Sunday Salon: Hello from Atlanta

Happy Sunday! I'm writing this morning from Atlanta, the town in which I grew up. I flew in yesterday and spent the afternoon drinking ginger beer with my brother on his front patio (heavenly!), followed by hanging out with our cousins, and a wonderful dinner with my brother and sister-in-law at Gunshow, the new restaurant from Top Chef 7 alumnus Kevin Gillespie (also heavenly!) Today is the baptism of the daughter of one of my best friends. The rest of the weekend is filled with more time with friends, family, and meeting several babies born since the last time I was here, plus eating at more restaurants that are old favorites and discovering new ones. It's hard to believe it's been almost six years since I moved away from Atlanta (probably for good this time). It still feels likes home, even with so much changing over the years. The thought that the next time I'll be here, I'll have a baby is also hard to believe. All in all, the 60 degrees and sunny weather is pretty amazing. I think more afternoons on patio are definitely in order!

Reading
I've been thoroughly enjoying Thirty Girls by Susan Minot. The prose is stunning, but the subject matter is so dark, I had to take a break yesterday, when I had so much reading time while traveling. I picked up Don't Talk to Strangers, the third novel in the Keye Street mystery series by Amanda Kyle Williams, which is out in July 2014. The series is set in Atlanta, and it's been so much fun to read it while I'm in here visiting. I hope to finish both before I'm back in Des Moines, and I have no idea what I'll be picking up next, which is also really fun for me as an impulsive reader.

An early highlight of the trip was enjoying my first two flights where I'm permitted to read on my Kindle the entire flight. It was heavenly, particularly as the flight from Des Moines to Chicago is so short there are only about ten minutes that aren't considered part of take-off or landing. I loved not having to find a print book or pile of magazines to drag around. My Kindle is filled with many options of what to read next, which means I can also be an impulsive reader while traveling.

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