The 18th Annual "Host of Christmas Past" is coming!!
More info here
The perfect way to get yourself in the Holiday mood!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Fall Break Trip 2010
*Warning... mega long marathon post!*
First of all, let me say...
"YAY... it's FALL BREAK!!!"
Ok... now on to the post!
Last Sunday, Barry and I sat here trying to decide what to do for fall break. We didn't have a lot of money to spend, but knew that we didn't want to sit around here, either. Our first thought was to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. It looks breath-taking, and would involve one of our favorite family activities... a long road trip! But, as we looked into it, the more we realized it was not something that we could do right now. (Total side bar here... and forgive me for sounding like a commercial... When you have a family the size of ours, it can be difficult to find hotel rooms to accommodate... you either have to get two rooms or you have to lie and sneak all the kids into one room. Fortunatley, though, a few years ago we discovered the Comfort Suites hotels, and for the same price as any other hotel, we can get a room big enough to fit all of us. And they are clean... and they offer an indoor pool and a free breakfast bar!!! Now back to our story... ) We could find hotel rooms at the beginning of the parkway and at the end, but nothing in the middle. We knew that we didn't want to hurry through the trip, and with it being Fall, we didn't want to have to camp in the mountains half-way through. (I am a big baby... I admit it!)
So, what to do?? Barry mentioned heading to Atlanta and visiting the bookstore, and wondered if there was anything in that direction that would be fun to visit. That set my mind to whirling... and my fingers to flying on the computer. I've always wanted to go to Savannah, Georgia, but we have just never taken the time. I presented my idea to the family, and everyone was quickly on-board. We knew we couldn't stay long (only a couple of nights), so we researched all the things we wanted to do, printed out maps, made out packing lists, and waited in anticipation!
We left home on Thursday morning. We decided to head over to Atlanta on mostly back-roads... well, not really back roads, but we avoided the interstate as much as we could. We went to Fort Payne, then to Rome, Ga. Barry took this route with some co-workers a few months ago, and had been wanting to go back with the family. He remembered seeing some cool places to explore, and wanted to take us there to do the exploring (the co-workers were not so much interested in stopping as they were getting to Atlanta). We found the place he wanted to stop... Little River Canyon. It's a beautiful area, which is part of the National Park Service. We got out and walked down to the falls, and we were amazed at the scenery.
Our next stop was in Atlanta. We went to the LDS bookstore (which is no longer called the "Liahona"... it's now named, "This is the Place".) I love walking around the bookstore. I bought myself President Monson's biography, Kayti got a new CTR ring, Barry got himself a CTR bracelet, Kyle and Megan each got a cool poster for their room, and Josh picked out a tote for his scriptures. I wanted to get the new Joseph Smith Papers book for Barry... but it's $100, so that was a no-go.
Next we headed to Savannah!! So excited!!
We got in pretty early in the evening, got settled in our room, ate some dinner, found a Wal-Mart (we are just such exciting people!), then had dessert at Dairy Queen. As we got ready for bed, we planned out the following day... beach in the morning, then city in the afternoon/evening. We had researched several historical sights that looked interesting, and we planned on heading by those if time allowed.
Can I tell you that I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve going to bed Thursday night?! I really had a hard time sleeping, woke up way too early, and had a hard time not making everyone else get up at 6:00 AM! I was nice, though, and let them sleep until 9:00.
Our first stop of the day was Tybee Island. I have always been fascinated with lighthouses, and couldn't wait to see the lighthouse there. I was not disappointed! The lighthouse and grounds were completely charming. We paid for admission into the lighthouse, the buildings on the grounds and the Battery museum next door. I am proud to say that I made it to the top of the lighthouse! Yep, I walked up all 178 steps to the top!!
Now, considering that I am T.E.R.R.I.F.I.E.D. of heights, I'm not really sure why I did this. I guess I got caught up in the excitement of being there, but I took one step outside of the thing, and that was the only step I took while up high and on the outside. I took a few quick pictures, so later I could appreciate the view from up there, then ducked right back inside. Then, as I was having a mild panic attack, I realized (like a total dork!) that I now had to go back down those stairs. All the memories of me falling down the stairs in our apartment came flooding back to my mind... and I had a death grip on that hand rail. :) By the time I got down, I was seriously sick to my stomach. We went into one of the buildings on site and watched a video on the history of the lighthouse, and thankfully sitting in a cool room for a bit helped the ill feelings to pass. Looking back on it now, I can say that I am thankful that I did it... and I'm also thankful that I didn't fall and kill myself on the way back down.
