Helen vs. Ellijay

(The purpose of this post is to detail an example of a fun Saturday activity vs. a NOT fun Saturday activity.)

FUN: Activities that are enjoyable or amusing (just in case you aren't aware of the definition).
A few weekends ago, we went to Helen for a day trip. For those not in the know, Helen is a quaint little town, a little over an hour away. It's got some great hiking, cute little shops, and is basically just a fun place. We spent a few hours hiking the Raven Cliff Falls Trail, seeing a few great waterfalls and basically just enjoying the perfect day (temperature wise...it was amazing!). We enjoyed a late lunch at the delicious Nacoochee Grill (you should definitely try this place out!) and headed home, happy and tired from so much fun.
At the start of the hike. One of the waterfalls (I think this is the one Mark waded into, having tons of fun)If you look closely, you can see me at the top! Drive to Helen: $20 for gas
Lunch at Nachootchee Grill: $30
Seeing a legitimate Rent-a-Redneck sign on the drive home: Priceless

NOT fun: aka miserable. Wretchedly unhappy, uneasy, or uncomfortable.
These are all good words to describe our next weekend outing, this time to the Apple Festival in Ellijay. (Notice that I'm not linking over to these sites...I don't want you accidentally stumble upon them and then blame me for the NOT fun time you had there.) Now, I had never heard of this festival until a few weeks earlier. We were at a bridal shower and one of the "games" we played involved writing down date ideas for the couple. Someone mentioned how great the Apple Festival is, so I made a note of it and told Mark we'd be going. Big mistake. Here's a summary of the day: drive 2 hours to Ellijay; sit in traffic (less than 1 mile from the Festival) for 1 hour waiting to park; pay $10 to enter festival; upon arrival, immediately realize that this place is NOT fun and we're ready to head home; buy 2 $5 corndogs; eat them, because we're starving; search for a caramel-covered apple (which you'd think would be easy to find, but you'd be wrong); buy 2 fudge-covered apple, since they were the only ones we could find; head home after spending approximately 25 NOT fun minutes at the festival. So this day was a total bust, but now we know. Beware of Ellijay.
The infamous $5 corndog (and although I look happy, inside I'm thinking "This is NOT fun")

Kangaroos Everywhere

So I have a list "50 Things To Do In Atlanta" on our fridge. And I like to check things off after we've done them. I know, kinda bizarre, but oh well. I love going to museums, zoos, the theatre...basically any kind of touristy place. You've probably gathered that from past posts. Saturday, since I didn't have to work and the weather was amazing, Mark and I decided to hit up #49 from the list...the Kangaroo Conservation Center located in exotic Dawsonville, GA. Who knew such a thing existed?! Apparently, it's the most kangaroos anywhere outside of Australia, and we had a great time seeing all of them! We learned lots of interesting facts: baby kangaroos are only the size of a gummy bear when they're born (the smallest type are only the size of a grain or rice!); Mark is the best boomerang thrower around; and bamboo is an insanely fast grower (see picture below). All in all, a very informative and enjoyable day.Each person in our tour group (there were about 85 of us) got to take a turn throwing a boomerang. I think Mark was a bit nervous, but he got up to the plate and killed it! Seriously, he threw it better than our tour guide.
Yeah...that's fast.
Mark, with a bearded lizard on his shoulder.
This kangaroo was crazy. It was soooo huge and kept growling at us. One of the guides later told us that it meant he was excited, but I think he wanted to kill us!
Getting to pet the kangaroos was awesome, even though we only got to touch the little guys.
I've never posted a video before so hopefully this one will work...we saw some pretty good kanga-fights, but this was the only one recorded.

One Year and Counting: Part 2

Monday, August 13
We said goodbye to Savannah and headed up to Charleston. Ft. Sumter was our first stop. We rode the boat from Patriot's Point and toured around the fort for about an hour. Ft. Sumter. After Ft. Sumter, we checked into our hotel and then went to explore Charleston.
The view from our hotel, Shem Creek Inn.
Walking near the Battery, in downtown Charleston.
Mark thought he'd take a few shots...
A cool pineapple fountain at the Waterfront Park.

