Savannah, Georgia

About Friday afternoon on the 21st of May, Hillary and I were devising plans on how I could get to Savannah, Georgia for her graduation. By the 25th, I was packed up, and ready to go! My plane left at midnight, and I landed in Savannah at 11:00 the next morning. Oh, how wonderful it was to be back (closer) to home in the heat and humidity! I miss the south!! After landing, our first, and most important thing on our agenda was the beach. It has been five long years since my toes have touch eastern sand. Savannah is about 20 minutes from Tybee Beach, which coincidently, is where the movie "Last Song" was filmed. 

After our adventures on the shore we headed inland for my tour around downtown Savannah.  It is filled with so much history, beautiful old buildings and lovely parks every mile.  Savannah was built on a "square" system, meaning every street runs into a "square" park in the middle, and the roads are treated as a giant round-about. Each square has sculptures for viewing and park benches to relax on.  Downtown is full of shops of all kinds, and some of the most amazing food ever! Hillary had class on Thursday morning, so I took that time to explore everywhere my legs could carry me. It was a lot of walking, but well worth it! One of the things I miss most about the South are Boiled Peanuts! I found the first street vendor that sold them and sat in what is now my favorite of the squares, and enjoyed my peanuts and lemonade on a beautiful Thursday afternoon.

(Pictures coming soon)

Aside from it's history, Savannah has lots of night-life going on. We went out with some of Hillary's friends, who were also graduating and had a blast! At one of the bars, it was Karaoke night. Now, I have heard about this alleged "Spoon Man" and all his glory, but he really is something that needs to be experienced first hand.  A man, roughly in his thirties, probably still living with his mom, claims his 15 minutes of fame every Thursday night by showing up in his color coordinating pajama's and air-guitars with a giant cooking spoon.  He can actually sing rather well, but it's hard to take anyone serious when they are using kitchen utensils as their accompaniment. Pretty dang funny.

 

On Friday, after her graduation practice, we set up for her Gallery, which is where all the students get to show off their hard work for their families.  Hill's mom, dad, and little brother Peter met us at the gallery later that afternoon. I missed them so much! They are literally my second family, and going that long without seeing them was hard. I won't lie; I cried. :) Later that night, there was a concert on the park. G-Love and the Special Sauce performed with two other bands, that we went to with her family.

The next morning was Hillary's big day. What she had been working so hard on for four long years was finally here.  The ceremony was motivating for all.  I am so proud of her!

After the formalities were complete, we went back to Hillary's parents hotel and hung out until dinner time.  Since Hill wasn't feeling well, Peter, mom, and I walked down to River Street, which is my new favorite place in Savannah. It's right on the water, and has tons of fun shops and vendors along the whole way. The roads are all cobble stone, and the sidewalks are brick. Every building is old and very historical as well. Aside from the wide variety of shopping, they have a GIANT candy store, with everything you could possibly imagine. You honestly feel like a little kid again from the moment you walk inside.  This is where I found some of the childhood candies Brent used to eat to bring back home to him; along with his Southern Cookbook, "CLARK" photographs, and other knick-knacks. My trip was a blast, I am so glad I was able to be there for her graduation...it meant a lot to the both of us.  Though it is good to be home and back in the arms of my husband-to-be-in-eleven-days, I can't wait to take him back there to visit!

(Pictures coming soon)

Now that I am home, life quickly went back to normal, except I'm not allowed out of Brent, Zip, or Tank's eyesight for even a second. How great it is to be loved by them!! Wedding plans are going great. I had my final fitting and picked up my dress on my way home for the airport, and everything turned out beautiful! I can't wait to wear it on the big day.  

On a side note, I think every couple has the same debate: what to watch on TV. Well, for anyone in the same boat as I am, I have found a great solution. There is a show on WE (Women's Entertainment) called "Bridezillas". It's about crazy CRAZY ladies and their wedding planning. Now, I know it doesn't sound like something a man would want to watch, but I'm serious when I say it is literally like watching "Cops" and a bridal show at the same time; high-speed chases and all.