Rebecca's Ramblings: A "Quiet" Summer -- part I: Georgia

In the past few years, we've taken some amazing trips but the summer of 2017 was a bit different. First off, we'd spent quite a bit of money on those past vacations, so thought it might be a good time for a more budget-friendly summer. Secondly, my husband's job was rather hectic and he was limited in when he could take a break. He wound up working remotely on this trip, in fact.

In July, we drove down to Gwinnett County, Georgia, to my sister's home for our first visit there (they moved from NJ in 2015). We had some great day trips to nearby Six Flags Over Georgia, Stone Mountain, and Fort Yargo State Park. At Six Flags we rode as many roller coasters as we could before a nasty thunderstorm closed the park that evening. Our families enjoyed many activities at Stone Mountain, including suspended rope bridges, mini-golf, a gondola ride to the top of the mountain and hike down, and then a cool laser show projected onto the mountain itself. Fort Yargo is a lovely park nearby with a warm lake that was great for swimming, as well as boating activities. The flies were a bit much, so we picnic'ed quickly and stayed in (or on) the water.

Six Flags Over GA!

Various shots at Six Flags -- a great place to spend the day
if you love coasters as much as my family does!

Stand-up paddle-boarding at Fort Yargo

My sister and I paddle-boating

Stone Mountain mega-selfie

A hazy view from the top of SM

So much love for these kids!

Dinosaurs in Georgia?!?

Our day trips were terrific, but the best part of our time together was simply spent hanging out and catching up. My sister's children are just a bit younger than mine, but they grew up together, so it was extra-nice to have the cousins playing games, swimming, watching movies, and joking around. When they lived in NJ, we used to see them at least once a month, so the transition to twice a year (or so) has been tough, making this trip extra-special.