Summer Vacation Part I: Hotlanta

We returned from our long summer vacation yesterday. The next few posts will document some of our adventures. We left Ohio early the morning of 22 July. We got out of the house before 0600, which I considered to be a remarkable achievement. The roads were clear, the Xterra was gasses up, and we were on our way to Atlanta to visit Dave and Kathy Bledsoe. Ashley and Dave went to Auburn together (WarEagle), while Cathy went to Georgia (boooo!), which means Dave and Kathy have a mixed marriage.

The drive to Atlanta was surprisingly quick. We stopped for lunch at the Cracker Barrel, and arrived at their house at 3:00 pm. The trip was right at 500 miles, so we made great time considering we have a little one in the car (not to mention a passenger with a weak bladder--only kidding; I don't think we ever had to make an unnecessary stop this whole trip).

We spent Thursday night visiting with Kathy, Dave, and their two sons, Westin and Keller. Westin is a couple months older than Bode, while Keller is almost eight months (sadly, I somehow failed to get a single picture of Keller). Friday, Kathy had to work, so she took Keller to daycare, while all the boys plus Ashley went to the Atlanta aquarium. Bode and Westin were very excited about going. Here they are waiting impatiently while Dave and I get the car ready.

We make the quick trip down town, parked the car, and the boys were off and running. Fortunately Dave was able to keep the wicked pace they set while Ashley lagged a bit behind.

Once inside, we were greeted by a giant fish that somehow managed to escape its tank. Bode was a bit leery of this killer predator, but he eventually warmed to it.

The aquarium had a good number of interactive exhibits. Here are Westin and Bode (and Dave and Ashley) getting to know some sting rays.

There were also exhibits where you could walk under the tanks, which was pretty cool. Here's Bode looking up at some fish swimming above him.

The highlight of the aquarium had to have been the giant tank which had three or four whale shark. You can get a sense of how big the glass was by looking how tiny the people look compared to it.

The little ones sat in wondrous amazement, Ashley smiled for the camera, while Dave had to take a call on his cell phone (there's always one in every group).

There were all kinds of strange and exotic fish. We even saw an albino alligator (not pictured).

After a hard day at the aquarium, we stopped for lunch at Johnny Rockets. Then it was home, for a quick nap, and then into the pool on the porch. I'm always impressed by how much fun little guys can have in a five-foot diameter circular pool. The way they carry on, it's like they are having the time of their lives.

Ashley, on the other hand, was a little perturbed when I tried to take her picture. Here she is about to "wave" to me.

We had a great Friday. Saturday, we woke up and were surprised by a pancake breakfast Cathy had prepared. Here are Bode and Westin enjoying their cakes with plenty of syrup.

We left late Saturday morning. We had a wonderful visit with Kathy and Dave. They are coming off an incredibly trying year. Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer (stage 3, which is very scary) during her second trimester with Keller. She went through chemo, then had a C-section with Keller, then more chemo, then radiation. By talking with them, you'd never imagine they'd gone through this ordeal. The great news is Kathy is cancer free, Keller is a healthy young boy, and the Bledsoes are back to their normal lives. The only thing that is left is for them to come visit us in Dayton, which will occur right after a hard frost kills the devil's outdoor plants (aka when hell freezes over :-)

Next stop, hot and muggy South Carolina.