Our Vacay!

We got back from our vacation late Saturday night and as much as there was a little added stress from getting home and having to catch up on everything, I think we finally felt rested. I don't think either of us have felt that way for a long time.

We flew into Atlanta and it was so great to finally be reunited with Bekah! Once we got settled in their cute apartment, we went out to a great restaurant bordering a huge park that has a great skyline view of the city...

Bekah and I have always been able to pick up right where we left off, no matter how long it's been since we've talked. I love it. I guess that's what happens when you've gone to pre-school through college together. :)

The main reason we went to Atlanta was so I could take Bekah and Matt's engagement pictures. We did that the next day and it was a great way to hang out and see Atlanta -- stay tuned for their AWESOME photos, coming soon! Or check out the "Sneak Peek" album on the Flat 4 Photography Facebook fan page for a preview. :)

One of the main highlights of the Atlanta trip was eating at Mary Mac's Tea Room, a famous restaurant in Atlanta known for their traditional southern cooking! If you have a minute, you've got to check out their menu... dirty good!

Just to give you an idea, my meal consisted of the best fried chicken I've ever had, whipped potatoes, macaroni & cheese, and a roll that I might trade one of our dogs for. Yummmmmmmm!!!!

On our last day in Atlanta, we went downtown and decided on a whim to ride the 80-story glass elevator to the top of the Westin to overlook the whole city. Bekah is not a huge fan of heights (okay, she HATES them!), but we all made it and it was a beautiful view. Atlanta is huge and really spread out!

It was definitely hard to say goodbye to Bekah and Matt (and their two cats, Ralph and Hank), but they are moving to Seattle soon and we are excited for them to be much closer! They were such great hosts while we were there -- thanks guys!

We flew into South Padre Island (the second leg of our trip) on Sunday night. One of Jordan's co-workers graciously let us stay in her condo for free while we were there! It was a block from the beach and gave us a great "home base," allowing us to cook some meals and just have a great place to hang out.

We didn't waste much time... day one we were out to the beach!

It was usually between 78-85 degrees most days we were there, which felt so amazing! It's hurricane season down there right now, and although we didn't experience any hurricanes or much rain, it was pretty windy most of the time. A positive side to it being hurricane season was that we pretty much had the whole island to ourselves! :)

The first day was really hard for me to wind down and just relax... I know it sounds crazy but I was having some serious anxiety at first with not having anything specific to do! Weird, I know. After the second day, I was finally able to let go and just RELAX and enjoy doing nothing, which is exactly what we needed.

A few highlights from our week in South Padre Island include:

- a lot of long walks on the beach

- sleeping in every morning and even taking some naps during the day!

- opting out of deep sea fishing (mostly because of the crazy wind) and deciding to use that money toward 90-minute massages instead :)

- being able to make our own breakfasts and lunches -- banana and Nutella pancakes and BLT with avacados for lunch... Yummmmmy!

- reading in the sun/laying in the sun/the sun in general :)

- eating at some fabulous restaurants, one of which we saw dolphins in the ocean from our table!

- enjoying many amazing sunsets

All in all, it was just good to finally let ourselves relax and be in a place that was not only warm but was "away from it all."

By the end of our trip, we were ready to come home and see the pups. The 40 degree drop in temperature wasn't that exciting, but nothing beats the feeling of being home. :)