Vacation- Background

I have been dreading to write my vacation blog posts. There are so many things to report. I had contemplated not writing about it at all, due to the overwhelming nature of the task, but I knew I would regret that decision. I have a horrible memory...hor.ri.ble. I seem to forget the details of all things good within weeks...however, I can remember all things bad for YEARS!...but that's a different topic, LOL. Seeming as this trip was (mostly) all things GREAT, I knew I would want to record the memories of our vacation.

Just a little background...

This trip was my mom's gift to me for my 30th birthday. For our 30th birthdays my mom has asked each of her children if they would like her to throw them a party (that's what my sister Anna picked), buy us a memorable tangible gift (my mom has purchased and given my sister Jenni a complete set of the family china that she has been pining after for YEEEEEARS...even though she hasn't turned 30 yet), OR if we would like to go on an all expense paid vacation.

This was an easy decision for me. I had been mentally and financially planning my 30th birthday party for over a year, and there was no need for my mom to jump into the middle of that. And, while I have many prized possessions that I hold dear to my heart, possessions are fleeting...they can be lost, they can be broken, they can be stolen...there wasn't anything I could think of that I really wanted anyway. But a trip!?...that sounded heavenly! Unlike my siblings, Rick and I have not made vacations a priority (I only mean that as a compliment to my siblings) and I have been craaaaaving to escape the ins-and-outs of daily life, jump on a plane, and get out of dodge!

I picked the vacation IMMEDIATELY!

There was a very short time when the question then became, "Who was going on this trip with me?" Would it be a family vacation with the kids, would it just be Rick and I, or would it just be my mom and I? After a very short time I came to the conclusion that I would like to do this vacation with my mom. Rick doesn't really like to travel, and so it made it pretty easy for me to jump at the chance to have this rare opportunity to vacation with just my mom.

The next step was choosing a destination. This was pretty difficult. All of the "normal" places to go where eliminated...I didn't want to leave the kiddos for more than a week, and so anything out of the United States was eliminated (with travel time, it doesn't make sense to go to Europe for just a couple of days)...the last REAL vacation I went on was to New York City, and while I would LOOOOOVE to go back to NY, I felt it was dumb to go back to the only other place I have really vacationed at. Miami, FL was out becuase my mom had recently been there...she would have of course gone back because this trip was a gift to me, but I thought it was silly for her to go somewhere she had already been to when there were other options for us. Chicago, Boston, and Washington DC were out becuase those are places that Rick has talked about wanting to visit...and when he eventually desires to travel, I sure would like to visit those locations with him for the first time.

So, I then came up with a few remaining options...

1. New Orleans, LA

2. Memphis, TN

3. Savannah, GA

At some point along the lines, my mom and I had contemplated extending the invitation to my sisters to join us on the trip...but they would have to pay their own way. I had done some initial research on the 3 locations above, and sent an email to the girls. Even without my sisters committing to taking the trip with us, there was an overwhelming agreement that Savannah would be the best choice. New Orleans is a bit "voodoo crazy"...and other than "Graceland", and unless you are a huge County Music buff, there is not much to do in Memphis.

Savannah offered us girls a "Southern Bell" appeal. The South is rich in Civil War history (I love cool History stuff), there are BEAUTIFUL mansions to tour, we can ride on a River Boat, take carriage rides through the Spanish Moss lined Avenues, eat unspeakably delicious Southern food, this city has an active night life...AAAAAND...Savannah offers the Atlantic Ocean...just 15 minutes away from downtown Savannah, is Tybee Island. This destination was well rounded, and appealing on SO many levels.

I can't remember at what point we selected this location, and I can't remember at what point my sisters officially decided that they would join us...but at some point that DID happen...all of our husbands got the time off of work to stay home to watch all of our kiddos...and we eventually found ourselves standing in front of the fountain at Forsyth Park, in Savannah, Georgia!