Our Friends Visit From Vegas! Part 2 {Good Times in Savannah!!}

Our travels to Savannah toook place mid-week, on a Wednesday. Visiting this tranqual city on a non-weekend day almost makes it all your own. We had planned to leave Atlanta after feeding the girls breakfast but then last minute packing pushed our time back a few hours. Thankfully Ilah fell asleep after breakfast and I was able to finish our packing while she napped. After we got the girls dressed, we got dressed ourselves, and then we packed up the car, made sure that snacks and toys were handy and headed out for our little road trip! While still in the driveaway, in the car, Vanessa and I pretty much turned to eachother at the same time and asked if the other one was hungry! You know how it goes - you tend to your babies needs {feeding them, changing them, occupying them} and then you end up tending to one thing after the other and neglect feeding yourself! So our first stop, before getting on the highway, was a visit to Chick-Fil-A's drive-thru!

Our drive to Savannah went a lot smoother than I think Vanessa and I both thought. The girls napped for a few hours on the way and we seemed to get there in no time {I'm sure our conversations on various topics is what passed the time so quickly}. I was so proud of myself for not taking a wrong turn anywhere and not ending up in Kentucky! Ha ha! This was my first time driving to Savannah without Dele and I actually managed to get us there!

We checked into The Avia Hotel around 4:00 p.m. We finally arrived in Savannah and it was time for our adventures in this beautiful city to begin! The Hotel gave us complimentary upgrade to a Suite and we were so excited! What a blessing!!

The girls had lots of room to play in the Suites large space! It was so beautiful and cozy!

The suite had a double vanity sink - this time it was "hers" and "hers" : )

The Suite also had a full functional kitchen! This photo doesn't show just how big it is. It is a very large space and even had a table and chairs for dining.

Vanessa and I wasted no time changing, putting our little girls in their strollers and heading out to enjoy our first night in Savannah! Here is Vanessa under "The Lady & Son's" sign - Paula Deen's restaurant.....

We enjoyed strolling our girls through Savannah at dusk and taking in its beauty.

Our walk led us to an early dinner at The Mirage Medtteranean Bar and Grill on Braughton Street - a bustling street full of lots of eateries and shops. We chose this place not only because the menu looked good but because it was virtually empty {as to not disrupt anyones dinner!}.

We passed various restaurants and as we peered in through the windows to consider them as a possible dinner spot, if there were white tableclothes in sight, Vanessa didn't want to go in! Ha! Who knew that white tableclothes could be so intimidating? Ha ha! Apparently they were a sign that the restaurant was she-she-la-la and perhaps not the ideal place to take a small child for dinner. But like I said, we were out having an early dinner and there was literally just a few people, if anyone at all, in these restaurants yet {BTW Vanessa, I just noticed that the place that we DID end up dining at HAD white tablecloths!! Did you notice that?? Too funny!!}....

Dinner out with our girls!.....

After dinner we walked...and walked....and walked. And walked. We walked through nearly all of the squares in historic Savannah. We came upon one where a musician began to play "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" on his saxaphone as he saw us approaching. We stopped and listened to him go on to play "I'm a Little Teapot" and "The Alphabet Song...A, B, C, D...". The girls just loved hearing the music coming out of his instrument. We gave him a tip and continued our evening stroll.


About an hour and a half or so into our walk, with bellies full, and having been serenated with music, Ilah and Alina both fell asleep.



Vanessa and I capped off our night by getting a warm coffee drink in City Market, which is right across from The Avia.


It seemed that when the girls knew that we were coming upon ice-cream, they perked right up! Ha ha!

We retreated back to our hotel, got the girls ready for bed and got off our feet! {Ilah's hair was in a ponytail all day; when I took it out her hair was in a fluffy bunch on top of her head!}....

Feet off the ground!!......

Just as we were prepping to get the girls down for bed, I was going through my purse and took out two apples that I put in there as a snack for us during our drive. The girls immediately took ahold of them and before we could even take them away, they went to town on them! We let them go at it - at least it was a healthy late night snack!

Friends sharing.....

Ilah raising her arm declaring that she conquered the apple!....

Alina in her apple coma! Ha ha!!.....

