Georgia On My Mind

I don’t know what it is about Savannah, I really don’t. But for some reason when I get there I feel like I’ve gone home. And that’s just really weird since I had never been there until about five years ago. I mean, I’m from the south originally - Virginia - but I’ve lived so many places, it’s hard to imagine any place other than where we are now being home. As newlyweds, we began our married life in South Carolina and later lived in North Carolina. I think combined we lived in the Carolinas maybe 8 years. And we loved those places. But Savannah feels different. It's just....different. After our recent trip there in early March, my husband saw that familiar look in my eyes when we finally reached Savannah after hours and hours of driving. “Do I need to find a job here?” he asked. “Maybe,” I answered.

Even he and our college-aged son seem to feel an affinity for the area. Maybe it’s because I’m so drawn to it (and they therefore hear so much about it), I don’t know. We love where we live. Absolutely love it. This past winter has not made me happy, but otherwise we love Ohio and truly love our adopted hometown of Orrville. There is truly no place like it. It’s a good thing, because I think I’d be ready to head back south if it weren’t for that.

What is it I love so much about Savannah? If you've been to Savannah I think you'll understand a bit of my mentality here. If you haven't, I hope you get to go sometime! Here's just a taste of what you'll see... Now I ask you: what's not to love? ;)

I Got to Wear Sandals!

We had not planned on a spring vacation this year. In fact, we rarely do much outside of home, work and school this time of year. So when we had the opportunity to go in March, it was a true gift. We decided to go then because our son’s summer schedule became pretty structured and full, when he accepted an internship. We were – and are – thrilled about the opportunity, but our August vacation schedule became a thing of the past all of a sudden.

So, we talked about what we should do for a spring break vacation. Since this past winter was especially cold and snowy, we all wanted to go someplace warm. So, we discussed our options. Well, my beloved Savannah, Georgia won out, because it fit all our requirements. Having been there twice before, we knew it met all our wants and needs for our trip. And what were those?

Ken just wanted all of us to be together and spend fun time as a family. Savannah provided that. He surprised me with a week at Paula Deen’s personal beach house (more on that later), where we were able to relax and enjoy fun, unstructured time as a family. It was awesome! (Yes, he IS the best!)

Matthew wanted to be able to walk on the beach and have fun things to do nearby. We actually stayed on Tybee Island, just outside Savannah. Both areas cater to tourists and have tons of fun things to do – both day and night – and we tried lots of new adventures. And yes, we walked on the beach. :)

Me? Well, I just wanted to wear sandals. So, it needed to be some place warm – or at least warmer than it was here at that time of year. I’ve always loved sandals but had no idea how much I had missed them until I wanted to wear them here and the temperatures were still below freezing - not exactly conducive to baring the piggies.

Because I talked about my desire to wear sandals so much before we ever left for vacation, Ken insisted on taking a photo of me wearing sandals while we were gone. So, my friends, I am including the photo of me in sandals - or at least NEAR my old, trusty kickabouts (I love these sandals so much that I have 3 different colors in the same style!). I know I am no foot model, but I can tell you that I was not particular about where we went; I just wanted to wear sandals. Funny what’s important to us, isn’t it? It seems every vacation has some fun memories associated with it. For me, being able to wear sandals ranks right up there this year.