Savannah and Tybee

"I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought." - Helen Keller

We have been going to the beach as long as we have lived here in Georgia(11 years). Casey has work meetings almost every year, so we tag along. It is such a treat! There is nowhere I'd rather be(besides visiting family out West) than the beach. I can't even describe the peace and tranquility that comes from a trip to the ocean.

This year his meetings were in Savannah, so we stayed there. Savannah is a beautiful city, rich with history and beautiful scenery. We have been to Savannah many times and still have not seen all it has to offer. Every time we go we tell ourselves we will do more - something different, but we are creatures of habit and end up doing the same thing over and over. Oh well, maybe next time.

We did find a graffiti wall that Kaitlyn wanted to sign, so we tried to position ourselves around the profanities to get a cool picture. We weren't completely successful, but we tried.

They have written, "Before I die..." and you are suppose to finish the sentence. I'm not sure what Kailtyn wrote, but Ryan said he wanted to become a legend:)

One of our favorite places in Savannah is River Street. We have a few favorite stores we like to frequent when we are there, the Candy Kitchen being #1.

I think I ate my weight in pralines this year. I also found my favorite childhood candy - Zotz. I was on a complete sugar high the first night we were there.

The kids found a few candy pieces they wanted to try. They were cute for pictures but not much on taste.

But that's alright, because there are plenty of places to eat and enjoy yummy fresh seafood.

And there is always Tybee...

Cody had fun posing, while Kaitlyn was trying to figure out how to get her feet off the ground. She watched Cody a few times and finally got the hang of it.

It was a beautiful weekend, making us want more.

Until next time...we will dream of the sound of the waves, imagine the scent of the sea, and feel our feet sinking into the soft sand on the shore♥

Sandy Creek

Andy, Janelle, and Seth came for the week and wanted to go to Sandy Creek. Saturday was perfect weather, so we ventured out. It was breezy, overcast and warm. The sun would peek through the clouds every once in awhile, making it just warm enough to swim. The water was freezing, but at-least it wasn't blistering hot and humid.

Ryan was the first to jump in the water...Brrrrrr

There was football

Sandcastle making

A little bit of sand golf

And some OREOs for snacking(I think Seth had 10 or 11)

It was a fun relaxing day at the lake. There is always much therapy to be had with my feet in the sand and a book in my hand♥

Picking Strawberries at Moon Farm

Casey is working with a farmer on a chicken project, who also has a strawberry patch. He brought a bucket of strawberries home Friday after work. They were bigger, brighter, and sweeter than the strawberries we picked last weekend, so we decided we would head out early this morning to pick our 9-10 buckets we needed to make our jam and syrup for the year.



Thankfully, the picking was much faster and the berries were bigger and better. I think Casey won for the biggest berry award.



Cody said he did, but he wouldn't participate with a picture, so he was disqualified...



Oh well, maybe next year Cody.

We also enjoyed some of their delicious strawberry ice-cream while we were there. It was really good! Casey said they make 15 gallons of ice-cream each day.



Thank you Moon Farms for the delicious berries and ice-cream. We're so glad we found you!

Easter Sunday

Andy, Janelle, and Seth came for Easter weekend. We had Easter egg hunts, colored eggs, and took our annual Easter pictures before church. As always, it was fun and went by way too fast!

Strawberries

Each year we look forward to our annual strawberry picking at the farm. However, for the first time in years the strawberries were smaller and not as pretty or sweet. It took us longer than usual to pick just 3 buckets.



Seth was still our very best flagger





And it was still fun.



Ryan won for biggest and prettiest berry of the morning.



Our 3 buckets(instead of our usual 9-10). I was bummed.



I'm not sure if we have just been spoiled in years past or if the early picking season has anything to do with the smaller-less attractive berries, but I will be trying again in a couple of weeks in hopes of finding bigger-prettier-sweeter berries.



We ate some, froze some, made strawberry shortcake, and dipped some in chocolate. We enjoyed what we had and would LOVE to have some more!

Easter Thoughts

One of my very favorite Hymns - Come Thou Fount



On this Easter weekend my heart is full of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the gift of his son. I am thankful for the example of our Savior and that through his atoning sacrifice I know why I am here and where I am going. I know that death is not the end. I know that I will see my sweet brother again. I know I will be reunited with my grandmother. I know that families can be together forever. The plan of salvation is real. Jesus Christ provided a way for all of us to live with him again. I am thankful for this knowledge of truth. It strengthens me and gives me courage daily to endure.

One of my very favorite talks - None Were With Him



Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Color Run

Yesterday we went to Atlanta and ran in the Color Run. It started and ended in Piedmont park, but the race itself was on the streets of Atlanta. We were doused with colored powdery stuff during the 3 mile race. It stuck like paint, and after showering we still have colored stains on various parts of our body. It was also Kaitlyn's birthday weekend, so she had a couple of good friends come and run the race with us. We had a blast!





There were 10,000 runners. At the start they released 1,000 runners at a time every 3-5 minutes. The race started at 9:00am, and our group left at 9:20.



They had chutes set up along the course we would run through, and they would splash color on us. It was hard to breath/see much of anything but color as we ran through the chutes. The purple was the worst. I felt like the colored powder was up to my ankles as I jogged through it.









Ryan wanted in on the color fun



We were all given packets of color, so at the finish line we could open them and toss it into the air creating a mist of color.







Our shoes



Kaitlyn's scar that wouldn't take any color



Our hands



It was a very Colorful and Fun Saturday in the park!