A Very Nice Day in Atlanta

Yesterday was a very nice day in Atlanta, even though it was a little rainy. Gabe-Luke went with his mommy on a little run to Georgia Tech. The baseball team was not playing, so we kept going until we got to the biomedical engineering department. Patty used to work with them at SciTrek, so we stopped in to say hello to Sally Gerrish, who used to head the educational outreach activities there. Gabriel enjoyed playing on the carpet, which he doesn't get to do much.

We forgot to post the other day that on Sunday, we had to install our first safety plugs for the electrical outlets. Our little wheeling dervish was looking at those holes with a glint in his eye. Luckily, he didn't get too close before we pulled him away. He's also discovered light switches. His fingers aren't strong enough to push the little lever, but he likes to practice.

The little guy's been vocalizing a lot. The most common thing he says is "Mamamamama." We're sure it's just a coincidence, but it sure sounds like he's saying his first word. He's also discovered peek-a-boo. The strange this is, we didn't teach him. He seems to have invented it himself. What a little genius, not that we're biased or anything.

Jack called last night - what a huge surprise! He was in Kuwait, and it was 0530 there. When they got there, there was a big package from the USO for them that included a phone card, so he was able to go to the phone center and call all of us. He said that he was at Camp Victory, an Army base, and that they had to travel halfway around the world to find a decent chow hall. He sounded tired and said that they hadn't gotten much sleep in the past couple of days. They were about to get on a C-130 to travel to Iraq, and they would helicopter in to Ar Rutbah.

Speaking of C-130s, the union at Lockheed in Marietta walked out after midnight this morning. Matt got a haircut today and so has been past the line three times, but he didn't have any problems with them. In fact, there aren't many of them out there, probably because it's so cold today.

Now for the big news: Steve Karson finally popped the question! He proposed to Kelly on Saturday night by making her follow a series of notes on a wild goose chase around the house. He designed the ring himself, and we can't wait to see it. Of course, Steve still hasn't told us any of this. If it weren't for Kelly, we'd never know anything!