Nashville trip

Last weekend Rick and I had a nice little getaway to Nashville, TN. The main reason for going was for the wedding of my college roommate, Christy. Her wedding was Friday night and we flew in on Thursday to have a little time for some sight-seeing. I visited Nashville one summer while in college but Rick had never been.

We flew out of Richmond Thursday around 1 pm. I have not flown out of Richmond since high school and I was very impressed with the airport. It was super easy to park and make our way through security (no, we were not patted down and did not see anything like that). We had to fly to Newark for our connection to Nashville. It was a little out of the way, but at least we got to see the NYC skyline from the plane!

When we arrived in Nashville we headed to the Enterprise booth to rent our car. In front of us in line was a guy who looked vaguely familiar. I noticed that the staff was going out of their way to serve him, and a young military guy shook his hand and said "I like your movies, Mr. Reilly." It was John C. Reilly! He has been in a couple movies with Will Ferrell, including Talladega Nights. (By the way, he told the military guy that the pleasure was all his, and thanks for his service).

We made it into the city and checked into our hotel. We then headed over to the Opryland Hotel. Rick wasn't too sure why we needed to go to a hotel lobby to walk around, but as soon as we got in he understood! I've seen it before but decorated for Christmas it was spectacular! And to think they just re-opened November 15 from the flood. We ate dinner at the Old Hickory Steakhouse which was fantastic!

Some pictures:

The outdoor, life-sized nativity

In front of the hotel

The water show, to Christmas carols

On Friday morning we were pleased to see Christy's parents and another friend of hers down at breakfast. It was nice to catch up with them a little! We drove downtown and passed by some of the sights (Hard Rock Cafe, the Ryman, Tootsies, etc) and then headed out to Franklin. I had heard the historic downtown there was fun to walk around and explore and it was! So cute! We had lunch at a wonderful little restaurant called Dumplings (guess what we ate?). The food was great and they had this fabulous fruit tea (tea with pineapple, mango, and other fruit juices).

Not far from there is Financial Peace Plaza, where Dave Ramsey records his radio show. We went in and were able to watch him record. During the breaks he came out and we got to meet him! Several people were there to do the "debt free" scream so that was neat to watch and cheer about.

Then it was time to get ready for the main event! Christy's wedding was in a beautiful chapel near the Vanderbilt campus, where she works and her parents are alumni. The reception was in a nearby restaurant and was very nice. Christy's dad gave a great toast (introduced me as the person who kept Christy in line during college, haha!) and he and Christy did a dance that was obviously rehearsed. Christy sang to her new husband which was so sweet. We got a few minutes to chat with her and meet her groom.

the chapel

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Robb

All too soon it was Saturday morning and time to head back home. Our first flight was to Charlotte and we were on the plane with a few Hokies who were headed to the game. Rick was a bit jealous until we landed in Charlotte and it was 39 degrees and pouring rain. We know this because they are doing some renovation at that airport and instead of getting off at a gate we were let off right on the pavement and had to walk in the rain to the terminal. We were late leaving Nashville so we had a quick stop in Charlotte before we headed back to Richmond. A cool thing about that flight--Rick was sitting across from the president of RIR. Guess he had been to Charlotte on NASCAR business.

We got home to a quiet house since the kids were still in Emporia. We grilled some steaks and started to watch the ACC Championship. I made it until just after halftime then slept great and late in my own bed!

It was such a nice trip. Congratulations to Christy and Jim!

Great things about being on vacation without kids....

--sleeping late

--eating a big breakfast and skipping lunch. This would never fly with the kids.

--not having to entertain anyone

--not having to cut up anyone's food

--not having to hear "are we there yet?"

--just sitting by the ocean

--getting to talk to each other without being interrupted

--no crying

--no poopy diapers

--only having to bathe yourself

--no watching Cars or anything on PBS

--reading books written for adults

That being said, we did miss them a whole lot, and were excited to get lots of hugs and kisses when we got back!

