Car Rental

Timmy found a great deal on a rental car ($10/day). Please see this website for more details:

http://www.alamo.com/

Things to Do in Atlanta

Those familiar with my blogging career know that I am prone to long periods of no updates. However, this time I have a good excuse (please see little creature in picture).

Mike and I are very excited to see everyone in a few weeks. Here are a couple of local attractions you may want to see:

Georgia Aquarium: It is unlike any other aquarium I have visited. The Beluga whales are incredible. You can buy tickets ahead of time, and it is about 30 minutes from the hotel in downtown Atlanta, definitely worth the trip.

World of Coke:
This new museum includes the history of Atlanta's most famous company, Coca-Cola, and you can sample Cokes from all over the world. It is located in the same park as the aquarium.

High Museum: Atlanta's best art musuem. The current exhibitions include China's Terracota Army and an exhibit from the Louvre. It is located about 40 minutes from the hotel.

Bodies Exhibit and Dialogue in the Dark: These attractions are unique and hard to explain but well worth visiting if you are looking for something a little different.

For you shoppers in the bunch, I recommend 3 places:

Outlets: These are located about 20 minutes from the hotel.

Mall: High-end shopping is about 15 mintues from the hotel.

Ikea: No need to say anything else.

There is plenty of eating and boutique shopping right around the hotel, so please call if you are looking for something else.

Can't wait.

Welcome

Welcome to our blog! We plan to post details about our upcoming blessing ceremony (What is a Convalidation ceremony, anyway?). We hope you can share the day with us, and please check here often for updated details.

Love,
Bridget and Mike

Location

The ceremony will held at 12pm on Saturday, February 14, 2009 in the Chapel at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church
535 Rucker Road, Alpharetta, GA 30004
Tel: 770-475-4501
Website

The reception following the ceremony will be at Milton's Restaurant (think fried green tomatoes and grits...)
Milton's
780 Mayfield Road
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Phone: (770) 817-0161
Website

Travel Information

Flying:
The closest airport is Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International which is about 45 minutes from our house. It's a very busy airport, so we suggest flying in and out early in the morning to avoid.
Airlines: Delta and Airtran are the best airlines though most major airlines are available.
Cars: All major car rental companies are available at the airport.


Hotel:
Unfortunately, I could not block rooms. But there are a few close to our house that are about $55/night. Here's the one we recommend:
Marriott-TownPlace Suites
7925 Westside Parkway
Alpharetta, Georgia 30004 USA
Phone: 1-770-664-1300
Fax: 1-770-664-6007
Website: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/atlta-towneplace-suites-atlanta-alpharetta/

Driving:
If you are driving, call us because you are crazy.

Convalidation

Our ceremony is technically a convalidation which I did not understand until recently.

Here is an excerpt from the most straight-forward explanation we found:

What does it mean to Convalidate a Marriage? We probably all know at least one couple who was not married according to the requirements of the Catholic Church.
It is not unusual for such couples to later wish to have the Catholic Church formally recognize their marriage. Convalidation is the process by which the church recognizes a marriage that did not previously meet the requirements of church law. In a simple validation process a couple in a stable marriage participates in some form of preparation, and then they sanction their consent “I-do” in the presence of a priest or deacon and two witnesses.

From:
Marriage is one of the oldest sacraments
Published July 18, 2003
The Catholic Mirror
By: Deacon Dennis and Sarah Luft