First Anniversary,Negril,Jamaica

It's really hard for me to believe that a year ago, I was a bride to be, ectstatic to walk down the aisle and meet my groom. I shared a few tears with some family and friends. We knew that the day would mark the first of many changes in my life, but I doubt that anybody fully comprehend the person I would become.

This past year has been the sweetest I can remember. And most of it has to do with my beautiful husband. He has been my coach, cheerleader, financial advisor, confidant and best friend. When I cry, it's his shoulder I lean on. When I want to give up, it's his strength that I ride on. When I laugh, it's his eyes I look into. This time of the year, also marks our honeymoon anniversary. The tropics was so blissful and we absolutely had fun that we decided to do a repeat and spend our first year anniversary with fun and sun. This time we explored the beautiful island of Jamaica and stayed at The Caves Resort. The resort was featured for this year's swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated.

Ed and I agree that this was the most picturesque, sexiest and most romantic place we have ever been. This place is trully paradise. The staff called us by our first name and treated us like we were family. Our bungalow, One drop. The term one drop can mostly be heard on Bob Marley's songs. Drop in Jamaica means "fell" or in some instances "fail". Basically, you drop once but you rise again.

Our outdoor shower.
Our cozy room and bed.
We were literally a few yards away from Negril Lighthouse.



Ahhh, what a life, what a day. Our days were spent mostly lounging and swimming at a perfect blue sea.Ed jumping off the cliff.

Everyday we were treated with a beautiful sunset.I literally gasp when we walked inside the cave for our anniversary dinner. The place was lit with 100 candles and decorated with flowers. And the food, was delish. What an end to a perfect anniversary day. The day started with me waking up to the music of our first dance---Frank Sinatra's The way you look tonight. My husband took my hand and asked me to dance. It was quite magical and very reminiscent of our first dance.

Some day, when I'm awfully low, When the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you... And the way you look tonight..

Our first snorkelling adventure, this was so much fun. At first, I thought I'll never be able to breathe through my mouth but eventually got the hang of it.
Throughout our swim, we saw several stingrays.
****CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW*****

Happy Easter---Belated:)

I know...I know..I've been MIA. Hope everyone had a great Easter. Ours was sooooo busy. My family stayed with us this past weekend. We had an absolutely great time. Went to church last Saturday for the Easter Vigil. Sunday, I made some Easter brunch---french toast casserole, hash brown casserole, some honeybaked ham and fruit. I must say it was delish. We spent Sunday afternoon with Ed's family. The nieces had a blast Easter egg hunting. Sorry no pictures, can you believe it? Hope y'all are enjoying our rather chilly Georgia spring:)

Clint & Monica visit ATL

What a fun weekend! Our friends Clint & Monica came up this weekend. It was nice to have them over and catch up. Here's a picture of us at TJ's for Friday night Trivia.A trip to the Georgia Aquarium. This is Ed and I's 4th trip to the aquarium. We're still amazed everytime we go. Mike joined us as well.

Click HERE for more pictures...

Ed's 30th Birthday Fiesta

There’s something amazing about dropping a stone into a body of water. First the soothing sound of the stone breaking the barrier between air and water, then the seismic waves that follow. I suppose it’s nature imitating life.There are certain people whose life is a smooth stone—refined by generosity, grace, and kindness—who make ripples. These ripples are felt by those who surround the stone and whose lives will be forever changed.

Ed's is a stone whose ripples continually resonate(evident, by the presence of wonderful friends joining him celebrate his 30th birthday). I am honored to be his wife and to have shared in his big day.

The birthday guy in his sombrero.

Digging in to his birthday cookie cake

A lil Pinata action with some assistance from Dave. Lenny,Kristi,Helena,Marisa and Anthony in the background. The Holzapfels
Heather, Helena, Elisha and Mike
Mohammad and Wynell
The Martins

The Redings with the lil one arriving in August.

Thank you all for making this day special. Click HERE for more pictures.

A warm welcome

My brother finally arrived. Thanks for all your warm wishes for his safe journey. Here are some pics from his stay in Atlanta.
Our family went to lunch at Olive Garden with Omayra and Wynell.
A trip to the Georgia Aquarium.

A true southern welcome, lunch at Mary Mac's. He had his first taste of sweet tea---the red wine of the south.

SuperBowl XLI and an announcement

Denny & Kara invited us over to their house for a Superbowl Party and a SPECIAL announcement...They are expecting!!! We are so happy to hear the news. Can't wait for the lil one to arrive. Congratulations Denny & Kara! Here's a picture of the guys cheering for the new addition to the Reding family.

Let's Go Thrashers!!!

It's been a while since we've been to a Thrashers game. I forgot how fun it is! Mike, Denson, Ed and I went to the New Jersey Devils/Thrashers game last Tuesday. I'm glad that inspite of a hectic work schedule and feeling a bit under the weather, we decided to go. The adrenaline kicked in and there I was screaming and cheering!

