Changes...

Most exciting things first. I hosted a small Halloween-themed cocktail party last night. My dear friend Anar came up from DC for it, and we had a hilarious time decorating. I got a little carried away with themed crap from Target including a black disco jack-o-lantern and old apothecary styled plates (thanks again Chatterjee family for that birthday gift card!), and I think everyone had a really good time. The menu ended up being simple - Snacks: marinated olives (mainly intended as a vessel for the frankenstein & pumpkin toothpicks I had), lime-chili roasted pumpkin seeds, peanut butter M&Ms in autumn colors, three kinds of cheeses (2 from the local farmers market) & black pepper crackers. Dinner: butternut squash risotto, chickpea/green bean/orange tomato salad, rosemary roasted beets & potatoes. Dessert: Devil's food cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting. The party was fun too. It's hard to go wrong with your besties, wine, lots of food, and an impending cat 1 hurricane to mock.

This is a picture of my grandparents the last time they came to the US, outside our house in Dunwoody. It had just snowed, and they were delighted by the white stuff that they hardly ever saw in India. They were visiting us because my brother was getting married that year.
In other news, my parents sold and moved out of our house of 34 years. We couldn't have gotten through the packing and moving process without the help of friends and relatives that came by throughout the weekend with food and support. It was a challenging weekend, but mainly because we had a lot to do and a finite amount of time to do it. I expected it to be very emotional, but once the movers came and the cars were packed, I think we were all relieved it was just over. So we parted ways on Oct. 1 around 4:30pm, and I stayed the night with my friend in Decatur (it was weird to not sleep at home in Atlanta), and my parents and brother took off for TX.
I suppose it may hit me at some point during my next visit to Atlanta, but for now, it just feels like my parents are on an extended vacation in Austin. I also decided to keep my little red CRV, so I drove it back to New York earlier this month. I even found a ridiculously cheap parking garage not too far from my apartment. My hope is to take it on day trips nearby and take advantage of living in the northeast. Because I had my car, I was able to bring back lots of boxes of photos and other memorabilia, which I am slowly sorting through now. I'll post some of those things in the next blog.

This picture is of me and our long-time neighbor, Mr. Fitzpatrick, from my brother's wedding reception. The Fitzpatricks were one of the best things about our home in Dunwoody. They were a lovely elderly couple who'd lived an amazing life together. He was a trumpet-playing war hero, and she was an elegant artist. They had a large family, and they were always gracious and loving whenever I would drop in on them.
Mrs. Fitzpatrick gave me an antique copy of Little Women, which she had read when she was a little girl. I remember falling in love with those kinds of books (Austen, Brontes, etc.) because of her when I was about 10 years old. I found it among the shelves of books in my old bedroom at home when I was packing, and I also recalled that she taught me how to mix colors when painting and allowed me to play in her beautiful garden during the summers. (I used to cut through her backyard to get to my friend Kit's house - who wants to walk around the neighborhood when you can simply jump over a creek?) She also helped me make my high school graduation dress when nothing in the department stores suited me. Sadly, Mrs. Fitzpatrick passed away when I was living in London in 2004.
Mr. Fitzpatrick still lives in Atlanta, but he's no longer next door to our old house these days. He's an amazing man as well. I remember visiting with him when I came back from my assignment in London in 2004 and excitedly telling him about the 60th Anniversary of D-Day celebrations in Normandy, France that I had just covered over the summer. Always gracious, he listened to my enthusiastic descriptions for almost 30 minutes, and then he quietly said, "Yes, that was a long day." Huh? That was a long day?! When I asked for further explanation, he shared with me that he had been a pilot in the air force back then and he was flying the paratrooper runs back and forth between England and France. He was very matter-of-fact about it - he told me, "It was our duty to protect the world that day, so we hunkered down and did it." Holy moly, I'd been living next door to one of those veterans that had moved me so deeply in France that summer.
When I think of grandparents, the Fitzpatricks filled that role in many ways for me. My real grandparents were thousands of miles away, and while my parents made sure we knew them and visited often, it wasn't the same as my mom pushing me out the door every day after school and instructing me to play in the fresh air until it got dark. Always curious and too talkative, I would go over to their house and bother them regularly. They were always patient and loving and wonderful.
I'm definitely going to miss our house at 4788 Kings Down Rd. But what I will certainly miss the most are the wonderful friends and family we left behind in Atlanta. Home will always be where my parents are, but my childhood heart certainly belongs to ATL.