my first one, Memorial Day weekend, was spent in Florida. i went to Jacksonville with tina to visit my Ninang Aida. we checked out St. Augustine and we also had a Filipino feast (handaang pinoy kaya overflowing with pinoy food!)!
for my second, the Independence Day weekend, i decided to stay here in Georgia. i need to save some bucks for my 2 California trips and for my pasalubongsss.
vacation mode started when we were invited to have lunch with tasos and rod last thursday - july 3rd. we had greek food at the Veranda Greek Taverna somewhere in Alpharetta Hwy. i loved the Piklia Spreads (all delicious spreads served on a platter with red beets and grilled pita wedges) - the grilled pita wedges was really good. the appetizers (Tiropitakia, Calamari and Spanakopitakia) were equally nice and the sausage, lamb, pork and beef made me really full. i hope we'll get another lunch with them before we fly back home.
for july 4th, edwin, my vacationing friend from Austin, picked me up (and tina) for lunch. he was driving a blue mustang! we were so excited to get in his car and of course to have lunch at Pastis which we heard serves good French cuisine. unfortunately, when we got there, they have posted a sign which says that they will only be open from 5pm onwards for the holiday. we also checked out la strada which serves Italian food but like Pastis, it will only open by 5. crap! we were soooo hungry, no breakfast here! the nearest one we got was wendy's or IHOP. we chose IHOP - and we didn't regret it. after our uber late brunch, we went to starbucks for some coffee and chit-chat. i saw this really cute bearista and i purchased it immediately for my bearista-lover baby, gabriel. believe me, when i saw how happy he was, i know i made the right choice of buying it without thinking too much. edwin dropped us at the apartment a little before 7.
tina, arlyne and i went to Roswell High to see some fireworks around 730. it was ok but not really that impressive. by 11 we were already home.
july 5 started early. i slept around 2 in the morning but had to wake up around 7 to talk to everyone in Las Pinas for my lola's 74th birthday. everyone was around the laptop to see me (still really sleepy). i also told them that only those i see will get pasalubong - imagine my big extended family trying to make their faces seen thru the webcam. hehe.
right after our 1 hour chat, i was already getting ready for our Six Flags White Water adventure! and that was realllllly fun and tiring. i tried out Dragon's Tail and Tornado for a Maximum thrill (chickened out on The Cliffhanger), The Run-A-Way River for Moderate thrill and to get a Mild thrill, we checked out the Tree House Island, The Tidal Wave, The Atlanta Ocean, The Little Hooch River and The 100-meter Splash. The big waves on the Atlanta Ocean was a-ok and the big pail of water on the Tree House kept us coming back!
sunday was rest day.. i really needed one because of my stiff neck - the aftereffect of the Tornado ride. argggh! woke up around 9 but i know i can't make it to the 1030am mass. had brunch then stayed awake in bed until 3pm watching jDorama. edwin arrived a little after 3.. left for mass a little before 5 and had dinner at Pastis after that (glad it's open!). we had calamari, roast chicken, pasta and we tried their dessert sampler - creme brulee, profiteroles and crepes!
now, it's monday morning and i want to go back to bed! *kaya lang working day na pala.. ang bitin bitin naman ng long weekend* arkkkkkks!!!
