Hilton Head Island, 2011

Ok, this blog is TOTALLY for our memories! I sat down each night on our trip and recorded on here what we did that day. I never wanna forget it! So, feel free to skip this particular blog, b/c it will more than likely bore you to death. I was going to add pictures throughout the whole thing, but I knew it would take too long. Don't say I didn't warn you!!!!
Our vacation officially started around 5:30 on Friday, September 9th. Dennis got home from work a little early, got us all loaded up fairly quickly, and we hit the road. We stopped for a quick dinner-to-go and headed to Kennesaw, GA, where we stopped to spend the night. We always have a good time staying in hotel rooms together. Always an adventure, that's for sure, but we always have lots of laughs and we love being in close quarters together. We got up Saturday morning and headed over to our favorite Cracker Barrel for breakfast. We stopped in Macon at our favorite outlet mall and had a bathroom break and some Dairy Queen. It's so nice over there. We love it. One day, maybe we can even do some shopping! They have the BEST stores!! We were to anxious to shop today though! We wanted to get to HHI!!! So, we headed that way! We only had to stop one more time for a quick potty break, which was unbelievable. Normally, we have to stop about once an hour for someone to go to the bathroom. So, we were pleasantly surprised at how easy the travel was this time! We got to our house and immediately walked down to the beach to see the ocean. I love to see how the kids faces light up when we all take off running down there. They get so excited. We headed back up to the house and as soon as Dennis unpacked the car, I headed to the grocery store. Once I got back, we went over and had dinner at Steamers. YUM! The GA/SC game was on, so it was a bit crazy, but we still had a great, delicious dinner. It's one of our most favorite places to eat here. We had a full moon, so after getting ice cream at the Ice Cream Cone, we headed down to the beach with our flashlights, headlights, glow wands, etc. The moonlight was so bright, it just made a beautiful reflection on the ocean. Just gorgeous. We chased a few crabs around and came on back to the house to call it a night. We were exhausted! Sunday, we got up and ate some breakfast. I then realized that I had not only forgotten ALL of Sawyer's underwear at home, but I also forgot to bring the kids' floaties. They don't technically "need" them anymore, but I always insist they wear them when we go far out in the ocean, for obvious reasons. So, we went to Walmart and luckily found underwear and floaties. LOL
We came back here and went to the beach. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. Not a cloud in the sky. Very calm ocean. Little bit of a breeze. Just perfect. We played and played. We came back to the house and swam in the pool for a little while. I made lunch for everyone and the kids took LONG naps. Sawyer slept for almost 3 and 1/2 hours! Wow! We went to dinner at Marley's Island Grille. Aimee Brown recommended this place to us and it was delicious!!!! I got the sea scallops in a sugar cane sauce and oh me, oh my. It was to DIE FOR!!! We also had Sesame Ahi Tuna and Calamari. Everything was just wonderful. Marley's also has a homemade ice cream shop, so that's where we headed after we ate dinner. We walked around for a while and ran into Harris Teeter to grab a movie from RedBox. We came back here and went down to the beach again. We chased crabs around FOREVER. It was so much fun. It was one of those nights where you want to stay out there forever and just push pause. The kids were having a ball. The Lord has already blessed us with gorgeous days and nights and we've only been here for 2 days.
Monday morning, we got up and headed straight to the beach. Another perfect day. We love the beach here b/c there is NOBODY here! It's almost as if you have your own private beach. The kids can run around anywhere they want to and you don't have to worry about them getting lost or bothering anyone else. Not to mention, the breathtaking beach homes are not a bad backdrop either. It's much better than staring at highrise condos or hotels! Sadie's little foot got stung by a jellyfish, but she really seemed ok. We saw TONS of dolphins swimming in the ocean. It was amazing. They swim so closely to the shore. It is truly unbelievable!!! Sawyer also almost got attacked by a dog, but Dennis took care of that quickly...enough about that...We played a little football on the beach and then headed back to the house for some pool time. We had lunch and swam a little more and then the kids took a nap. I love naptime, b/c it gives Dennis and I some alone time. We just lay out, hang out in the pool, and relax. All by ourselves. Ahhhhhhhhhhh....
Monday night, we went to eat at Salty Dogs, another one of our favorites. I got a drink called the Kiwi Colada. Wow. That was by far the best frozen drink I've ever had. YUM! I got the Margarita Salmon, which unfortunately made me throw up later in the night. So, even though it was delicious at the time, it kept me up half the night while I was sick as a dog! After dinner, we walked all around the docks at Salty Dog. It's so pretty there. We watched the moon rise. It was literally pink as it started to make it's rise. The kids even thought it was the sun, b/c it was so bright pink. It was so pretty watching it rise into a cloudless sky. Just beautiful. We headed to the Ice Cream Cone (again). Sawyer was carrying his ice cream and tripped outside and just ate the sidewalk. He was SCREAMING. The whole place was staring at us. Lovely. Sadie was so sweet to him. She was letting him hold her new dalmation puppy that she had just bought. And, she was hugging him and kissing him. Made my heart just overflow. We came back here and took the kids bubble guns that light up down to the beach. Somehow, our time down there turned into a dance party. The kids were dancing around everywhere and having a ball. No, there was no music. Just daddy saying "Go Sadie, Go Sawyer, etc.". Love it. We came back here and were washing our feet off and we decided to sit on the side of the pool for a minute. Then, I decided to push Sadie into the pool with her clothes on. Then, we decided to push Sawyer in. Then, I went in, and lastly, Dennis jumped in. The kids thought that was the greatest thing ever. Love making memories with them. I hope they remember those times forever! We got them in bed very late!
