Hi Warriors,
Excitement! Excitement! Excitement! Coming at you again, the......”Dynamic Duo Inspired Journey.” This week, we’re sharing a fun-filled weekend, we call a Staycation. Meaning, we didn’t leave town...however, we turned our weekend into an amazing one; filled with excitement, new adventures, and great fun.
Yes, Warriors, we are always looking at our bucket list; recognizing and analyzing what we can accomplish now (short-term) or what we have to plan as a long-term goal or event. We love to use Groupon, whenever we can. This e-marketplace tool helps us achieve some of our goals, and it leaves us with a few more $$ to spend on other fun stuff. Jackie is our "Groupon Guru". Lol. Thank you, Jackie!
So, on a beautifully blue sky, sunshiny, Saturday late morning in July, we headed to a Shooting range; a Groupon purchase. Oh no! 😳 Jackie is totally, super-duper afraid of guns. No!!!!!! Never touched one so No, she never shot one, before. Yessssss! Sidney has shot before; but, he was out of practice, so here we go.....We get to this spot called “Quickshot,” and quickly getting in and out was what Jackie was truly feeling and saying inside of her head. Yikes!!!!! Lol. Although, Jackie really was afraid, she is now facing another one of her fears, HEAD ON.... Yay!
Quickshot Shooting Range, specializes in catering to the first-time shooters, as well as the seasoned ones, so we were in good hands. The facility has a really modern atmosphere, and they pride themselves on providing a safe, clean, well-lit, and well ventilated, shooting experience (wikipedia). We quickly felt right at home.
We chose our gun; automatic 9mm that held 14-17 rounds. We grabbed a box of 50 bullets, as we both agreed 50 would be plenty to use for Jackie’s Debut. We headed to the shooting gallery with our supplied gear on (projective glasses and ear muffs), where the instructor showed us how to use the gun, providing us with the safety features, and how to use the clip to load the magazine, which stores the bullets. Jackie is now shaking ALL inside, and strongly encourages Sidney to go first. He aims at the shared target and Yes! He hits the target...Every time. Go Sidney!!!!! He has a pretty good aim.
Now, it’s the QUEEN's turn. Lol. What do y’all think Warriors, did Jackie hit the target on her first shot? Yesssss .....she did! So, fear is now, leaving Jackie. She stands smiling with relief and conquer in her heart. The ole girl did pretty good; she didn't hit the target every time, but Sidney was really proud of her. Thanks babe! Wow, what an experience! The 9 mm gun was so powerful that when we fired it, it was hard to keep the gun steady; we both had to get into position and get our stance on y’all. Lol. It was top-notch fun, and we spent about an hour at the Quickshot. Guess what Warriors? Now, Sidney is looking around, wanting us to go to another shooting range. Jackie is like ---- we already did it Sid! It’s, now, scratched off of our bucket list!!! LolLol. However, we are sure, we'll go again. 😍😎
We kept the day flowing, so we hopped back into the car and proceeded to go to another first-time experience; “Ponce City Market”; their vibrant, Central Food Hall. This city market is similar to the legendary food hall in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan (NYC). “The lively mix of chef-led, dine-in restaurants, and grab-and-go markets stalls offers a variety of regional fare, global cuisines, and hand-crafted market goods, including fresh breads, meats, cheeses, and spices. The cuisine and happenings in the Central Food Hall are located just steps away from adjoining parks and neighborhoods, the Atlanta Belt-line, and the offices and Flats apartments in the upper floors of Ponce City Market” (Wikipedia).
So, so, much to see, lots and lots of restaurants to try, a Hall for live concerts, and a few clothing stores. We had heard about the award-winning chicken joint called, “Hops,” so we hopped in line and waited for about 30 minutes to order and get our food. Of course, Sidney had to get his chicken-grub on, Warriors. While standing in line, we heard folks talking about our current waiting time wasn’t as bad as usual. So we just chilled and did some people watching. Finally, we get our wings and find a table to feast. Let us tell you, y’all better get to "Hops," because their wings were “Out-of-site” and well worth the standing-in-line wait. Yummy! Yummy! So, so, so good for your tummy! 😂 We hung out at the Ponce most of the afternoon, walking around and snacking in between our paces. You gotta get your steps in, if you are going to get your snacking' in! We will definitely be going back to Ponce City Market & Hops!
