

April - Put my house on the market in DC to prepare to move to ATL
June 30 - Moved to Atlanta, Georgia - Yay, I finally got out of DC!
July 7 - Was maid of honor at my girl Deb's wedding in NJ. Beautiful wedding!
July 21 - Went to the emergency room because I was hemorrhaging and severely anemic - Help me, Jesus!
July 29 - I turned 34 years old... WOW - I can't believe i'm 34!
August 16 - Had surgery to remove uterine fibroids. Ouch!!
August 31 - I got married in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Yahooo!!!
Sept 2 - Flew to Thailand with my new hubby for a 2 week honeymoon in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, Thailand... great time!
Sept 15 - we made it back safe and sound the day after a plane went down in Phuket! Thank you, Lord!

Since then, my house in DC is STILL on the market and the price has been severely dropped. The housing market has tanked and by the end of October, my tenants in my Fairfax property are moving out so I have to try and sell that too. Meanwhile we are looking for our new home in Atlanta and even though the market has gotten bad, we've been outbid on two houses that have been on the market for less than a week. What the heck?

I've recovered nicely from the surgery and am feeling better and more energetic than I have in almost a year! The family's good, married life agrees with me (actually feels no different than before to be honest), so I can't complain about life in general.

All I can keep saying is, God is still on the throne. He knows my heart and what i need. He'll never put more on me than I can bear. He may not show up when you want Him but He's always on time. I'm reminded of this daily.

There is so much in me waiting to be birthed, not only experiences I want to put down for the records (blogging, journaling, etc) but ideas and just thoughts. I hope to start sharing more and more as life calms down. But in the mean time, don't write me off. See you soon!