Tuesday, August 14
We planned on going to another historic home, and Magnolia Plantation was, thankfully, a million times better than the Thomas Low House we'd visited a few days earlier. If you're ever in the area, I would highly recommend. Don't be swayed by the high prices...it's totally worth it. It's a plantation home is on 500 acres, and was originally built in the 1600s. We spent the first hour or so walking throught the different gardens. We saw a few dolphins, tons of enormous spiders, and a lizard bigger than any I've ever seen before. After the gardens, we went on the tram ride and learned more about the history of the plantation (it was originally 2000 acres!). We saw a few deer and 2 alligators; after the tram we stopped by the petting zoo and then, after a great lunch at the Hominy Grill, went back to the Inn to relax in the AC.

The welcoming sign. The main house.Taking off our our tour through the gardens.I tried to keep us from getting lost.The garden maze, which is a replica of a famous maze in England designed by King Henry VIII.On the tram ride. (Side note: notice the red mark on Mark's neck. While we were walking through the gardens, a vampire moth/fly that nearly ate his head off. Seriously, his neck was bleeding and the mark was there for the next 2-3 days!)Trying to give a little lovin to my favorite animal, at the petting zoo.

Wednesday, August 15

We spent our last day aboard the USS Yorktown. It was probably our favorite activity of the whole vacation, although 3+ hours inside an aircraft carrier with no AC was not super pleasant. The aircraft carrier was really cool; it had 6 separate tours inside the ship and also a museum dedicated to people who have been awarded the Medal of Honor. We also went on a submarine, a destroyer and a Coast Guard ship. Yes, we are dorks and sometimes accidentally dress alike.
Mark was trying to avoid the enemy planes.
USS Yorktown

Careful, or I'll shoot!
On the submarine.
I was on the lookout for pirates.
The destroyer and the Coast Guard ship.
What can I say, Mark said "Act like a helicopter"...

After we had seen all there was to see, it was time to head home. We were lucky to stop in Augusta for dinner with Candice and Michael, and got home before it was too late. All in all, it was a great trip.

One Year and Counting: Part 1

I've always heard people say, "The first year of marriage is the hardest"; if that's the case, Mark and I are in for one easy life together! The first year flew by and to celebrate we were able to take a 6 day trip. Conveniently, I was scheduled to work at a wedding in Savannah on the 11th, so we scheduled the vacation around that. Here are some of the highlights...

Friday, August 10 - We drove down to Savannah (about 4 hours away) bright and early. When we arrived, we headed straight to Tybee Island.

We checked out the Lighthouse and the Battery, but the 120+ temperatures kept us from doing too much of anything else. Hiking down the stairs at the lighthouse...we were literally dripping with sweat.

Mark was on the lookout for enemy ships, at the Battery museum.

We did quickly jump into the ocean, and then we headed to our amazing digs for that night, and the next. We stayed at an amazing mansion in downtown Savannah, with my 2 co-workers and their husbands. That evening the 6 of us went out for tapas and burgers and had an...interesting time.

Our room...nice, right?!

We clean up pretty good!

Saturday, August 11 - We spent the morning exploring the shops on River Street and also checked out a few historical spots around town.

The statue of The Waving Girl. Supposedly, she waved to each ship that came and went for 44 years.

We visited the Thomas Low House (which was seriously overpriced) and The Church of St. John the Apostle (where the wedding would be, later that evening). From 5-midnight, I worked at the wedding...nothing too significant to report (ie no celebrities) but the church was struck by lightening which was pretty crazy.

Sunday, August 12 - Our anniversary! We had a pretty laid back day. Went to a few parks and cemetaries, ate a big lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant and watched The Bourne Ultimatum.

The huge fountain at Forsyth Park.

I was obsessed with the trees in Savannah.

Having dessert with Paula.