The Bakers are moving...

Hi Friends!


Hopefully that title didn't cause too much heart failure for any of you but grabbed your attention enough to read this post:)


It's true, we are moving but not out of Georgia. After a wonderful year in Alpharetta(well Milton really), we have decided to pack it up and head back to Sandy Springs. As you know from my previous post, I have accepted a job at SMES which is in Dunwoody-Sandy Springs. After lots of talking, discussing and house hunting, B and I have decided to go back to the area where we grew up. My early morning commute will now only be 15-20 minutes instead of an hour plus. We are really excited about our new place.


How did we find our new place? Well after looking at Craigslist for what seemed like a bizillion(okay not THAT many but it was a lot) we found a listing for a "charming ranch in Sandy Springs".  Without prior approval from B, I emailed the listing to find out more information. A sweet lady from Coke emailed me back and sent pictures and offered a 2 year lease, which was exactly what we were looking for. When I saw the landlord worked for Coke, I thought maybe just maybe SB(the dad for the family I nanny for) would know her or know someone who did. Turns out this lady worked for Steve when he first got to Coke! Without even looking at the house in person, I had convinced myself this house was meant to be!!! Luckily after looking at it in person and meeting with Mary, B agreed with me. We are signing the lease today!


So now that leaves the not so fun part, packing boxes. Fortunately and unfortunately we are leaving next week for a destination wedding/vacation for a week so I get to procrastinate a little but, once we get back it's full steam ahead. Once we get back from Utah and LV, pre-planning and packing will all begin with a bang.


So with a happy heart and a little anxiety with all that needs to get done before September 1, I am happy to say the Bakers are returning to Sandy Springs!


Cheers!

Catching up

Hi Friends,


I apologize for the lapse in blogging. I am sure all my faithful readers are all just holding your breath in suspense and hoping for some crazy exciting news from the Bakers. I'm not sure if the last 3 and half to 4 months have been crazy or exciting but, definitely busy.


In March, when I last posted my goal was to give up Facebook to provide more time for myself to blog and more time to connect with friends on the phone and text. Well, I only half succeeded in my goal.  I spent more time on the phone but did not post a single blog.


Also in March, Brendan and I ventured to Orlando for Braves' spring training. We got to see a great game where Hudson shut out the Mets. Beating the Mets is great, shutting them out is AMAZING! To top off a great game, I convinced B to stick around after the game so I could try to get some autographs. After standing around for a few minutes(which seemed like FOREVER) this really tall kid with his socks tucked into his pants old school style walked to the crowd and started signing baseballs. I was bummed because I had no idea who he was.  Then poor guy, when he pointed at me I begrudgingly tossed him my baseball with no enthusiasm and hardly a smile. After he tossed it back, I turned around to B who had a humongous smile on his face. He exclaimed, "Linds you got Johnny Venters autograph! He's one of my favorites!" Well in that case SCORE!!!! A great game and a clutch autograph, how could the day possibly get any better.  

After getting the autograph we headed back to our resort to get ready for a fun night on in downtown Orlando. Liv and Cat joined us as we ventured to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and then had a blast at the Pat O'Brien's piano bar. It was a fun long weekend and the weather had me longing for summer upon our return.

March continued to be a good month for the Bakers when we returned home from Orlando. On the last day of March, we purchased a new car! I had been angling for an SUV since B and I married but B's research had not convinced him that buying one would be such a great idea with  gas prices on the rise. Lucky for me I have a husband who does lots of research and we ended up buying a brand new Nissan Rogue! I have never driven an SUV more than 2-3 times and I'm hooked.  I love this car and love the gas mileage even more! What's not to love about averaging 28mpg and have the spaciousness of an SUV!

