Saturday, November 27, 2010

And so the adventure begins...

Today is the day!  Steve and I depart Atlanta at 4 p.m. to take the 11 hour non-stop flight to Moscow to arrive at 11 a.m. Moscow time.  That is, if his visa arrives today by noon, (but that’s another story for another time). To say the least, we are very excited for what lies ahead.
During the last few months of packing and preparing, I’ve thought about the things I will miss most about Atlanta. So as we bid farewell, here is the “Top 10” (and thanks to Paul Kindzia for the idea):
# 10  The Atlanta Triathlon Community...While some believe the triathlon community in Atlanta is relatively small, the triathlon community in Moscow will include a party of two.  Me and Steve.  At least I know I’ll make the podium at every race! Small numbers do have their privileges.
#9  Warm Winters...Moscow forecast this week:  High of 4 degrees, low of -1 and snow.  ‘Nuf said.
#8  Our Fave “go to” Restaurants...Holeman and Finch (which we erroneously called Abercrombie and Fitch for months), Pietra di Cucina, 4th and Swift, La Tavola, Baronda, One MidTown Kitchen.  I sometimes dream about the Steak Frites at One MidTown.  Looking forward to hopping on over to Paris for the real deal.
#7 Jalapeno Cheddar Grits and Fried Pickles...but if you think about it, Russian beet soup and potato perogies are really the same thing...am I wrong?
#6 Putting up the Christmas Tree...every year, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we have installed the Riddle family Christmas tree.  Will be curious to see if Christmas trees can be found in Moscow...
#5  Our Beloved Atlanta Falcons...we have enjoyed sharing season tickets with our good friends, Jim and Theresa Scandle, for the last 4 years.  Our birds currently have the best record in the NFC at 8-2.  This is truly our year to “rise up”.
#4 Our Brand Spanking New Wine Cellar....we put the last rack in the cellar the day we learned we were moving to Moscow.  The Scandles have been incredibly gracious to store our wine collection while we are away...looking after our bottles, making sure they age gracefully.  Wait a minute, what did we do with the wine inventory?  Ut oh...  The truth is, we hope our good friends will generously help themselves to the stash as they are helping us out tremendously!
#3  Buckhead Church...it is truly an amazing experience every Sunday!  Thank you to my dear friend, Jacquelin LaScala, for the introduction.
#2 Ian at our Starbucks, Stacey at our UPS Store and “Happy” at our Moe’s....without realizing it, these three guys deliver the most amazing experiences day in and day out.  “Happy”, who doesn’t speak much English, and appears to be 80+ years old, makes a mean beef burrito and always makes me feel like one hot mamacita!
And the #1  thing I will most miss...Our amazing friends and family!  We have, without a doubt, the most incredible group of fun-loving  family and friends you could ask for.  The outpouring of love and support for our big move east has been overwhelming.  What would we ever do without you?  Thank you, thank you.
So I will sign off for now and will start blogging in earnest when we reach the motherland.  
And so the adventure begins...

3 comments:

  1. YOU ARE LOVED!
    YOU ARE MISSED!

    near and far, dear friend...

    may the magnificent adventure begin!

    with great love,
    Cartish

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very cute blog Ann! I really like the design work.

    Thanks for sending me a link - I look forward to reading about your adventures!

    If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask.

    Richard

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  3. Hi,
    Just found your blog--looks like fun. What sort of work is bringing you to Moscow?

    I keep a blog for our real estate agency which covers Moscow & some other Central European cities (I'm in Budapest). www.athomenetwork.blogspot.com
    'm looking forward to following your new adventures in MOscow.

    Hope your Christmas is going well over there! Did you find a tree?

    ReplyDelete