Chapter Four: Georgia on My Mind

So, I know I'm not from Georgia, well, not really. I was born there, but did not grow up there. But it just worked out for us to be able to visit my family there. We stayed at my aunt (my mom's sister) and uncle's house, and my mom came down to stay while we were there. And we drove from Atlanta to Savannah to visit my dad and my step-mom. We were in Georgia for a total of two weeks; four days in Atlanta, a week in Savannah, and four more days in Atlanta. I'll begin with our Atlanta activities.
We naturally had to swim in the pool near my aunt's house. We did that the day we were waiting for Brandon to fly from San Antonio. If there is a pool, my boys have to swim in it. Once Brandon got there, we decided to head downtown to see the Georgia Aquarium. The boys really like aquariums. I really think that Kyle could sit in front of the swimming fish all day long, even with that yoga style criss cross he does. Jake likes the fish, too, but he can't sit still that long.
While we were downtown, we walked around Centennial Olympic Park, Coke World and the CNN center. The boys did pretty well, considering all the walking they had to do. The next day we drove to Savannah. More on that in a minute. When we got back, we were really in countdown mode. We didn't want to line up too many activities. We went swimming again. We went bowling. Both very low key. Our two big outings were a Braves baseball game for Kyle and Brandon, Kyle's first MLB game, and a trip to Stone Mountain. I'm told the game was a good experience. I think I personally would have been miserable. It was HOT in Atlanta.
Our only respite at Stone Mountain were the air conditioned shops. We didn't buy anything, but we spent a lot of time in those shops. Stone Mountain was a lot of fun. We rode the train around the mountain, which was so strange because it didn't feel like the train ever turned, but we must have gone in a circle, because we got off where we got on. The boys' favorite part was the mini golf. Kyle even got a hole in one. Jake still kind of drags the ball to the hole with his putter, but he loves to play.

Our other activities at Stone Mountain included a "Sky Ride" to the top of the monolith and an amazing laser show that evening. It ended just in time, as the thunder began to roll and lightning was striking, looking like the strobes from the show. We had a really great time in Atlanta. We had a few firsts. Kyle's first MLB game, Jake's first time bowling and first time feeding ducks, and they both even got to take their first convertible ride.
Jake, our little car lover, may be hooked. Thanks so much to Mom, Aunt Lis and Uncle John for letting us spend some of our transition time with you. Staying with family makes living out of a suitcase a lot more tolerable.
Now, Savannah. This was our second year to spend a week in Savannah with my dad and Maria and an eclectic mix of family that is too convoluted to explain. It's a fun group and that's what matters. So, we spent a week at the beach on Tybee Island. It's a really laid back week that seems to revolve around fun and food. We played in the sand and swam in the ocean, with a dolphin swimming by, no less.
We also went swimming at the Yacht club, as more dolphins swam by in the river. The boys and Brandon went on a boat ride and saw, you guessed it, more dolphins. Nothing says beach vacation to me like some wild dolphins, and they were everywhere in Savannah. We also took a ghost tour of Savannah. They call it America's most haunted city, so we had to test that. I don't know, I didn't see any ghosts. I'm not even sure if there are any orbs in any of my pictures. The guide said that ghosts and spirits show up as balls of light in your photographs. It was raining on our tour, so all the orbs in my photos might be rain drops lit up by the flash. I present for your consideration my most likely orb photo, and leave you to be the judge. I know it doesn't look like much, but that white dot on the tree is similar to the examples shown in the informative video we watched while on the tour. I personally enjoyed seeing all the old mansions and hearing some of Savannah's history more than anything else about the tour. Here we are standing in front of the Pirate House, one of the oldest buildings in Savannah. Again, this place is supposed to be really haunted, but I got no eebie jeebies. Neat old buildings and architecture, but no ghosts.
We also spent a lot of time at my dad and Maria's house. The boys had a great time running around the yard with their granddad's dogs and running down the dock over the marsh. It was really good for them to get to spend time with Dad and Maria before we left. Thanks, Dad and Maria, for such a great time at the beach. We left Savannah with heavy hearts knowing that we would not be back next year. The day after our trip to Stone Mountain, we left for England.
We're so glad Kyle and Jake got to see all of their Grandparents before we left for England. We know they will probably try to visit, but if they can't, three years is a long time. We're so grateful to everyone who helped us with our move and especially to all of those who made such an effort to get the families together before we left. We'll miss all of you and insist that you visit whenever possible. Join us next time for our final chapter: The Big Jump.