Needless to say, their pajamas needed to be changed once they were finished with their apples! Apple remnants were EVERYWHERE!!!

The Mommy's with their babies!....

It was a WONDERFUL first night in Savannah and the next day was just as fun!!! More to come of our adventures in my next post!!

Our Friends Visit From Vegas! Part 1

My girlfriend Vanessa, and her daughter Alina, came and went nearly two weeks ago and I am just now getting around to recapping our time together! There were literally hundreds and hundreds of pictures to view - and swap - and then weed through - and then narrow down the ones that would be posted!

Vanessa and Alina arrived on a Tuesday and they stayed for six days, five nights. We packed a lot into their visit! It was the first time that Vanessa and I had seen eachother since highschool and we weren't only excited to be together after all that time, but we were also excited for our little girls to come face-to-face too!

Thank goodness that I called the airlines earlier in the day to check on Vanessa's flight status because she landed about 40 minutes early! We arrived in time and Ilah was on the look out for her new little friend!.....

After a long flight, and with me having skipped lunch {because I knew that we would probably go out to eat after I picked them up from the airport}, Vanessa and I were both starving and we knew our girls would never turn down a meal....so we headed to the Cheesecake Factory!

Our little ones embraced and were so happy to be together!....

Our girls behaved so well in the restaurant - and got lots of attention and compliments for how good they were : )

{Photos taken on my cell phone; sorry for them being blurry! Little ones are always in motion!}


After a late lunch we headed home - Vanessa semi unpacked {since we were off to Savannah the next day}, the girls played, we relaxed {as much as we could with looking after two little girls}, and once they were off to bed, we enjoyed some finger foods of salami, turkey, parmigiano-romano cheese, grapes, bruchetta, and poured ourselves a glass of wine. And as much as we wanted to stay up and watch a movie, we were exhausted and decided to turn in for the night {around 11 p.m.}. We had a great first day together and I was so happy that my girlfriend was finally here!

Up next....our trip to Savannah!!

Organize It Party Over at Thrifty Decor Chick!

I've gotten quite a lot of emails lately from readers asking me how I stay organized and kindly asking if I would be willing to do a post on it. I'm not sure when I can get around to this topic on my blog. Because I am so detailed, that post will need to include lots of photos and a lot of bullet points and would be rather lengthy {and I already have a few lengthy posts in the works related to other topics}! So I thought the next best thing would be to point you into the direction of Thrifty Decor Chick.

Earlier in the week, Thrifty Decor Chick hosted an online Organize It Party and not only offered up some tips as to how she stays organized and keeps clutter at bay, but allowed her readers {there are close to 10,000!} to also link up and share their organization ideas, decluttering tips, cleaning suggestions, etc. Nearly 300 people have linked up so far, so for all of you who are looking for ways to keep your home organized, and are wanting ideas for how to do it, head here to visit a plethora of blogs for ideas on how to make your drawers prettier, your closets cleaner, garages neater, the spaces under your sinks free-er!...You get the idea ; ) So many wonderful ideas are found within Thrifty Decor Chick's Organize It Party! Cyber mojitos not included, but please, do still enjoy!

I Can't Believe It's Almost March!

Do any of you celebrate St. Patricks Day? In my younger years {I say that as if I'm over the hill now!} St. Patty's Day was a just another excuse to get together with friends and whoop it up. Did I just type that sentence? Whoop it up?? I'm not even sure what exactly "whoop it up" entailed but it's a far cry from how I spend my current days. But nevertheless, it's a holiday on the calendar and it seems that ever since having Ilah, I want to tap into every holiday and make it a festive one with her!

Although I've never visited an Irish pub on St. Patricks Day to throw back pints of beer, I find St. Patty's Day to be a light and fun "holiday" and now the mom and wife in me wants to do a little somethin' somethin' to bring the day to life. I started perusing the web last night to get some ideas and I created this little inspiration board as I started accumulating my thoughts as to how I might carry out St. Patricks Day in our home this year.

photo credits: Straws, Tablescape, Subway Art, Stew, Irish Pub, Cupcake with Topper, Hair Bow, Macaroni and Cheese, Spoon adorned with Clover, Green Scarf, Sugar Cookies.

