Low-country Shrimp Boil

Friday night we had our first Shrimp Boil. We found a recipe we wanted to try while in Hilton Head in a local newspaper. My co-worker, Caroline, so kindly let us borrow her turkey fryer for the event. This worked out great because all the mess and smell was outside and clean-up was easy. We started the pot with boiling water, Old Bay Seasoning, and zesty sausage, then added red potatoes, corn on the cob, and finally the shrimp.

I believe that Lee rolled up Isaac's sleeve to show off his muscles...the pot was so heavy that I couldn't lift it high enough to dump everything out on the table.

Once we had eaten, the newspaper got rolled up and thrown away. This was a really fun meal shared with a few friends and would also be great for a Sunday School party or family get-together.

Hilton Head Island

Isaac and I and our friends Jason, Katie, and Carly all went to Hilton Head Island, SC, for a week at the beach. I also attended a continuing medical education conference for four of the days we were there. That week also happened to be our fifth wedding anniversary and we honeymooned on HHI. I didn't take as many pictures as I thought I did and I know we had some great ones on Katie's camera too. Here's a sampling of our week away...

Isaac's first order of business was making a new friend...Carly wanted nothing to do with Isaac at first, but it wasn't long before they were buddies.

Carly and Isaac on the way to Harbour Town.

The Hilton Head lighthouse at Harbour Town.

We posed here for a picture on our honeymoon too.

What would vacation be without good food and a goofball named Isaac?

Katie and Carly napping on the beach.

Vacation always includes a trip to mini-golf...Kyle is probably looking for her missing ball in the woods at this point...

Jason, Carly, and Isaac listening to the music at Shelter Pointe before dinner at San Miguel's Mexican Restaurant and the weekly fireworks show.

That girl loves to dance!

We had such a great time with our friends at Hilton Head! The medical conference I attended meets there every two years...so this will probably become a biannual tradition. The weather was beautiful with only slight humidity...which is a rarity this time of year. I grew up going to HHI almost every summer with my family and we are looking forward to many more memories made there with family and friends.

We had another first on our trip-being rescued by firemen! The power went out after stepping on the elevator in our condo complex and the elevator was stuck between floors. One of the guys on the elevator called 911, and 30 minutes later, we had firemen putting a ladder down to us and pulling us out of the sauna. I'm glad we didn't have our camera for that adventure since we were wearing wet bathing suits, sweating like pigs, and my hair was matted to my head!

5th Wedding Anniversary in Savannah

On July 10th, Isaac and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! Since we were going to be in Hilton Head the following week for a medical conference, we decided to leave early and spend our anniversary in Savannah, GA on the way. Isaac sweet-talked the hostess at The Lady & Sons (Paula Deen's restaurant) into reservations and it was a fabulous time! We both ordered the buffet which included fried chicken, low country shrimp boil and various country-style sides full of butter! We had to try the fried-green tomatoes too for an appetizer. For dessert, we walked a few blocks to a chocolate bar and shared chocolate fondue. We are so blessed to have a great marriage and to love one another more today than we did the day we said "I do".

At The Lady and Sons

The next day, we decided to go on a sightseeing tour around town. There is so much history in Savannah and such a fun town to visit. We plan to go back sometime soon and go on our own walking tour.

Map of our tour route-Jim was our guide and we really enjoyed his jokes and historical account of Savannah.

This statue is of a lady who waved to every ship coming in the port for several decades, hoping her love was coming back to her. Jim told us she also made alot of sailor friends, haha.

This fountain has been in a few movies-which movies? I don't know!

Pirate House where pirates actually camped out long ago.

If you are looking for a fun place to visit for a weekend, Savannah is a must! You can walk everywhere and there is so much to see and do. I'm sure the weather is beautiful in the spring and fall.

