Morning everyone! We had reported this story a few weeks back, but since the main star of it wrote us directly with all the details, we wanted to share it with the rest of you all (with his permission of course) !

Enjoy!

A 4th of July to Remember
9:00am- 2.5 weeks before our baby’s due date, my wife Erin and I went to Marietta, GA to see the 4th of July parade .
12:00pm – After watching floats and marching bands, we drove up to Lake Allatoona to enjoy picnicking and swimming. At the Lake, she told me that she had very small contractions but that there was no pain.
3:05pm – We arrived at the ESPN Zone in Buckhead to watch the world cup semifinal between Germany and Italy. Many of our friends were there to join us. At the Bar, she had more contractions; I even timed them. They were a little stronger but still did not hurt.
5:15pm – We went home and Erin rested for about an hour. At this time, her contractions were inconsistent in frequency and duration.
7:30 pm - Deciding to go to Marietta Square, we listened to “Little Big Town” (one of Erin’s Favorite bands) which played prior to the fire works.
The story really begins here:
Towards the end of the concert, Erin’s contractions were yet a little stronger, but it was still 2.5 weeks early so we did not worry too much. As the fireworks were nearing completion, Erin and I headed out to get a jump start home when she met one of the singers. I took a picture of them. As she told me she was now experiencing a little pain, we quickly walked to our car. By the time we reached our car, all the other 10,000 people reached their cars too, and there it was: THE WORLDS WORST TRAFFIC JAM AND LEVAN’S WORST NIGHTMARE COME TRUE. (And for nine months, I had been planning for 285 traffic. HAHA!) We sat in out car in the parking lot for 30 minutes and moved at the most a few yards. Erin’s pain increased; she began to cry. My panic increased also. I finally maneuvered the car out of the parking lot but traffic was worse on the little street (we were about 30-35 minutes from Northside). I jumped out of the car and asked other drivers to let me through because we were having a baby. This effort took us no more than 100 feet. Panic took a hold of me; I was sweating like a big dog in the humid weather. I called 911, and they said it would be very hard to find me in such bad traffic. I called back 5 minutes later, turned my flashers on, jumped out of the car, and ran like a crazy man looking for a cop. I finally found a cop; he came to the car and called some paramedics and the ambulance. Erin was sitting down. I thought she for sure was going to have our kid there. Finally, the ambulance made it through the traffic. They loaded Erin onto a stretcher and into the vehicle. I quickly backed the car up over the sidewalk to the parking lot, grabbed the camera (I am a smart man even though I was in panic), and sat in the passenger seat of the ambulance. In 25-30 minutes we arrived at Northside (11:15pm). Erin was already 7 cm dilated (craziness). In a short 30 minutes, she was fully dilated. And in 1 hour after being at the hospital, baby DANTE KAKHADZE was born. No epidural, no drugs, but O’boy was she in PAIN. (Note to future Dads in the labor room: don’t talk and do what she asks you to doJ). The whole experience was amazing; DANTE came out very healthy 16 minutes after midnight (so his birthday is July 5th) 7 lbs. 9 oz and 20.5 in. It was a blessing that labor in the hospital only took 1 hour, but I probably lost 2 years of my life before we got there thinking that I would have to deliver the baby in the car.
So nightmares can come true; however, we had many blessing that day: we had a full day of fun, Erin saw her favorite band, and Italy beat Germany and advanced to the world cup finals. Labor only took 1 hour and much more.
Lesson learned: if (when) we have a second child, you can find us camping out in the hospital parking lot for the last 4 weeks of pregnancy.J
Advice to fellow Atlantans: Never underestimate the traffic in our city, and when planning to reach your destination in a hurry, expect the unexpected, which, quite predictably, happens very often in Atlanta.
-Levan

In a recent article in the AJC, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is brought into the spotlight. Here are some exerpts from the article:

For years, cross country teams across metro Atlanta have had free run of the popular trails at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. There, runners could get in their miles in sylvan surroundings.

But the days of unrestricted access for high school and college athletes may be coming to an end. Too many running teams, and the vehicles that bring them to Kennesaw, have strained the capacity of trails and parking lots, a top official said. The crush is particularly bad after work on weekdays and on weekends.

