We hit the six-month mark recently, that is, six months since we had seen First Born and The Groom. As I may have mentioned (multiple times) before, that’s my threshold. That’s when the Mom Radar kicks in and I start demanding that plans be made to be with my little girl (who will be 30 this year). Spouse, who rarely misses an opportunity to travel to a place with new breweries (and who also loves his little girl), jumped right on the bandwagon. The day before our 34th anniversary and only a few days before my birthday, we landed in Atlanta and stepped into a world of flowers and greenery, the likes of which Maine won’t see until mid-June.

This was an activity-packed trip, with excursions to the Atlanta Aquarium one day and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens the next. It was more walking than I usually do in a week — as First Born’s Fit Bit and my aching feet confirmed.

The Love Couple brought us to the Belt Line, a walking and biking path that continues to grow in length as different sections are added on. Fortunately for me (and for everyone walking near me) our hike was only a little over one of its 33 miles, and that was more than far enough for me. To my credit, I didn’t start whining until we hit a quarter mile. No, seriously — we took a break about halfway and made it to our destination with me yelling, “You said we were almost there!” only once. Fine, twice. Wisely, the three young’uns walked the return trip and picked Spouse and me up in the car for our next excursion.

Having recently joined a gym and beginning to work with a trainer instead of staring in awe at the machines and workout classes, I know my trainer will be happy to hear the time was not spent simply consuming “vacation” food. However, there was our anniversary and my birthday to celebrate, and I left Maine vowing “There will be cake” for at least one of those days.

On our last day in Atlanta, the girls and I visited a nearby mall to do some shopping, leaving the boys to happily do their own thing and visit a brewpub. By then, we had walked miles between the Belt Line, aquarium, and gardens. It was easy to feel zero guilt when the girls and I shared a tiny chocolate mousse cake — in between walking from one end of the mall to the other at least four times.

That night we headed to Jeni’s ice cream to taste some unusual and decadent combinations like Goat Cheese with Cherries, Savannah Buttermint and Cream Puff. I felt I earned that ice cream, if not from walking everywhere, then from enduring my least favorite thing — marathon mall shopping.

The days flew by, as they always do when you’re enjoying yourself. When we arrived back in Maine we were exhausted and sore from the abuse the Love Couple put us through. This was the first time I’ve lost weight on vacation – how unhealthy is that?

We have no idea when we’ll be in Atlanta again, but I guess it’s a good thing I’m working with a trainer so I can learn to keep up. In the meantime, it’s back to work, where I can finally get some rest.

Janine Talbot recently published a story about her first kiss in “Laugh Out Loud: 40 Women Humorists Celebrate Then and Now… Before We Forget,” available through Amazon. She lives in southern Maine. Email Janine at [email protected].