One Busy Month

Wow! So I have been so bad about blogging here lately. The month of September was supposed to be a laid back month with Caleigh's fall break week happening and everything but instead it turned into a really busy time for us. I had gotten so used to Caleigh being at school during the morning, when fall break got here, by that Tuesday Caleigh had fully reminded me what it was like before she started school. A whole week of round the clock Caleigh and I had to get ready for the following week which was an entire week of vacation off the Georgia coast with Chad and his mom. Packing is something that I really don't like to do for myself much less for my entire family. But I understand that it is a necessary evil in order to travel. Since Chad was working the entire week before we left, I had his packing to do too (unless I wanted him to "pack like a man" and he would toss a few pair of shorts and shirts in a bag along with some underwear and a swimsuit and be done). I couldn't let that happen, so I packed for him too. Caleigh seems to always be the easiest for me to pack for some reason. And her clothes take up the least space. However after all this preparation for packing, Chad informs me that our suitcases have had it. He doesn't think they will last another trip. So, now to shop for some affordable luggage to pack all of the stuff in. After hitting Target, Wal-Mart, JC Penney, and Khols, we finally got the best deal at the second Khols we went to. So, luggage in hand, it was time to pack it all up. The following Sunday morning, Nonnie arrived, we loaded down the back of our little SUV, and strapped the fishing poles and beach chairs to the roofrack, then hit the road. We made it all the way to the Bass Pro Shop before a stop happened. Chad wanted to fish off the pier and surf fish while we were in St Simon's so he needed some different hooks and weights.


This was Caleigh's first trip to a place like that and she sure had some questions about whether the animals in there were real or not. Try explaining to a 3 year old that they used to be real but are not anymore. Awkward! So, we headed to the fish tank where everything was still living. LOL.

Once back on the road, we drove until hunger forced a stop for an early lunch. After refueling, we were bound for the beach! We arrived in St. Simon's Island, Georgia and it was so much more beautiful that I had imagined, so serene and calming. Ocean meeting dunes and splashing against rock beckoned us to return the following morning to bask in all of it's glory.


Unfortunately, the forecast called for thunderstorms and rain showers pretty much the entire week we were going to be there. Fortunatly for us, the weather forecasters were not God and He had other plans for the weather on the days we were there. The skies would light up early in the morning and we would hit the beach. Sandcastles were made, "pools" were dug, and small waves splashed over a tiny body and big ones alike.









There was no real schedule. No deadlines. No tasks that had to be handled if we didn't want to handle them. There were just books to be read, magazines to be purused, and games to be played. We would take in all the sun we could until lunch time and then head back to the beach house for a shower, lunch, and then a nap. After nap each day it was time to head out to shop or browse and decide where to eat at for dinner. After one round of "cranky Chad" we all decided that it would be a good idea to decide where to eat dinner BEFORE we left the house so that we had no more episodes out of him. Seems he gets a bit cranky and impatient when he is hungry. LOL Pizza the first night, Authentic Mexican at Bubba Garcia's the next, pub food at Brogan's after that, seafood at Iguana's, and then some of the best BBQ ever at a little hole in the wall near the beach that was listed as one of Alton Brown's (from Food Network) places to must eat! And we all agreed, he was right! Funny story from that place: We placed our order at a window and when we were all done ordering, the guy asked "What's the name?" Nonnie was the last one to order and so he was still talking to her when he asked. She stumbled over the question and looked at me and asked me what he had said. I said he asked for a name. Somehow, the man heard "Meg" and wrote that name on our ticket. Just FYI, her name is not Meg, nor did she say "Meg". So we walked over to a table and sat down and a few minutes later, "Meg, your order is ready, Meg" was called over the loudspeaker. We all couldn't stop laughing. As I write this, I find it much less funnier than when it happened but every time I think about it, I still laugh.

Some of the best times had by Caleigh were not even at the beach itself. She absolutely loved driving in the golf cart

and feeding bread to her "buddies"- the seven ducks that lived in the pond at our condo. The ducks fought with the 50 or so turtles and tons of fish to eat the bread that she threw out. I think I should have just bought a loaf of bread just for the ducks, turtles, and fish!




She also loved playing the round of putt putt at the lighthouse. 97 over par (for each hole) was her norm. LOL! She did accidently get one hole in one!




We all also enjoyed watching the giant cargo ships head out to sea! The size of these ships were simply astonishing.


After five glorious days of beach, it was time to head back home. But, not before we spent a day in beautiful Savannah. I had never been there and as soon as we arrived, Caleigh was immediately intrigued by the "charlies" aka trollies. We inquired about the trolly tours and I was pleased to find out that there was a 90 minute round trip guided tour of Savannah offered. I couldn't think of a better way to see and hear about some of the city's history than on an open air trolly.




("Meg on the Charlie")



We opted for the ON/OFF pass so we could get off and explore whereever we liked and then catch the next available trolly when we were done. This turned our 90 minute trip into more like a 4 hour trip but it was well worth it. The city is pretty amazing. Lunch/dinner at the "fun family dining" Pirate House turned out to be "oh please don't break the stemware and it is ok to use the cloth to wipe your mouth (this time)" dining. Probably the fanciest place I have ever dined with my darling 3year old. But she was awesome. She was excited to "act like a lady".







After a full day in Savannah we were truly homeward bound. The next day was bithday day for both of my parents and for Nonnie. We doled out presents and then went to a housewarming party for Chad's aunt and uncle who just finished rebuilding their home after it was destroyed by fire last December. Their new place is absolutely gorgeous. The next week is was back to our daily routines of school and work. Caleigh was super glad to be back at school. We did get all of her work from the week that she was going to be absent and did it over fall break so she didn't miss anything, but she did miss getting to see all of her friends. This past weekend has been the start of all of the fall activies. Fall festivals, bbq's, pumpkin patches, cornmazes, fairs, and various other weekend adventures are sure to await us in the month of October. And I thought September was one busy month!