“We are simply at a point where the volume of usage at the park with organized athletic groups is in conflict with other park users,” said park superintendent Dan Brown. “I have gotten complaints from park visitors.”

They have complained, he said, that the teams essentially use what is a memorial site as a staging area to take off sweats, warm up and discard water bottles.

Large running squads can cause some individual visitors to “feel forced off the trail,” he said, as they sweep by in fast-moving packs.

Park officials plan to meet with area coaches today in an effort to find a solution. One prospect, Brown said, is to schedule days and times when each team is permitted to run. Some time blocks would be prohibited.

“We’re certainly going to ask for their input,” Brown said, “but there are some things we’ll definitely have to take a position on.”

What is your opinion about the situation? Have you found the athletic teams to be a problem or do you think they have every right to continue using the area for practices? SHARE YOUR OPINION!

WOW. What a story. I totally agree with him. Traffic after the concert on the Square on the 4th of July was NUTS. I haven’t EVER seen it as bad as it was that night. Pure chaos. Read this story….

Thanks to the AJC!

By LEVAN KAKHADZE
Published on: 07/19/06

Two and a half weeks before our baby’s due date, my wife, Erin, and I went to Marietta to see the Fourth of July parade.

After watching floats and marching bands, we drove to Lake Allatoona to enjoy picnicking and swimming. At the lake, she told me that she had very small contractions but that there was no pain.

Levan Kakhadze lives in Smyrna.

That night, we decided to go to Marietta Square, to hear “Little Big Town” (one of Erin’s Favorite bands), which played before the fireworks.

Toward the end of the concert, Erin’s contractions were yet a little stronger, but it was still two and a half weeks early, so we did not worry too much. As the fireworks were nearing completion, Erin and I headed out to get a jump start home. By the time we reached our car, all the other 10,000 people reached their cars, too, and there it was: the world’s worst traffic jam and my worst nightmare.

We sat in out car in the parking lot for 30 minutes and moved at the most a few yards. Erin’s pain increased; she began to cry. My panic increased also.

I finally maneuvered the car out of the parking lot, but traffic was worse on the little street on the square. (We were about 30-35 minutes from Northside Hospital). I jumped out of the car and asked other drivers to let me through because we were having a baby. This effort took us no more than 100 feet. Panic took a hold of me; I was sweating like a big dog in the humid weather.

I called 911, and the dispatcher said it would be very hard to find me in such bad traffic. I called back five minutes later, turned my flashers on, jumped out of the car, and ran like a crazy man looking for a cop. I finally found a cop. He came to the car and called some paramedics and the ambulance. I thought for sure Erin was going to have our kid there.

Finally, the ambulance made it through the traffic. An hour after being at the hospital, baby Dante Kakhadze was born.

Advice to fellow Atlantans: Never underestimate the traffic in our city, and when planning to reach your destination in a hurry, expect the unexpected, which, quite predictably, happens very often in Atlanta.

Level 1 Restrictions ban outdoor water use from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. No outdoor water use is permitted on Fridays. Outdoor water use is allowed during non-banned hours on scheduled days as follows:

Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday - Even numbered or unnumbered addresses may water.

Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday - Odd numbered addresses may water.

For example, an even-numbered address may water only on a scheduled day from 12:01 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and may water again from 4:01 p.m. until midnight. The same schedule applies for odd-numbered addresses.

The Cobb County Water System will strictly enforce these restrictions. Warnings are issued for a first offense. Second, and each subsequent time results in escalating fines for each offense up to $500, water service disconnection, as well as prosecution.

For more information, call (770) 423-1000 or visit the Cobb County Water System web site at www.cobbwater.org.

Not that this is the first time we’ve encountered such rules, but what are your thoughts on these restrictions, citizens of Marietta? Are they workable for you or are they difficult to manage? Do you think they do a good enough job of conserving water for the city?

From the looks on the sign, which already announces the new business’ name, Sam & Dave’s BBQ2 will be arriving on the scene shortly. Located in the shopping center which houses Xpress Fitness 24/7 and the now-defunct Metro Market, the new Sam & Dave’s BBQ is not yet open. We have no details as to when the first day open will be, but if you’d like to check out Sam & Dave’s before they arrive on our side of town, you can check out this review from the AJC. Or you can visit their first location on Lower Roswell Road yourself for a personal preview. Keep your eyes open for further developments…..

