My birthday weekend was a heck of a weekend and boy, did I need it! After a long week, and I mean a LONG WEEK of work, I flew down to GA to spend my birthday weekend with Dawn. This was a bit of a different weekend as we had no plans to do any housework, just to relax and do a bit of wedding planning.
Friday afternoon, I arrived in the ATL and met Dawn at the MARTA stop
After Dawn got off work we headed up to Stone Mountain Park for the laser show there. We stopped by Subway for some dinner to pack with us for the show. We also took some crackers and hummus and some, uh, beverages.... ;) The laser show was quite cool. They have lasers displayed on the face of the mountain synced up with music and fireworks/pyrotechnics. They began with salutes to the local sports teams and colleges. I at least got to laugh at all of the Thrashies and Falcons fans there and curse the Georgia Bulldog fans in attendance (for UGa eliminating State in the College Baseball playoffs). Then they went for the Southern Pride angle with some Skynyrd and some good ol' CDB. At that point, things went a bit more sentimental with Elvis' American Trilogy set to Civil War scenes and patriotic with the Star Spangled Banner. There was a long Chick-Fil-A commercial as well as they were the main sponsor of the show. The weather cooled off enough to where the evening was near perfect. We were able to relax and kick our shoes off and enjoy the show. We had a spot that was almost dead center, so there were no issues with viewing angles. All in all, an excellent evening! To top it off, Dawn baked some brownies with a special additive.... Andes mints! Simply awesome!!!! She also gave me some awesome birthday presents including a neat book and a Hawaiian shirt. As usual, she picked the perfect gifts!
Saturday was a nice, relaxing day. We slept in a little bit before going out to run our errands. We began by taking a drive to the, gulp, jewelry store. No, I did not go to Jared! It was time for the 6-month cleaning for Dawn's engagement ring. Seriously, time flies. We got to the store and got her ring cleaned and had the diamond tightened up. Then it was time for the test drive of the wedding bands. Keep in mind, I've hardly ever worn a ring (or any sort of jewelry). We looked at a few and I figured out what I like as far as feel and comfort go. Then we looked at one for Dawn. I think she has an idea what she wants now as well. All in all, it was a productive trip.
That night, we went bowling with Dawn's family. We all met at the bowling alley and, once a lane was ready, began to bowl. We all had a lot of fun, especially watching Evan and Haley bowl with the bumpers. For the record, I did NOT use bumpers! I actually topped 100 both games and didn't finish last! We just had a blast and Dawn's family surprised me with some birthday cookie and some presents. It was really, really nice of them.
Sunday was fairly low key. We went to church and then to celebrate Father's Day with Dawn's family. I had so much fun playing with the kids. After that, we went back home and just relaxed. We flipped back and forth between the Braves game and a neat Discovery Channel special on the Apollo moon landings. All in all, just a great weekend.
Let me tell you, I'm supremely lucky. I've got a wonderful fiance, a great family, great friends, and a good, steady, if very demanding job. I certainly do realize how lucky I am....
Believe It!
