The summer of many vacations

Two weekends ago, on a Friday, two of our very best friends celebrated their birthdays in Baltimore. Melissa’s birthday and David’s birthday both fall in the month of May so we did our friendly duty and dressed up, ate good food and danced the night away.

Dinner at P.F. Chang’s was just what the doctor ordered. We drank “city champagne” (aka Baltimore city water) and Bud Light then we were off… first stop, Howl at the Moon. If you have never been to a dueling piano bar: SHAME ON YOU. Dueling pianos are my most favorite thing and when the singer broke out into Frozen, Let it go, I was beside myself. Us girls belted it at the top of our lungs and took off for our next mission… bull riding. Melissa, Sam and I took our chances on the mechanical beast and after our P.F. Chang’s and alcohol was good and mixed up we settled it with some wobbling and line dancing. It was a great time.

We came back to work for 3 days to pack up and head to Hilton Head first thing Thursday morning (or Wednesday night, depending on where 4 am falls for you). 9 hours and we had arrived! Just in time for torrential downpour. We sat at the covered beach front bar for a while and decided to conquer the elements. And there is only one thing worth looking like a wet dog for… sushi!

Friday we rented bikes out of Harbour Town and checked out Hilton Head and Sea Pines… we rode bikes along a 10 mile beach, ate ice cream, went to the wharf, golfed, rode through the forest preserve and climbed the light house. All the most dos.

Brian spent his bike ride scoping out alligators, we were all too close to one big boy.

That night we headed further south to Savannah. From Tybee Island, the beach, Wet Willie’s and Sting Ray’s…. to downtowns amazing food at Billy’s Place (seriously, best food ever), and River Street’s river front restaurants and intriguing shops. We really packed in as much in Savannah as we could. We purchased street art on River Street and came thissssssssss close to having our palms read. Brian lucked out of that one thanks to Madam Guinevere not being open on Sundays. Who would have thought… a palm reader who honors the holy day?



Billy's Place Crab Cake

Billy's Place Rib Eye

Brian’s mind was blown by the idea that you would take your drink to go into the streets and then into the next bar if you wanted to.

We spent the trip pointing out all of our favorite things, mine in Savannah and his in Hilton Head… the “where shall we retire” debate will continue but I don’t think I could pick just one part of this trip that was my favorite, it was all much needed and the perfect way to bring in the summer. Though I am sure my husband would have rather not been tie dyed in a freak sunblock incident right before summer, I like to think he wouldn’t change a thing either.

Moments

Since I've last written we've enjoyed 1 Tiki Bar opening, a babysitting date, a home project, 2 bon fires, a date at the race track and a baby sprinkle (and a partridge in a pear tree).

Every year all of St. Mary's finest head out to Solomon's Island to reunite with all of the people from high school they currently avoid, witness an old man dress up as the "King of the Island" and come in on a chariot, and drink the all-too-sweet-will-give-you-a-migraine-mai-tai. This is Tiki Bar opening.

The girls. Tiki 2014

Shout out to the cutie on the left who celebrates her 24th birthday today! We headed over early, around 1 p.m. and were home by 5:30... thanks to my preggo DD, my sister, we were safety first. We made food and all hit the sheets by 10 p.m. - real party animals, I tell ya.

That Sunday my sister attended a wedding with her hubby and I got to steal my Nugget for the day. She watched patiently as Brian and I finished the final touches to our revamped garage steps!

This Saturday Brian and I made use of two VIP passes he won from a golf tournament to Budd's Creek Maryland International Raceway to watch a couple hours of the Ford National. It was a great change of scenery but I can confidently say it won't be a regular hot spot of ours. Mixing with the fact that neither Brian nor I are "car people" after 3 hours we had seen just about all of the Ford Mustangs we could handle. We both agreed we wouldn't mind heading back for a hot-rod show... that's more our speed.

Yesterday I threw a "Sprinkle" for my sister to welcome her son, B2, with just the Grandmas and her closest friends we welcomed the newest Swann with loads of diapers and clothes... just what she needed! 

Brian reinforced Justina and I's old childhood swing which I inscribed and gifted her for Meredith and B2. There were tears of laughter and tears of joy. It was a good day indeed. 

And to top it off I managed to get a picture of all 3 of our nieces together. If Brian and I have anything to do with it these girls will be besties and this picture will be a great story of how they've known each other from birth. So much cuteness... so little time.

Brynn, Danielle, Emily, Justina and Meredith

This post is so full of all the things we are truly blessed with. I try hard to count my blessings everyday, I have a husband who loves me more than I deserve, two amazing families, great friends, a job I enjoy, a roof over my head and food in my belly. My cup is not just full, it is overflowing. But even the most gracious have moments where we forget how lucky we are and take it for granted. When someone you know is effected by a loss of a friend... someone who was a husband, a father, a son... someone who had his whole life ahead of him but who was taken without notice - it makes you sit back and reflect on how short life really is. We only get one. Moments like this remind us of just how lucky we are to have one more moment... one more chance to tell those we love that we do and I don't know about you, but I don't want to let that pass me by.