Sisters Weekend in Atlanta… a little work mixed in with a lot of laughs and play

October 8^th through the 12^th was a fun-filled weekend in Atlanta. Jessica, Jackson, and I flew to Atlanta to visit Jenny and her cute family. It was great! We got in on Friday afternoon- let the fun begin!

Morning Cartoons

Jen and Steve are renting a house so they are in the process of moving. I know they are so going to miss their crazy upstairs neighbors who seem to wake up around 11pm and finally call it quits around 3am! Nothing more soothing and relaxing then a little Rock Band when you’re trying to get to sleep! Anyway, I’m excited for them to get into a house. Saturday morning Jess and I ran over to the house... Go us! We were able to help out a bit while we were there, so that was nice.

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Saturday afternoon we did get to do the touristy thing and go to Stone Mountain. The last time I was in Georgia the ropes course was closed, so I got to do that this time. Also, last time the laser show was cancelled, so I was able to see it this time. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather…. It was perfect! Here are some pictures from our adventures at Stone Mountain:

I did the ropes course with Emmy and Meggy. They both did great! It was fun and completely safe which made it not so scary!

Waiting in line for the ropes course- the 90 min wait was worth it!

We found a great place to park which even had a little picnic area. It was so great in fact that the hornets wanted to join us as well! After dinner we played a little catch before heading to the grassy area for the laser show.

Before the laser show they have music going so everyone got their dance on. Everyone is doing the chicken dance! It was a fun environment... it actually felt like it should have been the Fourth of July.

We got to enjoy Steve’s Sunday School lesson and the Primary program practice while we were there on Sunday. I guess we picked a good week to be there! That evening we made the most divine cupcakes… coconut pecan deliciousness! One of Jenny’s friends just made up this recipe and they really are soooo good! Needless to say that torpedoed my no sugar diet (which I am proud to say I did from September 8th – October 7th), but no worries, I'm back to being good.

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So, what do you do with Sisters on a Sunday afternoon while making cupcakes? We just laughed, and I'm pretty sure you can see why...

Yes, Jenny is wearing the actual gloves she wore to her prom!

Monday was a day just hanging with my sisters (and little Jackson). We went shopping of course! We also had lunch at Chick-Fil-A which is definitely a family favorite. Yes, we all got a chicken nuggets kid meal… I love my sisters!

Monday evening I got to go to Alyssa's tennis practice. Those kids were way cute and fun to watch. Starting that young Alyssa may even have a chance to give her Dad a run for his money!

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After FHE and a quick card game of golf, Jess and I got to help out at the house. I'm glad we got to help take loads of stuff over, clean, and even help paint while we were there.

Eli even got in on the action- such a big helper!

Not sure Jenny knew what she was getting into when she asked us to help- amateurs! We had paint on our feet, arms, clothes… okay, at least I did!

The nice thing is that we are such good friends that we can have a good time no matter what we are doing. It was fun just to be together.

Tuesday was time to say good-bye. Time always seems to go by so fast. It was great to be with my sisters and the Moore family. Such cute nieces and nephews I have… I wish I could spend more time with them.

We ended our trip with a nice lunch at Panera Bread (thanks to a gift card I was given) and then it was off to the airport. Sad to say goodbye to Jenny, but nice that I didn’t have to say goodbye to Jess and Jackson yet since we were on the same flight.

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So, I’m not a big fan of the Atlanta Airport… I find that it is not the most user friendly airport and I’ve been to several! Since Jackson was with us Jess had her stroller (it was missing front right wheel… we felt like total white trash). So, we were walking together heading to the security check point and an airport worker told Jess to go to the special stroller line.. well, come to find out the stroller line lead to the same exact place just a completely longer and more round about way. It was pretty pointless to make her go that way when she could have stayed with me the entire way and still had the guard look over the stroller if that is what they were concerned about. Here is a picture… isn’t my artwork amazing?

We had a good laugh over that! So, Atlanta is a nice area. It is very green and beautiful, though they don’t have real grass which I find odd. The air there is great which makes it way easier to run. There are a lot of cockroaches, Jackson tried to play with one… nasty! The freeways and traffic there are crazy- I don’t think it is ever not rush hour! So, my point is I don’t think I’m moving to Atlanta any time soon, so Moore family, you’ve got to make it back out West so we can visit more often!

Things I learned this trip:

• Jessica has a knack for Sudoku (the best pastime when on a long flight)
• Jenny has mad skills and killed the “short bus” hornet on the rim of a soda can
• Meggy has a fabulous singing voice and has a part in an upcoming musical
• Alyssa now knows how to throw and catch- pretty exciting!
• Eli is a cutie who really does not eat anything, but he drinks a lot of juice!
• Emmy is very creative and great at making handouts and posters
• Steve is talented at finding the best pictures to set as the computer’s wallpaper
• Jackson does not enjoy traveling, but we sure love having him come along!

Mostly though I learned that I have been blessed with a wonderful family and love every chance I get to spend time with such awesome, talented, amazing people! Thanks Jen for letting us come hang with you in Atlanta! It was a fun trip and hope it is not too long before I get to see you all again!