Honeymoon Part 2

On Wednesday we left Charleston for Savannah. The drive wasn't long at all - just about 2 hours. We checked into our 1st hotel, The Marshall House which is Savannah's oldest hotel. We ofcourse got upgraded to a king size room because I dropped we were on our honeymoon. The room was really cool and they left us a sweet congrats note in our room too! It was right in the historic district in the heart of everything. First we walked to the Riverfront which we felt was incredibly touristy and cheesy and we also went to their City Market which was equally touristy. It was a beautiful day though so we were just happy to be outside. We sat in Chippewa Square which is where Forrest Gump was filmed and enjoyed some salt water taffies we grabbed at the market. We came across the founder of the Girl Scouts home which is apparently a really big deal to everyone there. Then we went to Angel's BBQ. It was featured on Man vs. Food for their voodoo sauce challenge. We did not do the challenge, but we enjoyed some bbq. They had a great selection of sauces, but the actual bbq was just alright. Later that day we went on a bike tour. This was my favorite thing we did in Savannah! Our tour guide, Dee was such a funny little guy - we loved it. There were only 4 of us on the tour so it was really personal. He did the off the beaten path version of his tour so we learned all about some of the random Savannah spots - like the tiniest cottage in the historic district and pointed out the historic house that has it's shutters on upside down. It was so beautiful out and so much fun. I'm so glad we did it. Later that night we got dinner at the Olde Pink House which is thought to be haunted (like everywhere else in Savannah) and is great for the traditional Southern experience. We weren't that hungry because we had stopped for a snack after the bike tour so we just shared some appetizers. I believe we had the pulled pork sliders, fried green tomato with a crab cake and maybe a salad?? I remember it being good, but not great. Rob was mad they didn't do anything special for us for our honeymoon, but at the very end they brought out a huge candle and a plate that said, "best wishes" in chocolate sauce and strawberries and cream. It was quite tasty and super sweet! I'm glad we were able to eat at this Savannah staple. The next day we went to Oatland Wildlife Center which is about 20 minutes outside of the city. It was another gorgeous day so we were glad to be spending the day outside. The center is set in woods with walking trails throughout and different exhibits. There really weren't a lot of animals there at all and 2 of the exhibits were closed so we were kind of laughing that we wouldn't end up seeing anything, but we did! We saw a cougar sunbathing, bobcats playing, fox taking naps, owls and bald eagles, some amphibians and deer hanging out. Then we came up to a lake. We looked over the deck railing and noticed that there were a zillion turtles and soon more swam up. It was crazy - we couldn't figure out what they were all doing there. Later we realized that they had food to feed them and they knew that when people came they would get fed! The best part was that we FINALLY saw a gator swimming around! We had wanted to see one at all of our wildlife stops and hadn't had any luck so we were really excited about that! After the Wildlife Center we drove a little bit further to Tybee Island for a dolphin cruise. We didn't really know what to expect, but it was just so sunny and gorgeous out we were just happy to be on the water. So basically they drive you out on the boat, tell you about 2 minutes worth of info on dolphins and the island and then just say "on the left, front of the boat right, center of the boat..." to tell you where there are dolphins and they were seriously EVERYWHERE. It was like where's waldo dolphin edition and so fun. They came up really close and we got to watch some playing together for a long time. Super silly, but definitely enjoyable. Afterwards we grabbed seats on the rooftop deck of the seafood shack next door and had a basket of fried shrimp with fries and hush puppies. I've never had fresher shrimp! Probably because it literally comes from their backyard! We went back to Savannah and drove through the famous Bonaventure Cemetery before checking into our new swanky hotel, The Mansion on Forsyth Park. I became acquainted with the Kessler Hotel Group when I hosted an event at one in Orlando and met the owner. When she told me they had property in Savannah I had to check it out and it turned out to be the swankiest spot in the whole city so we decided to do it up for our honeymoon. It is seriously the most outrageous place I've ever stayed, so so nice! She upgraded us to an executive level so we not only got a giant room, we also got complimentary breakfast and happy hour! So awesome! The room was larger than my studio apartment was and the bathroom was the size of our kitchen. We were so excited! It was in a different side of town so we were able to check out a new area across from the gorgeous Forsyth Park. That night we grabbed dinner at Alligator Soul which is known for their exotic meats. I wasn't impressed with their atmosphere and the server was horrible, but the food was actually good. I had a bacon wrapped steak with mashed potatoes and Rob had gator gumbo. They gave us mini pecan pies with a note saying congrats which was sweet but the pies weren't good. After that we went on a ghost tour. We were really excited for this and it was such a let down! Our tour guide was quite possibly the worst story teller on the planet. I'm assuming he had some sort of social disorder, but I can't be sure. It took him about 45 minutes to tell one story so after 3 of them we were dying and someone asked him how much longer it would be and he said another 90 minutes! The whole tour was supposed to be 90 minutes! So we ducked out when we were close to our hotel. We felt really bad for leaving but so many other people had and I couldn't suffer through anymore of this man's story telling!!! The next day we went to Mrs. Wilkes and waited in line for over an hour for lunch. It was definitely worth it! You walk in and the entire table is covered in southern side dishes and then they bring you endless amounts of fried chicken. I fell in love with lima beans on this trip. The mac and cheese was one of the bests we had too. Afterwards we couldn't move so we laid in the sun to digest before doing some sightseeing. We visited the Owen-Thomas House which is one of the only homes in the historic district with the slave quarters still in tact. Then we went to the Jepson Arts Center and the Telfair Academy which is an art museum in a big mansion. Then we laid out by the hotel's beautiful pool before going out for our final dinner at Local 11 Ten which was right down the street from our hotel. They had a super cool rooftop bar that we had a drink on before going downstairs for dinner. I'm pretty sure we weren't really hungry at all but we pushed through! We split their incredibly baked mac and cheese appetizer and I had the pork chop. I think Rob might have had the bison? It was my favorite meal in Savannah! The next morning we left for the airport and we were so good on time we had time to grab more chicken and waffles in Charleston because we passed it on the way!!! What a treat and what a great way to end the best week ever! Charleston definitely won in my book, but Savannah was really fantastic too. We were so lucky to have the weather we did and all of the special treatment. Truly the best week ever!