After we went to the lighthouse, we went into the Battery Museum. The boys were too excited for this... they played with a working periscope, saw a large display of old guns, and we were able to go up on top of the building. While we were out on top of the Battery, we could smell something yummy cooking next door at this cute little beachside cafe. Our tummies decided it was lunch time and headed over.
The food was yummy, and the place was pretty cute. The windows were open, and there was a great breeze coming in. Our waiter was awesome, too. We told the kids that they needed to try something new, preferrably seafood. The boys are not huge fans of seafood, but Kyle decided to be daring and have a crab cake sandwich. He took about 3 bites, and could eat no more. We had pity on him and hot him a hot dog... and our waiter didn't charge us for the sandwich. Kyle was thankful, and left happy!
With out tummies full, we headed to the beach!! The kids rolled up jeans, ditched shoes, and ran full-steam ahead! I had to stop and take pictures of the driftwood, the lighthouse, the, the, the... the list is a bit endless, and I won't bore you with all the pictures. Just a few of my favorites of the kids, the waves splashing on the rocks, a cute crab...
I have to admit that I prefer the sand of the Gulf much more than this sand. It was a bit tough on the feet... lots of bits and pieces of broken shells in it, and it was large-grain and brown. The water was really too chilly to be in, so in the end it turned out ok that we didn't plan on swimming in it. But, I am proud to say that I have put my toes in the Atlantic Ocean!
After spending 4 hours at Tybee (we only planned on being there 2), we headed to downtown Savannah! I am so in love with this city! I could move there and be very happy. I could let me daughter move there and be delighted in the fact that I could visit her there! It was just breath-taking. I wish I had a week just to explore the fun shops of downtown. And maybe that wouldn't even be long enough. I plan on going back someday. Don't know when, but this will not be my last trip to Savannah! Here are just a few of the highlights...
The cobblestone streets down by the riverfront
The shops at the riverfront... could easily spend a day just on these!
The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
The Lady and Son's restaurant... this is the back side of the building. (Funny story here... the line of people to get into this place for dinner was incredible. I didn't plan on even trying to go. Instead, we ate dinner at this absolute dive next door, which had some of the best hamburgers and chili fries on the planet! I would love to eat here someday, but it will have to be a girls trip... the hubby would NEVER go for it!)
The Marshall House Hotel... this would be a fun place to stay!
The tree-lined streets
The trees dripping in Spanish Moss
These huge lamps had real flames lighting them... awesome!!
The fountain at Forsyth Park... it was a must on my list.
We parked up near the riverfront, and walked all over the downtown area. This was the last thing on our "must see" list, and the sun was starting to set before we got to it. The lighting is not very good in this picture, but the fountain is beautiful.
We made it back to our hotel room that night totally exhausted, but thrilled! We didn't make it to everyting we wanted to see, and I hated to have to leave the next morning. We all slept pretty well, and got up and got ready to head out. Kyle has been BEGGING us to go eat at a Waffle House. Not sure why, but we decided to indulge him that morning. Of course we told him that if it was gross we all got to punch him! Much to his relief the food was good, and we had the cutest little southern waitress! I tried to get a picture of Kyle in front of the restaurant, but he wouldn't cooperate!
Just to add a little excitement to the trip home, we decided to go to Augusta, Ga, then skip over the river and go into South Carolina. Our GPS is pretty old (well... it runs off of a DVD that is pretty old), and for some reason we could not get the Augusta National Golf Club (where the Masters is played) to display, so we didn't see it. The city is beautiful, though, and we enjoyed the riverfront.
We decided to come back home from Atlanta on the same route we took... through the small towns, avoiding the interstate. So glad we did. The scenery was beautiful, and reminded me why I am glad to live in the South.
I am so glad we took this trip! And we have all decided that this won't be our last trip to Savannah.
Today we are all resting and recouperating... my legs hurt so badly from all the walking we did. We have one more day to rest and relax and sleep in. Not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but I am thankful that we have one more day to play together. So like I said earlier... Yay for Fall Break!!!
