Baltimore Hon!

So it finally happened!  I cannot believe we finally made it work, Sara, Erica, Amanda and I have been planning to get together for a good 5 months or so, the first time I was supposed to go up there, we were expecting a big storm and I ended up staying in town (and of course, it did not snow a bit) and the second time, I got sick and was convinced I would be better for the weekend, but then this happened.  So this trip was literally a long time in the making, but timing worked out perfectly cause we were able to go up Sara's birthday weekend to celebrate with her!

We took some time to catch up and grab dinner on Friday at this Grilled Cheese place (sooo awesome!) then Saturday, Erica came into town and we did a little shopping (which is always the case), we hit up our favorite store, Trohv in Hampden and enjoyed a yummy dinner at a place that had record covers for menus (so cute!)

Throv display

More creative displays--it's meant to be a honeycomb in case you can't tell!

Channeling my inner nerd with a Star Trek record cover menu!

Saturday night we ended up playing loads of Hand and Foot and hanging out with Peanut (who dressed up for the occasion with his tie):

Then Sunday morning, it was time to get on the road, so we had an early lunch and then headed out, but not before snapping a few pictures (I feel as though everyone is gonna hate me for posting these)

Take that back, I doubt that Peanut minds much! 

It was not until it was too late that I realized we never got one of us all, I guess we will have to save that for next time!  I can't believe I have known these girls for almost 13 years now--time sure does fly!  Thanks for an awesome weekend ladies!

Post Vacation Craziness!

Once vacation was over, I did not waste anytime getting back into the swing of things!  We got back Friday evening at like 6:30 or so, and I joined in with the gang for some South-side speedway action!  (Seriously don't knock it til you have tried it, and if you ever want to try it, let me know!)

Me, Emily & Anna (this was her first race and she loved it)

In pure beginner luck, Anna got to see her first wreck only minutes after walking into the gates during the qualifying rounds!  It was a rare treat and Emily and I kept telling her how lucky she was!  No worries, the driver was just fine!

Here are some action shots, racing under the lights at South-side:

Then on Saturday I got to see Ms. Emily graduate from High School!  It was such a cool experience; at her school, they get the parents to present the diplomas (how special)!  Then afterward we all went for a celebratory lunch at Brio!

Saturday afternoon, we owed Ms. Nannie a visit since it had been over a week since we had seen her!  And what a great surprise, Aunt Jean & Sharon stopped in as well, so we snapped a few pictures to have the memories!

Mother/Daughter picture

Grandmother/Granddaughter picture

Then Sunday, i had a breakfast date with Ms. Elaine who was in town for the weekend!  We met at Panera and caught up on the joys of life before she took off for N.C.  Too bad I have no picture to commemorate the event, cause we always take such epic pictures!!  Then, I had church stuff in the morning, followed by the Greek festival with Kathryn, then I managed to find my way to the West End to spent the afternoon with the Beabout's before heading to Youth group!  I could not resist taking a picture of these two cuties (in their matching hokie gear, no less)!

All-in-all, I had quite the full post vacation weekend and I loved every minute of it!  I was feeling the need for some people time after a few days of relaxing and reading with just the Bons and I!

What is your post vacation ritual?  Do you need a vacation from your vacation?  Or are you ready to see people the minute you get home?  Better yet, where is the travel bug taking you this summer?

Vacation Part III

It is funny how this worked out, the first 3 days of vacation get two posts while the last 4 days get only one!  But once we got back to Hilton Head, the rest of the week was spent reading, relaxing, laying by the pool, going to the beach, drinking, and more relaxing!

On Monday afternoon after Allison headed back home (in the rain), Bons and I decided we would hit up the outlets!  Of course when we got there, the sun was starting to come out, which would have made for perfect beach weather, but we were committed at that point, so we shopped til our hearts content!  Then ended the day with Panera bagels for dinner, I am sad to admit that this was the only dinner we ate out all week and it was on PANERA BAGELS (but they are oh so good!)

The bons and I

 We spent a fair amount of time at the beach, but did not venture too far out in the water, since the week or so before we left, I came across this article!  In fact, one day while we were sitting by the waters edge, we saw what was either a shark or dolphin fin, not too far off the coastline, so it might have been a solid decision to avoid going out too far in the water.  Aside from the threat of sharks, the water was still a bit chilly, so it all worked out!

Late Monday night, Andy and his friend Patrick came to stay for a few days (they had been in North Carolina for the weekend before).  Always adding excitement to the mix, they rented a tandem bike for the time they were there!

What a cute picture!

Bike in action!

On Tuesday night, we hit up one of our favorite places to drink on the Island because of their famous BOGO Margaritas!!!  You buy one and get a token to get the 2nd one for free in case you want to come back (but that did not happen with us), so we had a few pre-dinner margs then went home where I cooked up some Mexican for dinner!

