Back in November, I turned 36. After a year of juggling working full-time with grad school full-time, I knew that all I wanted for my birthday was to relax. So, the plan was to head to Shelby with my mom to spend a night visiting my grandparents and then check into The Ivey’s Hotel, see Hamilton, and treat ourselves to room service for dinner. Sounds pretty relaxing, right?
In the interest of full disclosure, the weekend wasn’t quite as relaxing as I’d hoped and included a visit to the ER soon after we got to Shelby, but I want to remember the good stuff so that’s what I’ll focus on here.
First, I got to relax as Mom drove us to Shelby. It seems that I drive on a lot of our adventures, so this was a nice perk! As soon as we got to Shelby, we sat down with Mamaw and Papaw to eat an amazing homecooked lunch that included coconut pie!
Mamaw’s coconut pie 
My trip to the ER cut into the time we planned to spend with them, but I am thankful for the time we did have before we headed back to Charlotte on Saturday morning. Once we got to Charlotte, we checked into our hotel for the night- The Ivey’s Hotel. Not only was it the perfect place to stay for a luxurious splurge but it is right across the street from Blumenthal where Hamilton was playing!
We had time for a quick lunch before the play, so we walked a couple of blocks to Amelie’s French Bakery. This was the best choice ever! Mom and I each got a salad and split the Fig, Bacon, and Brie Tartine. The salad and the tartine were both delicious! And of course, we had to get macarons and a salted caramel brownie to take back to the room for later.
Not long after lunch, it was time for the main event….we had Hamilton tickets! I was lucky enough to see Hamilton in Chicago last year for my birthday and I was so happy to share it with my mom for her first time this year! Of course it goes without saying that we absolutely LOVED it and we also loved being right across the street from our hotel!
To finish up our weekend away, we ordered room service! The Ivey’s room service comes from 5 Church, so of course it was delicious! Mom and I split the scallops over butternut squash puree and the filet. After dinner we relaxed and watched a Hallmark movie….can you ask for anything better?
It was definitely a weekend to remember- and I am so thankful to have shared it with my mom!