First of all, let me say...
"YAY... it's FALL BREAK!!!"
Ok... now on to the post!
Last Sunday, Barry and I sat here trying to decide what to do for fall break. We didn't have a lot of money to spend, but knew that we didn't want to sit around here, either. Our first thought was to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. It looks breath-taking, and would involve one of our favorite family activities... a long road trip! But, as we looked into it, the more we realized it was not something that we could do right now. (Total side bar here... and forgive me for sounding like a commercial... When you have a family the size of ours, it can be difficult to find hotel rooms to accommodate... you either have to get two rooms or you have to lie and sneak all the kids into one room. Fortunatley, though, a few years ago we discovered the Comfort Suites hotels, and for the same price as any other hotel, we can get a room big enough to fit all of us. And they are clean... and they offer an indoor pool and a free breakfast bar!!! Now back to our story... ) We could find hotel rooms at the beginning of the parkway and at the end, but nothing in the middle. We knew that we didn't want to hurry through the trip, and with it being Fall, we didn't want to have to camp in the mountains half-way through. (I am a big baby... I admit it!)
So, what to do?? Barry mentioned heading to Atlanta and visiting the bookstore, and wondered if there was anything in that direction that would be fun to visit. That set my mind to whirling... and my fingers to flying on the computer. I've always wanted to go to Savannah, Georgia, but we have just never taken the time. I presented my idea to the family, and everyone was quickly on-board. We knew we couldn't stay long (only a couple of nights), so we researched all the things we wanted to do, printed out maps, made out packing lists, and waited in anticipation!
We left home on Thursday morning. We decided to head over to Atlanta on mostly back-roads... well, not really back roads, but we avoided the interstate as much as we could. We went to Fort Payne, then to Rome, Ga. Barry took this route with some co-workers a few months ago, and had been wanting to go back with the family. He remembered seeing some cool places to explore, and wanted to take us there to do the exploring (the co-workers were not so much interested in stopping as they were getting to Atlanta). We found the place he wanted to stop... Little River Canyon. It's a beautiful area, which is part of the National Park Service. We got out and walked down to the falls, and we were amazed at the scenery.
Our next stop was in Atlanta. We went to the LDS bookstore (which is no longer called the "Liahona"... it's now named, "This is the Place".) I love walking around the bookstore. I bought myself President Monson's biography, Kayti got a new CTR ring, Barry got himself a CTR bracelet, Kyle and Megan each got a cool poster for their room, and Josh picked out a tote for his scriptures. I wanted to get the new Joseph Smith Papers book for Barry... but it's $100, so that was a no-go.
Next we headed to Savannah!! So excited!!
We got in pretty early in the evening, got settled in our room, ate some dinner, found a Wal-Mart (we are just such exciting people!), then had dessert at Dairy Queen. As we got ready for bed, we planned out the following day... beach in the morning, then city in the afternoon/evening. We had researched several historical sights that looked interesting, and we planned on heading by those if time allowed.
Can I tell you that I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve going to bed Thursday night?! I really had a hard time sleeping, woke up way too early, and had a hard time not making everyone else get up at 6:00 AM! I was nice, though, and let them sleep until 9:00.
Our first stop of the day was Tybee Island. I have always been fascinated with lighthouses, and couldn't wait to see the lighthouse there. I was not disappointed! The lighthouse and grounds were completely charming. We paid for admission into the lighthouse, the buildings on the grounds and the Battery museum next door. I am proud to say that I made it to the top of the lighthouse! Yep, I walked up all 178 steps to the top!!
Now, considering that I am T.E.R.R.I.F.I.E.D. of heights, I'm not really sure why I did this. I guess I got caught up in the excitement of being there, but I took one step outside of the thing, and that was the only step I took while up high and on the outside. I took a few quick pictures, so later I could appreciate the view from up there, then ducked right back inside. Then, as I was having a mild panic attack, I realized (like a total dork!) that I now had to go back down those stairs. All the memories of me falling down the stairs in our apartment came flooding back to my mind... and I had a death grip on that hand rail. :) By the time I got down, I was seriously sick to my stomach. We went into one of the buildings on site and watched a video on the history of the lighthouse, and thankfully sitting in a cool room for a bit helped the ill feelings to pass. Looking back on it now, I can say that I am thankful that I did it... and I'm also thankful that I didn't fall and kill myself on the way back down.