Here we are hanging out in the Big Bamboo:

After Andy and Patrick headed home, Bons and I took some time on Thursday after a morning at the pool to head over to Sea Pines where we did some shopping and walking around the cute area there!  Needless to say, we did not buy anything but it was nice to enjoy the beautiful weather and get in a nice walk before heading home on Friday.  All in all, it was a great vacation--I did not even finish one whole book (which is totally out of character for me on vacation), but I got lots of down time, which is always appreciated!

One of my favorite spots on the Island, Frosty Frog!

A great memory to leave you with, as I was throwing trash out Friday morning since we were leaving the Timeshare, I had not one, but two families, approach me to try to give me their excess alcohol, which I did not take since we were headed out ourselves!  But apparently I look like someone who takes booze hand-outs!  (and really on second thought, I totally should have!  Who doesn't love free wine and beer?!?!)

Vacation Part II

After our little jaunt to Fort Sumter, we decided it would be fun to drive around to see some of the architecture before parking to do some walking around and shopping!  In a great attempt to see what is referred to as "Rainbow Row" we drove down by the waterfront and looked at the colorful houses, it was only later that we realized we did not actually see the real "Rainbow Row," we just saw a few colorful houses--which is apparently a thing in Charleston!

Pink House

Coral House

For the record, this is what Rainbow row is supposed to look like (picture taken from the internet)

 Charleston is also home to many many beautiful churches:

And awesomely named streets, here I am with my namesake:

King Street Love

After some shopping and checking out the market, we went to see the pineapple water fountain and to walk by the waterside!  Along the way, I couldn't help but notice just how beautiful everything is in Charleston and how nicely everything is kept up!

Allison & Me at the pineapple fountain (along with some random kid swimming in the backgroun)

The city was so beautiful and it was nice to see some sailboats out for the day when we were there!

I also loved seeing the architecture and the horse drawn carriage rides all over the city!

simply beautiful!

And if you did not see it well enough before, here I am with King Street again!

We had quite the full day on Sunday in Charleston and came back to Allison & Jason's for a nice dinner on the grill and some Netflix before bed!  On Monday morning, Allison and I met up with my friend, Mary, who is currently in Charleston while her husband is in school at the base there.  It was great to catch up with her just a few weeks before her little girl made the arrival into the world!

Mary & me

 After breakfast, Allison and I went back to the Island, ideally for some sun time, but by the time we arrived back, it had started raining, so we grabbed a late lunch with my mom and her friend and hung out before Allison left to go back home.  It was great to get to catch up and to see their new house and I enjoyed every second of it!

Vacation Part I

Since I have all of about 5 committed readers, I thought I should get back to reporting the stories of my (sometimes boring, sometimes exciting) life!  And where better to pick up than vacation?  This is a travel blog after-all!  

Our journey starts the Saturday before Memorial Day, when the Bons and I left Richmond to head for Hilton Head Island for almost a week of fun in the sun!  The plan was for Allison and Jason to pick me up from the Island when we got there and I would head back to Charleston with them for a few days, coming back Monday evening when Andy and his friend got to town (and of course when Allison & Jason had to head back to work).  Follow along in pictures below....

No trip to South Carolina (on 95 anyway) is complete without the obligatory South of the Border pic!  Obviously Padro says Hola!

After getting in the car with Allison & Jason for the "quick" 2.5 hour drive back to Charleston, we caught up and grabbed some dinner and drinks (none for Mrs. Preggers) at a super yummy Mexican restaurant in Charleston, then headed back to their house for a relatively early bedtime!  Sunday we were up early for church, breakfast/lunch, then into the city for some touristy fun!  Allison and Jason gave many options of fun things to do, but me being the nerdy nerd that I am wanted to tour Fort Sumter, so off we went.

I have the best tour guide!

To get to Fort Sumter, you take a 20ish minute boat ride to the monument, we were some of the last people on the boat so we got to sit inside, where the air conditioner literally spilled a gallon of water out, and the carpet smelled of mildew--not a great start!  But I had two tour guides that were mapping out our post Fort Sumter tour time!

Jason & Allison diligently studying the map of Charleston

While they were mapping out our next steps, I was busy reading up on the history of Fort Sumter:

When we were coming up on the fort, we went out on the dock to see it in person and get some pictures!

It was cool to see this part of history!  I enjoyed learning about the battles fought here and to see this piece of our past.

I really only thought this picture was cool cause it looks like that dude is walking on the canon!

We snapped a few pictures and did a brief tour because we wanted to get back on the boat to grab some good seats on the way back!  Here I am with Ms. Allison and her cute pregnant belly!

Best Tour Guides in history!!!

Ummm hello!  This canon is so big, I wanted to get a picture next to it for size.  The best warning from the tour guide was to not put body parts or babies inside the canon because it could be dangerous!  It makes me wonder how many people have stuck their babies inside of the canon--why is this a warning?

We got back on the ship in time to get some bottles of water and great seats on the deck!

We had a great time at Fort Sumter and had even more fun after we finished the tour, so stay tuned for part two and three of vacation posts coming soon....