Sam’s very Early/Late Birthday present….

A few years ago, Sam expressed interest in going diving at the Georgia Aquarium (https://www.georgiaaquarium.org) and we were all set to go, but things came up and we couldn’t make it that year. Covid came and we kind of forgot about it after that, but this year we decided that now was a good time. Luckily everyone was willing to chip in for his present since it had gone up quite a bit since the last time we looked… Alex even chipped in and bought him the official dive video.

Of course, Sam’s birthday isn’t until June, but since hotels are quite a bit cheaper now and the crowds are obviously smaller with school still in session, it seemed like a great time to schedule the dive. So last week we took off for Atlanta – about a 6.5 hour trip from home… or at least it should have been. Traffic, thunderstorms, construction and several stops along the way delayed the trip a couple of hours both ways. We did, however, get to stop and see our first Buc-cee’s mega Gas Station/restaurant/destination location in Florence, SC. If you haven’t heard of Buc-cee’s – it’s kind of a big deal (https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/11/22/why-are-buccees-gas-stations-so-popular/71342752007/). They have over 100 gas pumps and it’s well known for it’s brisket, beef jerky and pulled pork sandwiches.

After leaving at 5:30am, we finally made it to Atlanta around 1:30pm and had about an hour to look around and see some of the exhibits. Sam’s dive lasted about 30 minutes in the water, but he had to get suited up and get some instructions from the dive master. While he was getting ready, Mom and Dad were given a behind the scenes tour that was pretty cool too – they got to see the wave machine and filters, the water testing rooms, and hospital for the animals. Eventually all the divers were in the water and the guides took the guests back into the aquarium to see them. We got a few good shots of Sam and took some additional video too. Overall, it was a great visit and something that none of us will soon forget.

After the dive, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Chick-fil-a and went back to the hotel to rest up for the return trip. The next day, we did make a quick pit stop at a Lowes, so Mom and Sam could look at the garden section (they ended bringing back several flowers) and then another quick pit stop at a local architectural salvage shop (https://www.architecturalaccents.com) before heading home and collapsing on the sofa.