Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week warmed up a bit in the Natural State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs over the past week.

Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).

Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.

Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast from my Tempest weather station.

For this week’s Fraggle video, Red tries to start a club, and Wembley needs help getting a cup unstuck from his nose!

Here’s this week’s Scripture passage!

Be sure to read the blog post Thankful Even in This from Ashlyn Ohm!

Finally, here’s an old archive from my trip to Buford for your enjoyment!

A Day in Buford
This past Wednesday I spent a day in Buford, GA, which is about 45 minutes from where I live in Demorest. Traveling to Buford reminds me somewhat when I used to travel to Little Rock when I lived back in Arkansas, only a much more pleasant drive (Little Rock Highway is a mess!).

My first stop was the Golden Corral restaurant since by the time I got to Buford, I was hungry and ready to eat before I did some shopping. This is not just any ordinary Golden Corral. It’s one of their finest franchises since this is where they train most of the chefs and have the experts preparing the meals. The Golden Corral is also a HUGE buffet overwhelming with food! I always get their fried chicken. It’s really as delicious as it looks! It’s so fresh, juicy, tender, and crispy! It just makes my mouth watering just thinking about it! I usually also get mashed potatoes and fried okra if they have it. It complements that portion of the meal nicely.

After I’ve had my fill of chicken, I take a trip up to the salad bar to whip myself up a nice fresh salad! I always start with the romaine lettuce mixture, toss in some fresh spinach if they have it, add some cucumbers and tomatoes, sprinkle on some fresh grated cheese, then top it off with some grilled chicken strips and fresh Casear dressing. YUM YUM! It’s SO delicious and finishes off the next portion of my meal.

Lastly I head to the dessert bar to dine one some sweets. I usually get a few sweets and split them between my family members so I get a sampling of a little bit of everything. I love their chocolate pies and cakes, and they always have something new to try.

After I had my fill of food at the Golden Corral, my next stop was the AT&T Store where I needed to pickup a new case for my iPhone. My black leather case was getting a little old and difficult to manage, so I decided while I was in Buford, I’d stop by the AT&T Store and pickup a new one. The rep recommended to me the iFrogz case since it was a little sleeker than the black leather case I had and made it easier for me to manage my iPhone, plus it’d still offer enough protection and give me a good grip. After deciding that would make a great case for me, I looked through the colors and almost opted in for a blue one when, WOW! is that a teal case in the display case! It sure was! I asked them if they had any of the teal cases. They didn’t, but the outcome was actually better. They told me it was an example of how I could make my own custom color case and choose exactly what colors I wanted. I purchased the custom case service (called MyFrogz) which has given me a temporary clear case I can use until my other case arrives, then all I had to do was download a free app that let me design my own custom case (I picked teal and gold, my corp colors), and they’re shipping it to my door. Not bad!

Right when I was just about to leave the AT&T Store, my eye caught something that truly amazed me. It was one of those new AT&T MicroCells that give users their own personal cell tower in their own home. Since I live in the mountains and have spotty coverage sometimes and am on the EDGE network, I quickly took and interest. I didn’t know GA had them yet! I asked them if it’d work in my area, and after a quick check, they confirmed it did. I decided to grab one and take it home. Later on, I got it activated online after only one small glitch (my street name was too new, so I had to use the street leading to my subdivision to activate it, which is no problem since I live on the corner). After plugging it into my DSL modem and waiting a few minutes, my MicroCell signed on and now I have full coverage in my house, full 3G at speeds faster than the 3G they implemented back home in Hot Springs, and it eliminated some network congestion I had when my iPhone was signed onto Wi-Fi. I even picked up a Buford phone book before I left so I’d be set if I need to call Gwinnett county.

Next stop was Best Buy, and unlike my last trip to Best Buy where I took home a new LED TV, FAX machine, and UPS surge, I didn’t make a purchase this time (I didn’t even spend my reward certificates yet). However, I did get some advice on purchasing a new digital camera and some advice on video cameras, so when it’s time to upgrade my equipment to a higher quality camera and an HD cam, I’ll be all set.