The game went into overtime and it was neat to see a shoot-out. The Thrashers edged the New Jersey Devil 5-4. It felt like I was watching the "sudden death" scene from Dodge Ball:) I might get me a Blueland scarf. Aside from looking comfy, they are quite trendy. I'm hoping to wear it to the Playoffs(wishful thinking?)

How Sweet It Is

I work from home on Fridays so it's no surprise that I get pages from my boss to call her or what's a number she can call me. So nonchalantly I replied and paged her with my cellphone number. I was assuming that she needed to talk to me regarding a project that I just got an email from five minutes ago. Thirty minutes after she called me back and asked me If I was sitting.I can sense excitement in her voice and It got me so curious...she joyfully told me that I got the promotion!!! Wow,wow and wow! We've had several discussions on this promotion but it still caught me off guard that it is finally here. The corporate world is weird and with our company going thru a merger(or acquisition), I wasn't expecting that much. I am really not one to focus on promotion, my mantra is to always be the best in what I do but it sure is nice to be recognized for your hard work. It's like putting cherry on top of a treat!

I'm looking forward to this opportunity. I'll still be doing some traveling but not as much. I'm looking forward to being in town and spending more time with everybody. Thank you all for being supportive of me in my career. Thank you Ed for being so patient and understanding of my gruelling travel schedules. You encourage me to stay motivated and to be focus on what I do. You never gave me a hard time for not being at home and I really appreciate it.

To my family and friends, I am thankful for your love and support. I appreciate all of your efforts to accommodate my schedule when planning get togethers.

Happy Birthday Heather!!!

Last Saturday we we went to Food 101 at Virginia Highland to celebrate Heather's birthday The food was delish and it was the perfect ambience for an intimate get together.
Heather is my "unexpected" gal friend. I discovered a gracious and kind, easy-going yet passionate, fun and devoted friend. She's just one cool chicka! Click HERE for more pictures.

Darren's "Striking" Birthday Party

For Darren's 30th Birthday, his lovely wife Heather planned a fun Bowling Bash. Here's Darren with 30 candles and his uber cool Hot Wheels Birthday cake. Happy Birthday Darren!!! Ed and I are looking forward to celebrating more birthdays with you guys.

In addition to bowling, there were some dancing too....

Here are the Holzapfel dancing to J Timberlake's "My Love"


Darren didn't want to share the limelight and had to show off his own moves:)

Click here for more pictures!

Omayra's Birthday Bash

Last Friday, we went to Brio to celebrate Omayra's Bday. It was intented to be a surprise but the Birthday girl had her suspicion. As Ed explained to me...if you try to do a "surprise" birthday party every year, at one point it's not a surprise anymore. Oh well, we still had a blast and had a wonderful time celebrating a loyal friend and a great mother. I'm so honored to have a friend like you Omayra!

The next day Wynell, Luis and I gave the birthday gal company to a hike. Luis took a snapshot of the girls goofing around!

Click here for more pictures!

Day 4:London Trip

It was raining the morning of our 4th day in London but that did not stop us to discover the Tower of London. The Tower of London is by far one of the most famous and well preserved historical buildings in the world. The Tower's primary function was as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners (such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" meaning "imprisoned". It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, a mint, a public records office, an observatory, and—since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

Photo op with a Yeoman Warders or commonly known as Beefeaters.Next to the Tower of London is the Tower Bridge. Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognisable bridges in the World.After a long walk, a bunch of stairs and bridges, we finally reached Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The Globe Theatre is a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599, where Shakespeare worked and for which he wrote many of his greatest plays.We welcomed the New Years by having a nice New Years eve dinner at a charming Italian restaurant.

We had a couple more drinks at our hotel lobby where Mike had some photo op with Aidy Boothroyd, Team Manager of Watford FC.
Then at midnight, we joined over 150,000 people to watch the spectacular fireworks display fired from the British Airways London Eye to welcome 2007.

Click here for more pictures from Day 4. That's all folks. Hope you enjoy the summary of our trip!

Day 3:London Trip

We got up early to ensure a good spot for the famous Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. I highly recommed reading Fodor's Travel book. They give you tips on when and what spot would be the best for major events. Some pictures from changing of the guard.Here's a video of the changing of the guard.

We also had a great photo op with one of the guardsman at St. James Palace.

Taking a leisure walk at St. James Park We came to London to visit the Queen:) at Buckingham PalaceWe strolled to the streets of London and the Royal Academy of Arts was hosting an exhibit for Rodin---sculptor famous for The Thinker and The Gates of Hell.
The group split up to explore individual interests and a breather from each other:) Denny & Kara went to Kings Cross Station-This rail station is home to the magical "Platform 9 3/4," where the young wizards and witches from Harry Potter board the Hogwarts Express.
Ed and I went to see the Marble Arch.Mike had the opportunity to score some tickets to the soldout Chelsea Fulham game. What a treat for him. Here are some pics and video from the game.

London is famous for it's plays. We head to Leicester Square for dinner and play.
Ed enjoying his Bailey's milkshake at Ed's Easy Diner. We saw The Mousetrap at St. Martin's Theatre. The Mousetrap is the longest running play in the history of Britain.

Click here for more pics from the day. For Day 4 click here.