The Lott Year in Review 1998
Quick Review of 1997
- We got married.
- Went on a cool vacation to Saint Lucia.
- Michael got a new job.
- We bought a new home.
...and now on to our featured year in review...
Things slowed down a bit for us this year. No new spouses
or houses for us. We were so embarrassed by our lack of events that Heather
left her job at BAC and started a new career as a dwarf herder.
Heather's new job
OK, her new job is actually as a Software Engineer at MAPICS,
INC. Heather gets to work with talented coworkers under helpful job
processes that let her focus on her primary tasks. If only MAPICS would
move to downtown instead of the "backwoods" of Alpharetta, Heather
would be in Job Utopia!
Viva Las Vegas
We did have one big vacation- the East Coast Lotts and the West Coast
Lotts got together for weekend in Las Vegas. We had a blast; we could
watch Uncle John shoot craps for hours. He can run up (or down) a few
hundred bucks in minutes! We...er... Michael lost everything he bet. Luckily
that was only $15.
Our Vegas Experience Highlights:
Seeing the incredible production of Cirque Du Soleil's Mystere.
The three block long overhead light show of the Fremont Street Experience.
The Egyptian world of the Luxor Pyramid hotel.
Asking "any dam question" we wanted at the Hoover Dam (or is
that the Boulder Dam??)
Escaping the Big Head at Rio.
The Lotts on the Strip: (L to R) Michael & Heather, Uncle John
and Aunt Debby,
Tim & Kristin, Allison & Allen, Michael's aunt's sister's son's girlfriend
(got that?),
Joan (Michael's Mom)
Weddings
As previously mentioned, no new marriages for us, but we went
to some other peoples' weddings which were quite nice. Most notable was
the marriage of Michael's uncle Ron Tarbutton, a geologist and (until
now) lifelong bachelor, to Laura, the woman of Ron's dreams (and a mean
Celtic dancer). The wedding was in Jackson, Mississippi, and the reception
featured Celtic dancing to an amazing live band (Heather was able to join
in the dance, but Michael was left out because they had enough men.....How
often do weddings have too many men dancing?!?) After pelting the happy
couple with birdseed, we journey north for Heather's...
Return to Oxford
Heather grew up in the town of Oxford, Mississippi, but with her parents
moving to Atlanta at the same time as she started at Georgia Tech, she
has only been back to town for a wedding or two. She nearly went into
a medical state of shock when we drove up to the site of her old high
school building, the little one that had been there for decades and never
been changed, and saw the brand new two-story high school. She loved catching
up with her best friend from high school, Tami, and her husband and enjoyed
meeting Tami's adorable little girl. Michael loved getting a visual sense
of all the places Heather had told him about. Oxford is a great small
town; it is the hometown of William Faulkner, has great folk art museums,
is the site of Ole Miss University and has a bustling town square with
late night cafes and bookstores.
The world comes to Atlanta
We really didn't have to go anywhere this year with the steady stream
of visiting relatives. Michael got to see his uncle John Lott, uncle Ron
Tabutton (with aunt-to-be Laura), grandmother Martha Tabutton, and grandfather
Earle Lott (all the way from California).Heather got to see her Aunt Linda
and Uncle Roland Shugarts and Aunt Trevie Hammett. Also one of Michael's
father's cousins moved to Atlanta with his family; a hearty "welcome
y'all" to the Dunn's: Paul, Jeanine, Chelsea & Jordan.
Buying Stuff
After buying our loft last year, all purchases seem very small, but we
did aquire some nice new furniture inculding our very cool (and surprisingly
comfortable) sofa. After years of just looking, we are starting to get
into buying artwork. And Heather's big Christmas present is a top-notch
upright piano (we have to put those ten years of lessons to work!)
More Trips
We took a lot of quick local weekend trips this year. Here's a few samples:
Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA
We spent our one year anniversary at this beautiful botanical resort.
Callaway Gardens butterfly pavilion
Love Life Marriage Seminar at Ridgecrest, NC
Our blissful marriage life was enhanced by this well done retreat in the
Blue Ridge Mountains.
Spirit of Cross Stitch Festival in Knoxville, TN
Heather took a lot of neat needlework classes and started several hundred
new projects. We stayed at historic Hotel St. Oliver in downtown Knoxville.
Yes, the sunsphere is still there. No, it doesn't contain wigs.
Rafting the Nantahala River in NC
Last year Heather had her first taste of snowsking, this year Michael
and his parents exposed her to Whitewater rafting. Michael thinks she's
ready for some class-five rapids!
Murder Mystery Bed and Breakfast in Murphy, NC
We stayed for a Mystery Weekend at Huntington
Hall where the guest are the characters. Very well done. We really
want to go back and we think it would be great fun to go with a whole
group that we know. Any takers? While in the area, we went to Brasstown,
NC, where everyone in town seems to create art for a living, and we bought
pricey art pieces!
Our gingerbread house
Heather baked a BUNCH of gingerbread and we had friends over for a
house construction and decorating party. We all had great time and the
houses looked wonderful, but next year someone else will have to bake
the gingerbread! Roll your cursor over the house to see the back.
Our home was on the Tour of Lofts and was scouted by Metropolitan Home
magazine (didn't make the cut this year).
Heather threw a great surprise birthday party for Michael at Art &
Soul, an art and crafts cafe.
We fell in love with Quidam, the Cirque Du Soleil show on tour here
in Atlanta. We even bought the Cirque du Soleil tree at the Festival
of Trees.
That's all for now. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
-Michael and Heather
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