karaspeak

Apparently Mom and Dad didn't get enough of an Aiden fix over his birthday weekend, as they called us the week after and said they were ready for a weekend for him to come play again before they started back to school in August. So, needless to say, after a birthday weekend that WIPED US OUT, we were more than happy to oblige their request and soak up some much needed rest in advance of the coming school year. We were planning to spend the weekend at our house, but at the last minute decided to head down to Atlanta to hang out with some friends for some good old-fashioned F-U-N!

So, we dropped Aiden off Friday morning then completed the rest of our trek down to the ATL. We spent the afternoon in the Virginia Highlands at Rabun's new (but old) condo while Nate caught up on some work, then went down to Neighbor's for a quick snack before watching some Tour de France and getting ready for dinner. For dinner, we headed to Murphy's for some good wine and great food. We all got different plates so we could have a little of this and a little of that and enjoyed some great conversation. Walked back and crashed hard....it'd been a long day!

Saturday morning Nate and I got up early and went for a run around the area. It was fun, but cars in ATL do NOT like runners on their roads, so we were stuck on the terrible sidewalks meandering around various types (and smells) of people. Interesting, but hey, we did it. We picked up Rabun and headed to Belly for morning coffee and chat. Good place. A type of General Store if you will. Lots of candy. Fun and laid back environment. Wanted to bury my hands in the apothecary jars full of candy. After getting cleaned up, we were off to brunch at Rosebud, which was amazing. Incredible food and nice, urban feel.

Time for girl things. Drove up to Perimeter Mall for some time with Meghan that afternoon while the boys did their thing. After getting Meghan some much needed gas at Costco (she as litterally an E when she picked me up), we hopped in for a quick Trader Joe's TWO BUCK CHUCK stop, then were off to get pedicures. The BEST pedicure I have had. Ever. Really. And it was also the cheapest. I couldn't believe how much detail and time they took and was pleasantly surprised at the entire experience. Awesome. Wish it was around my corner, too.

It was off to dinner, the dinner I'd been looking forward to since Thursday. PURE! All I can say about this place is WOW. I certainly wish they had one in my neck of the woods. I think Westhaven needs one for sure. This hot spot had a 2 hour wait at 7 pm. Yes, two hours at 7:00! While we debated leaving, one sip of these phenomenal margaritas changed all of our minds in an instant. We were seated in less than an hour, but only after being treated to people watching worth paying for. This dinner spot is like watching a real like episode (or two) of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, only they're all white. It was so funny to take in the people-watching affair and enjoy the environment followed by the great food. One night to remember, for sure!

Off to bed for an early trek home in the morning. We were on the road by 6:30 am (Central time) and when we got in stopped for a great Sunday Brunch at Puckett's...one I will be sure to revisit very soon. Excellent food as usual at this local joint. After being fully satisfied by a fun weekend and great food, we decided we deserved a nap, so we took the first nap (together) that we've probably taken since Aiden was born. And it was THREE HOURS LONG. Yes, three glorious hours of nap time. A-mazing. I won't soon forget that time. Dinner plans with Jamie and Kevin got us out of bed in time to get ready, then we enjoyed more great food and a nice challenging game of Uno where the women dominated. This scenario is typical, so don't get too excited. We just generally rock.

So, there it is, a nice couple's weekend away. Though we were desperate to see our boy the next day! Monday couldn't have come soon enough, but come it did...and there he was. We both swear he had grown since leaving him on Friday, but maybe we just missed him so much we dreamed it up. Love this little dude and enjoy him so much after a weekend refresher. I'm sure he had a blast with Mimi and PopPop. Oh, I wish he could tell me his stories, too! :) One day. Not too far off I imagine and that will be all too much a reality. The family is intact once more and here we go to finish out July. More than halfway done with 2009. What will the rest have in store for us? Who knows. But what I do know is that fun is not far from any of it.


My man and me at Pure.

Nate and Parker, and their matching JL belts. How cute!

My Megs and me on the porch at Pure. And her with Rabun and Park.

These two might be long lost brothers. Two crazy peas in a pod.

Posing at REI. Random, but true.

Happy times with the hubs. And Rabun giving us his meanest thumbs up.