Honeymoon Part 1!

Our wonderful honeymoon seems so long ago and I know that I will leave out many details but overall it was delightful and truly the perfect week for us. We flew into Charleston the day after the wedding. Rob managed to get us an upgrade on our car rental by dropping that we were on our honeymoon. We were upgraded to a Toyota Corrolla which I thought was a hilarious upgrade. Rob planned everything we did in Charleston and I planned everything for Savannah. (Rob did a much better job than I did) The first thing I made Rob do was drive to CVS so I could buy fake eyelash remover because those suckers were killing me. Then we checked into our hotel. We stayed at the historic Francis Marion Hotel. It took great effort to remove those eyelashes and in the process I made my lids so swollen - but it felt great to have my regular lashes back. Then we walked around the city with a stop at their City Market which was fun to see before spending some time on the swings at the beautiful water front park. We also spent some time on the rooftop of a hotel enjoying the warm breeze, view of the water and some super delic crab dip and local craft beers. Then we went to dinner at McCrady's with a gift card our friends Val & Chris gave us. We opted for the 4 course meal and we even got an extra course thanks to Rob dropping that we were on our honeymoon. Everything was crazy delicious and it was a nice quiet setting for us. We both agreed that the bonus course of buttered rice with different herbs from their garden was the best part. The next day Rob had a big plan for us. We went and got fried chicken and waffles at the Early Bird Diner - it was incredible. They had this yummie mustard sauce that made it extra delicious. Then we went to the Drayton Plantation for a tour. We had some time to kill before the house tour so we did their marsh walk. We were basically the only people doing it so we got to explore and take lots of fun photos. It was a very cool environment. I loved all the Spanish moss and cypress trees. Then we did the house tour but we got bored so we snuck out early. We wanted to be able to go to Cypress Gardens which was a bit of a drive, but totally worth it. It's the place they filmed the rowboat scene in The Notebook. Does it get more romantic than that?! We took a rowboat ride through their black water swamp which was truly incredible. One of the coolest, most serene and beautiful things we've ever done together. They also had a mini zoo set up and a walking path around the swamp. It was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip! Then even though we weren't hungry, we stopped at Martha Lous for more fried chicken, lima beans & cornbread. I loved the fried chicken and lima beans! The place is a total shack, but well-known for it's tasty food. I'm so glad we were able to go and get some authentic southern cookin. Later on we grabbed a drink at Husk - the #1 restaurant in Charleston right now. They have a very cool bar next door and then we had dinner in the main house. It was a really cool vibe. They only use local ingredients and they have a big board that says where everything came from. Rob got us free sparkling cider when he told them we were on our honeymoon. We started with buffalo pig ears (which gave me a stomach ache, but Rob loved) and I can't really remember what else we ate, but it was good. We were so, so full from all the food though! We walked through a different part of the city to get back and we felt like we had the streets to ourselves. The next day we got massages that Rob had set up for us. My lady wouldn't stop talking about all of her ghost encounters - it was really funny. Rob's lady stayed quiet and thought that his massage was 90 minutes so he got 30 minutes extra! We grabbed lunch at Hominy Grill that day which is apparently a southern cuisine staple down there. They had boiled peanuts and it was my first time trying them. They were super tasty! We chowed down and then we went horseback riding! Rob had arranged for us to have a private tour. It was the most beautiful afternoon and the scenery was incredibly. I felt SO lucky in that moment - riding under the Spanish Moss with the sun shining through on my sweet horse, George. Our guide was so nice and an all around great person. Horseback riding probably ties with our rowboat ride for most amazing experience. When we got back to the city we grabbed a beer flight at a local brewery, grabbed gelato, went for a very long walk along the water and checking out all of the giant houses and rainbow row and the big beautiful parks before grabbing a pre-dinner drink at McCrady's. It was so gorgeous out - so much sunshine but not too hot. Then we went to Cru for dinner where we shared fried goat cheese with honey and nuts - YUM and I had the most amazing cheesy and poblano stuffed chicken. I loved the atmosphere there too. We really really fell in love with Charleston and I was sad to leave. It's a great city and so easy to relax there. I hope we can go back sometime!