I was awoke at about 2:00 a.m. to extreme nausea. I threw up for a while! Yuck! Don't really ever wanna look at salmon again. Luckily, I brought tons of medicine, so I took a Zofran and went back to bed.
The kids slept REAL late on Tuesday. Yay! So did we! We went down to the beach and played for a long time. Sadie and I about got taken down by a HUGE wave that was WAY over our heads! It sucked us under and ripped my sunglasses off and ripped my ponytail out! Wow! I was freaking out! Sadie flipped out a little bit, b/c I think it scared her so bad. But, we were fine. Dennis helped the kids build some sandcastles and then we headed up to the pool. After lunch, the kids conked out again and took great naps. We got ready for our beach pictures. Maureen came around 6:00 to take our pics. Then, the kids played in the ocean..in their clothes. Lovely. They were having a ball though, so that's all that mattered. We went and had dinner at the Smokehouse. It was pretty good. We needed a break from seafood for a night, especially after my episode the night before. We went to the Ice Cream Cone and then came on home. We skipped going to the beach, b/c we were just pooped!!!!
We got up Wednesday morning and ate some breakfast and decided to do some shopping. We headed to the outlets and we shopped around for a couple of hours at the new Tanger outlets in HH. We went and had lunch at Fuddruckers. YUM! We came back home and let the kids take naps. Dennis and I spent some time out by the pool. When the kids got up, we headed to Harbour Town. We had a hard time finding a parking space, so the kids and I jumped out and walked around on the pier until Dennis got parked. Then, we headed up the Lighthouse. The kids booked it up those stairs faster than I even thought they could! We were sweating when we got to the top! Goodness!!! The sunset was gorgeous. We came back down and walked down the pier again and saw our very own dolphin show. They were everywhere! It was so neat!! We left there and went and had a late dinner at the Black Marlin, one of our favorites. It was sooooooo yummy!!! I had a Lobster BLT and it was delicious! The kids were so good. It was VERY late and they acted like perfect angels. An elderly couple even stopped as they were leaving to tell us how precious and well behaved the kids were. Made us BEAM with joy!!! We are definitely proud of them. We went to the Ice Cream Cone (where else??) and had some ice cream just as they were closing. We came home and put the kiddos to bed. They have slept like champions this whole trip. They've taken unbelieveable naps every day and have slept all night, every night until pretty late in the morning. It's been wonderful.
Thursday morning we got up and headed straight to the beach. It was so much fun. The waves were pretty big today, so we didn't venture out too far. We played in the sand a lot and played football for a while. It was another gorgeous day. We came back here and swam for a long time in the pool. I fixed us all some lunch and afterwards, we let the kids swim some more. They were having the time of their lives. They were just playing in their own little world. During naptime, Dennis and I layed out and swam and just relaxed. After naps, we went back to the outlets and just went to a few shops. We went and had another LATE dinner at Skull Creek Boathouse, one of our most favorites. We sat outside and it was a gorgeous night. We tried to go by the Ice Cream Cone afterwards, but it was closed. So, we decided to have a cookies/milk picnic on the beach. We packed up our cookies and milk and headed down to the beach. It was so much fun and so memorable. I honestly didn't think I could love my kids anymore than I already do, but this trip has definitely made me realize that I love them more than ever. The memories we have made and the laughter we have shared is completely priceless. The ocean was so peaceful and there was a perfect breeze. That night could not have been more wonderful.
Friday morning, our very last day, we woke up to some cloudy skies and COLD temps! We attempted the beach...but, we had to come to grips with reality...it was just way too cold and windy! So, we headed straight back up to the pool. Luckily, our pool is heated, so the kids jumped right in and had a blast. Last minute, we planned a shark fishing trip, and it got moved to 1:00, so since it was so cold, I left Dennis and the kids playing in the pool, and went to search for some warm clothes for the kids so that they wouldn't freeze on the boat! I ended up at the Salty Dog T-Shirt Factory and got what I needed, then did a quick trip by Food Lion for some snacks and returned home just in time to feed the kids (and hubby) and make everyone take a Zofran! I wanted to be sure nobody, including myself, ended up getting sick on that boat! We headed to Harbour Town and boarded the Integrity. It was sooooooooo much fun. It started a little slow, but then Sadie caught a tiny baby shark. It was precious!!!! Cutest little shark I've ever seen! Then, Dennis reeled in about a 35 pound shark! It was a great boat, b/c it had an air conditioned cabin with satellite TV, bathroom, etc. It was perfect for the kids. Right about the time we were set to come back into the dock, I was able to experience reeling in an almost 100 pound stingray! It was by far the most exhausting, physical, adrenaline rush, thing I've ever done in my life! I was sweating, out of breath, hurting in about every muscle on my body, but I was also having the time of my life. It took me about half an hour to get it all the way in. What a rewarding experience! I want to do it again right now!!! There were definitely a few moments that I thought I was going to have to give up, b/c I couldn't feel my arms and hands, but I pushed through and reeled that sucker in! It ended up being a lot of fun and I'm already looking forward to next year! We came home from that and let the kids take late power naps while we got ready for dinner. We went and closed out our week the same way we started it...at Steamer! YUM! After we ate, we had to meet our photographer back here to pick out our pictures and then we went to the Ice Cream Cone one more time. What a perfect, perfect, perfect vacation week. Every year we say that there's no way it can be better than the last. And, every year, it just keeps getting better.
