Downtown Atlantic at Christmas Time

     Every year the city puts up thousands of lights along the main street in downtown Atlantic, Iowa.  I saw it for the first time last year and I'm enjoying it again this year!  It looks so pretty and festive!    Makes me proud to call this town home.   Merry Christmas everyone!

Kiwanis Club of Atlantic

I recently joined the Kiwanis Club in Atlantic.  Here is a photo of the group meeting yesterday.  So what is Kiwanis you ask?  The definition put out by the organization is:  "Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world - One community and One child at a time."  To me, it's a way to help in the community by donating books or bike helmets to local school children.  It's a way to be involved in fundraising to aid in immunizations and food pantry supplies.  It's a way to get involved in my new community and meet local residents of Atlantic.

I've been to 3 meetings and will officially become a member at the start of the year.  We meet every Thursday at noon at the Pizza Ranch.  We have lunch, listen to a guest speaker and plan future events.  If you're interested in joining, check out the website for more information at  www.AtlanticKiwanisClub.org. 

S F Martin House for Lunch

I had a wonderful lunch yesterday at the S F Martin House Bed and Breakfast in downtown Atlantic.  Mark's mom, Carol Smith, had told me that I should see the inside of the house at this time of year, decorated for Christmas.  Wow...she was right!  What an amazing collection of ornaments, crystal, Santa figurines, lights and garland...all displayed beautifully within the dining rooms on the lower level.

I met Carol, Collette Kinen, and Rhonda Wohlleber there for a delicious meal starting with a mixed green salad with blueberries, rasberries, walnuts and strawberries.  My main entree was a turkey and chicken stuffed pastry with cream cheese and spinach, herbed mashed potatoes and cranberry salad.  Others had the quiche with sweet potatoes.  I finished lunch off with a lemon cake with lemon sherbet.  Very good.

I met the owner, Roger Steffens, and had him pose for a photo for me.  :)   I'll be back later in the year when he says he has the house decorated completely different than at Christmas time.  I would call ahead of time to let Roger know you are coming (we called that morning).

The S F Martin House is located at 419 Poplar Street, Atlantic IA  50022
Their phone number is 712-243-5589.

A nice treat for the holidays!

Health Care in a New Town

I put it off long enough.  I had to find a new healthcare provider to refill my prescriptions and just provide general care locally.  

I chose to go to Haley Kickland, a licensed Family Nurse Practitioner, at the Midwest Health Center.  Several people recommended her as someone who was easily available for appointments and someone who really listened and cared about her patients.  My first appointment was yesterday to set up care.  I met with Haley and she spent a good 20 minutes with me going over my medical history.  She's easy to talk to and I felt very comfortable.

She shares her office with her husband, Jim Kickland, who is a Chiropractor there.  The office is located at 1101 E. 7th Street, Atlantic IA  50022.  Phone number is 712-243-5790.   Together they offer chiropractic care, family medical care and acupuncture.

Their photos are below...

Thanksgiving and my Children

I'm not a fan of turkey and all the trimmings so Thanksgiving isn't about the food to me, but I love the time spent with family.  Because I'm divorced, my grown children divide their time between parents.  I love it when I get them all in one place with me at the same time.  That happened last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.  They all drove from Wayne, Nebraska where they are all attending college to spend the day with me in Atlantic.  Here is a photo...

My son Tom, on the left,  is 20, a Junior at Wayne State studying History with a minor in Education. He is a Resident Assistant (RA) in one of the dorms there.

My daughter Jill, middle, is 23, a 5tth year Senior at Wayne finishing up her student teaching for an Elementary Ed degree.  She got married this past summer to a great guy who is also a teacher. 

My son Chris, on the right, is 19, a Freshman at Wayne State majoring in Finance.  He also plays baseball for Wayne State College.

They make me proud every day.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with YOUR families!!

Picking beans! My first combine experience.

 

     About a month ago I was able to go with Brooke and Todd Tanner on a ride-along while they were harvesting beans.  I've always seen the combines in the fields, but never thought I'd have the opportunity to ride in one!  Todd picked me up along a side road in his tractor and grain wagon and took me out to the combine.  I climbed up into the cab where Brooke showed me the basics of this amazing machine.  I'm still a rookie, but I learned a lot about soybeans and the harvesting process.

 

     So interesting for someone who's only lived in cities!  

 

     I rode with Brooke for about an hour and found the process to be relaxing and strangely satisfying to see the rows and rows of beans being harvested and poured into the grain wagon. 

 

     I am loving my new city and all of these experiences!  Check out the photos!

Unique Salon and Spa-Manicure

When you're new in town, you need to consult the internet for services in your new town.  I found Unique Salon and Spa online and decided to try them out to have my nails done.   I had Chantel Scheffler give me a great shellac manicure and had a nice conversation while getting it done!  Chantel is also newer to Atlantic, having grown up in Exira and going to school in Omaha.

