Weekend in Atlanta!

We were all able to go to Atlanta this weekend for Dean to speak at Collide, a ministry of our friends at Crosspointe Church. So we made a trip out of it and visited the Children's Museum yesterday afternoon. We drove all morning and early afternoon (including a 45 minute Zaxby's stop... apparently they're not really "fast food") and wound up at the museum right around Tommy's nap time. The awesome thing about it was that I got to see my friend Jamie and her husband Dan and their two kids Addison (almost 2) and Lincoln (6 weeks old). Jamie is my first ever friend. Our moms were friends when they were pregnant with us and we literally grew up together. And here's some little-known trivia for you... Jamie introduced Dean and I. So we owe it all to her! Anyway, we don't get to see each other very often (it's been over a year), so it's always good to catch up and see what the kids are doing. (The baby in the picture is hers, not mine... and I know it's not the greatest picture since not one kid is looking at the camera and I look ridiculously happy... oh well)
If you've never been to the museum and you live anywhere near the Atlanta area, it's certainly worth your time. Tommy was pumped until he saw the advertisement with a picture of a friendly dragon in the front lobby area and then he wanted to go home. However, Dean was able to talk him into staying and he wound up having a blast. It was like a giant playhouse with an educational twist. Think PBS Sprout meets medieval times sponsored by Publix so there's a healthy dose of pretend food. There's even a giant loading truck where kids can put boxes and baskets on the conveyor belt and unload them from the truck.



So Tommy got to run around as Dean chased him all over while I caught up with Jamie. Fun was had by all. For those of you who aren't sure, that top picture is Dean and Tommy fishing. That's right, Dean is fishing. They're plastic fish, but still. It's the principle.

Dean also did a great job at Collide. This was his fourth sermon in three days and two different cities and he still brought it. He got great feedback from everyone and he talked about how we tend to compartmentalize everything as Christians (example: high school friends that would get totally wasted all week during Spring Break but had to be sober on Sunday because it was Easter and it's not right to get wasted on Easter). And Tommy sat through the whole thing and didn't say a word. He was unbelievable. I haven't been able to have him sit through something like that since he was 6 weeks old. Unbelievable. I guess it was the full day that got him.

We stayed with our friends, the Merritts, last night (always a wonderful stay... they're incredibly gracious and hospitable) and Tommy had a blast not being at home. We made the drive back today and now here we are. And I'm exhausted. But excited because there are extra coupon inserts in yesterday's paper and I can't wait to see how I can use them. Yes I'm a little ridiculous, I know.