True Friendship is Hard to Find...

Yanna & I

Yanna & Stam

Brooks & I

Yanna's attempt to flag a taxi...

My attempt to flag a taxi...

And that, my friends, is how it's done...even if the one on the other side of the street doesn't stop...it is likely one will stop right behind you! Too funny!

Yanna's pool is visible from her balcony

The roof top view

but, ironically, I've found true friendship over the years with Yanna, a Greek gal that I would never dream we could have so many differences, yet so much in common, too. During our visit with her and Stam this past weekend, Stam asked how long Yanna and I been friends. As I started to count back to the very first time I met her in Sunday school at Hull Baptist and we instantly "hit it off", so to speak, I realized that we had been friends for over ten years now. Over those ten years, Yanna has always been there with encouraging words for me and I for her. We have celebrated each others birthdays, high school graduations, college graduations, new job endeavors and my wedding...not to mention MANY other good times and precious memories. Yanna is a "true" friend I can always count on and that is hard to find in this flawed world we live in. No matter how hard life gets or how busy we both are, we find time to talk and spend time together. No excuses. That, to me, is what a true friend is and I am so thankful I've found that in Yanna. Love u, Ma'am!

Now, off the sappy stuff and on to our weekend. When we first arrived, we must have sat and talked for three hours. Finally, Stam and his cousin (who is also from Greece and a doctor) came over and we all went to a swanky little Mexican Restaurant about two blocks from Yanna's house. We actually walked to it. In case I've not said already, Yanna lives in midtown where almost anything is accessible by foot. After several hours of food and fun, we headed back to Yanna's house to hang out before Stam and his cousin had to head back to their place. Stam had to make his rounds at the hospital on Sunday morning so he did not want to stay out too late! I sure am glad we have dedicated docs like him :-) !!!! To top that off, Brooks was really tired and sleepy so he decided to hang at Yanna's while she and I headed out to one of the most popular Karaoke establishments in the big ATL. When we arrived, by taxi that is, we we not allowed in due to the maximum number had been reached to stay in regulation with fire code standards. So, I was thinking we may have to stand in the FREEZING cold for ten minutes and wait for the next taxi; Thank goodness the manager came to the door and gave us the all clear. The karaoke music was rock and light rock and was all the popular songs of the past and present day. It was, in one word, AMAZING! What a way to de-stress and let it all go. No, I did not sing karaoke on stage, but maybe one day! HA!

I woke up on Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. and could not go back to sleep! UGH!! Brooks was still sound asleep and so was Yanna. Frustrating. So, I got up and snacked on some chocolates Yanna brought from Greece...my definition of the perfect way to start the day! Finally, Brooks woke up and he and I headed across the street for some yummy Starbucks breakfast. Soon after that Yanna woke up and we all got ready and headed out to this quaint little restaurant that has a beautiful view of Piedmont Park. After a filling lunch, we headed to Atlantic Station to view the Bodies Exhibit. It way way neat to see all these bodies that have been preserved for medical research.

What an all around awesome weekend! Thanks, Yanna for being such a wonderful host! You're the best! Oh yeah, and enjoy those towels and washcloths...and you don't have an excuse for not bathing anymore...HAHA