Life Lately: the Atlanta edition in 5 quick takes

~1~ The kindness of friends: Two days prior to our Atlanta getaway last weekend, a friend offered us the use of their downtown loft apartment. Their generosity and kindness of not only giving us the keys to their place, but of also stocking the fridge with drinks and snacks made a weekend in Atlanta all the more special. They will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

A family weekend in Atlanta

~2~ The Atlanta History Center: Most boring name ever and, truthfully, if the admission ticket hadn't been part of the High Museum reciprocal program we probably wouldn't have gone. But I'm so glad we did. The 33-acre experience features award-winning exhibitions, enchanting gardens, and historic houses. While we breezed through the exhibits, we loitered on the grounds. I will definitely go back.

The Swan House at the Atlanta History Center

The Smith Family Farm at the Atlanta History Center

~3~ The High Museum: Okay, let me be honest. This was probably not the high point of the weekend for my guys, but it was for me. There is something about meandering through a museum and stopping in front of Autumn on the Seine by Claude Monet and thinking, "Oh my gosh! I'm standing in front of a Monet!" And I love it all -- European, American, modern & contemporary, and folk art. Now that I have a year membership I have a few more day trips planned (next time, though, I'll leave the guys behind and take some girlfriends). Anyone want to go with me?

The High Museum of Art

~4~ Stone Mountain: While this wasn't originally on our itinerary, we decided to at least enter the park and let Timothy see the world's largest piece of exposed granite. Of course, once we were there we just had to take the Summit Skyride to the top, an adventure which had us immediately texting photos to the older boys. Why? Well, to understand you need to know this weird fact about my family: for whatever reason, we love the 1968 movie Where Eagles Dare starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. (We watch it at least once every winter.) The movie contains an iconic scene of a Nazi and a British soldier fighting on TOP of a cable car as it ascends to Schloss Adler, a mountaintop fortress in the Alps of southern Bavaria. It's an intense scene, and so while we were riding the Summit Skyride up Stone Mountain that's what we talked about.

On the Summit Skyride at Stone Mountain ...

pretending to be Where Eagles Dare

~5~ In Timothy's words (and he thinks with his stomach): "My favorite thing about Atlanta was eating pizza at Your Pie, having a grilled cheese sandwich and minestrone at Twelve Eighty at the High Museum, and snacking on Sour Patch gummies."


(The gummies were compliments of my friend who left a HUGE box of the treats).


"I also liked exploring Stone Mountain, staying up late with you guys to watch the movie Captain Phillips, and sleeping in a Murphy bed."

"And if I had to pick what art collection I liked best
at the High Museum ...
I would have to say the European Art."