I’ve been to Atlanta, part 1

In my last Atlanta post (if you missed it click here) I arrived in Atlanta and spent a lot of time with family. So forevermore I can say, “Yes, I’ve been to Atlanta.”  After being in the Georgia capital for a couple days, would I say I’ll ever want to come back? Hmm, well, yes I can! The answer is… possible but not probable. The traffic alone is enough to turn Bruce Banner into the Hulk,  Jekyll into Hyde, Joe Biden into Corn Pop.

Traffic aside, there were so many fun things going on and the best part of this trip is being with family, which was happening all day every day. Saturday, a day in which there are no dances scheduled, we were faced with a choice of what to do. The two tourist destinations at the top of our list are the Georgia Aquarium and Zoo Atlanta. A lot went into the decision, but we eventually agreed that this lovely, sunny, yet slightly chilly afternoon would be great for walking around…

THE ZOO!

Here is a slideshow from our 6.5 miles of walking (and rolling) all over the grounds, checking out the wild animals, and at one point not knowing exactly how to find the exit. Folks started gathering around us thinking we were an exhibit!


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Thanks for stopping by. Check back soon for more about this adventurous road trip to Atlanta!

-Out of the Wilderness

I’ve never been to Atlanta, part 3

Well, I need to change the name of this post to “I’ve BEEN to Atlanta” because I arrived, the surprise was a big success and Dancing Niece performed 4 routines in one night! It was a busy Friday night and there’s a gigantic “first” for me, and I’ll give you a hint… it’s NOT that I’m in Atlanta for the first time.

After unpacking and settling into our room at the Hyatt Place, Airport Edition, we shuffled off to the convention center where dancers were dancing, judges were judging, and dance moms were hovering. This is definitely not a scene I’m familiar with.

Headlines for tonight are that Dancing Niece did an amazing job with her team, and… OH YEAH I almost forgot to tell you about the other “first.” Have you heard of Beyond Meat? Well, I have but haven’t ever tried this brand until this first night in Atlanta. The hotel had a really good menu (and no restaurant, just prepared right there on the first floor), and a Beyond Meat burger had my name written all over it.

I was shocked how much it tasted like real meat. Crazy! So that was something I’d been wanting to do, but I had no idea it would happen at a hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.

Stay tuned for the next post to find out what we decided to do Saturday. Hint- I wish I had 4 legs for all the walking I did!

-Out of the Wilderness

List of stars/celebrities donating to Nashville tornado relief

I thought it would be a good idea to put together a list of artists, musicians, and various stars/organizations donating to the relief efforts for the recent tornadoes in middle Tennessee. Please know there are a lot more than this, and plenty of well-known people AND local businesses (too many to list) getting their hands dirty by physically being there in the areas that need help and/or donating. I’ll update this list as I find more folks donating!

Taylor Swift – $1,000,000

Kid Rock – $50,000

Chris Young – $50,000

Johnny Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd) – $10,000

Dan + Shay – $100,000

Kacey Musgraves – proceeds from a clothing sale

John Rich – benefit concert

Dierks Bentley – benefit concert

Nashville Predators Alumni Association – $20,000

Minnesota Wild hockey team (owned by Craig Leipold, former Preds owner) – $25,000

Craig Leipold (former Predators owner) – $25,000

National Hockey League – $50,000

Tennesse Titans Foundation – $1,000,000

NFL Foundation – $250,000

Nashville Sounds (minor league baseball team) – $100,000

Texas Rangers (MLB) – $10,000

-Out of the Wilderness

Air Force One, a site to behold flying over my house

The President of the United States is in Nashville today touring the tornado damage in the area. The upside of living in the flight plan of the nearby airport is usually being able to see lots of different types of aircraft coming and going. And I like watching airplanes.

My first experience with Air Force One was one day when I was home for lunch. I let the dogs into the back yard and looked up to see a gigantic plane flying over. It was none other than President Obama arriving in Nashville. Well, with a little heads up I planned to be ready this morning when President Trump flew by. I wasn’t sure he’d fly over my house because sometimes planes have a different landing path to the airport. But then this happened….

Pardon my excitement in the video. It’s just a surreal and majestic site to see this so close. Let’s put politics aside and just enjoy the moment!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness

I’ve never been to Atlanta, part 2

Well, folks… we have some drama! You can catch up on this story by first reading I’ve Never Been to Atlanta, part 1. Can you remember the last time you’ve been to an amusement park? Was it during one of the 12 months of the year? My guess is your answer is “yes”… well, did you know Six Flags Over Georgia isn’t open for part of the year??

I had no idea amusement parks shut down during the year. Crazy stuff. So from the list of ideas, Six Flags has obviously been removed. I do have good news, though! In it’s place I’ve added another idea. Granted, this one isn’t unique to Atlanta but I floated the idea out to my sister and Dancing Niece. Manicures and pedicures! I got some laughter. I’m guessing this fun suggestion might as well remove itself from the list.

I’m leaving tomorrow and I’m excited about the following things: 

1. I’ll be watching my dancing niece and her dance team perform up to 5 times!

2. The surprise for my mom, sister, and Sequence Niece. 

3. On Sunday, we may go to Louie Giglio’s church.

4. My goal is to never say out loud, “the A-T-L,” or “Hot-lanta” for obvious reasons… I’m not cool enough.

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check back each day at 1pm central for the latest posts. Next up, Friday’s events and what we’ve decided about Saturday? Chat with you soon! 

-Out of the Wilderness