The Aging Games

I'm 35 now, and still fresh off a surprise weekend in Atlanta where Cassie and Dan pulled out all the stops - eating, shopping, Hunger Games-ing, luxury resorting, and... custom party naps!

I mean, I order napkins every time the wind blows,  but rarely are they ordered for me. I now have plenty on hand for marking the milestone birthdays of everyone I know when they start or reach the middle of a new decade!  Also clever + custom, the invite Cas had made and awaiting for me in my room, alongside everything I needed to know about Katniss and Peeta. 

In advance of the movie, I was force fed the Hunger Games, but after the first few chapters on the plane down to Georgia, I admit, all my resistance to young adult lit may have been unwarranted. In one day I finished the book, just hours before the movie. At my age, I still won't be reading about vampires, but I have since read (and loved!) the full HG trilogy.  And so it was with a Katniss spirit that after a day in Atlanta where we hit cute hobs boutiques...

and did Friday brunching....

that Cas and I continued our weekend, battling not fight-to-the-death teens, but...the hands of time (tick, tock!).  For survival, we headed towards the water (and the spa!) for some rest and relaxation....

We lounged poolside and went swimming in March! My spring (and summer!) fever has been spiked! We spent the night at the Ritz Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation.  I admit that I wanted to go there because it's where Carrie Underwood got married, but....I want to go back because it was just amazing! Every where you look there are babbling brooks, flower gardens, swings and hammocks. It's a Southern paradise, perfect for girls trips, guys trips, couples trips, family trips.

I'll be doing a full post about the Lodge next week for DC Ladies, but trust me when I say it's really the perfect escape! Get a facial, take a hike...

dress up for dinner at Georgia's...

and always, always order dessert! Just don't ask for gossip about Carrie's wedding, because no one will talk about it. At all. 

We left the Lodge and Lake Oconee the next morning for Lake Lanier...

for a little boat ride and waterside dining with my cousin Kim and her family. As the sun set, though, I had to head home to face the 3-5.


I look back on my weekend as training for the Aging Games of my mid-30s:  head for the water (and a lavender-infused steam room) every chance you get; room service is the modern day answer to hunting and gathering; and most importantly, maintain alliances with old friends and good family - the memories you catalog with them are the best part about every new year!