One last stroll before headin' home Day 5

On Tuesday morning(8/5) we took our last ferry across the Savannah River into the historical district. Here are some of the things we saw on our way to breakfast.
One of the many barges traveling down the river. City Hall
Rustic cobblestones on River Street. How many pirates do you think walked these streets?
The Chatham Artillery was given this gun by President Washington after his visit to Savannah in 1791.
We ate at Belford's in the City Market area. They had a delicious traditional breakfast buffet which included grits. Here I had my last authentic southern sweet tea. It was not crowded so Jeremy and I were able to talk about our time together on our trip. We talked about where we would go next year - maybe Charleston, San Diego or a return trip to Savannah.
Back to the prettiest airport I have ever seen! I am happy to report that our flight home was very uneventful. We made some wonderful memories in Savannah and can not wait to go back!!

Ocean here we come! Day 4

Monday (8/4) was beach day!! We had breakfast in Savannah at The Express Cafe & Bakery. I had the exact same breakfast I had on Saturday - quiche, fruit and half a cinnamon roll - YUM!!

We made the 45 minute drive to Hilton Head , once there we drove to the Westin for our day at the beach.
I had only been to the ocean one other time (back when I was 18), but it was on a rocky beach off the New Jersey shore. I was hoping for white sandy beaches and that is exactly what I found!!

We spent several hours in blue chairs like these - smelling the sea salt in the air and listening to the waves hitting the shore - it was HEAVEN.

I have always considered myself a mountain girl, but I think I may have changed my mind on this trip. We will now just have to take two trips a year - one to the beach and one to the mountains.

After our perfect day at the beach we drove back to our hotel in Savannah. We showered and headed out for our last night in the historical district. We ate dinner at Riverhouse Seafood - we had to have the Lobster bisque one more time. Then after dinner we walked around and soaked up the charming city of Savannah.

Sleeping in - finding a slower pace Day 3

Gotta love those hotel curtains! We slept in until 11AM on Sunday(8/3) - I am not sure we have done that since our first child was born over 8 years ago. Just awesome!! Once ready for the day we did a little Internet search for lunch before heading out at 1:00pm.

Taking the ferry from our hotel across the Savannah River to River Street.
The view of our hotel as we cross the river. The Westin was beautiful - we enjoyed our stay very much. After a hot sticky day strolling around Savannah, the cold towels and fresh lemonade was a refreshing treat. We definitely recommend this hotel!
View from the ferry of the Talmadge Memorial Bridge that connects Georgia and South Carolina. We thought it was fun to drive over as we do not have anything like this around us here in Texas.
We ate lunch at River House Seafood. This was probably one of our favorite places in Savannah, so much so that we ate dinner there the next night. The Lobster Bisque was the best we have ever eaten! If you are ever in Savannah you must eat there. So good!!
After lunch we went shopping on River Street. I was excited to stop at the Savannah Candy Kitchen because I had seen the owner on Paula Deen's show years ago (told you I loved her - Paula or boys if you read this sorry for the bad review yesterday). At the River street location they were making Pralines and Savannah Taffy in an open kitchen - we enjoyed watching them and of course we had to bring some goodies home with us. We decided to go to Tybee Island in the late afternoon to do some spontaneous exploring. Tybee Island is 18 miles east of Savannah. Interesting fact: In 1736 John Wesley arrived in American through Tybee Island.
The Tybee Lighthouse was built in 1742 (third oldest in America). We got there after it closed so we did not get to go inside or climb to the top (have to do it next time).
In the same area is Fort Screve and the Tybee Museum - we looked at it from the outside as well.
Aah the ocean!! We dipped our toes in for a minute while talking about the next day in Hilton Head on the beach.
For dinner we ate at a place that a local recommended called The Crab Shack. It was very laid back and a little bit of a kooky place (they had baby alligators that you could feed).
We ate the Low Country Boil on the deck overlooking the expansive marsh. I thought the food was good and would like to go back again someday. A great end to a laid back day.

