Stone Mountain, Georgia FOT Adventures 2014---PART I

This has been such an active feast that it's day 4, and I've finally gotten a chance to upload some pics to the blog.  I tried to make it a story line once you're past the intro and prequel.  :-)  Here are my candid PHOTOGRAPHS mixed with a few FUN VIDEOS of our FOT Georgia adventures!

FUN VIDEOS
(Note:  These videos can be found in this post, but I thought it might be "entertaining" to also put them up first!  :-) )  Enjoy if you'd like!

 Abvoe:  A video of the "real Jamie."  We were joking, we're such good friends.  She was trying to shoot her own video, and I was talking in the background, and I got "told off."  LOL.  She actually sent me this video to post b/c it's funny.

Above:  The tour guide gave me his microphone and let me give passers byers my own spill.  The funny thing is that a few passer byers thought I was actually "official."  On the video, you can hear the real tour guide telling me, wow, you're doing great, give me my mic back before you take my job.
Below:  The real tour guide video :-)

Introduction/Prequel!
 Above:  The outside of the Marriott where we are staying and meeting.  We're definitely in the South East.  The decor is a bit different.  It's neat how different parts of this country kind of have their own flavor and theme to things.

 There is a "life sized" chess set as well as a checker set (not pictured) outside the Marriott in the back pool area.  

Our First Day!

Justin, Tiffany, Jamie, and I took a fun filled and exciting trip to one of the most exciting places....WAL MART!  :-)!  Seriously, we did have fun, but we didn't take a trip to Disney in Florida or anything, just Wal Mart.  :-)

 Jamie looking back noticing that I'm taking random "walking" photos.

 Now Tiffany noticing the "walking" photos.  Obviously, Jamie has the camera now.

 Friendly trip to Walmart with our chauffeur, Justin.

 It took Jamie a few times to get Justin to smile, but there we go!

 We did some serious grocery shopping at Wally World.  The trunk of the car was loaded.

 We ordered in pizza with our room service one night.  Delicious.  It tasted like they put beer in the crust.  Maybe it's lame, but it was my post opening night treat.  It was so exciting to find out about Edstone, the new AC campus in the UK, see the photos, and also, I had a great time belting out the King All Glorious special music solo opening sight, and also seeing people I hadn't seen in years!  Wow, overwhelming night!

 First day!  Mrs. Carroll with her daughter and grandchildren, the Howard's.

 Jamie and yours truly  :-)

 In between services Rhonda took Jamie, Dane, and I to Wendy's, but we decided to get it to go, and ate it by the poolside outside the hotel.  A "killer bee"....aka not really a killer bee dethroned both Jamie and I from out chairs while eating.  It kept following us around.  I'm so scared of stinging insects.
Below:  After the bee left, we finally sat down and ate.  Jamie and Dane enjoying lunch after the bee drama.  This is Jamie's "fun face." :-)

 This is Jamie's classy face.  :-)

Finishing up our poolside Wendy's lunch.

 It's really humid here, so we moved inside the hotel to the coffee shop.
Below:  Jonathan and Giles.  I remember when they were little boys.  Hard to believe they are in their 20's now.

Above:  Deon resting
Below:  Justin is our main pianist.

 Below:  Moving from services to the singles dessert is the lovely table center pieces.

 Katie Culpepper poses with my dessert plate at the singles dessert social.  I got my $20 or $25, whatever I paid worth of dessert.  Piled it on!....oh, and the fellowship was worth it too.

Looks like Dianna and I got photo bombed at the singles dessert reception.

Friends at the singles dessert reception
Brandi and Katelyn at the dessert reception

 More "friendly" photos at the singles dessert reception.

 Below:  The Yocum brothers

Below:  Jamie's first time conducting the children's choir.  She did a great job.  She asked me to help her since I've done it before, and it was fun being with the kids again, but she definitely did a great job on her own!  The kids sounded fab.

 Alicia Sebro played the piano for the kids choir

A group of friends went to the Golden Corral for lunch.

 It was such a pleasant surprise to run into three families of siblings that I grew up with as a teen in East Texas!  Above:  Janet and her husband
Below:  Hank and his family

 Below:  Luke and his wife....that is not their baby though....holding a friends baby.

 More yummy feast food

 A trip to Atlanta, Georgia.
Peachtree street really exists for any "Gone With the Wind" book or movie fans.....you know it's where Rhett Butler's mansion was suppose to be.  :-)

 Atlanta Scenery.

 A trip to the Coca Cola Headquarters factory in Atlanta Georgia.  For people like me who don't drink soda,....Coca Cola also bottles Dasani water.  Neat to see where it happens in the next few pics

Above:  A fun video of our tour guide on the Coca Cola Tour

Above:  The tour guide gave me his microphone and let me give passers byers my own spill.  The funny thing is that a few passer byers thought I was actually "official."  On the video, you can hear the real tour guide telling me, wow, you're doing great, give me my mic back before you take my job.

Marcee, our driver, and her mom pose in the Coca Cola factory.
Below:  Sabbath Dinner at Applebees with Tiffany's family, Jamie, and I.

 Tiffany's nieces and older sister

 Tiffany's nephew and brother in law

 Above:  Funny how J and I have our necks positioned the same.  Ummm, we must hang out a lot.
Below:  Tiffany poses with her niece.

 Jamie smiles

 Tiffany's brother deliberately hides behind his menu.  :-)

 Cheers!  My Malibu Red Rum mixed drink, and my dinner of grilled Salmon.  Trying to keep it healthy.

 Totally on a whim, Justin, Jamie, and I ate breakfast in the hotel buffet restaurant.  Lots of food. Definitely a feast restaurant....pricey.  :-)

 More breakfast photos.

 Below:  One day I wasn't really feeling like "food" for lunch, so I opted for a fruit cup, a piece of key lime pie which I could not finish, and a spiced chai tea.

Below:  We went with Tiffany's family to see the Stone Mountain Laser light show.  I loved the music, and of course recorded when they were playing my fav song, "Happy!"  The video is not the best, but you can kind of see the laser lights.

 Above and below:  watching the laser light show....aka...yours truly, Tiffany's niece, and Tiffany

 Jamie and I in the car with Tiffany's family

J and I ordered wine room service.
Was $20 for 2 glasses.  FOT mode, totally.  Normally, we would have both been like, nope!  :-)

 This is the actual performance day kids choir photos.  I accidentally had my camera on night mode, so the pics look a little "night mode slow shutter speed double visioned."  :-)

Below:  a trip on top of Stone Mountain via the sky ride with Tiffany and her siblings and their children, and Jamie, and I.

 Teaching Tiffany's young niece how to smile instead of frown for a photo.  Seriously that's what's happening here. :-)  Good, goofy times!  :-)

 Mountains seem to always bring out the weird poses in me.

 Fun poses on top of the mountain.  Tiffany's first time on top of a real mountain!

Round two without Tiffany's sun glasses.  Mine stayed on.  It was bright up there on top of the mountain.

 Below:  A video of the "real Jamie."  We were joking, we're such good friends.  She was trying to shoot her own video, and I was talking in the background, and I got "told off.."  LOL.  She actually sent me this video to post b/c it's funny.

Half the FOT over, another half to go.
To be continued.......