Hilton Head

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Vacation Part 4

So much of this is repetitive. Now that we've been here almost a week, we've figured out what we like to do and when! We slept late this morning, and actually just barely caught breakfast before it ended! We went to our massage, which we actually had today! It was very nice. We headed to the covered pool to relax. I finished book #2 and started #3. We swam for awhile.

Later on we got cleaned up and headed out to dinner. We went to the same neck of the woods as last night, to a restaurant called The Skull Creek Boathouse. That place was hopping! It was the first time we have had to wait for a table. For an appetizer we got crab and shrimp fondue, which was different and tasty. I had a pound of broiled shrimp and some hush puppies. The shrimp were perfect. Yum. I ate almost all of them! Rick had some sort of salmon that he enjoyed.

Then it was back to the hotel and out to the beach! We swam for a bit then sat in our chairs with our feet in the water. We read until we couldn't see then just hung out watching the waves. I don't think I mentioned earlier that Nick and Becca sent us a wonderful Edible Arrangement that we've been enjoying each night. We are always too full to eat dessert at the restaurant, so this was great for a late snack.

We have had a great week. I am sad to leave tomorrow, but getting anxious to see the kids.

I am getting ready to put the pictures on Shutterfly. I'll link when I do!

Vacation Part 3

This morning we planned our day around our scheduled couple's massage. We slept in and ate our big breakfast. My ear had been feeling funny so I set out to find a drugstore so I could get some of that swimmer's ear stuff. I finally got it but it is an adventure I don't need to relive. We went out by the pool and just relaxed and read (book #2 for Steph, Sports Illustrated for Rick).

Early in the afternoon we headed in to the Spa. They took us back, we changed into the robe and slippers, and we met in the lounge to wait for our therapists. After a few minutes the manager came out and said one of ours had car trouble and we would have to reschedule. It was a bummer because we were all ready, but then she said our massages would be complimentary! I'm betting they will feel even better tomorrow when they are free!

We headed back to the pool for awhile. We got cleaned up and headed to a different part of the Island for dinner--The Chart House on Skull Creek. It was a nicely decorated restaurant overlooking the Creek(part of the Intercoastal Waterway) and a marina. A couple of boats came in and out while we were there. We shared the calamari, which was delicious. We both had a bowl of she-crab soup, and I had baked shrimp stuffed with crabmeat with risotto. It was fabulous. Rick had a Mahi topped with some sort of peach glaze over mashed potatoes. We both agree it is the best meal we've had.

When we returned to our hotel we headed out to the beach with our chairs and books. I read with my feet in the water until I could no longer see my book! Rick went in the ocean for awhile. We ended our night with a dip in the hot tub and drying off on the deck overlooking the beach.

Vacation Part 2

Monday morning we slept late (which means 8 for me, 9 for Rick). Our hotel package included breakfast, which was awesome. It had a buffet with everything you could ever want for breakfast--including my favorite, omelets!

We headed out to the beach and spent a good amount of time under the umbrella, reading and people watching and just relaxing. Once we got good and hot we headed out to the ocean. It is surprisingly calm and warm! We just hung out enjoying the water for awhile, then came on back to the pool. Rick headed out to ride his bike while I was parked under the covered deck to read. While he was gone I finished book #1 (Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts--book 3 of 4 about women who own a wedding planning business). Once he returned we came back to the room to clean up and head out!

We ventured out to Sea Pines and Harbour Town. We ate at a great restaurant called Topside at the Quarter Deck, which overlooked the marina. While the boats were coming in and out we enjoyed calamari. I got the surf and turf which was a small fillet and 1/2 of a lobster tail stuffed with crab. It was delicious! Rick got some sort of blackened grouper which he really enjoyed too. We had mentioned to our waiter that we were celebrating our 10th anniversary and he brought out a complimentary chocolate lava cake! I did a little shopping at the little stores there, then we enjoyed the sunset on the little beach area there by the marina.