Last stop was the Mall of Georgia, Georgia’s LARGEST mall! It’s quite the shopping experience of a lifetime! We really didn’t do much shopping (I visited the Apple Store and got advice on photo and video editors so when I get a new camera, I’ll have the right editors to go with it), we simply walked around the mall, went in stores, and looked at the Christmas decorations. Disappointingly, there wasn’t a whole lot of decorations in the mall itself, but some of the stores were decorated nicely. It was quite packed with people wrapping up their Christmas shopping (literally). And yes, I had to grab that pic of the iPod Vending machine inside Macy’s (although with an Apple Store down the hall, what’s the use)? After we had our fill of enjoying the mall, we headed back home to Habersham.

Our day in Buford was fun filled and an enjoyment, and I’m looking forward to the next time we travel down there whenever I need to do some shopping at the mall and dining at the Golden Corral.
See my Buford pics in the Photo Gallery!

That wraps it up here! Nathan Parker signing off.

Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week saw cold temperatures most of the week, but it’s warmed up a little over the weekend. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows over the past week from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs.

Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).

Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.

Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast for Hot Springs from my Tempest weather station.

For this week’s Fraggle video, Wembley judges a contest!

Today is also Daffy Duck’s birthday, so here’s a video of Daffy eating cake!

Here’s this week’s Scripture passage!

Finally, here’s an old archive weather report from my trip to Commerce/Banks Crossing when I was in Georgia.

A Day in Commerce
Yesterday I spent a day in Commerce, GA, to do some shopping and to checkout this place not too far from me (see the maps below to check it out). Technically I was more in Banks Crossing than downtown Commerce, which I accidentally went to downtown Commerce before I backtracked and went back to Banks Crossing since I was looking for the Tanger Outlets and a place to eat.
Upon my arrival, we decided to eat at Chick Fil A since I was just really craving one of their Chick Fil A sandwiches (since this is really our closest Chick Fil A). It was absolutely delicious, and I’ll have to say one of the best Chick Fil A’s I’ve ever eaten at. It was just overly good! After filling up on a nice meal, we headed over to the Tanger Outlets.
Now in addition to being confused due to the fact that most people consider the Tanger Outlets in Commerce when they’re really in Banks Crossing, we were also confused about where to go to the Tanger Outlets, since the old one that we did end up going to right before we headed home was there, and there’s a new one that’s down the road a way. Most of the stores are moving over into the new Tanger Outlets, which after asking directions for at Chick Fil A, we finally found. It was a really wonderful shopping experience! Tanger Outlets has a wealth of stores to choose from, and we did a little shopping there, picking up some items we needed, before heading home. We didn’t buy much, but we just enjoyed walking up and down the shops to see all what they had to offer, which was quite a bit (even though it was FREEZING cold).
Some other advantages of the area are the dining places. In addition to Chick Fil A, they have: Longhorn’s, Outback, Wendy’s, a few others, and surprisingly, a La Hacienda! I thought those were only in Arkansas! The drive to Commerce was also pleasant, with it’s scenic and rustic beauty.
We’ll definitely be returning to Commerce when we need to do some specialized shopping, and I may even return in the spring and film a live WeatherBug Video report there simply because it’d be really fun to do. We had an enjoyable time, and it’s a nice little treasure area not too far from us!

That wraps it up here! Nathan Parker signing off.

Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week saw a warm up but ended the week rainy in the Natural State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows over the past week from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs.

Here’s a look at the current high-res radar, plus a look at the current temperatures across the state from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of Baron Weather, GRLevelX/AllisonHouse, and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).

Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.

Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast from my Tempest weather station.

For this week’s Fraggle video, the fraggles help Sprocket!

Finally, here’s this week’s Scripture passage!

That wraps it up here, Nathan Parker signing off.

Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week saw cooler temperatures across the Natural State at the start of the week, with a warm up near the end of the week. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs over the past week.

Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).

Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs this afternoon, as well as the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.

Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast from my Tempest weather station.

For this week’s Fraggle video, Mokey leaves the Fraggles to become a Minstrel (but not for long).

Here’s this week’s Scripture passage!

Finally, here’s an old post from my time at Lake Lanier in Georgia I thought I’d re-post here for fun.

