My Great Escape Part 1

So last year when my Mom got invited to present a paper at a conference in Savannah and she invited me to tag along, I knew that I wanted to go. We lived in Savannah for 4 years and it holds a special place in my heart as we loved the people, the culture, and the beauty of the place.

However, one obstacle barred my way--flying! I really hate to fly. I can't express enough how much I hate it. I can do it, but I'll dread it for a month before and have all kinds of anxiety over it. The morning of I was fairly queasy, but I took some medicine and felt a little better. I was ready to board this evil piece of machinery:

Several hours later with two uneventful flights, we arrived in the quaint and cozy Savannah airport. (It happens to be one of my favorite places because of how often we would pick up my husband from work things.)

During my stay in Savannah, I took the opportunity to check out my old digs. I saw that our little house is in need of a paint job (so glad that won't fall to us). I passed the Walmart I often used for grocery shopping. I passed the elementary and junior high where my kids attended school for four years. It just felt like coming home; although, I was surprised to see how quickly I had forgotten street names and directions. Thankfully, I'm familiar enough with the main roads that getting around was no big deal.

After a good night's rest, Mom and I headed out for some retail therapy. We hit the Hilton Head outlet mall. It's a cool place as it has two parts and you have to drive to get to the second part. Mom didn't have much luck, but I scored and found several cute tops something I haven't done in a while.

Then I was determined to reach the Hilton Head beach. In all the years of living in Savannah, we never made it out to Hilton Head for the beach. Too busy I suppose. It was all that I hoped it would be. I want to bring the kids back for a stay for sure. It was overcast and perfectly, lovely beach weather.

The next day it was pouring rain so we hit the malls and visited with some friends. Savannah rains almost daily. You can count on an afternoon rainstorm that quickly clears out almost every day. No wonder it's so green there. By the end of day 2, I was exhausted. All that flying and worry caught up with me, and I was pretty worn out. But I was already starting to feel more relaxed and happy to be in a place that I love.

Day three we stayed in downtown Savannah so Mom could be closer to the place where she would present. I definitely recommend this. Savannah is a great walk around town. Having lived there four years I discovered things I had never seen before.

I walked around the squares, did some shopping on River Street, and had just generally explored--something I was never able to do before. I just feel happy in Savannah.

I'll continue with the rest of our adventure in Part 2.