After we went to the lighthouse, we went into the Battery Museum. The boys were too excited for this... they played with a working periscope, saw a large display of old guns, and we were able to go up on top of the building. While we were out on top of the Battery, we could smell something yummy cooking next door at this cute little beachside cafe. Our tummies decided it was lunch time and headed over.
The food was yummy, and the place was pretty cute. The windows were open, and there was a great breeze coming in. Our waiter was awesome, too. We told the kids that they needed to try something new, preferrably seafood. The boys are not huge fans of seafood, but Kyle decided to be daring and have a crab cake sandwich. He took about 3 bites, and could eat no more. We had pity on him and hot him a hot dog... and our waiter didn't charge us for the sandwich. Kyle was thankful, and left happy!
With out tummies full, we headed to the beach!! The kids rolled up jeans, ditched shoes, and ran full-steam ahead! I had to stop and take pictures of the driftwood, the lighthouse, the, the, the... the list is a bit endless, and I won't bore you with all the pictures. Just a few of my favorites of the kids, the waves splashing on the rocks, a cute crab...
I have to admit that I prefer the sand of the Gulf much more than this sand. It was a bit tough on the feet... lots of bits and pieces of broken shells in it, and it was large-grain and brown. The water was really too chilly to be in, so in the end it turned out ok that we didn't plan on swimming in it. But, I am proud to say that I have put my toes in the Atlantic Ocean!
After spending 4 hours at Tybee (we only planned on being there 2), we headed to downtown Savannah! I am so in love with this city! I could move there and be very happy. I could let me daughter move there and be delighted in the fact that I could visit her there! It was just breath-taking. I wish I had a week just to explore the fun shops of downtown. And maybe that wouldn't even be long enough. I plan on going back someday. Don't know when, but this will not be my last trip to Savannah! Here are just a few of the highlights...
The cobblestone streets down by the riverfront
The shops at the riverfront... could easily spend a day just on these!
The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
The Lady and Son's restaurant... this is the back side of the building. (Funny story here... the line of people to get into this place for dinner was incredible. I didn't plan on even trying to go. Instead, we ate dinner at this absolute dive next door, which had some of the best hamburgers and chili fries on the planet! I would love to eat here someday, but it will have to be a girls trip... the hubby would NEVER go for it!)
The Marshall House Hotel... this would be a fun place to stay!
The tree-lined streets
The trees dripping in Spanish Moss
These huge lamps had real flames lighting them... awesome!!
The fountain at Forsyth Park... it was a must on my list.
We parked up near the riverfront, and walked all over the downtown area. This was the last thing on our "must see" list, and the sun was starting to set before we got to it. The lighting is not very good in this picture, but the fountain is beautiful.
We made it back to our hotel room that night totally exhausted, but thrilled! We didn't make it to everyting we wanted to see, and I hated to have to leave the next morning. We all slept pretty well, and got up and got ready to head out. Kyle has been BEGGING us to go eat at a Waffle House. Not sure why, but we decided to indulge him that morning. Of course we told him that if it was gross we all got to punch him! Much to his relief the food was good, and we had the cutest little southern waitress! I tried to get a picture of Kyle in front of the restaurant, but he wouldn't cooperate!
Just to add a little excitement to the trip home, we decided to go to Augusta, Ga, then skip over the river and go into South Carolina. Our GPS is pretty old (well... it runs off of a DVD that is pretty old), and for some reason we could not get the Augusta National Golf Club (where the Masters is played) to display, so we didn't see it. The city is beautiful, though, and we enjoyed the riverfront.
We decided to come back home from Atlanta on the same route we took... through the small towns, avoiding the interstate. So glad we did. The scenery was beautiful, and reminded me why I am glad to live in the South.
I am so glad we took this trip! And we have all decided that this won't be our last trip to Savannah.
Today we are all resting and recouperating... my legs hurt so badly from all the walking we did. We have one more day to rest and relax and sleep in. Not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but I am thankful that we have one more day to play together. So like I said earlier... Yay for Fall Break!!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)