The Salon is decorated beautifully and the rest of the staff seemed friendly and professional.  I'll definitely be going back. :)  Unique Salon and Spa is located in downtown Atlantic at 512 Chestnut Street.  Phone 712-243-6626.

Nebraska Cornhusker Football Games

     Yes, I live in Iowa now, but I will always be a Nebraska Husker fan!  Mark is an alumni from UNL too, so he's a big fan.  So we tailgate every home game!
     We take the RV down to Lincoln on Friday nights before the game and usually go out to dinner or meet up with other tailgaters for awhile.  Saturday mornings we wake up and Mark sets up the tables, TV, speakers, chairs, etc. outside while I get the food ready to go inside.  This past weekend we had pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, corn casserole and of course, Rotel cheese dip and chips.  Plus cookies and other easy snacks. You won't go hungry!  Sometimes we go into the game, sometimes we don't.  I think I actually prefer to stay at the tailgate and watch the game on the TV while talking with all of the friends that stop by to say "hi." 
     This past weekend we met up with several Michigan State fans who were there for the weekend, and we ended up hanging with them most of the afternoon and wound up dancing into the wee hours of the night at The Red 9...a night club just a block away from our tailgate spot.  They told us how much they liked Nebraska fans...very polite and just down to earth and nice.  That's always good to hear!
     Here are a few photos.  Mark wears his red and white striped overalls and white patent leather shoes to every game.  This time, the Michigan fans found a true connection with Mark!  :)

Cutie Pie Boutique-downtown Atlantic, IA

     This morning the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors met at Cutie Pie Boutique in downtown Atlantic.  What a great shop!  They have specialty gifts, jewelry, custom embroidery items, children's accessories, gently used consignment kids clothing items, and new seasonal holiday items as well.  I will definitely do some Christmas shopping there this year!  

     The owner is Alisha Carpenter (pictured here).  She's talented...creating custom bows, and adding embroidery/applique' designs on just about anything right there in the shop!  Cutie Pie Boutique is located at 412 Chestnut Street, Atlantic, IA.  Phone is 712-243-7710.

     Oh...and I met several new people who are also Chamber members and I look forward to getting to know them better at future events!

Cutting Firewood

     In preparation for the cold winter days ahead, I went with Mark to cut down trees for firewood on Sunday.  So...ok, I'm from the city.  I grew up in Denver and have lived in Sacramento, Fort Worth, Rapid City and Shreveport.  When we wanted firewood we called a 'guy' and had him deliver some to our house, already cut up and had him stack it for us.  Or we'd stop by the local Kwik Stop and buy a bundle or two.  So going out, chopping down old, dead (big) trees, cutting them into sections and then splitting them seems like a lot of work to me! 

     We went to a local acreage just west of Atlantic where there is a hilly, forested area overlooking freshly harvested fields...a friend's farm.  Mark got to work with his chainsaw, and I helped out by stacking the pieces I could lift or roll into a pile.  We worked together in the sunshine for a few hours, taking down three big trees and making manageable piles to come back and split with a log splitter at a later date this week.  And you know what?   I had a great day.  It was sunny, not windy, about 55 degrees outside.  A gorgeous day to get your blood pumping and spend time outside together!

Here are a couple of photos..    

Pitch Tournament

Played cards last night!  My first Pitch tournament was held at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club.  It was my 2nd time to play this game and I made a couple of mistakes that my partner, Mark Smith, pointed out to me over and over again.  ;)  But in the end, Mark and I made it to the championship game and although we tried our hardest, we couldn't win the last hand.  I think 2nd place is pretty good for someone who has only played two times!!  I had a blast, met some really great people and will definitely do that again!

Fall Colors!

I love the fall colors this year!  This is a picture I took from our driveway.  I used to live in a newer subdivision in Omaha and didn't have all of these big trees. Is it like this every year?  Beautiful!

Atlantic, Iowa Chamber of Commerce

I stopped by the Chamber of Commerce yesterday to find out what they offer as far as networking opportunities and social events that will enable me to meet the people and learn about the businesses in this town.  They are an active group it seems, so I've taken an application and will be joining soon.  I also met two really nice people who work there, Megan Roberts and Erica Govig.  Thank you for welcoming me to the community! 

Building a website

I thought it would be simple, but it's not.  I've been working on a page of a GoDaddy website builder site now for about 2 hours and I'm frustrated and confused.  Thinking those website designers are pretty awesome at this point...and may be totally worth the money they want to get a site up and running.

One more hour then I'm throwing in the towel and hiring someone.  Grrr...
Julie