Hotlanta!

This weekend I took a spontaneous, planned trip.  OK, I know that might sound contradictory but the trip was planned for a couple of weekends from now but with shifting schedules the trip had to happen this weekend.  So on Friday night I said...mommy's going on a trip tomorrow!  Short notice for the boys but it  was maybe even better that way.  As far as the home front, everything went great while I was gone for 36+/- hours.  It was so sweet to come home to Conner last night saying "I missed you so much, more than anything, ever, I love you" over and over.  Wow!  Here's some pics that daddy sent of the boys being sweet while I was gone.

OK, the trip itself was in celebration of my dear friend Angela's #? birthday :-)  It was also really just a time for us to be gone overnight without the wee ones and to get a decent night's sleep (mainly for her since her wee one is still a baby) and to enjoy some good food, shopping and down time.

There were some elements of the trip that maybe showed our age and responsibilities (like having to stop shopping to pump milk and icing my bum knee in between excursions).  Otherwise it was totally freeing and nice just to go and plan what we were going to do on the way down.  I'm a major planner and usually have an itinerary in place anytime I travel but at the least I have a room booked but the late planning didn't allow for that.  I was too tired Friday night to even look on the internet so thankfully my macbook and Sprint mobile broadband card proved useful for something other than working while driving.  The drive went super fast with us talking the whole way and looking up hotels, spa treatments and shopping.  Really - what did we ever do before all this mobile technology?  And in case I didn't want to use the computer, I had my iphone and GPS and sometimes we had all three going at the same time (sad to say, I know).

Angela got to reflect about the last time she was in Atlanta she could barely afford to eat and stay in a hotel.  What a difference a few years make?  I'll let her expand on that in her blog is she chooses.  But really, time does change things and I in particular don't feel so guilty about going shopping or spending money on a spa treatment like I did when I was younger.  I guess it helps when you can afford it a little easier but you also have to give yourself permission to just enjoy it even when you can afford it.

Back to the trip, we enjoyed a nice stay at a boutique hotel - The Ellis thanks to a great deal on Orbitz.com.  This hotel is certified green which also meant that they had a great restaurant with fresh, organic, locally grown food.  Yummy!  We ending up eating dinner and breakfast there since it was so good (and convenient).  We took a trip (well actually) three trips to H&M at Atlantic Station.  Ladies, if you've never been to H&M then you must go when you're in the area.  I've been to their store in San Francisco and Las Vegas but this was Angela's first foray to H&M.  She's now an addict avid shopper of H&M.  I believe I heard the phrase "these jeans rock" once or twice :-)

We also had some great spa time at the Marriott - Marquis Atlanta.  I literally gave my therapist a hug at the end of my session and told her if I lived in Atlanta I'd want her to live with me too.  She actually specializes in sports medicine and trigger therapy which was just what I needed with my knee/leg problems.  It feels much better today and I hope that it has me on the way to recovery without a doctor's visit.

The funniest part of the trip was probably on the way back when Angela was traveling 80-90 mph to get home vs. the 70-80 mph on the way to Atlanta.  The night away was great but mommy was ready to get home to her baby and I was too (although preferably between 70-80 mph :-)