Leah's Vacation in Florida

The night of July 4th, Leah, Isaac's older and wiser sister, flew into Clearwater. Isaac and I enjoyed watching fireworks the entire way to pick her up. We've really enjoyed "vacationing" with Leah this week...we went to the beach, hung out by the pool, went to get mani/pedi's (well, just Leah and Kyle), and have eaten alot of great food-Jackson's, Columbia's, The Acropolis. We are now trying to convince Leah to move back to The States, Florida specifically, from Germany. Below is a memory of our meal at The Acropolis-awesome Greek food! Leah left yesterday to go to Jacksonville, Florida to see our brother Gabe. Apparently, Gabe got the dates of her trip mixed up and forgot to pick her up at the airport. After a few hours of Leah, Isaac, and their parents trying to reach Gabe and calling hospitals and the police, Leah sent a police officer to Gabe's place who interrupted Gabe's dinner party to tell him to go get his sister. Hopefully, the rest of her visit goes better in Jacksonville!

Isaac's Favorite Hobby

Isaac started playing softball when we still lived in Lexington with some guys from church. He had a great time on that team even through some tough losses, a very swollen ankle, and inclement weather. Our friend Brian asked Isaac to come out and play softball right after we moved to Florida, and Isaac was immediately adopted as a member of the Gold Team. Within a couple of seasons, Isaac became the Coach of the Gold Team and they were winning more games than ever. This year, the Gold Team changed to Silver, or "white gold" as the softball wives joke, so that the team could sport some nicer uniforms. In Florida, softball has three seasons because the weather is always appropriate...this took some getting used to for Kyle!

Isaac on 1st base

Good hit, Isaac!

The red shirts are the tournment shirts-yes, I forgot to state earlier that Isaac is also playing on a church tournament team, too! They play quarterly in church league tournaments, and yes, they have special uniforms for this team called The Encouragers.

Isaac running a lightening speed after a great hit!

Go Coach Isaac!

Reunion

On Monday night, Isaac and I drove to Orlando to meet Matt and Abbie and Mark and Traci for dinner. We all attended UK together and were great friends throughout college and now into our more grown-up lives. Mark and Traci were in Jacksonville for Traci's cousin's wedding and vacation, but did not have enough time to travel to Tampa to visit us too. We decided that Orlando was the perfect place to meet up and since Matt and Abbie live there, they were able to join us with sweet, little Adelyn. It was so nice to be with everyone again, even though it only lasted a couple of hours!

Mark, Isaac, Matt and Adelyn

Abbie, Kyle, and Traci

To all of our college friends-we need to revive the Gatlinburg trip soon for a weekend of catching up and meeting all of the new additions!

New York City Trip

This past weekend, Isaac and I went to NYC to see Isaac's brother Josh and his wife Nikki and to do some sightseeing. We stayed in Midtown Manhattan a few blocks from Josh and Nikki at the Jolly Hotel...which wasn't so jolly, but the price was right! Friday night we went out for New York Pizza and then to the Empire State building to see the city all lit up. The entrance to Grand Central Station...the inside didn't look like it does in the movies.

On Saturday, we met up with Nikki in the subway and went down to the Financial District to meet Josh who was waiting in line for half-price Broadway tickets. After our tickets were purchased, we went on a boat tour of the NYC skyline and the Statue of Liberty. We headed to Chinatown next for some authentic Chinese food and some imposter purses.

Isaac is a magnet for Italian Ice!

In front of the New York Stock Exchange.

View from the NYC boat tour.

Our Lady Liberty...did you know that the creator gave her his mom's face and his wife-to-be's body?

Our first show on Broadway...and hopefully not our last!

We had 3rd row seats...at times I felt like we were at a strip joint...the actors don't wear much clothing in this show! Next time we might see a Disney show instead...

Times Square after the show. We went to The View restuarant on top of the Marriot in Times Square for dessert. This restuarant rotated so that all the guests could see all of the city at night. The dessert buffet was awesome and worth every penny!

We are hoping to go back to NYC next year before Josh and Nikki move away to wherever the Navy takes them. It was a really fun, fast trip. I don't think I would be happy living there...I enjoy my space and my backyard too much!