Gratitude.

So many people have been posting what they're thankful for every day this month on Facebook. I missed the memo and never started so I'll put all my thankful thoughts here.



Always thankful for:

Privilege. I'm grateful that I am privileged enough to have a warm place to stay and food whenever I want it.

Family. I'm thankful for my loving family members and in-laws that are always supportive and generous.

Work. While so many people are unemployed, I am lucky to have a job that I enjoy and also allows me to live comfortably.

Health. I'm thankful for being generally healthy and able-bodied.

Chicago. I am always thankful that I live in such a great city that has so much to offer, great food, excellent sites and the feeling of home.

Independence. I am grateful and proud that I can live independently without the support of others.

Cheese. 'nough said.

Girl time. I am thankful for quality time spent with best friends. I spent this weekend laughing with different groups of gals and last night sharing crappy beers and girl talk. I'm the luckiest!

Senior Citizens. I love, love, love my senior citizens that I visit at bingo. Especially when they call me Jennifer instead of Jen and give me hard candy.

BFFs. I am blessed with about a dozen amazing bffs. I am so lucky to have met so many wonderful women over the years and to be able to call them close friends. They all contribute to my life in different ways whether it's listening to my daily complaints, dancing on the weekends, joining me for fitness classes, sharing meals, doing crafts, making me laugh - everything I could possibly need!

Husband. I'm always grateful for having such an amazing partner in life. Rob truly lets me be who I want to be and is the most supportive person in my life. We have so much fun together and I love the life we've created as a couple.

Thankful for right now:

Post-wedding fun. Even though the big day has come and gone, we are still getting to relish in the celebration. It's so nice to be done with the planning and just enjoy each other and remember the day. We received our wedding photos from Stoffer Photography and they turned out beautifully. We got asked to be featured on our florist's social media campaign and featured on a wedding blog. We're starting to print photos and make albums, put together out guest book notes, etc. - it's all fun and so special!

Memberships. I received 2 gift memberships last year - 1 to the Brookfield Zoo from my girlfriends and 1 to the Art Institute from Rob. I've been trying to take advantage of both more often before they expire and it's always a nice treat to visit the zoo or check out some Georgia O'Keefe's.

Powersculpt. I'm completely obsessed with Powersculpt Fitness. They helped me get in shape for the wedding and now I'm totally hooked. I can't get a workout like that anywhere else.

Free time. I am so grateful that my life now allows for free time and me time. It hasn't been like that in awhile, but last week I was able to kick back and watch tv on the couch with the foster cat for the entire night. It was amazing.

A clean home. We had a foster cat for 2 weeks that was quite the terror. Even though he had his moments of cuteness, overall - not a fan. Every time we get a cat, we cover all the furniture with sheets and put things they could damage away. After we got rid of this one, we did a serious deep clean and organization and I had forgotten how nice it is to have the house in order. It's such a satisfying, calming feeling and I'm very grateful for that right now!