The past several days I have been making some darling St. Patricks Day hairbows {I put one in my inspiration board above} and have been adding them to my Etsy Shop!

If you would like to purchase one, ou can visit my Etsy shop here.

If you have little ones at home, go here see to lots of ideas for childrens activities related to St. Patricks Day. And go here to get lots of food ideas!

The NBC Show: Who Do You Think You Are? {How Its REALLY Made Me Think About It}

Last year, when NBC began advertising for one of its newest shows "Who Do You Think You Are", I was instantly enthralled and knew that I would be a weekly viewer who couldn't wait for the following weeks episode to air. Now in it's second season {airing Fridays @ 8/7c}, I am still glued in. If you aren't familiar with the show, it follows a selected number of celebrities as they embark on personal journeys of self-discovery to trace their family trees.

Although History wasn't my favorite subject in school, I surprisingly took great interest in it later in life. As I became an adult and began traveling abroad to amazing places one after the other, the astounding beauty and rich history in those countries awakened a fascination in me. When going outside of my own country, I have always felt it important to immerse myself in amazing historical facts that would give me insight as to the people, places, and events of a time that preceded mine so that when I am standing on that very soil, I have a greater appreciation for being there. How amazing would it be to be in the very same places that your ancestors once lived in, labored in, and created their life stories in.

Indeed I have been blessed to have been able to travel to many countries in our world {and I hope to see more}. One of the places that I have ventured to is the country that my mother was born in - Panama. Before I went, it seemed as though I was already familiar with the sights and sounds as my mother would often tell me stories of her childhood and share of cherished memories of growing up there. She would reminisce of her mother's homemade cooking, her father's days of working at the Panama Canal {and also working as a writer for the Panama Tribune}, what it was like to be the first born of six children and all the funny little antics they would all engage in, and what life was like growing up with aunts, uncles and cousins living all around you. My mother had a very tight-knit family. And although they didn't have much, they had eachother - and that made them rich.

I am so blessed to have photos of some of my ancestors to pass on to Ilah....

And not just this cute one of my mother, with her brother, on her first communion.....

But even more cherished is this amazing one.....

A photo of my Grandmother {my mother's mother - top row, second from the left} and her family.

And this photo of my Grandmother {my mom's Mother, in her younger years}. She has since passed on {my mother is the spitting image of her}....

The pictures of my ancestors date way back and I am so honored to have a copy of them....

My Mother's Mother's Grandfather {my great-great grandfather}

My Mother's Grandfather {on my mothers side; my great-grandfather; the photo above this one is his dad.}

My Mother's Grandmother {my great-grandmother, on my mom's mothers side}

My mom's grandmother, younger {my great grandmother - my mom's mother's mother}

My Grandmother's Father {my great-great grandfather, my mom's mothers mothers father}

My great-grandmother with her mother {my great-great grandmother, on my mom's mothers side}

I know that not everyone is fortunate to have photos of their ancestors. These are just a few of the many that I have. And while although I cherish these, every time I watch the show "Who Do You Think You Are" I envy the remarkable journey that the celebrities are on as they trace their roots and come into the profound knowledge of who they really are.

Because...

While I have a great knowledge about my mother's mother's side of the family, so much is a mystery to me about my fathers side.

My father's upbringing was grim. The oldest of three boys, and being raised essentially by his grandmother, he played the active role of being the caretaker for his two younger siblings and didn't have as many wonderful childhood memories to recall as my mother did. While I know so much about my mothers side of the family, I know virtually nothing about my father's side. When the NBC show "Who Do You Think You Are" came out, it only made me all the more interested in wanting to find out about my father's ancestors. Where did they migrate from? Where did they settle? Where did they live? Where did the continue to move to? What was their professions? Did any of them come out of Italy, because I swear I have Italian in my blood ; ) However, with my dad having passed away when I was fourteen years old - and with both of his parents, and the grandmother who raised him, also being deceased - compiling my family tree on my father's side will need to be done in a way that certainly won't come easy {yes, I have attempted it} since I can't turn to any of them for answers to my questions. Working with a professional geneologist would be amazing. I hope to one day come into this knowledge and to have the large, missing part of my family tree completed.