Our grand finale for the evening, was a trek to the Fox Theater to see Sidney’s girl, Jill Scott. Ms. Scott is a renown three-time Grammy Award-Winning Platinum selling triple threat! An African American singer-songwriter, model, poet, and actress. We were extremely excited, after waiting at least two months after purchasing our tickets to see her. Yes, you all! We were ready!
Jill had a female comedian, out of Florida, opening up her act. She was raw and funny, and we got our laugh on! So now, we were ready for the real deal; Jill Scott in person y'all. Jill comes out, and the crowd just goes crazy, yelling and screaming. She comes out, giving us the true Jill, in her very famous storytelling jazzy musical style. Of course, she is playing with the microphone, in that special way that she does (a little flirtatious), addressing us with love and sexual overtones, as she does in most of her songs. She set the vibe off, first by singing "Be Ready" and then moving into "Golden," and she tore it up y'all... She has this way of making her own songs fresh and new. So for every song she sung, she had a different rendition from the actual original recording. Sidney was sitting there, like he was in heaven, and his girl, Jill, was giving him all that he had been waiting for! We enjoyed the show, and Yes, we definitely recommend you go check her out when she comes to your area. We gave her a grade of A+. The girl can really blow; it takes going to hear her live in concert, to really see and hear what she is working with. She can really run up and down the musical scale with her voice, effortless; no doubt. Go Jill Go! Do that thang Girl! We love you, Jill Scott!
On Sunday, we get up and head to church, where we get our praise on and fed our spiritual food, which is a must-need, weekly, as well as, daily, Warriors.
The book, “More of You God,” is a great tool to help you/us get spiritually fed, daily. On page 36, it reads, “I will sit and meditate on, the Sweet Name of Jesus. Lord, I know, as I sit in your presence, You are breaking the chains wanting to hold me down. They are falling off one by one.” While reading this excerpt, it reminds the Adventurous Dynamic Duo of the fear, God is constantly removing off/from us.
After service, we had another Groupon purchase experience, riding the, "Skyview Atlanta". This Ferris Wheel ride, with air-condition/tinted fiberglass gondolas, was a great purchase! Our Groupon package included a box of chocolates, so we sat comfortably for the chillaxing 20 minute ride, munching on our delightful candy. No doubt about it, it was a view of a life time. We could see the Mercedes Dome, the World of Coke, the Georgia Aquarium, a complete view of Centennial Park, and all the tall skyscraping buildings, up close; Warriors, we could see miles and miles away in every direction. Yes, truly - panoramic views. It was so beautiful to see ATL city from those views. Also, y'all, we must say, it was a little romantic. The views and chocolates... a Sweet Treat for these Sweethearts!
Okay, Warriors, a few take away tips:
1. Use Groupon to get great deals for some of your adventures. Actress/Comedian, Tiffany Haddish, can attest to what great finds they offer!
2. Travelzoo is another good site to get deals.
3. Plan a Staycation. Yes, you can... right where you live.
4. Try riding these new Air-conditioned Ferris Wheels. They provide some awesome views of city, ATL
5. Continue to enjoy your life.
Warriors, another great visit with you. We are praying you are enjoying your life and living your life intentionally. This blog is truly written, to inspire you, to have fun, and to share our adventures, in hope that you will adventure too. We look forward to having you check in on our adventurous journey, next week. Don’t forget to join, sign in with your email and this code ZEJFNW.
Yours truly,
Adventurous Dynamic Duo
Jackie & Sidney
To Purchase the book “More of You God,” click on the link: