Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Vacation Day 3

Welcome back to the sights of Savannah and its surrounding towns as seen through our eyes. Today we left Savannah and traveled over this bridge we've been marveling at the last two days. The thing is a monster, rising above the river and it will be really hard for us to describe but show it in pictures.Our first stop this morning was in Beaufort, South Carolina. Beaufort is one town in Beaufort County connected to other islands by bridges such as the one below. Beaufort was overtaken by the Northern troops in 1861 causing all the locals to flee. What was left behind was taken over by the left behind slaves and Northern troops trying to establish it as a town. It was important because it was a port community where the Northern troops were able to cut off the Southern troops port supplies. As you can imagine, Beaufort is a very historic town. Numerous old homes that survived the war still stand side by side throughout the quaint town. We were able to take a self-guided walking tour and learn more about some of the homes that are pictured below.In addition to the historic homes in the area, there are also historic churches. One, St. Helena's Church, was a marvel to see. During the war, the church was used as a hospital and the large flat gravestones found outside the church were used as operating tables. And a few of the homes we saw on our walking tour: One of the marinas in Beaufort:And our afternoon was spent in Hilton Head, about 30 minutes from Beaufort. We had hoped for a relaxing, warm day on the beach. Unfortunately, it was cloudy with 35 mile per hour winds. Let's just say we had sand in a lot of nooks and crannies (!) Yes, we did lay on the beach for awhile. Deedra was determined and she figured if there were others that could handle it, so could we! We lasted maybe, 40 minutes! Instead, we opted for a walk on the great trail system of Hilton Head and spent a little time at an outlet mall!!!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Savannah, GA Day 2

Hi friends-it's Deedra checking in again. For those of you wondering how the weather has been here, it's not as warm as we'd hoped. The high today was 70 with a breeze. It was comfortable wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt-but no shorts for us. Tomorrow is supposed to be the warmest day at 78 and we plan to enjoy it fully...at the beach! Here are a few highlights of today: We started the morning walking through the largest square in Savannah and caught a lot of beautiful pics of the park and surrounding homes. Here's just a few of my favorites.
We also took time to tour the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. This was quite a beauty.
Sitting right in town is the Colonial Park Cemetery. An interesting fact is that when the Yankee army camped here, they changed several of the numbers on the headstones.
For lunch we ate at the Pirate House. This now restaurant used to be the stopping ground for pirates. Legend is that many got so drunk, they'd be carried down to the banks of the river and put on a ship. They'd wake up the next day not knowing where they were and it would take a year or two to get back to Savannah.
Our hotel: The Inn at Ellis Square.
Midwest kids that we are, we wanted to try some southern seafood. You can imagine the laughs we had cracking crab legs and trying to figure out how to get the meat out and what to eat and what to leave behind on the plate. Let's just say Justin didn't get full so we had to make a second stop at the ice cream shop soon after! We ended our evening in the market area listening to a live band and finished preparing our details for the day tomorrow-a trip to Beaufort, SC and Hilton Head.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Savannah, GA Day 1

We arrived in Savannah this morning around 10:45. We had two fine flights and were happy to officially begin our vacation. First stop: Walmart after we remembered we forgot to grab our sunglasses out of the car back home! So, we ran into Walmart, took a photo, and were on our way to lunch at Sonic where we were then told we have "an accent!" Yes, only day 1! It took us some time to get to our hotel. We quickly found that the traffic in the historic district of Savannah can get congested (there is a little construction going on around our hotel) and there are 24 "squares" throughout the historic district that you have to "drive around". Oh, and lots of one ways-it reminds me of high school driver's ed!
This is a shot (below) of some of that wonderful construction to improve the Ellis Square section of historic Savannah. You'll notice the pool in the lower left-hand corner of the photo-that's our hotel pool. So, during the day, we could take a dip, but we'd be accompanied by some construction workers with their jackhammers nearby!
We took a trolley tour of the historic district this afternoon. One of my favorites was seeing the location that Forrest Gump sat while he was waiting for the bus to go and see Jenny (yes, it's the little things). Justin and I took a walk later tonight and I think this was the spot the tour guide pointed out earlier today. To my disappointment, there isn't a bench there...
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, who early on in his career was a leader of the Georgian religious structure. Because of my Methodist roots, it was a neat aspect for me.

Already today we saw numerous ships and barges heading up and down the riverfront.
It was interesting to see sights such as the one below. This is where the cotton was viewed for its quality to determine the market value of the load before loading the ship.
Back in the day, if people wanted to show their wealth, one of the things they would have displayed on their home was a seal/dolphin (we don't remember which!) on the rain gutters. I'm glad times have changed-I'm not a big fan!
With it being Easter week, some of the churches have wonderful signs of rememberance such as this Baptist Church below.
And finally, a few pictures of the beauty of Savannah that we've seen today.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

March Wedding

Last weekend friends Gina and Jay tied the knot. Gina's sister, Andrea, is one of my close college friends. She and her family were back in town from China for the wedding. We had a great time visiting with them and enjoyed the wedding festivities. Congrats Jay & Gina!

New Home Construction

Justin's parents have been building a new home. Recently, we were back to help with some packing and moving. The big move is this weekend. Good luck family! We wish we could be there to help!

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Sleddin' Fun

Last weekend we enjoyed a beautiful day at D's parents sledding the afternoon away. You might spot a snowmobile in the top picture-that would be my brother coming to the bottom of the hill to pick up weary sledders and take us to the top of the hill. The snow was DEEP! The middle photo is D's mom and niece and the bottom photo is niece Brie after removing her stocking hat...maybe not such a good idea! What a crazy hairdo!

Suit Studying

A few weeks ago, Justin sat for his GMAT exam. He's so glad to have it behind him! Here's a few pics I caught of him studying at the kitchen table-in his suit at that! He's the best looking student I've seen!

Friday, January 25, 2008

Spirit of the Marathon

Last night I was able to relive my marathon running experience with friend, Heather. The movie "Spirit of the Marathon" was being shown nationwide, one night. The movie follows six people as they train for and compete in the Chicago Marathon. The movie was especially neat for Heather and I because we ran the Chicago Marathon in 2003. The pictures and images of the route and excitement of the day brought all the memories back. If you are a runner and ever considered running a marathon, this is an excellent movie to see. They are going to have a repeat showing in February. Check out the website! Once you cross the finish line, your life changes forever!


Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Dear John


I was delighted to receive not one, but two Nicholas Sparks books for Christmas. I started reading the first a few days ago and could not wait to get home after work to pick it back up each evening. Last night, I couldn't put it down. I was up until 11:30PM (very late for me on a work night) and when I finished the book, had uncontrollable sobbing. Justin woke up and said, "Are you okay?" All I could muster was "It was just so sad!" I greatly enjoyed this read, even though it took out my heart, stomped on it and left it on the floor. Check out the description for yourself. Then, go to the library and check out "Dear John."

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Christmas 2007

We enjoyed a great Christmas break with both of our families. We spent a few days in Iowa and a few days in MN. Surprisingly, IA had much more snow this year. The snow picture taken below is in my parents backyard. It was absolutely gorgeous. I felt like a kid again being at home with the big swirling snowstorm outside.

Other favorites of our break included snowshoeing with D's mom in the timber, seeing J's parent's new home (in the process of being built), playing "ImagineIFF" with J's extended family, roasting hot dogs on Christmas Eve over the fireplace, seeing our nieces and nephews excitedly open their gifts and most importantly, celebrating our Lord's birth!

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2008! God bless!