City Council has been debating the construction of a connector that would link Powder Springs Street with South Cobb Drive. According to the Marietta Daily Journal, “the project aims to give motorists a more direct route to Interstate 75 by connecting the two roads so drivers won’t have to travel north to the South Marietta loop where traffic often is congested.”

On Monday, the Council looked into two proposed routes in trying to find a solution. The first one has Powder Springs Street connected to South Cobb Drive by way of Sandtown Road. However, one major problem with this is that a shopping center would have to be destroyed in order for the road to be completed.

The other idea has South Cobb Drive and Powder Springs Street joined by Chestnut Hill Road. This is a major entrance into the Whitlock Heights neighborhood. Two Council members live in this neighborhood: Grif Chalfant and Holly Walquist. Once again, Whitlock Heights is under pressure to sacrifice its historically subdued and family-oriented atmosphere in order to relieve traffic tensions.

Ms. Walquist commented that “connecting Chestnut Hill to Sandtown is just what the neighborhood did not want to do,” while Mr. Chalfant said he is “opposed to the Chestnut Hill solution. It’s a neighborhood breaker.”

The Chestnut Hill proposal is a “straighter shot” than the Sandtown Road plan, according to the submitted designs. Bill Dunaway, the Mayor, said he would support the Chestnut Hill plan only if Georgia DOT guarantees that the area is safeguarded from traffic.

Thanks to Michael French and the MDJ for content of this article.

Get ready - Art in the Park is less than 2 months away!

Whether you are an artist or an art lover, Art in the Park in Marietta, Georgia is the place to be on Labor Day Weekend. This juried art show has become one of the largest in the Southeast United States thanks to the quality of artists who enter the competition.

Marietta has maintained a cultural tradition that exceeds a city of our size, and this festival has contributed to this legacy. The juried art show spotlights original works of fine art and crafts including paintings, photography, pottery, graphics, sculptures, jewelry and much more. It offers a chance to not only view some of the finest work of contemporary artists, but also meet them and discuss their work. Many art lovers make this a “must attend” event for that very reason

In addition to the fine art and crafts that encircle Glover Park, there are antiques shops and galleries that shoppers can browse. Food is served by many fine restaurants and vendors on the square, and just a short distance from the festival is the Marietta/Cobb County Museum of Art, which makes Art in the Park an event to remember!

Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry will bring a dash of glamour to a serious topic, “Building Intolerance to Drunk Driving and Underage Drinking,” Thursday at 11 a.m. in a talk in the seminar room of Marietta High School, 1171 Whitlock Ave.

The event is free and open to the public. Parents with teenagers and young drivers are encouraged to come. Home to the largest driver education program in Georgia, Marietta High is Berry’s first stop in the Atlanta metro area as part of her 20,000 mile a month, yearlong tour to raise awarnesses of the dangers of drinking and driving.

The Marietta/Cobb Drivers Education is a joint program of the Marietta City and Cobb County school systems. More than 2,600 teens each year go through the driver’s education program that has been recognized by the Georgia Department of Driving as a model for programs across the state.

In a recent article about Atlanta city wide wi-fi access, the AJC mentioned a proposed plan for Atlanta could cover up to 132 sq miles of the metro area to provide wi-fi services to the greater Atlanta area. The Marietta Square recently was blessed with wi-fi access - is anyone using it? What are your stories about the recent ‘improvement’ to the Square? Personally, I use T-mobile’s data plan for my wireless access using GPRS - it’s works pretty good from most anywhere, even from the runway at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, where I have on occasion posted to WhitlockAvenue.com via my pocket PC phone.

What are your thoughts and stories on wi-fi in Marietta, on the Square, and in Atlanta?

Read more on the AJC >>

The Cobb County annual surplus auction will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 8 at Jim R. Miller Park. Preview days will be Friday, July 7 from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. and Saturday, July 8 from 8-9 a.m. Items to be sold include automobiles, vans, trucks, heavy equipment and office furniture. Payment will be accepted in the form of cash, cashiers checks and personal or company checks made out to Wayne Evans Auction Company Inc. and must be accompanied by a current bank letter of guarantee. For more information call (770) 528-8425.