Atlanta Fun!

I had planned this weekend trip to Atlanta several months ago, because that's just me...a planner. Originally we were going to stay through today (Monday/Memorial Day), but the girls didn't want to miss school and Thomas is in the middle of interviewing candidates for a job opening.. I, on the other hand, could have stayed with no problem. Anyhoooooo, we took off Friday about lunch, anxious to see the sights of HOT-LANTA! After checking into our hotel in Alpharetta, the first thing on our agenda was to head to North Point Mall where the American Girl Boutique and Bistro awaited Brookie's arrival.

Brookie spent money here...which is highly unusual, because she usually squirrels it away and saves. She love American Girl, though. Below, lunch at the AG Bistro!

Next on our agenda was Coca Cola at Pemberton Place. Oh my gosh....what a sight. We had a great time here. There's a 4-D movie that goes along with the tour and taste testing. Speaking of tasting, we tasted Coke products from all continents. The pine-nut Coke product from Africa was pineapple-y and very sweet, but good. The Beverly product from Italy was disgusting. It tasted like that white antibiotic that the girls used to take. EEwww! The North American Coke products are still the best!

A model of the lovey kisses that plant kisses all over each coke that leaves the warehouse. You'd have to see the opening movie, but the jest is that each coke product is made with lots of love and sent your way hoping to bring lots of happiness.

Cammie and Brooke taste test.....the North American Coke products are still the very best!

Taste testing some more.

How many varieties of Diet Coke can I possibly drink?

On to CNN Headquarters. Very cool place, but the tour was a little long.

More shopping................

This is my number one shopper. She loves to shop and she racked up in Atlanta. These are only a few of the bags carried to the car on this trip!

Us being silly...which isn't hard.

Next stop, Georgia's aquarium. What an awesome sight......the best aquarium I've ever seen.

Beluga whales, one of our favorites (except that there were alot of favorites)!

Whale sharks.....I think this is Trixie.

Thomas and his babies at the aquarium.

We ate at two incredible restaurants....The Cheesecake Factory and Pappadeaux. We by-passed The Varsity on two occasions because the time just wasn't right and we were starving.

Of course, free dessert at this unforgettable eatery wasn't a bad ending, either!

Mother's Day!

Mother's Day in Marion was simply delightful. We had a fun-filled weekend and the weather was gorgeous. A few pictures that I wanted to use got deleted. Hopefully, that won't happen when I use my new camera the girls and Thomas got me for Mother's Day. Yay me!! Friday night was a little somber as we walked for a little while at the Relay for Life. My sweet Daddy's name on those luminaries is and forever will be hard to swallow.

Saturday, I went running in perfect morning coolness. Loved it. Got home and then took the kids to the Y to rock climb and to swim. I swam laps too, so I had a really good cardio day. It's a good thing, because we took Mom to a Japanese steakhouse in Asheville for dinner. I do not pare down on eating when we go there, so the double workout was justified!!

Me and Mom.......

Greg and Amy.....

Seth, Brooke, Brittany, Cammie, and Madi (Madi-Kat to us). The grandkids plus our extra. After eating, we headed back down the mountain and went to our favorite coffee house in Marion, The Crooked Door. We all love the drinks there. At any rate, it gave them enough energy to decorate a table for me and Mom, complete with flowers, stacked doughnuts on a cake stand (covered, of course), balloons, and homemade cards. It was such a sweet surprise for us when we woke up the next morning. Our babies are very thoughtful!! We had a great Mother's Day. Thanks, everybody! Love ya!

Sanibel Island

Christal and I just got back a few hours ago from a perfectly awesome "Girls' Trip" to Sanibel Island, Florida. For those of you who don't know where it is, it's on the Gulf.........wwwaaaaaayyy down south. We love this trip and tacked on an extra day this time. Folowing are some pictures, though they don't do justice to the beauty of the place. One picture I don't have is a Spa picture (for obvious reasons). Anyway, the Spa at Sanibel Harbor Resort and Spa is most......hhhmnmmmm.....delicious. There are some incredible hands at that place. The massages...........oh my goodness!

From our balcony.......

The sunsets on the Gulf Coast are a true sight to behold.

Waiting to try a new restaurant, The Mucky Duck. It was good, but not nearly as good as the sunset right outside.

Our first bike ride around the island....so much fun, except that Christal had to protect me from the alligators! I'm kind of a chicken riding through swampy, out-of-the-way places. EW!!

Friends!!

Sanibel is known for its seashells. This was taken just looking down while I was on a walk. I collected many.

AAhhhh....first time this year for my toes in the sand!

The Lighthouse at Sanibel Island. So beautiful.

This sweet dolphin was swimming in knee deep water near the lighthouse at dusk yesterday (Sat.) There were so many of them, we couldn't keep count. Such an awesome sight.