Snow storms, ice storms, & earthquakes-- oh my!

Hello, everyone! 

Happy Sunday! To my Walking Dead fans out there-- what did you think about the return of Season 4 last week? It was something else, I must say. Very suspenseful, and surprisingly a bit comedic. I am looking forward to watching the show every Sunday with a couple of friends here on campus. 

Not only am I looking forward to evenings of zombies, but I am also looking forward to going to church next Sunday! Today, my friend Andrew whom I've known since high school (also attends my college) invited me to check out a nearby Presbyterian church with him, since he knew I attended one back home. I agreed to go and at 10:30 this morning we walked over to the church. Next week will mark its 156th year! It's been restored over the years and it is quite lovely. It has a balcony in the sanctuary which wraps around the wall. The pews face inward to the center of the pulpit. Suspended from the ceiling was apparently a new addition to the sanctuary-- 3000 origami cranes strung on several threads! Everyone there was so welcoming and the service was short but enlightening. During the sermon, the preacher added a personal anecdote, reflecting on the barn dances we have at Montreat (yes, indeed, he did bring up Montreat!). The overall concept of this service was synergy (by definition is the interaction between two or more organizations to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects) and he finished with the remark about Montreat and how, at the barn dance, it doesn't matter your age, gender, sexuality, nor race-- everyone is there dancing together to have a good time and to celebrate their faith. Needless to say, I'll be going back to the church each Sunday if I'm on campus and not at home. 

Origami cranes hanging from the ceiling

How did everyone do in Georgia's second snowpocalypse? I feel we were better prepared this time around. Classes were cancelled a day in advance, though during the first day of snowpocalypse, Atlantans received rain instead of snow. It was a good day for me, though, being able to catch up on homework. The second day, the snow fell, and the third day it iced over a bit, making the land one slippery place to trek. The weather warmed up by the third day, though. The sun was out and began to slowly melt away the remnants of the snow. I decided to check out the city, in hopes of going to the top of the Westin or the Hilton to get a different photo overlooking the snowy city. 

Early morning - snow!

Daytime

Freedom Parkway

ICE

MORE ICE

Obligatory "I'm about to freeze
my butt off" selfie.

When I got to the Hilton, I bought a frappucino before attempting to go up the elevator. I'm not much of a coffee person, but I had a sweet tooth and the Starbucks was all out of hot cocoa syrup! When I reached the elevator, it arrived, and I boarded. Much to my dismay, it asked for a hotel card to use the elevator. Instead of waiting around for a hotel guest to board the elevator, I went to the enclosed bridge which connected the Hilton to the Marriott and walked across it. I wound up cutting through a business conference! I went up the escalators to find my way to the Hyatt, but opted out of going into the Hyatt and instead wandered on down the street. I found myself outside of the Hard Rock Cafe, just a block away from the Westin. I passed by Hooters and the Ritz Carlton. Workers were either salting or shoveling the sidewalks. I decided to walk in the direction of the Tabernacle, and though I didn't pass by it, from a distance I took a photo of the Tabernacle with Skyview Atlanta in the background. I decided not to walk all the way to Centennial Olympic Park, but instead I went to the Westin. 

Look at that beautiful blue sky.

Empty restaurant at Peachtree Center

The Tabernacle and SkyView Atlanta

Can't remember which building this is... but it's cool.

Selfie at Hard Rock Cafe

The Westin

View from bridge between Hilton
and Marriott

Nothing unusual
here, just freezing.

I was wearing my Panic! at the Disco hat from last week's concert, and the bellhop immediately commented on it. "Yes, I was one of the many hundred out on Luckie  Street the other night." We had a conversation about what went down, and the bellhop shared a story of his experience at the Tabernacle a few years ago. After our conversation ended, I asked where to go in order to ride the elevator to the top of the Westin. When I got to the 5th floor, one of the hotel clerks said it was closed because of the inclement weather. Disappointed in not being able to capture the snow-covered city from above, I trekked back to my place. I considered taking the subway to get to Oakland Cemetery, but opted out of the slippery walk to the station. 

Wrote my name in the snow, again.

Across from the Ritz-Carlton

Auburn Avenue?

One of my favorite shots taken with my DSLR rather
than with my phone.

So artsy.

For Singles' Awareness Day-- err-- Valentine's Day-- I went home because I took on a babysitting job for my friend's sister. We had a good time eating pizza and chocolate cake together. Later that evening, I didn't feel it, but my mother and thousands of other Georgians did-- an earthquake! Evidently, in South Carolina they had an earthquake which was a 4.1-4.4 on the Richter scale. It's been about 10 years since our last little quake, and I didn't feel that one either. Relieved it wasn't any worse! To learn more about it, click here.

Just a mockery of how we react to "disasters"
Hey, safety first!

I'm just throwing this out there-- I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day. I see it as just another highly commercialized holiday and a force driving us to remind us to express love for those in our lives. We do not need one day out of the year where we actually remember to tell friends and family that we love them. Instead, do it frequently (every day is more ideal). As for gift-giving, be spontaneous. Some of us expect too much on Valentine's Day. Me? I anticipate chocolate, but I don't expect it. Now, I don't mind getting extra chocolate for 'free' another day out of the year, but I don't need it. I just wanted to say I love my family and friends, every day of the year. By being spontaneous, I mean surprise your spouse with some roses on an unexpected day. Hand your best friend a chocolate when they aren't expecting it. Don't wait until February 14th to make them feel special or to make their day. 

My Valentine :-) love my pup!

I don't have much else to say about my weekend other than that I am looking forward to a better week from here on out as the last two have been a bit of a challenge in various ways. I'm going to start hitting the gym this week (finally!) so I can start strengthening my muscles for skating again. I plan to go to the rink a couple times a month, or more as my schedule allows. 

Hope you enjoyed the photography!

Until next time, 

Kelsey


P.S. I have updated the song of the week to Muse's "Apocalypse Please." Very fitting, I would say. :-)