This morning (Tuesday) we were up and at 'em early. We had our breakfast then headed back to Harbour Town to catch our boat to Savannah. The boat ride took about an hour and a half. It was very relaxing and had some interesting sites--included riding right beside a huge container ship and seeing a couple of dolphins. We got off in Savannah and jumped on a trolley for a tour of the historic district. Our guide was very enthusiastic and we saw lots of sites in 90 minutes. I had been there once before doing the Girl Scout tourist thing (the founder of GSA is from Savannah) but I had forgotten most of it. The guide kept pointing out sites mentioned in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. That motivated me to buy the book, which has become book #2. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Shrimp Factory. Rick had shrimp and I had shrimp and crab au gratin. I did a little more shopping while Rick walked around the harbor and took pictures.

We boarded the boat and headed back toward HHI. The captain took a different route on the way back, going on the Intercoastal Waterway instead of the Atlantic. There were more sites to see on the return trip, mostly large, beautiful homes on Defuskee Island.

We stopped at a different area of the island, Shelter Cove Harbour, to eat dinner. This is the location of the Disney resort so there were lots of kids around! We ate dinner at Scott's Fish Market. I had bacon wrapped scallops and she-crab soup. Rick had a seared tuna salad. The food was pretty good, but it wasn't the best meal we've had for sure.

Upon returning to the resort we headed out to the ocean to swim for awhile, then enjoyed the pool and hot tub. We got our books and prepared to read while hanging out on the deck overlooking the water. Instead we met a nice family from Michigan--a husband, wife, and daughter who now lives in Raleigh and works at Duke. We somehow got on the subject of college football. They are Ohio State alumni. We did a little reading out there then headed in. It is now 10:53 pm and I am still up. I must be very well rested!

Vacation Part 1

Rick and I are here in beautiful Hilton Head, SC. We are celebrating our 10th anniversary!

We were to leave Sunday morning at 9, but hit a little setback when Andrew woke up with a fever. I got him to Patient First just as it was opening. Luckily it was the beginning stages of an ear infection, which is treatable and no big deal! Once he had one dose of Tylenol he was fine. We pulled out about 9:30 and headed to Emporia. The kids got dropped off, one at each grandparents' house.

We stopped to eat lunch in Rocky Mount, then continued on the long, LONG journey down 95 South to HHI. We finally arrived about 7PM. We are staying at the Westin, which is very nice. The room is large and has a great view of the ocean. The pool area here is fantastic. There are 3 swimming pools, one totally covered (including part of the deck around it) and a big hot tub. There is a koi pond and a beach bar that serves lunch. All of this is oceanfront. There are lots of shady areas to sit and people watch! Most of the day there is live music.

When we arrived we were starving so we decided to eat at the restaurant here at the resort. It's called Oceans and looks out on the beach. We started with crab and spinach dip which was fabulous. Rick and I both got the seared scallops with peach chutney. Sounds weird but it was delicious! We took a walk down to the beach and couldn't believe how warm the water is. 87 degrees! A storm brought us back inside shortly-and I began reading book #1!

Vacation Part 2

Pictures
http://stephwhittington.shutterfly.com/2848

Vacation Part 1: Where we stayed

We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. It is on 33rd street, 2 blocks down from the big new Hilton/Neptune statue. It was a nice place. We had a suite with a kitchen/living area and separate bedroom. Having a kitchen was wonderful, we could eat lunch in our room instead of going out. There was a nice (included) breakfast with waffles, eggs, biscuits, sausage, muffins, french toast, yogurt, cereals, etc. Abby particularly enjoyed the fruit loops (which I told her to savor while she could, we would not be eating those at home!).

The hotel from the beach.

The "sleeping room" as Abby called it.
There was a floor to ceiling window looking out on the beach!

The living area.

The dining area.

The kitchen.

15th months

Andrew celebrates his 15th "monthaversary" at the beach! More pics to come!