Our Weekend – The One with Ed Sheeran and the GA vs. AU Game

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Our fall weekends just keep getting better and better and this past weekend is going to be pretty hard to top.  Thanks to the grandparents, B and I were able to spend a weekend away together, first to attend the Ed Sheeran concert in Atlanta Friday night and then to attend the Georgia vs. Auburn game in Athens Saturday night.

My mom picked the kids up from school Friday afternoon, so B and I were able to hit the road by 2:45 to avoid the Friday evening Atlanta traffic.  Since we had tickets to the concert Friday night and the Georgia game Saturday night we decided it made the most sense to spend the night in Atlanta after the concert.  B researched hotels close to Mercedes Benz stadium and found a couple in walking distance that weren’t fully booked, and we ended up settling on The Westin in Peachtree Plaza.  If you’re not from the Atlanta area, then you may not be familiar with the iconic building, but if you’re from around here, you know how beautiful and adored it is.  It’s always been my favorite building in the whole Atlanta skyline and it’s been on my bucket list to stay there for years, so we finally made it happen this weekend and it did not disappoint! 

It was a drizzly drive to Atlanta, and we parked at the nearest parking garage and wheeled our suitcases to the hotel.  They were sold out for the night so the lobby and bar were both packed.  We ended up having to wait about 20-30 minutes for our room because it wasn’t ready yet, but the wait definitely ended up being worth it… they put us on the 57th floor of the 72 story building and the views were just breathtaking!  The hotel itself is round, and all of the rooms have an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows of the sprawling view below.  We were so high up that our room was in the low-hanging clouds and fog, which meant that our view was a bit obstructed when we first arrived.  Our room actually faced Mercedes Benz stadium (where we were heading for the concert) but we couldn’t see it because of the clouds and fog. 

After we got settled in, we both got changed and ready for the concert, and then we bundled up and headed out on the half mile walk to the stadium.  We passed the Atlanta Sky Wheel on the way and it was all lit up for the evening. 

The walk over was coooold and windy, and it was still misting a bit, so by the time we arrived, we were ready to get warm!  We arrived at the stadium with plenty of time before the show started, so first on the agenda was to meet up with my cousin, Shelby, who was also going to the concert.  Check!

Next up, B and I grabbed a couple of hot dogs and beers since we hadn’t had dinner, and then we made our way to our seats.  Our seats were excellent – 21st row on the floor, although they were nothing compared to our 4th row seats in Nash last year!

On the way down to the floor seats we got to walk by the Falcons locker room… so to all of you Falcons fans out there, this picture is for you!  Haha. 

The concert started promptly at 7 with Lauv as the opener.  I had no clue who he was at first, but I ended up realizing when he sang his hit “I Like Me Better.”  You would definitely know it, too, if you listen to the radio because they played it a ton this past summer.  I ended up really enjoying him and will definitely be checking out his album on Amazon.  I love it when I find new artists through concert-going!

Next up was Snow Patrol, which we all know, from their hit "Chasing Cars" back in 2006.  They were pretty good, too!

Ed came out just before 9 and he was phenomenal yet again!  I’ve been a huge Ed Sheeran fan since before he was uber famous, back when his first album came out, and I was pleased that he sang a good mix of songs from all of his albums, old and new.  As I said before, we saw him last year in Nashville, and this concert was similar, but he had changed up the set list a bit so it wasn’t the exact same show.  (And even if it had been I wouldn’t have cared one little bit!) 

One of the highlights from the evening was when he sang Justin Bieber’s hit “Love Yourself” because he is actually the one who wrote the song for Justin.  And I have to say, I liked Ed’s version better.  ;o)  For his encore, he put on an Atlanta United jersey and the crowd went wild!!  It was definitely a night to remember and he will forever go down as one of my favorite artists to see live.  He is just so, so talented and I’m thankful we were able to see him one more time before his tour ended, because it’s going to be a while before he tours again.  He even said so himself at the end of the show.  :o(

After the show we made the freezing walk back to our hotel and I was thrilled to discover when we got back to our room that the fog had lifted and the clouds had cleared, because we could see for daaaays from our hotel window.  There’s Mercedes Benz stadium where we had just been!  And we were up so high that we could actually see into the venue from our room!

We ended up getting to bed a little before 1 and then the next morning we slept in and awoke to this view:

A bright blue, cloudless sky!  Perfect football weather!

We got ready and headed straight for Sublime Donuts to grab breakfast before heading to Athens.  I opted for a s’mores donut and a cinnamon roll and B got the red velvet and the fresh strawberries and cream.  Their donuts are so good… if you’re ever in Atlanta and you’re looking for a donut, go there.  You will love it!

Meanwhile back at home, our babies were spending time with their cousins.  <3

We hit the road to make the hour drive to Athens after that and we arrived just before lunchtime.  My Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg have season tickets and both of their kids (my cousins) live in Athens so they go to most of the games.  My cousin Wil is the Assistant Director of Equipment for the football team and my cousin Shelby is a senior at UGA so they are always at the games, too, and we decided to join them at their tailgate for the day. 

They had a huge setup with loads of food, a TV so we could watch the other games, and a nice warm heater to keep us warm because it was COLD.  The Georgia vs. Auburn game is always my favorite weekend of the whole football season because the weather is always nice and cool (or in this case, downright freezing), the sun is always shining, and fall is always at its peak.  Man, the leaves were gorgeous!  Our game was a night game, so we had hours upon hours to eat, drink, and watch football at the tailgate before packing it all up to head to the stadium. 

We arrived at the stadium in time to watch all of the pregame festivities before the game finally started a little after 7.  One of my old coworkers and his friend sat with us at the game, and we had a blast cheering on our Dawgs and dancing and singing together.  You may have caught our Backstreet Boys karaoke sing along on my Instagram Stories this weekend?  Lol. 

Anyway, we ended up beating Auburn 27-10 and we are now 9 and 1 for the season.  We’re still one of the top five contenders for the National Championship Game, but we have to get through Bama to make that happen.  Eek!

Since we had already spent the night in Atlanta the night before, we decided to drive home after the game, so we didn’t make it back until early in the morning Sunday.  Since we had gotten in so late, we slept in until 9 Sunday morning and then we spent the morning snuggling our little babes whom we’d missed so much while we were gone. 

Olivia was in that Georgia spirit and she wanted to be a Georgia cheerleader for the day again, so I helped her get all dressed up in her cheerleading uniform complete with a ponytail and a G sticker on her face.

My MIL and step-FIL did their usual Sunday lunch at their house and my grandmother did Sunday dinner at her house to change things up a bit, and then we all went home and crashed again from the busy weekend. 

Monday, the kids were out for Veterans Day and I finally got my act together and got everything done that had been neglected all weekend – unpacking, laundry, dishes, homework, house cleaning, etc. 

We’re now counting down the days left in the short week until we get to go to Athens again… this time as a family! 

Happy Tuesday, y’all!