Saturday morning, we got up and finished packing everything up. Boo. Dennis actually got up very early, as he always does on our last day, and he went to Starbucks and then went to watch the sun rise...only, the sun rose behind all of the clouds, so he didn't get to see it. Bless his heart. He woke me up and asked if I wanted to come. I was OUT, so I declined the offer. Whoops! We packed up and headed out. We stopped to get me some Starbucks and then ran in Publix to get the kids some muffins to eat in the car. We decided to stop for a quick potty break at the Bass Pro Shop in Savannah. We walked around for a little while to stretch our legs and we were trying to decide what to eat for lunch. Somehow, as we were leaving Bass Pro Shop, we decided to check out and see how far Lady and Sons was from where we are. Much to our luck, it was only about 10 minutes away!!! It's been a dream of mine to go eat there, b/c I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Paula Deen! So, we drove down there and put our names in for the 2 hour wait. We went and parked, took the kids by Quiznos to eat a quick bite and then took them down to the Riverwalk. We got to show them where Dennis and I stayed for our 1 year anniversary. (at the Westin) It was so special! We took them in the candy store on Riverwalk and let them pick out some candy. Then, after walking around a little more and checking out Paula's store, it was time for us to eat. We were starving!!!! It was sooooooooooooo worth the wait! Most. Delicious. Food. Ever. And, that's saying a lot, considering we had just come off of a full week of delicious seafood! Dennis got the buffet which consisted of meatloaf, fried chicken, mashed taters, lima beans, black eyed peas, creamed corn, mac and cheese, collard greens, green beans, and candied yams. Whoa! I ordered the meatloaf sandwich, which was served on pumpernickle bread with a mushroom mayonnaise. It was to die for! Then, the best part...they gave us samples of ALL desserts! Warm peach cobbler, homemade banana pudding, and Paula's famous chocolate gooey butter cake. Be still my heart. Then, because Dennis is Dennis, he ALSO ordered a HUGE piece of Key Lime Pie, which looked unbelievable. And, yes, he finished it ALL! It was just absolutely delicious. No other words. So worth it. And, the best part was that our bill was only $39! I cannot believe food that is THAT good is served at a famous restaurant at such great prices!!!!! We left there and headed to Atlanta. We got to North Point Mall just in time to run in American Girl and buy Rebecca a few hair accessories. LOL We walked around the empty mall (b/c it was closing) for a few minutes to burn a little more energy and then grabbed a VERY LATE dinner at Fuddruckers. Hey, why not??? We made it to our hotel around 10:30. It ended up being a great day. Especially b/c we started the day not knowing what our plans were!!!!
Sunday morning, we all slept LATE!!!!! Woo Hoo!!! We had 2 fans going in our room, the air turned to FRIGID, and I had made sure that sun couldn't get through one spot in that room. It worked! We got ready and went to have breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Then, we headed back over to North Point Mall to do some more shopping. Basically, we were looking for every reason to prolong our trip back home. We ended up staying at the mall all day. We took the kids to Build a Bear and let them totally pick out a stuffed animal to take to Alba at the airport next week. It was very sweet. We hope she likes it!!!! We also took Sadie to get her ears pierced. Aaaaggggghhhhh! At first, she chickened out, b/c a baby was screaming in front of her after getting her ears pierced. So, we left and let them ride the merry go round, and then she said she wanted to go back. So, she did it. She was so nervous. It was breaking my heart. But, she did it. My sweet, brave girl did it! Now, she definitely cried. Which broke my heart even more. But, only for a minute. I think the "stick" shocked her more than it hurt. She looks so unbelievably grown up now. Boo. But, I love it! She looks like a precious little lady. We got treats for her. Ice cream, cupcakes, cookies, etc. She deserved it all!! We headed back home. Again...BOO! None of us were ready. I went into a major post-vacation depression pretty quickly. We literally had the time of our lives this year. It is a trip I will never, ever forget. God blessed us in so many ways that whole week. He blessed us with memories, laughter, perfect weather, content children, simplicity, good food, pretty sunsets, pretty moons, etc. The list could go on and on and on. We are so blessed. I'm already counting down the days until we go next year!!!!