Predators Game

It's Friday of state testing week, and I am pooped. It's a week of half-days, and I only teach one class a day, but for some reason I'm more tired than I've been all year.

That of course didn't stop me from going to a Nashville Predators hockey game this week with a few of my friends (but it did mean that we left by 9:00). Even though I have precisely zero interest in the sport itself, it was a fun weeknight activity and my second professional sports game since I've moved here.

Too tired for words. Pictures will have to do.

Savannah, GA

This post is (as are many) long overdue.

We fell in love with Savannah within five minutes of walking around, all because of this:

And the city didn't disappoint.

The activities in Savannah looked very similar to Charleston - strolling, shopping, eating, drinking, and resting. The only difference was we could do it all with an open container in hand, which, by the sheer novelty of it all, really made Savannah the front runner of the trip.

The weather warmed up and because our hotel was in a prime location, we took Savannah by foot. None of us knew much about the city, but it wasn't hard to figure out after some leisurely strolls along the historic streets. There are over 20 squares placed strategically throughout the city center, with the largest being Forsyth Square. The city was in bloom, with spanish moss hanging lazily off the trees and the green green grass leaving us feeling like it was summer time already.

The weather was a little warmer than Charleston, and we even took a horse-drawn carriage ride with a newlywed couple (awkward for them!) and a young tour guide who probably wished he had a carriage full of elderly people rather than teachers on spring break.

Like Charleston, it was nothing out of the ordinary or exciting that made this trip sucha blast. It was being with good friends and the freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted. After an 8 hour trip back, I felt refreshed and ready to start the last phase of the school year. We decided to travel back on Friday, which gave us the whole weekend to recuperate and get ready for the week ahead. Thinking about Spring Break adventures only makes me excited for what is to come this summer!

Beaufort, SC

Beaufort (bew-fort), South Carolina. Not to be confused with Beaufort (bow-fort), North Carolina. I still can't get the pronunciation right, after countless corrections and studying the phonics in the guide book. A quaint low country town that was a perfect side trip on our way to Savannah. It's nestled along the southern coast of South Carolina, halfway between our two spring break destinations. Something about a tiny town that you can view in its entirety on your iPhone maps - makes you feel cozy and safe. We walked along the historic streets, browsed in the tiny boutiques, and enjoyed the waterfront view and people-watching from the comfort of a porch swing.

We wrapped up our short excursion with a panini at, well, Panini's on the waterfront. A beautiful view, a delicious chicken salad sandwich and a sweet Son of a Peach beer topped off our experience in the cozy town. And now...on to Savannah!

Charleston, Round 2

I had every intention of using my nifty Blogger app to update on our Spring Break adventure, mostly to save me from having to try to sum it all up in one blog post. But alas, we were having too much fun to worry about blogging, so here I am, trying to condense it all meaningfully but concisely.

I'll forgo the play-by-play analysis and hit the highlights.

First, since I don't think I mentioned it before, my travel partners and my closest friends in Nashville. All three are my coworkers, and also part of the Wednesday happy hour crew, which has turned into Friday and Saturday night hang-out crew and Sunday night dinner crew. Ashley has been an incredible friend since before we even officially began working at Liberty. We met up for a movie in the park when I was here in June getting hours in before my trip to Europe, and we have been close ever since. Annie is the 6th grade reading teacher whom I have learned so incredibly much from both as a teacher and as a friend. She is quirky, imaginative, and hilarious. Erin is a first-year corps member and teacher, one of two special education teachers at our school. She works with a small group of our sixth grade students and is also a homeroom teacher in sixth grade. Easily one of the funniest, wittiest people I've ever met - her comedic timing is golden and you cannot help but laugh at almost everything she says (she aspires to write for television one day, and she'd be dern good at it). Now back to the trip.

The weather was chilly but beautiful. I've been to Charleston before, and walking the familiar streets reminded me just how much I love returning to a city I've previously visited. There's something about the sense of comfort and familiarity that is satisfying, and it makes me eager to return to other cities I love (Paris, anyone?). We spent the first night indulging in a delicious southern meal and my new favorite beverage - Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka + lemonade - at Hominy's, a restaurant that had popped up in all of my guide books. Yes, even though we were all equipped with smart phones, nothing beats the consolidated and organized information in a good ol' fashioned book.

Possibly one of my favorite things about this trip was our unspoken agreement that we were on vacation. As much as we were excited to see the sights and explore the cities, we were equally as excited to slow down and relax. This meant sleeping in later and midday naps/chick flicks back at our hotel before venturing out for dinner and drinks. In reflecting on our trip on the car ride home, the four of us all pointed out that we didn't do anything spectacularly different than what we do in Nashville, we just did it (a) during the week, (b) with a few more drinks, and (c) in two new cities. And we had an absolute blast. Moral of the story: who you're with is way more important than where you are going.

A lesiurely walk around the city, a 2:00 pm happy hour with the best margaritas I've ever had at the famous Hyman's Seafood bar, and a late-night drink and twice-baked potato were the highlights of Charleston. See? I told you! Nothing fantastic or over the top. But we still managed to laugh more than I've laughed in ages. Some pictures of the first leg of our trip:

Up next: Beaufort, South Carolina.