Atlanta Georgia

 On our way to Atlanta it rained so hard that the conditions were hazardous!  It was crazy, but thankfully it didn't last too long, and eventually we could see out the front window again.  The photos just don't do it justice, it was a serious rain storm!

My camera kept focusing on the raindrop covered windshield... oh well. :)  Atlanta looked like a beautiful city, so I'll share these anyways.  I like downtowns and this was probably just a tiny glimpse of what Atlanta's actual downtown looks like.

 We tried to visit the Lenox Square Mall, but what we didn't know was that it was the fanciest mall around complete with valet parking, miles of eager holiday shoppers trying to find parking spots and.... a police tower?  Never seen one of those before at a shopping mall!  We didn't find a parking spot, so we went elsewhere.

We ended up going to Waffle House for dinner and it was really yummy.  I had my first taste of grits and loved them.  According to one local, Waffle House is an example of what they call a "greasy spoon" but I can't wait to go back for another egg and bacon grits bowl. :)

Yum!

Our hotel room wasn't fancy, but it was a suite.  When you have little ones, the best hotel tip I can pass on is to always choose a hotel with "suites" in its name.  That way you can have a door between you and the kids!  Our hotel also had free breakfast and that makes such a nice difference in the simplicity of your morning.

Lord's Day morning we had time to spare before meeting started, so we drove around the area a bit and I fell in love with all the cute brick homes.  Most of the homes we saw were brick and they have so much character.

After meeting, we experienced some Southern hospitality, as Uncle Al and Aunt Kathy opened up their daughter's home for us.  Yes, you read correctly!  Uncle Al and Aunt Kathy live 45 minutes in the opposite direction from our condo (which is a 5 or 6 hour drive from the Atlanta meeting room), and they assured us this was a completely normal practice for them. Their daughter was away from the house, but said to come on over and to help ourselves.  We accepted their hospitality, and we all made ourselves right at home there, raiding the fridge for sandwich fixings to go along with the salads Aunt Kathy had picked up at a local health food store.  It was a lovely time!

Aunt Kathy's other daughter came for lunch as well, and she snapped this photo for us.

The weather on the drive home was completely opposite of our rainy drive the day before and the sunset was beautiful.