Vacation is fun until it is over

We are just getting back into our normal routine after Kris' 10 day vacation. We had so much planned originally but due to some reoccurring medical issues (That darn shoulder), we had to make a few changes to our plans. We had originally wanted to drive as far north until we could no longer see our breath or Canada. After a night in St. John's New Brunswick, we would have head back stateside and hit the whole New England area in just 8 days. Canada and six states in 10 days. It was going to be one heck of a trip. But we had to settle for three days in Savannah, Ga near the end of the whole vacation instead.
It was not a long drive from here to Savannah. It was just a mere 7 hours which is not bad when you think we drove about 12 hours to New Orleans last October. Most of the 7 hours was just getting out of Florida. Once we crossed the Florida-Georgia border it was only about 2 hours to Savannah. We actually survived the trip up in the car without killing each other. Thank God for the music on our cell phones and the CDs from Ryan and Afra. They kept us well entertained. It was already late afternoon when we arrived so we just set up camp (at the hotel) and rested. We had every flyer, map, and magazine necessary to plan our day in Georgia.We had only one full day in Savannah and we wanted to get in as much sightseeing as we could.

Kris looks at the map of historical Savannah and plans our day

Friday was our first and only full day in Savannah and we had lots planned. We had so much to do and only 24 hours to do it all. Kris being the very methodical vacation planner I knew we had much crammed into the day. The day at 6AM which is VERY early for both of us. Strange how when we are on vacation we always end up getting up much earlier than we normally do when we are not on vacation.

We had intentions of starting the day off with Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist but when we got there the doors were all locked. We headed back to our hotel room to enjoy the free breakfast. The day already seemed to get off on a not so great start. After breakfast we decided to head to Tybee Island and see the lighthouse. I am not too fond of heights but Kris seems to find tall places a pure delight. I could not deny him the enjoyment so we headed off on a 30 minute drive over to Tybee to see the tallest lighthouse in Georgia. I agreed that if we had to both pay admission to just see the lighthouse then I might as well climb however many steps to get to the very top. This always seems to be the case when we visit lighthouses or any other such tall building.

We started with a short drive around Tybee Island just to get a view of the beach. It was well past sunrise but the views were still just as breathtaking. We eventually made it to the lighthouse and I certainly was not looking forward to the climb. It was a 178 step climb to the very top of the lighthouse. I have no problems walking up the stairs to get there except for tired legs but once at the top I find looking over the ledge (especially down) very nerve wrecking. Kris seems to enjoy walking around the whole lighthouse and getting pictures of the view from above. After a while I eventually make it outside onto the ledge. I can look out and across but I can never seem to take a look down. The ledge at the Tybee Lighthouse seemed rather shaky at points and a bit more nerve wrecking than usual. I made it all the way around to see the view but after a very slow once around it was time to head down to the ground which is always more my level.

The Tybee Island Lighthouse

At the top of the Tybee Lighthouse

A sign of our accomplishment

Kris showing off his accomplishment

It was nice to spend sometime at Tybee checking out the scenery and the views from the top of the lighthouse. I am sure one of Kris' favorite parts of our whole vacation. Back in Savannah we finally made it to Mass at the Cathedral. But it did not seem like much of a Mass. It was hurried and quick. I guess it was more like a prayer service since no priests were available for Mass. It was still nice to go inside and see the beauty and splendor inside the Cathedral.

The inside of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Savannah, Ga.

The rest of the day seemed to go by pretty fast. We got tickets to ride on the trolley and toured around the historical district of Savannah. It was so beautiful -- the old homes, the old buildings, and the history. It was a nice way to see all the sights without having to walk them. Our legs were still tired from the long climb to the top of the lighthouse.

After riding around on the tolley, we decided to have lunch at Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons restaurant. My sister had recommended we eat have the buffet there. We made it just in time to enjoy a lunch buffet. And it could not have been better timing. They were just getting ready to close to get ready for the dinner buffet. I am not sure either one of us could have made it until dinner time. The buffet was grand. There was fried chicken, baked chicken, fried fish, jumbalaya, pulled pork, collard greens, black eyed peas, green beans, etc, etc, etc. If it was classic Southern, it was there. So delicious. And the best sweet tea I have ever had with a hint mint. And it even included three desserts we could choose from - banna pudding, peach cobbler, and a gooey butter cake. I chose the banana pudding and Kris chose the butter cake. We had to take them to go.   We barely had room for a second plate at the buffet. We came home with a few nice souvenirs for family and ourselves from Paula Deen's gift shop next door. It was nearly 4:30 when we finished at Paula Deen's restaurant. We did not have much time to catch the trolley to where we parked the car so Kris decided that a walk in the dead of afternoon might help us to walk off some of the calories we put on at lunch. I am not sure it helped but we made it back to the car and hotel. We rested well (as well as you can being away from home) that night for sure.

Riding around historical Savannah on the trolley

On Saturday morning Kris decided to wake up at dawn to make a drive out to Tybee Island to see the sunrise. Living here on the west coast of Florida, we do not get to see many sunrises. Even though I though it was a wee bit early to wake up while on vacation, I decided to join my dear husband out on the beach at Tybee Island to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic. What an amazing sight it was to see!!! The sky was just clear enough to see the sun make its way over the horizon. The beautiful orange glow over the water was just breathtaking. It was so calm and peaceful despite the waves coming in from Hurricane Igor out over Bermuda. I could not imagine a better place to be than in the arms of my love as we watched the sunrise.

The (still) newlyweds after the sunrise on Tybee Island

Marriage not only looks good...

...but it feels great, too!

Shoes in the sand

The sunrise on Tybee Island. The End.

We are home from our vacation and we both are struggling a bit to get back into our marital routine at home. Kris has returned to his job at the newspaper and I am slowly getting back into the housework that needs to be done. Vacation sure was a lot of fun. But now it is time to get back to reality and the work that has to be done.