Thursday, May 28, 2015

MDW in the ATL

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!  I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend.  I had a great time down in Atlanta, and I'm happy to report the integrity of the surprise was preserved!  My sister had no idea I was in town until she opened her garage door and there I stood :)

I usually make time to visit my sister and her family a few times a year, but somehow I had not been down there since her third child was born last September.  Needless to say, there was much catching up to be done.

I didn't take a ton of photos or spend much time on social media while I was down there and that suited me just fine.  I enjoy the chance to unplug a bit when I'm away and love being able to spend QT with my nieces, nephew, sister and brother-in-law whom I don't get to see nearly enough.

Here are a few highlights from the trip with a few pics I did manage to snap.  Enjoy!

Visited Zoo Atlanta:






 
 
Spent an evening out (sans kids) in Buckhead where we ate at Seasons 52 and listened to some live music at Park Bench:
 

Branzino (fish) flown in straight from Greece! 

 
Twinning!

 
 
Hung out with the cutest kids south of the Mason Dixon:
 

 
No bias.  They are just legitimately adorable :)
 
 
And spent some time at the pool:
 

 
 
In between hanging out with the kiddos, I did manage to fit in some workouts.  My sister (who looks INCREDIBLE btw!) is also very active so we spent a lot of time working out together.  She goes on long walks every evening (which I joined her on) and has started adding some running into the mix as well!  She also lives very close to the Silver Comet Trail so we went biking there twice while I was visiting.  The trail is a great free, well maintained paved path that's 60+ miles long in North Atlanta.  We were out amongst many other bikers, runners, walkers and families and it was great to catch up, chat and enjoy the scenery on our bikes.
 
And in a surprising turn of events, she invited me to participate in her Friday morning yoga class which I actually enjoyed?!  If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know I've tried yoga a handful of times and can just never get into it.  However, my sister takes a class which is taught by a mom privately in her home studio.  On Friday morning, the two of us were the only students in class so we got lots of personal attention.  The instructor told us she combines yoga/Pilates into her practice and I really enjoyed the flow of moves.  I'd love to find someone similar in Baltimore who offers small sessions like this because I feel like I'd learn much better than when I'm in large classes at the gym (and have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing).  It was also much more peaceful being the only ones in class. 
 
It is always wonderful to reconnect with my sister and her family.  I don't get to see them nearly as often as I'd like, so every trip becomes a treasured memory for me.
 
This was my first vacation all year and getting back to the real world Tuesday morning was rough!  Hope you all had a better time of it than I did.  And now it's nearly June?!  I dk what is even happening to 2015.
 
Have a great day!
 
 
How did you spend the holiday weekend?
 
Do you have family that lives far away?  How often do you get to visit?
 
On a scale of 1 to 10, how big does my hair look in that restaurant pic?!  Ha




11 comments:

  1. Sounds like a lot of fun, I love hanging out with my sister when I get the chance, too! The zoo looks nice, I haven't been to that one even though I lived in Atlanta for a year after college! And your hair looks great!!!

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    1. Yes I miss my sister! She lives so far away so I am always so happy when either of us makes the trip to visit each other. I didn't know you lived in ATL for a year. It's a great city! Aww, thanks for the hair compliment :)

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  2. This looks like a great trip. I have only visited Atlanta once. I live at the Jersey shore so this is where everyone comes in the summer and I love it!

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    1. Oh Marci, lucky you! I LOVE the Jersey shore! I bet you are the favorite in your family. Have a great summer at the beach!

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  3. Zoo Atlanta + Seasons 52 = already winning. Adding in the family and the nieces and great weather and fun.... WINNING WINNING

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    1. That was my first time to Seasons 52 and it did not disappoint. Now I need to see if there is one near me in MD. Oh and find a date to take me there. HAHAH

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  4. Welcome back!! :D :D! That must have been such an awesome surprise, for your sister! :D (+ sometimes, it's awesome to just unplug from social media for a bit!)

    My family's all back in California, so I don't get to see them all that often anymore, since my "vacations" in medical school are generally used to study for my licensing exams (sigh).

    I'm gonna give you a 9 on the big-hair look! ;P My hair never has any volume!

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    1. Aww Farrah. You must miss your family and I'm sure they miss you too. I hope you get to see them at least once a year or around the holidays.
      I miss my sister so much. I wish she lived closer.
      Haha Thanks for the hair rating!

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  5. I'm so glad you had a great trip! I wish my sister lived closer too. She lived in Knoxville all through her college years and a few years after, so that was about 5 hours away. She's closer now at about an hour and a half away, which isn't too bad, but it's just far enough to be inconvenient!

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    1. Yeah I totally wish my sister lived closer. The flight between Bmore and ATL is short, but it's still a production to get there. I drove there once with my Dad and it took us over 12 hours. AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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