Tourist not a Traveler Day 2

On Saturday (8/2) we got up early to go stand in line to eat at a place I have longed to visit for many years. I have to thank my sweet husband for going along for the ride as his wife unashamedly acted like a tourist. We headed to The Lady & Son's so we could get in line to get priority seating for dinner that evening.
9:15 in the morning - this is our place in line. Again not for reservations but for priority seating.
The line in front of us-can you see The Lady and Son's sign in front of me? We have a ways to go! The line behind us (can you find Jeremy?)...
More than an hour later we finally made it! Our priority seating time - 8:00 PM.
Off to breakfast, we ate at a little place around the corner called The Express Cafe & Bakery. A great little local place with amazing food - we liked it so much we ate there two mornings. This was my first ice cold sweet tea in Savannah (yes for breakfast). I think I had a glass at every meal for the rest of our trip (with the sticky humidity it was a much needed treat!) My favorite food here was the quiche Lorraine with a cup of fruit and ending with half of a cinnamon roll. I am not usually a cinnamon roll fan but theirs was the best I had ever tasted - very moist and yummy.
Jeremy went back to the hotel to get us checked out. I looked (& bought) at the Paula Deen Store lots of fun food, kitchen and entertaining stuff. Next we began our historical stroll down Bull Street (great travel book: Frommer's Savannah - the self guided tour was in chapter 8). I LOVE history so this was a great day for me. Gretchen, we did not go to Juliette Gordon Low's home, but we did see lots of Girl Scouts enjoying their time in Savannah.
Such a pretty church (Independent Presbyterian Church founded in 1755), we could not go inside because they were getting ready for a wedding.
The statue in the background is of General James Oglethorpe. General Oglethorpe landed in Savannah (1733) and was later given a charter by King George II to create a new colony called Georgia (13th Colony). When planning the city of Savannah, he wanted an orderly grid composed of 24 squares. Chippewa is famous for being the square where the"Life is like a box of chocolates..." scene was filmed for the Forrest Gump movie. Interestingly the bench in the movie was actually a prop, it is now on display at the Savannah Visitors Center.
This is Forsyth Park and this fountain is the most photographed fountain in the south.
This is a life sized Chess set in Forsyth Park. We stopped and watched two men play for awhile.
I was obsessed with the Spanish Moss growing in the trees and took so many pictures of it. When I think of the south this is one of the images that always comes to mind.
Our last stop on our historical walk was a tour through the Owens - Thomas House (built in 1819). This was one of the first homes in the United States with indoor bathroom facilities. I enjoyed seeing the interior of this home along with the carriage house and the gardens.
Time for a late lunch before checking into the Westin. We ate at a local place called B&D Burgers (voted best burgers seven years in a row). Their menu was HUGE - great burgers!!

After resting a bit at the Westin, it was time for our highly anticipated meal. We caught the ferry from our hotel to the historical district, then took the short walk to the restaurant and checked in at 7:45 pm (seating at 8:00pm). At 9:30pm we were still waiting to be seated - they finally called our name at 9:45. Our server was very hospitable and made us feel very welcome. I had decided months ago that I was going to eat shrimp 'n grits but at the last minute changed my mind. I should have stayed with my original plan. Jeremy and I both had the southern buffet (below is a picture of a plate from the buffet - not ours).

Our initial review of our meal: S-A-L-T-Y and Y-U-C-K-Y!!! I was very sad because I was so looking forward to eating here. We walked back to the ferry sick from all the salt and a little defeated.

Now that I have had time to reflect on the experience, I no longer categorize the meal as yucky (but I still keep salty in there!). If you still want to go if you ever visit Savannah, I will break our meal down for you and give you links to the recipes.

Famous Paula Deen Fried Chicken - good but tasted like KFC
Black-eyed Peas - delicious!!
Mac and Cheese - lived up to the hype -GOOD!
Hoecakes- light and sweet
Cheese Biscuits - way too buttery
Collared Greens- WAY TOO MUCH SALT
Pot Roast- Inedible due to the amount of salt

It pains me to say I do not recommend the restaurant (I love Paula and her boys - at least what I know of them from TV) from the experience of our visit (from the wasted hours waiting to the price - $17.99 each for the mediocre food). Our next visit to Savannah we will visit Mrs. Wilkes' for southern food. If you go someday to The Lady and Son's let me know what your experience was like. I am holding out hope that it was just an off night for the food!

Heading to Savannah Day 1

How could the picture below almost end our trip to Savannah before it started? Let me tell you...
We got home from our trip to Colorado on Thursday(7/31) and Jeremy and I had to be at the airport on Friday(8/1) at 3:00pm. The morning started out great - we were unpacking and repacking for our trip as well as getting the boys ready to stay with family. Jeremy ran to the store to get groceries for those who would be staying at our house with the boys. While he was gone I put the little boys in the shower and called one of our family members to see if she needed anything for her stint while keeping the boys. I kept listening in on the boys to make sure they were okay while I was on the phone - they sounded fine so I went on packing. I decided that they had enough time to play in the shower, so I went to bathe them. That is when EVERYTHING fell apart.

I walked toward my room and before I reached the door I noticed the carpet was wet. I did not think anything about it because the boys are known to get out of the shower to get a toy at times. Then I entered my room - the carpet going into the bathroom and into my closet were SOPPING WET!!! I could see into the bathroom, there was at least 3 inches of standing water! My mind was spinning and I was so confused - where was all this water coming from?!!? That is when I saw it - the innocent little smiley face ball was in the shower drain (the drain cover was not glued down so the baby removed it and put the ball in it)!! To quote Meredith "Calm was not my immediate response". I am glad to say I did not yell at the boys - it was not their fault that the drain cover was off or that their mother was not watching them closer. But I did freak out and began to cry (which my boys were not prepared for - the oldest tried to console his whimpering mom and the other two just looked at me like I was crazy) - we had to be at the airport in 4 hours - none of us were packed, the house needed to be picked up and we needed to get ready. I was so mad at myself - that this huge mess happened on my watch. Our carpet was ruined in these rooms and we were trying to sell our house!!! (Side note - today 9/26 we took our house off the market - we are going to wait until the market gets better) I had to call Jeremy at the store - before I called I prayed and asked God to prepare Jeremy for what he was about to hear. God answered my prayers because Jeremy was very calm and rational (it may have helped a bit that his wife was a blubbering idiot while talking to him) and he told me he was going to buy a shop vac to suck up the water. The one he bought was not strong enough so he had to go to another store to buy a bigger one plus several fans to help dry the carpet. We were racing against the clock but miraculously (thank you Lord!) were able to get everything done before we had to leave for the airport. Thanks to those who stayed at our house with that wet and smelly carpet and for keeping our boys so we could go on our trip.

