This past weekend was…refreshing? Trying to figure out the best word to describe the 50-hour getaway I recently went on with my wife is a little tricky, but I think the one I just used does it justice.

Sid and I both felt very fortunate that we could make our Atlanta trip happen. With Sloan in the caring hands of my in-laws, we were able to skip town and enjoy ourselves with complete peace of mind. We departed for our adventure with a couple items on the itinerary but with plenty of time open to improvise as well. This arrangement worked our perfectly.

It was tough leaving this little girl but we knew she was in great hands.

We dropped Sloan off with Sid’s parents on Friday afternoon and drove to Atlanta. We maneuvered in constant traffic the whole drive but enjoyed our time in the car together. We arrived in the city around 9:30 p.m. and wasted no time going to our first destination (hint: it was not the hotel).

We pulled up to the Cheesecake Factory with the good news that there was only a 15 minute wait. Giddy with excitement, we counted those minutes away as we sat in the waiting area gripping the pager. Once seated, we had our usual incredible meal. We went with our classics (spicy cashew chicken for me and Louisiana chicken pasta for Sid) and split a slice of Oreo cheesecake. Hauling leftovers with us, we checked in at our hotel and watched some late night TV.

We had another delicious meal at the Cheesecake Factory.

For the first time in just over 26 months, we stayed in bed until 10 a.m. on a Saturday. We then slowly got up, hopped in the car, and leisurely drove around the Cumberland area looking at what there was to offer. A small brunch spot called Oy in a tucked away strip mall caught our eye. The two of us enjoyed a nice sit down breakfast with no distractions.

We ate brunch at a cool little spot in Atlanta called Oy.

Afterwards we ventured to TopGolf Atlanta. Yes, it is true that we have a location in Myrtle Beach, but do we ever have the chance to visit it? That is a big N-0. Sidney enjoyed her first TopGolf experience as we had a blast smacking golf balls and sipping beers.

Sidney really enjoyed TopGolf.

Once our hour at TopGolf was up, we went to the Cumberland Mall so Sid could look at a couple different stores. After we were satisfied there we went back to the hotel to shower and put on our Braves gear. We then summoned an Uber and departed toward SunTrust Park.

Us waiting for our Uber.

Our driver dropped us off at what is called The Battery, an area filled with bars, restaurants, and entertainment options that leads into the stadium. Tomorrow I will go in depth about the entire Battery/SunTrust Park experience, but tonight is just about our weekend timeline. We strolled around The Battery for a little over an hour before heading to the main event.

Better photos tomorrow, but this is a photo I took of one of the main drags of The Battery. I took it while we were upstairs in a venue called Punch Bowl Social.

We couldn’t have asked for a better time inside SunTrust Park. As the Atlanta Braves defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in extra innings, Sid and I reclined in our seats and enjoyed every second we had to watch America’s Pastime on a gorgeous evening. We chowed down on stadium food, cheered hard for the Braves, and got a little too invested in the on-field promotions.

A look at the field from our seats.

After the game, we took a cab back to the hotel. Although it was late, we stayed up watching TV and drinking soda. The fun day had put us both in really good moods and we didn’t want it to end.

Sunday started with 7:30 a.m. mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King, the mother-church of the Atlanta Archdiocese. It was special to be in such a significant church with other early morning faithful. Msg. Francis McNamee preached on the necessity of adhering to the commandment that Jesus gave his disciples, love one another.

It was a holy experience to attend mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King.

Back at the hotel, we watched half of “Father of the Bride” before checking out. We made one last stop at Cheesecake Factory and ordered some slices to go. We then hit the road for Myrtle Beach. Although it might be sad for some to head home, we were overjoyed…we had Sloan waiting for us!

I feel it is important for the two of us to get away every now and then. This past weekend confirmed that thought even more. Thanks again to Mr. Sid and Brenda for looking after our little girl, we sure had fun! Don’t Blink.