March was a super exciting month but, April did not disappoint. After finding out that The Preschool would not be adding more days to my current schedule, I was left in quite a pickle. Do I stay put and hope for more days or do I take on the daunting task of sending out my resume to schools? I picked the latter and circulated my resume for the 3rd year in a row. I felt like the hobo of teachers, 2 schools in 2 years, who's going to want to hire me? Luckily(and a special thanks to my p arentswho showed me the importance of making contacts wherever you go) I received an email from SMES saying that indeed there were openings and my resume would be passed along to the principal who would be in touch. After what seemed like an endless amount of time(reality 2 weeks), I received an email requesting me to interview with the principal. This interview was about as informal and nervewracking(crazy combo I know) as they come. I had been in this position before and all I could think about was how I had been in this position before and been disappointed. Thankfully my luck changed with this interview as the principal told me about the "many opportunties" and toted me around the school. I left the interview feeling really good and with a promise of an email with instructions on when to contact the Head of School.

As April drew to a close, my spirits began to fade in regards to SMES but, I was excited about MAY! May means birthdays, school wrapping up, and this year the arrival of Fenn and a beautiful wedding for my friend Lea! 

May turned out to be a fabulous month. The beginning of the month brought about a new job for fall! That's right all my wishing, hoping, praying came thru and I was offered a job at SMES. Beginning in August, I will be teaching kindergarten at SMES! Praise God for a full time with benefits, 5 day a week job! The job also works out so that I can continue to nanny for the Birkels. My day ends at 2:15 and the girls get out of school at 2:25. The scheduling could not possibly be more perfect.

May continued to be a great month my friend Lea got married on the 14th. She was a beautiful bride and had fabulous photographers. The fabulous photographers http://sandraandgreg.blogspot.com/ also captured B and I's wedding in December.  The 14th was an extra special day not only did Lea get married but the Birkels welcomed Stephen "Fenn" Michael Birkel III on this day as well. He is absolutely precious, just like his big sisters! 

He's much bigger and even cuter now, but he's a shot from his birthday!

The following Saturday, B and I belatedly celebrated our 29th(his 1st!) and 27th(mine) birthdays. What better way to celebrate a birthday than going to Chastain to watch Paul Simon put on a FABULOUS show!

As May wrapped up so did my year at The Preschool. It was a bittersweet goodbye because I had some of the most fabulous kiddos, parents and co-teacher a girl could ask for! I also loved the directors and office staff as well as the other teachers at the school. Despite being one of the youngest on staff by at least 4+ years, they opened their hearts and arms to this newbie. It was tough to say goodbye but I am super stoked about my new gig at SMES.

June has started off with a bang as I took on the role of a somewhat single(notice I said somewhat because I had lots of help from B and good friends C&C) parent. The  Metzners entrusted me to take care of their 2 sweet girls for 5 days as they ventured off to Aruba. It was a challenging but fun week. Despite some set backs with teething, I think overall the week went really well. We spent a lot with water(water tables, pools, sprinklers, the whole bit), eating pink ice cream and popsicles. Basically just plain having fun! Thank you Metzners for letting me love on your girls!

June was also a big month because on the 11th, B and I celebrated 6 months of marital bliss! Can't believe we've already been married for 6 months, it sure has flown by!

As June wraps up we are looking forward to a lake weekend to celebrate the 4th of July and our trip to Vegas and Park City for a wedding.

Well that about wraps up what's been going on with the Bakers. Hopefully the next entry won't be 3 months from now or as legnthy! Thanks for reading!

A time to reflect and reconnect...bye bye Facebook...for now at least

Greetings!


 It has been almost 2 months since I posted and I am clearly the world's worst blogger. Life in the Baker household has been very VERY busy for the last 2 months. I have picked up 2 new additional part time jobs, as if nannying 5 days and teaching 2 days a week didn't keep me busy enough, I decided that I would take on another 3 day teaching job at a different school and hostess 4 shifts a week at a local restaurant. 


Also in other big news or at least for me..I have given up Facebook for Lent. 
After some inspiration from a friend who deactivated from Facebook, followed by what was meant to be a friendly jab from someone I love dearly, and a lot of inward reflection, I have chosen to bid farewell to Facebook during the season of Lent. I realized I spent more time consumed with OTHER people's pictures and not taking my own. I was more interested in what other people were doing and experiencing and not living my life and enjoying my experiences. It hit me like a ton of bricks that I was all of a sudden back in middle school. 

It's only day 6 and I have 34 more to go....

