Grandad Helms and Grandma Susan

Elsa was blessed with a visit from her Grandad Helms and Grandma Susan this past weekend. They arrived Friday evening just in time to so graciously watch Elsa so Jarrett and I could go to the She & Him concert at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It ended up raining on us not too long after the show began, during the opening act, which was a bit of a problem seeing as it was an outdoor concert. It became even more of a problem when the thunder and lightning started. Event staff got on the microphone and asked that all of us retreat to one of the several buildings surrounding the big grassy area where the concert was taking place. We were packed in there like sardines, waiting for the storm to pass over. I smelled like a wet dog, with a soaking wet wool blanket draped over my shoulders. People were savoring the wine and beer they took with them from the lawn. We all stared at each other and the walls and the rain rather blankly -- except for the gay couple who started playing a Hollywood trivia game with our friends, David and Shelly. At least someone provided some entertainment. Finally, after about thirty minutes, it seemed like the rain was letting up, so some of us ventured outside, only to have security officials yell at us to go back in because lightning was still in the vicinity. It was rather impossible to keep all of us awaiting the recommencement of the concert, and we all kind of lingered around the gardens, inching our way closer to the lawn, until finally they announced we could walk back to the grassy area. Yeah, right. We were all high-tailing it, hoping for better placement in front of the stage. And we definitely got that. We moved from the back quarter of the lawn to the front quarter. It was great. And although after the delay the show seemed rather rushed, it was still enjoyable. David, Shelly, Jarrett, and I took off just as the encore started and enjoyed a nightcap at Leon's.

Saturday was pretty low key. We had breakfast at home and then decided to head to Chamblee, where the artist who designed and created Bill and Susan's rings has a studio. We visited the studio, and Elsa had a fine time going up and down a set of rather rickety, steep steps, and also explored the rocky, sawdust-laden parking lot fairly thoroughly. The artist, Regina Imbsweiler, was super sweet, and it was really cool to see her work. We grabbed lunch out on the way home, and then lazed around most of the afternoon until it was time to cook and eat dinner.

On Sunday morning we ate a quick breakfast, packed up lunch, and headed to the aquarium. Elsa went nuts when we got inside, and just took of like she owned the place, yelling "fish" and "water" all the way. It was so stinkin' loud in there, though, I doubt many people even heard her. For some reason they were really pumping the pop music in the main lobby portion of the building, which seemed kind of strange. We still had a good time taking in all of the creatures (especially the beluga whales, as always), and Elsa even had the chance to hug and kiss Deepo to her heart's content. With all of the noise and the bustle, we were fairly worn out by the end of our visit, and we ended up just taking our lunch home and eating it there because of the sweltering heat outside. A picnic sounded like a good idea, but in the end eating in the coolness of the house was just fine. The rest of Sunday was filled with house dreams and good conversation.

We said goodbye to our lovely guests on Monday morning. I failed to pull my camera out the entire weekend, but managed to remember to at least get a shot of the grandparents with Elsa just before they left.