Once checked in at the airport we had a chance to calm down a bit and began to get excited again about our trip. The only planes that are available through American Airlines nonstop from DFW to Savannah are little American Eagle planes which in most circumstances would not be a big deal. It was time to board the plane when the flight attendant made an announcement that boarding would be delayed due to a mess that had to be cleaned in the bathroom on the plane. Fun times. Once we took our seats I had to laugh - guess what was directly behind my seat?

Even after they cleaned it the aroma was still very unpleasant. As long as the door was closed I was okay but mercy me if that door opened - I thought I was going to toss my cookies. Well most of our fellow passengers must have drank a gallon of water before the flight because you can not imagine how often that door opened in our 2+ hour flight!! Then the door had a little quirk - every time it was shut all the way it locked on the inside so the poor singular flight attendant on board would have to come with her little tool to unlock the door every few minutes plus attend to her 50 passengers. The flight was very comical but I was happy when it was over.

I was thrilled to be in Savannah, I have always wanted to visit the deep south. I was in such a good mood, even the airport brought me joy - it was the prettiest airport I have ever seen. My first encounters with Savannahians were just as I had imagined, they were so warm and friendly. I was smiling from ear to ear and so thankful for our time together.
Since there was NO WAY I was going to use that funky bathroom on the plane, on the way to baggage I stopped in the bathroom. I was in such a good mood that even the bathroom made me smile. I had never seen an automatic soap dispenser before so I had to take a picture. What Southern Hospitality - rocking chairs while you wait for your ride from the airport!

After getting our rental car we drove to historical Savannah and stayed our first night at the Four Points.
It was a very nice hotel and if we had not been using points for this trip would have stayed there the whole trip. I definitely recommend it! Stay tuned for day 2 - I know you are waiting on pins and needles. ;o)

Colorado Trip Day 5 & Going Home

On our way home Wednesday (7/30) we stopped in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Think of the old wild west and you will have a picture of this little town. Before we went into town we stopped at the Pikes Peak Heritage Center (thanks Leah for the tip).
Taking his own audio tour They had a boat, car and covered wagon to ride. The 3 year old loved them and rode them over and over and over again.
He barley made the cut - the signs said 8 and under. He almost did not fit and it made us laugh so I had to take a picture. As Jeremy, my parents and the 8 year old watched a movie in the theater about the wild west and the gold rush - the little guys and I took pictures and looked for rocks for souvenirs. This picture is of Cripple Creek from the back window of the Heritage Center.
I could share about this
or this
or the free meal for all 7 of us, but I think I will let these little memories stay in the family. ;o)
Instead I think I will focus on the shopping! Dad and Jeremy took the older boys shopping for polished rocks, ice cream and time at the park (to get out some of their energy before the trek back to Texas). Mom and I went to the Christmas store to buy ornaments (I will share when I put the tree up in a couple of months). Mom bought the toddler a new friend that he appropriately named puppy.
The next shop was the Cripple Creek Candy & Variety store. In this store they had enough treats to make Willy Wonka smile (the truffles and fudge were works of art) and they also had fun nostalgic candies that you can not find anymore. The owner was a very friendly and kind gentleman - he and his wife had retired to Cripple Creek and this store was a dream come true for them. Under construction next door was the second dream for this couple - an old fashion soda and burger shoppe. I look forward to taking my kids there someday.


Since our stop in Cripple Creek was on our way home we did not have time to do everything. Here are a couple of things you should do if you visit Cripple Creek (I know we will do them the next time we are there).
Molly Kathleen's Gold Mine Tour
Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad
Lowell Thomas Museum & Panning for Gold/Gems
Cripple Creek Coffee

So with our treasure packed securely in the SUV we said goodbye to the mountains and our time in Colorado. We arrived at my parents around midnight and went straight to bed. Thursday morning (7/31) we followed my parents to my grandparents home and stopped for a few minutes to wish my NanNaw a happy birthday (see birthday tribute here).
With our goodbyes said we continued our journey home to the DFW area. Once home we had less than 24 hours to prepare for our trip to Savannah. Stay tuned for the situation that almost cancelled our getaway to Savannah.