1. Try 5 new kinds of fruit!
We bought these at a world market and ate them raw, which is not ideal for some of them. Their origin is: Dosakai (India), Bitter melon (Asia, Africa), Star Fruit (Southeast Asia), Tejocote (Mexico), Tomatillo (Mexico). The tomatillo (first photo, green and wrapped in leaves) tasted like a green plum or green pepper, or sour grass, depending on who you asked.
2. Eat Fondue!
We went to The Melting Pot on Mansell. We did not like the cheese fondue, dipped in bread and veggies. The chocolate fondue was pretty good.
4. Donate on Kiva.com
Helped a group of Guatemalan women by lending money for their business.
5. 48 hours without Facebook
Next time, maybe a month?
6. Visit the Hindu temple in Lilburn
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta is the largest temple of its kind outside India. The mandir is made of 34,450 pieces of hand-carved Italian marble, Turkish Limestone and Indian pink sandstone. The worship room is small but beautiful, but you can’t take pictures inside. The way the sun filtered through the clouds gave it a mystical sense.
7. Eat at a Portuguese restaurant
We ate at Krespos on Magnolia St in Roswell. Leslie had “the freshest shrimp I have ever eaten” – they put the entire shrimp in your dish, not just the tail. We were served a free dessert sherry at the end that hit the spot.
8. Meet Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia a couple times a month, though he is 94 years old and cutting back! Despite his age, he still delivered an hour-long heart-felt message and took time to meet everyone in attendance, nearly 400 people.
9. Completed my Civil War quilt!
I pieced this quilt nearly 10 years ago. Because of its dimensions, I was overwhelmed at the prospect of hand quilting it myself or even by machine. I made it a goal this year to have it quilted and finished. I sent it to a mom-and-daughter business in Michigan and they kept me in the loop during their progress. When we came back from seeing Jimmy Carter, it had arrived. However, our illustrious mailperson had left the cardboard box on the driveway in the pouring rain, not our covered porch, where it had been sitting. Fortunately the quilting folks had the foresight to ship it in a plastic bag. It was completely dry.
10. Pay for the person behind me in line
In the Starbucks drive through, I paid for the person’s order behind me.
12. Two weeks without Facebook
Two days was not enough.
13. Make a wish at a reflection pool
Can’t say what is is, though.
16. The Viking Meadery
The Meadery makes all their meads from 100% local Georgia honey. Mead is sort of like wine, but has qualities of craft beer. Their “traditional mead” is made solely from honey, yeast and water, then stored in bourbon barrels for 7 months. However, they offer many other interesting and unique flavors. We enjoyed most of the 15 samples we tried.
You can buy flights of 5 samples each. If you know what you like, order a glass or bring your drinking horn. Kids are welcome, and while you drink, you can play fun games. We played What Do You Meme, which we highly recommend, though not for anyone under 18. After sampling, you can buy bottles of your favorite meads to take home. Fun place. As for the clientele, expect a high concentration of friendly kilt-wearing folks who like role playing and Game of Thrones.