A Day at Lake Lanier

Recently I visited Lake Lanier Resort near Buford, Georgia, again to show everyone the other side of Lake Lanier. As you recall from the last time I visited, it was during the Trail of Lights, so I wasn’t able to show the magnificent lake, lodge, and resort where the Trail of Lights was (although we had a wonderful time with the lights themselves!).

Here’s a map of Lake Lanier, which is about 45 minutes from where I live in Demorest, GA and about 45 minutes from Atlanta.

Lake Lanier Resort is set on the beautiful waters of Lake Lanier and is an 1,100 acre resort spanning various islands across the lakeside area. At the heart of the lake is the newly-rennovated Legacy Lodge and Conference Center, which was part of an $80 Million renovation project. The lodge houses various guest facilities, conference halls, a business center, and two restaurants. In addition, there are various lakehouses and villas, as well as houseboats and campgrounds available which can accommodate guests.

Lake Lanier has something for everyone. From golfing to fishing to boating to horseback riding, Lake Lanier is almost a vacation in and of itself without even counting all of the nearby shopping, dining, and attractions in Buford. Lake Lanier also offers a full service spa and full featured waterpark, so everyone can kick back and relax at North Georgia’s premier luxurious resort. It’s also the perfect place to say “I Do” and have a wedding.

Upon our arrival there, I mainly traversed the grounds, taking pictures of the beautiful lake area and just enjoying the wonderful photography weather we had that day. I then toured the lodge and met Wendy Parham, one of the sales managers at the lodge, who showed me all of the conference facilities and told us about Lake Lanier. She is also featured in my live WeatherBug Video Report I did while I was there. I’ll definitely say that I was thoroughly impressed with Lake Lanier’s lodge, and I’m looking forward to using their facilities and working with Wendy Parham when I need to plan business conferences for Mallard Computer (my computer corporation). After taking some photos, touring the facilities, filming my live WeatherBug Video Report, and enjoying the beautiful scenery, I then left Lake Lanier and headed back to Buford where I had a nice meal at the Golden Corral, then I took care of some shopping at the Mall of Georgia I needed to get done.

I had a wonderful time at Lake Lanier and Buford recently, and it is truly an unforgettable getaway not too far from us here in North Georgia, and definitely North Georgia’s premier lakeside resort!

That wraps it up here! Nathan Parker signing off.

Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week saw cooler temperatures across the Natural State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows over the past week from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs.

Here’s a look at the current temperatures from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations across the state this afternoon (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).

Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs this afternoon, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.

Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast for Hot Springs from my Tempest weather station.

For this week’s Fraggle video, Uncle Matt comes home!

Finally, here’s this week’s Scripture passage!

That wraps it up here! Nathan Parker signing off.

Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week saw a little cooler temperatures across the Natura; State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows over the past week from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs.

Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this evening from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).

Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.

Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast from my Tempest weather station.

For this week’s Fraggle video, Wembley is writing a song!

Here’s this week’s Scripture passage!

Finally, read Just in Case from Ashlyn Ohm!

Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This was another hot week across the Natural State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs, over the past week.

Here’s a look at the current temperatures from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations across the state this afternoon (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).

Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs this afternoon, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.

Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast for Hot Springs from my Tempest weather station.

For this week’s Fraggle video, Wembley sits on an egg! Can’t watch the entire episode? Listen to Wembley’s song “Sleep by the Light of the Moon” below!

Finally, here’s this week’s Scripture passage!

That wraps it up here! Nathan Parker signing off.

Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week saw warm temperatures across the Natural State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs over the past week.

Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).

Here’s a look at the current conditions and my HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs. Here’s also a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.

Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast from my Tempest weather station.

For this week’s Fraggle video, the fraggles fight the beast of Blue Rock! Here’s also a look at clip from it where Wembley and Gobo are Wemblin’ Fools.

Finally, here’s this weeks Scripture passage!

That wraps it up here! Nathan Parker signing off.

Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week was warm but still better than recent weeks. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs over the past week.

Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).

Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs this afternoon, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.

Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast from my Tempest weather station.

For this week’s fraggle video, Gobo makes a discovery!

Finally, here’s this week’s Scripture passage!

That wraps it up here! Nathan Parker signing off.

Hurricane Lee is shifting north. We’ll continue to monitor it and see if it’s going to impact the East Coast. Here’s the latest NHC Track on Hurricane Lee.