Celebrating Seventy

My dad turned seventy-years old on Friday--talk about a milestone! We wanted to be there to help him celebrate, so we packed our bags and headed for Georgia for a weekend filled with food and festivities (aren't those the best kind of weekends?).

Friday night, we enjoyed a family birthday dinner with one of dad's absolute favorites: homemade baked ziti. I had given Mom a Pioneer Woman cookbook, so she tried a new version of an old classic and it was beyond delicious. She also made seven layer salad, another one of our most-loved side dishes, and some garlic bread to help keep that ziti company.

Dad's birthday dinner, round one.

After devouring that celebratory dinner, it was time for presents and cake. Dad chose a caramel cake for the occasion, and we decided to let him off with a small squad of candles instead of seventy (no need to burn down the house for the sake of celebrating).

Make a wish!

All smiles and ready for his best year yet.

We gifted him a needlepoint golf club cover with a scene from the St. Andrews Old Course (he's played there before and will again on a golf trip in June), and passes to the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame--more on that in a bit. His other presents included a gift certificate to his country club's pro shop and a golf shirt--are you seeing a theme develop here? If you can roll it, throw it, or bounce it, Dad is interested: let's just say he is an avid sports fan.

Our family fully believes in making a birthday last more than just 24 hours, so Saturday we headed to Atlanta to use Bill's tickets to the College Football Hall of Fame. Celebration, part two, here we come.

Kind of looks like a football, right?

The Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame opened in 2014 and is three full stories of exhibits and interactive displays with the history and pomp and circumstance of the game. When you enter, you are given a lanyard with a ticket that contains a chip. You customize your ticket with the team(s) of your choice, and then your experience throughout the hall is tailored to you. A major part of the fun is watching the different screens change to your favorite college team as soon as you approach!

The lobby of the museum has a three story display with 750 college football helmets. As you walk past, the chip in your ticket causes your team's helmet to light up so it's easier to locate.

Now, this is how to dress for a game!
(And no, Mom and I did not plan our matching outfits, we just seem to do that from time to time)

As you can imagine, the hall is filled with lots of great quotes. This was one of my favorites.

There were exhibits on everything from tailgates to band uniforms, and even a karaoke station for performing your team's fight song. Sadly, the video of Bill very animatedly singing "Glory, Glory, to Old Georgia" was mysteriously deleted from Clint's phone so I can't share it with you, but it was quite a performance. There may have even been a little dance involved. 

One interactive display lets you be the announcer for famous plays. Dad got so excited commentating Lindsay Scott's 93-yard touchdown run from the 1980 Gator Bowl, 
he exclaimed, "He's at the 45, the 50, the 55, the 60!"
You know you're winning when you manage to make it to the 60-yard line (ha, ha, ha)!

I always think the indicator of a good time is whether or not you buy merchandise from the gift shop. After almost two and a half hours of perusing the  Hall of Fame, we came out with two koozies, two souvenir pint glasses, two Christmas ornaments, and a t-shirt. We came, we saw, we shopped. I think it's safe to say a good time was had by all.

We wanted to treat Dad to a nice birthday dinner afterward. My cousin Bud is a great chef, and a connoisseur of good food. He recommended a restaurant in downtown Atlanta just a couple of blocks from the Hall of Fame, Ray's In The City.  Ray's specializes in steaks and fresh seafood, so naturally we tried a little of each. We started with goat cheese pimento fritters drizzled with warm pepper jelly; then, the guys dug into their steaks with three cheese macaroni and sauteed mushrooms. Mom absolutely loved her scallops over lobster Parmesan risotto, and I had some of the best crab cakes I have ever eaten. I would highly recommend Ray's for a birthday, any celebratory occasion, or just an amazing meal.

Savoring every bit of our delicious meal at Rays In The City.

And finishing it all off with a chocolate raspberry birthday slice of cake!

We headed back to Charlotte on Sunday after squeezing in as much celebrating as we possibly could. Seventy is a milestone birthday, so I hope we gave my dad plenty of memories of the occasion to remember fondly.

Happy Birthday, Dad! I hope 70 is your best year yet!