Life Lately: First Grade, First Cirque du Soleil + Finn’s First UGA Game

Happy Sunday friends! I am taking a pause from my TransRockies Run recaps to catch you up on life lately – because it’s been jam-packed and pretty sweet!

WE HAVE A FIRST GRADER 

Finn started first grade last Monday and seems to be thriving. His dad and I took him to open house together and we all walked together on the first day. Finn was much more confident starting school this year as a first grader since he spent his K year learning the ropes at his elementary school. That said, we all had some hesitations since our principal of 14 years retired at the end of last year and we have a new one this year – and a few teachers he especially loved left or retired too. Thankfully, I picked him up for the first time on Wednesday (he was with his dad the first two days of school) and he rushed into my arms with the first thing he said being, “I LOVE MY TEACHER.” He’s had nothing but good things to say about school. It’s a really great feeling to know your kiddo is happy at school and it’s something I feel a lot of gratitude for – especially given how emotional and complex it can be to send your child off to school in today’s world.

A FRESH NEW SOCCER SEASON – WITH THE SAME COACH! 

Finn has participated in soccer, lacrosse, basketball, swim team and gymnastics over the last few years and so far soccer seems to top the charts for the activity he enjoys most. He’s participating in CSA Rec League again this fall for boys U8 and we were thrilled to learn that he has the same coach as last spring! Looking forward to a fun fall season!

Speaking of soccer – we made it to a Charlotte FC game a couple of weeks ago. If you live in the Charlotte area and even remotely enjoy soccer, I can’t recommend the games enough. They’re so much fun and very family-friendly. We’re currently on an eight-game winning streak and hopeful that will lead us to a playoff appearance for the second year in a row!

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL OVO

I’m not sure how I’ve never made it to a Cirque du Soleil show before but am I ever glad that changed last week! I was offered media tickets to Cirque du Soleil Ovo in exchange for helping to spread the word about the show’s four-day stop in Charlotte. I enthusiastically said YES and knew I had to bring Finn along.

“In OVO, an awkward, quirky insect discovers a magnificent ladybug in a bustling neighborhood, and they instantly fall in love. Their enchanting romance unfolds amidst a vibrant ecosystem, revealing a world filled with energy and life. Here, insects work, eat, flutter, and play in a riot of motion, showcasing the beauty and biodiversity of their hidden universe.”

I had a feeling that Finn would love the insect/bug theme and I was right. He was absolutely riveted for the entire two-hour show and never once complained bout being bored or got wiggly. The combination of visual effects and bright colors along with acrobatic feats set to a background of loud and fun music made for a captivating experience.

There were also no words in the show. The characters spoke but it was all nonsense talking. Finn is a huge fan of shows like Booba and Alien TV on Netflix that are similar to this. He giggled SO MUCH throughout the show. I wouldn’t say that Ovo is a kid’s show but it is extremely kid/family friendly.

If Cirque du Soleil Ovo comes to a city near you, 10/10 recommend!

24 HOURS IN ATHENS FOR FINN’S FIRST GEORGIA GAME

(my crop tee – they make for many different teams, my shorts, my sneakers, Finn’s shirt)

I surprised Finn with a trip to Athens this weekend for his first University of Georgia football game. I had an itch to plan something fun and out of our norm for Labor Day weekend and the first Georgia home game of the season fit the bill perfectly. Since we were playing Marshall and it wasn’t a big SEC matchup, I was able to find pretty affordable tickets and book a hotel right downtown the week of the game.

Here’s a quick weekend recap!

I early dismissed Finn from school at noon on Friday so that we could hit the road to Athens. I knew traffic on I-85 would be a nightmare given that it was a Friday and LDW and I was correct. It took us every bit of 4.5 hours to get there with some creative reroutes around traffic thanks to Waze. We got checked into our room at the Hyatt Place and quickly freshened up for our dinner reservations.

I booked a table at Emmy Squared where I had the most delicious Margherita pizza with burrata – and I added Italian sausage to it. I’d only dined at Emmy Squared once before (we have two here in Charlotte) and gosh their deep dish crust is to die for! Finn had a burger and fries.

We wandered around downtown and made our way to the famous Arch on north campus. Finn did not understand what was so special about it but I promised him that if he posed for a photo with me, we’d go find ice cream after haha.

We grabbed ice cream at Kilwins and sat outside people watching while we ate it. There’s a lot of interesting people watching in downtown Athens – especially on a game weekend!

Back at our hotel, we took the elevator up to the rooftop bar to check out the view and snap a sunset selfie. We then went back to our room and got showered and settled in for the night.

I am very blessed to have a child who loves and asks for downtime and chill time. We had a lazy start to our Saturday lounging in bed. He played some games and I edited a video for a brand project.

We made our way downstairs for breakfast. One huge selling point for our hotel in addition to its convenience and walkability was the impressive complimentary breakfast spread they offer. I had two hardboiled eggs, a big plate of fresh fruit, steel cut oatmeal, grapefruit juice and coffee. Finn had eggs, bacon, waffles and hash browns. They also had grits, sausage, biscuits and gravy, tortillas with salsa and cheese for breakfast burritos, yogurt, cereal an assortment of toast and more. Hyatt Place Athens does breakfast right! Perfect way to kick off gameday!

After breakfast we got dressed and packed up. We checked out of our hotel and loaded our luggage in the car but were able to leave it in the deck at no additional cost which was so helpful.

Ready for his first UGA gameday!

We walked around downtown and landed at South Kitchen + Bar for lunch. I had a kombucha and grain salad.

And Finn had these tempura chicken strips and duck fat tater tots that were truly out of this world. He loved the chicken but said the tots were “spicy” (they had seasoning on them) so I happily took care of those for him. Omg…drool!

We strolled through North Campus and made our way to the Dawg Walk. Two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, fans line up to welcome the football team into the stadium. They arrive on buses and parade from the street, through the Tate Center parking lot and into Sanford Stadium. The cheerleaders and band are there and spirits are high and festive! This was actually my first time ever attending the Dawg Walk as I was usually too busy tailgating for such activities. I’m glad we went!

Finn got to five a few of the players which was fun for him!

We made a stop into the bookstore for Finn to get a hat and G tattoos and it was an absolute madhouse! We waited in a 45-minute line to checkout but at least we were in the AC.

It was time to walk across to the stadium and find our seats after we checked out. It was another madhouse trying to navigate the crowded hallways of the stadium to make it to our section and we were barely moving at some points. I felt every bit of the 92,746 capacity of our stadium haha.

So happy to be there!

After all of the pregame festivities commenced, it was time to play football!

While the matchup against Marshall wasn’t the most captivating, on the edge of your seat experience for the adults, it was perfect for Finn. The final score was 48-7 so Finn got to celebrate lots of big plays and Georgia TDs.

We decided to roll out during the fourth quarter. We were three hours into the game and feeling pretty hot and tired.

We walked about a mile back to our car and immediately hit the road. It was an easy three hour and 15 minute trip to Charlotte with no traffic. We arrived home right around 10:20p. It was a big day to drive home after the game but I’m so glad that we did so that we didn’t spend half of Sunday in the car and could wake up at home and have the whole day to relax.

I’ve been working on making Finn a Georgia fan since he was born and I’m pretty sure we cemented that this weekend! Looking forward to many more football Saturdays with my little guy!

And that wraps up our life lately update to close out August! Hoping this finds all of you well and enjoying the end of summer too!

QUESTIONS 

Have you seen Cirque do Soleil shows? Which ones? 

Team deep dish or thin crust? 

What college football program will you be rooting for this season?