Road Trip Day #15 of 26

We left Alyssa's house (with a few tears after I got down the road a bit) we headed to Savannah, Georgia. My cousins, Angela, Grant and Raleigh Jo Smith were meeting us there so that we could begin our Hilton Head beach vacation together. We arrived in Savannah before them and got checked into our hotel, the Four Points by Sheraton Savannah Airport. The hotel was wonderful! We got a room with a king sized bed and a sleeper sofa, which was nice because Reese usually ends up sleeping with David and me. Having a king sized bed makes that a little more comfortable. Katie is just fine with the sleeper, so we're all happy! Angela and the kids got a room with two queens. It seemed a little crowded, but the decor was fun. Kind of a nautical theme.


The Smiths' plane landed at the Savannah airport at 2:42pm and we went right down to pick them up. The girls were just happy to pile up in the bed with Raleigh Jo and relax for a while, but after relaxing just a bit at the hotel we decided to strike out to downtown Savannah for a little sight seeing. Grant was on a mission to see Forrest Gump's bench, but there really is no such thing. It was just a movie prop! He was disappointed, but we did manage to get some great photos in Old Savannah.



We decided to go eat at the Olde Pink House for dinner that night, and let me say, it was AMAZING! Here is the review that was in Frommer's for this fabulous restaurant.

Built in 1771 and glowing pink (its antique bricks show through a protective covering of stucco), this house has functioned as a private home, a bank, a tearoom, and headquarters for one of Sherman's generals. Today its interior is severe and dignified, with stiff-backed chairs, bare wooden floors, and an 18th-century aura similar to what you'd find in Williamsburg, Virginia. The cuisine is richly steeped in the traditions of the Low Country and includes sautéed local shrimp with country ham and grits cake, crispy scored flounder with apricot sauce, steak au poivre, black grouper stuffed with blue crab and drenched in white onion and butter sauce, and grilled tenderloin of pork served with collard greens and yams. You can enjoy your meal in the candlelit dining rooms or in the Planters Tavern.

And some pictures:




I also managed to find a copy of the menu online, so I uploaded it here, too. (The original source is www.savannahga.net.)


I had the Jumbo Sea Scallops with Apple Chutney. They were AMAZING! They don't offer a children's menu, so I ordered a side of macaroni & cheese for Reese. I thought it was great, but she didn't like it much. I'm sure it was because it wasn't what she was used to. Their version of mac & cheese was more like what my Meema used to make, a true, homemade, baked macaroni & cheese. It had a crunchy top of melted cheese and it was delicious! We had a hard time keeping the kids quiet while we were eating, and since this was a very nice restaurant, I was a little embarrassed. I must give 100,000 thanks to Raleigh Jo for coming to the rescue with her iPhone. The kids loved that! The restaurant also had a waitress who would sing for tips. She was incredible! She sang "Moon River" to the table next to us, and it was enough to make me want to cry! I loved it!

After leaving The Olde Pink House we walked to the area of Savannah right on the river and explored. The river area of Savannah is old and mystical and beautiful. I would recommend at least one visit sometime in your lifetime. As for myself, I can't wait to go back!

We went back to the hotel after our tour and settled down for the night. David's plane arrived around midnight, so he took the hotel shuttle to get to us. I was thankful because both girls were sleeping. They woke up when he came in, but it was better than dragging them out to go get him or waking up the cousins to come watch them.

All in all, Savannah is definitely a place I would visit again. I would love to go without the kids and explore the romantic side of Savannah with David sometime!

Road Trip Day #11-#14 of 26

After arriving with no problems at Alyssa's house (on the Marine Corp Air Station in Beaufort, SC) at 1am, we crashed into bed an hour or so later so that we wouldn't be totally wiped out the next day. Although her new hubby, Chris, was up and off to work very early, we slept in until about 9:30am and then jumped into bed with Alyssa. When breakfast time came, I realized that my bunch would quickly eat Alyssa and Chris out of house and home. We waited for Chris to come home for lunch and leave again, then we took off and went to the commissary on Parris Island. It's great to be military! We were able to stock up on groceries for only $96! I filled up most of the back of my car! We filled up with gas on post, too, for about $.30 cheaper than civilian prices. It was great! We filled all of her cupboards and the fridge and enjoyed the spoils of our trip for the rest of the time we were there. Reese had a jelly sandwich for breakfast one morning and loved it!


The second day we were there we took the girls out to Hunting Island State Park to go to the beach. It was beautiful! We played there for a few hours and found TONS of sand dollars! They were everywhere! I loved this beach. There was something a little primative and clean about it. It wasn't too crowded and the girls had plenty of room to run around.


On the way home we stopped at a roadside stand and bought a few pounds of fresh shrimp and some purple hull peas. We went home and cooked them up and they were wonderful! It was a great supper. Steaks, shrimp, salad, peas, YUMMY! Afterward we played Phase 10 for a while. Katie LOVED that! Reese was worn out, so she wasn't very interested in playing, which was nice.





We didn't do much more running around that week in Beaufort, but we had a fabulous visit with Alyssa and Chris. I was so excited to see their new place, which was very nice! She was proud to be a new wife and to have such a great place. I sure miss her at home, but it's nice to see her happy and secure.

Road Trip Day #10 of 26

On our tenth day of travel the girls and I left David in Virginia Beach and headed to Fayetteville, North Carolina, to see my godsister and my goddaughter. It took us about five hours to get there, and we had a ball catching up and seeing one another. After Amanda (my godsister) and I got the girls settled down we sat down and watched and entire movie! A grown up movie! We decided to watch "Taken", and needless to say, we ended the evening feeling downright scared of the dangers our daughters face in this big, mean world.

I did get some pictures of the girls playing on Maddie's new swingset. They had a ball!






The next day we ran around and shopped a little, then we took Katie to practice at one of the gyms in town. We have tried to stay on schedule with her gymnastics practices so that she won't be so sore when we get home from vacation and start regular practices again. She got to practice for almost four hours with the Level 4 gym team and loved it! Thanks Sanford Academy for letting my baby girl practice!

After gym practice we hit the road to go see my sister, Alyssa, in Beaufort, South Carolina. We were sad to leave, but we were so anxious to see "Ghee", as Reese calls Alyssa. It took us another five hours to get there, and we arrived at 1am, but we were so glad to see her.