Wedding Day: Part 2

The ceremony was definitely our favorite part of our entire day. As soon as I started walking down the aisle, I could not stop smiling. I was SO excited and elated that I finally got to marry Rob and I was so happy to be surrounded by all of our loved ones while we made it official. I thought maybe I would cry, but I was so overcome with happiness, I just couldn't stop smiling! Our close family friend, Gloria, officiated the wedding. She did such a beautiful and amazing job and we are so lucky that she was willing to take this journey with us and lead us in our union. Even though she's never done this before, she wrote almost all of the ceremony herself - the only parts we added were our vows, reading and closing Irish blessing. She really blew us away with the beautiful words she wrote for our special day. Cody and Lynn played our ceremony music perfectly and it was great because all of the songs we chose were special to us and so are they! My brother John lit our memory candle in honor of those who could not be with us. Rob's sister, Amy did our reading - I carry your heart by E.E. Cummings. Our parents signed our version of a Jewish Ketubah. It was so special to have our families involved with our very special moment. The vows were the best part of the entire day. We decided to write our own vows and we kept them to ourselves until that moment. I had edited and re-edited my vows many times leading up to the day and felt very happy and content with the finished version. I had no idea what to expect to hear from Rob and I was truly blown away with his beautiful and absolutely perfect vows he wrote for me. I still can't believe how wonderful they were. He definitely made lots of people cry! After the ceremony we ran off for a moment to ourselves which was great. Then it was photo time! We took photos with our immediate families on the patio and then we got all of Rob's cousins and aunts and uncles on the catwalk. I really hope those turned out! There were a lot of us! We got my aunt, uncle, cousins and fam friends outside and then we did a lot of photos just us. Our photographers - Stoffer Photography -again - were awesome! Before we knew it, it was time for dinner! Tara, my bff announced us as husband and wife and we took our seat at our sweetheart table. My dad said a prayer and welcome and then Rob's Grandpa did two Hebrew prayers and ofcourse included some jokes. It was so nice to have them both included. We tried to eat and drink but we were just so excited we weren't even hungry or thirsty. We took the time to visit with family and friends throughout the room. It was so nice to have a few minutes with each table. So many people complimented our playlist which meant the world to us because we had spent HOURS upon HOURS making it perfect. That was my favorite thing to hear, that they loved the music - and the food :) Then it was time for our first dance. We were very nervous about our dance because we usually look very silly dancing together but I think we did great! We danced to This Will Be Our Year by The Zombies - one of our favorites and the lyrics were very fitting. Then I danced with my Dad and Rob with his Mom to God Only Knows by the Beach Boys. Then it was time to party! We started the oldies dance music and people could play ping pong and we were actually ahead of schedule (when does that happen!?) so there was a short wait for the photo booth to open. People were looking at the photo albums and BFF board we put together and typing their guest book notes and it was pretty awesome to step back and see everything come together into a really great celebration. All of our hard work had paid off. Later in the evening I finally got to give Rob his wedding gift! I surprised him with a Klezmar Band to come in and teach us all the Hora and other Jewish dances. My boss, Tracy really made this happen because there were a lot of challenges with execution. It ended up being so amazing and so fun and I am so glad it all worked out. Rob loved it and we had an enormous Hora going and we even went up in chairs (thanks to Shalva and Jamie my Jewish girlfriends!). It was such a great moment. After that we had some funkier fun music and people got really into the photobooth - we loved looking at the copies the next day. Everyone said the night would fly by, but I really felt like we got to soak in every moment together - dance a lot (even an awesome conga line for my 70s fave Love Train), chat with our loved ones, have some private moments, do the photo booth, play ping pong and really enjoy ourselves. We had been telling everyone that we'd only be playing oldies but for the last 30-45 min we added in some awesome 90s-early 2000s jams like MoTown Philly, Return of the Mack, Poison, Hypnotize and more. It was a huge hit and we ended with Fantasy by Mariah and it was great. We loved every minute of it! Then it was time for the after party!! Our friends and family helped us clean up and then Rob and I decided to walk the short distance to the bar just us. It was nice to have that moment just the two of us after our big celebration with everyone. When we arrived to the bar, Fountainhead, I walked in first and everyone clapped and cheered which was awesome but also funny because Rob was still outside. But I will never forget my wonderful greeting! We stayed there for a bit and had some more laughs with friends and family before taking off for our hotel via Uber towncar. Again, another private moment just us that was so nice. We got to Hotel Sax and checked into our awesome room that Ryann and Darcy had decorated beautifully. They're so sweet! I honestly can't begin to express our gratitude for everyone who helped us celebrate our special day. We couldn't have done it or had such a wonderful day without the support. To our friends and family that helped with all the preparations - Stef of Dolce Designs who designed our invites and programs and made us a gorgeous Ketubah, my friends who helped a lot with crafts and sharing ideas and my mom for always keeping an eye out for different things we'd need and to Vanessa who helped the week of by keeping me sane, happy and excited. Jamie and my boss Tracy who really made sure everything ran up to my standards and ran around the whole night making sure I didn't notice if anything was going wrong. To our friends that picked up our flowers, decorated our hotel, helped set everything up, run the show, run the music, held us up in chairs, helped make the surprise happen, chalked our welcome sign, loaned us your child to be our flower girl and ring bearer, helped with the guestbook/announcements/programs and everything else in between - we are beyond grateful and so glad you could be part of our day. To Gloria for doing the most important job of all and our family that was part of our ceremony and to everyone that attended and made it THE BEST DAY EVER! We are so happy :)