Edisto, SC is not the same as Edisto Beach, SC

We had a lot going on this summer but found the time to take a long vacation with a few friends.  A friend of ours had a house on the coast of South Carolina in a little place called Edisto Beach, SC.   While we were planning this little trip, we did a quick Google map search and were very delighted to see that it was a just a few hours drive for us!

The evening we decided to head out, we punched the address in the GPS and were completely confused.  Our trip was going to take several more hours than we originally thought.  After a little investigation we discovered our mistake.

There is an Edisto, SC AND an Edisto Beach, SC and they are not located anywhere near each other. Bummer.  Lesson learned.

Regardless - we did make it to the beach and had a pretty darn good time!

Just swinging on the dock

Taking a cruise

Is that a Forrest Gump boat?

TB with the very large shrimp scale

Delicious eats

The crew

Our evenings were spent on the dock with tervis tumblers, food and good drinks.  All in all - a great vacation!

Everyone Needs One of These

Our trip to Portland was not just for fun - we were there to celebrate Stacy's graduation.  Congrats to Stacy!

Her in-law side of the family is HUGE and they all turned out for the ceremony and contributed to quite possibly the largest cheering section of the whole place.  I think everyone needs a cheering section this big at some point in life:

East Coasters Have a Few Things to Learn

Portland is weird.  Really.  They are quite proud of being weird and it is even a motto of sorts for the city.  They also seem to enjoy protesting (as in marching around the city with a sign).  And they do indeed protest everything. 

This is an odd concept for us southerners.  We don't see too many protests out here.  I don't think it's apathy - perhaps we just choose to express our opinions differently.  Or maybe we have chosen to pick our battles and don't feel passionate about seemingly everything.  Who knows?  But the fact remains, I have never seen so many protests, as I have in the states of Oregon and Washington. 

Being the typical tourists that we are - we needed to get a picture of this oddity.  Right?  Just as you would a painting or monument. 

We found a few wandering protesters and asked for a photo opp, in our sweetest southern accent.  There was some initial hostility from the pictured protesters, but once we explained that we were not from around there and were just trying to document their passionate protest - they quickly agreed.  They were quite excited that their protest was actually gaining some interest. And then they apologized.  For what, you may ask?

Apparently it was a light day for protesters in Portland and our friendly photo op group, was upset that we were not getting to experience Portland protesting in all it's glory.  Seriously.

Oh geez.

Voo-Doo is not only in New Orleans

So reading those lame Delta magazines on all my flights really does have a purpose.  Last month, the Delta magazine had an article about this place in Portland, Voo-Doo Doughnuts.  It's supposedly a legend around those parts, so we had to check it out.....  And gain a few LBs in the process.

Who doesn't like bubble gum on a doughnut?

Or how about, Captain Crunch?  Or Oreos?

Fruit Loops?

Not pictured very well here - but this one had bacon on it.  Yes.  Bacon on a doughnut.

And of course top it off with a little Ninja Plate Lunch. 

Picture of health we are.........

The Best Laid Plans......

On our recent trip to Portland to visit Leslie's sister, the whole group of us decided to take a little drive.  A drive to the coast of Oregon - through "Ax Men" country and to the home of the Gonnies, Astoria, OR.  Little did we know, the 25th anniversary of the movie was just the weekend before and we missed the festivities by just a few days.  The entire town was also out of Goonies memorabilia.....  Bummer.

Although we were disappointed, we decided to just go to the beach and have a relaxing afternoon.  Being short on maps, we weren't sure if we should turn left or right for the beach.  We chose right.  And were wrong.  Flash forward several more hours and we finally got out of the car.......  in Washington.

The best laid plans...

Tsunami?  In Oregon?  Must be terrifying.

The Fam

We attempted to get the boys to take the Polar Plunge.  But they chickened out.

Summer time snow angels

MARTA makes you SMARTA

Since we've moved to Atlanta, we've had the opportunity to use public transportation on occasion.  MARTA comes particularly in handy when headed to the airport.  We've successfully used MARTA several times and TB jumped on that bandwagon.  Quickly.  Pretty typical TB.
He's always talking about what a great resource MARTA is for Atlanta and how quick and convenient it is to get to the airport.

How sweet.  And naive.

Oh, how quickly things change. Our most recent MARTA experience made him fall off the bandwagon. 

We were headed to Oregon to see my sister.  Purchased our tickets, headed up the escalator and .... doh.  Our train was just pulling away.  No problem, we'll just wait for the next one.  And wait.  And wait.  And wait. Wow, we were waiting so long that making our flight was going to be hard.  TB frantically gets on his phone and pulls up the MARTA train schedule.  He breaths a sigh of relief.  The next train was scheduled to arrive in just a few minutes.  A few minutes pass.  And then many more minutes. And more......

Many curse words, a small argument, running through the airport, tears, several Delta workers, an oversized bag, hand sanitizer, several smelly people, bad seat selection, a mini meltdown and a lost favorite jacket later.  We made our flight.

Stupid MARTA.  Next time we'll be SMARTA about our MARTA ride. :)

Tis the Season: Part 2

Our next wedding of the season required the use of a passport.  I traveled down to the Dominican Republic to see my friend from graduate school, Monica, get married to Peter.  Several of us went a few days early to enjoy the sun and relax. 

The adventure started out a touch rough, as I almost wasn't allowed in the country.....

I was travelling alone. And sometimes I can be a bad traveler.  TB had to stay behind and work, so I was going at this adventure by myself.  The flight into the DR was smooth and even on time.  As everyone deplaned, we were herded to a line where they checked our passports and then we were told to go see the cashier.  The cashier?  It seems that you have to pay to enter the DR.  Not a huge deal, right.  It was only $10.

Slight problem.  In my rush to pack and get ready for this trip, I completely forgot to go to the ATM.  And I didn't think the cashier took AMEX.  I started frantically looking around the straw hut airport for an ATM. None in sight.  As it's my turn to pay, I start digging in my purse for any pennies that may have gone astray.  The cashier starts to look impatiently at me and all I can do is stare back in panic....... Awkward silence.

Luckily, there was a very nice gentleman in line ahead of me that must have recognized my panic and offered to pay my entry.  I had to accept, or I would still be standing in line in the DR.

Aside from the small hiccup, the week was a blast and a gorgeous wedding to boot!

Me, Liz, Amanda and the Bride (Monica)

Here I am posing with TB.  See - I even take pictures with him when he's not there.

Don't ask.

There were very large bugs in the DR.......

The ceremony spot

The girls

Time to tie the knot!  Notice her veil tied in a knot.  It was out of control in the wind.

The Colombian Love Dance

The "cake topper" :)