Fortunately I have found without Facebook, I have more real conversations in person and on the phone. Not texting but actual talking and good quality conversation. There's a lot less, "Oh did you see on Facebook..." or "Oh my gosh did you see that picture of..." Am I bummed that I missing photographs from several weddings over the course of the next month and half, absolutely! I do also realize they will be on Facebook when and if I return and I realize relationships with people is more important than a relationship with their Facebook page.

Here's to reflecting and reconnecting and hopefully more blogs!

Snowpocalypse 2k11

Hey Ya'll!
I'm a bit late posting about the snow that shut down Atlanta 2 weeks ago but alas a late recap is better than no recap at all. 

On Saturday, I convinced Brendan to go grocery shopping with me. The forecast was calling for a snow/ice storm to hit Atlanta on Sunday afternoon and I wanted to be prepared. Walmart was a zoo but we managed to stock up on all the necessary things as well as some goodies(beer and Oreos). In true Atlanta weather fashion, the snow did not show up Sunday afternoon as scheduled and I was beginning to get anxious. However by about 8pm, the snow started falling and the schools started closing. (little did I know that we would be out of school all week). As soon as Fulton County said they were closed, our quiet chill  Sunday turned into a Sunday Funday as I busted out the bourbon and whiskey from our liquor cabinet. 

On Tuesday, I woke up to the sight of more snow than I had seen since 1993. Our driveway was a sheet of ice and our yard was covered.

Our house in the snow. Notice the tire tracks in the driveway, we ventured to Target on Tuesday to get more oreos and PBR. 

After talking to friends and family,plus watching the Weather Channel, I would estimate Atlanta and the surrounding areas were dumped with on average of 6 inches of snow plus another inch of ice. 

After Tuesday, I was ready for the snow to melt and get back to work. Huey, on the other hand, in true Saint Bernard fashion, loved the snow. 

Then Thursday arrived and even Huey was ready for the snow and ice to go away. I snapped these pictures of him on the couch. Following each picture, Huey let out a very long and drawn out sigh. He's such a goof!

Huey loves to snuggle on our new couch from Pottery Barn. He's an even bigger fan of our new fleecy pillows.

Okay Mom, 4 days of ice is enough, either make it snow more or make the ice melt!  I'm ready to go outside and play!

Fortunately on Thursday, I was able to get out of the house and go visit my parents in Sandy Springs. Luckily B had a baseball meeting so I was able to tag along in the car and make a trip to my parents. Per the request of my mom who was craving red meat, I stopped at  and picked up some burgers for us to enjoy for dinner. 

The weekend of Snowpocalypse was probably the most fun minus the awful Falcons loss. I won't go into Saturday night because that was a bust in so many ways.The good news for the weekend though was that  Uncle Rob came in town for the market at the Apparel Mart so on Sunday, my mom, B and I hit up the Mart to check out Century's new showroom and take a look at other vendors.

To end the weekend, Mom, Dad and URob came up to Milton to treat B and I to dinner at our favorite: 

If you have not eaten there and live in Atlanta, you must go. They have the best garlic rolls and Italian food! The rolls are delicious and I could make a meal out just eating the rolls! 

Well that about does it for my recap of Snowpocalypse 2k11. Here's to hoping bright blue skies and sunny weather is headed our way soon!

Starting out

Greetings Yall!
After being iced/snowed in for the last 5 days, I thought I'd follow the trend and start a blog.
I am figuring out formats and uploading pictures so any tips/comments are welcome


On Tuesday, the 11th, Brendan and I marked one month of being married! It's hard to believe the first month flew by so quickly. Here are a few pictures from the big day and more to come with more posts.

Here I am with my precious flower girls! They were so cute with their red sashes!

My momma and I before the ceremony. Some people say we look alike. 

Daddy and I before the ceremony.

Here's B getting his boutonniere pinned on by his momma..

Mr. and Mrs. Brendan Baker making their way down the aisle.

Ooh checking out my new bling.

Our first dance-"To Make You Feel My Love" the Garth Brooks version.

So that's a little taste of our wedding...stay tuned for photos of the gorgeous wedding party and more shots from the reception!