Clemson

So today after Ben's orthodontist apt., Madi's diabetes supply got there UPS and the house was cleaned we hit the road Jack. Steve said, "Clemson has been suckin' for the last few years but they are still getting lots of good recruits." So we decided to go check out Clemson for ourselves to see what the big deal was....BEAUTIFUL campus...clean, hilly, trees....BEAUTIFUL!

Across the street from the football stadium there is a park dedicated to all of those who have fallen in the line of duty.

If someone has attended Clemson and then been killed in action their name in engraved somewhere at this park. I LOVE THAT! Who would have thought Clemson has so much honor.

Howard's Rock. If you are a Clemson fan or just college football people like us....there is that landmark. And that hill the guys run down into the field on game day is STEEP. I wouldn't want to do that on national TV.

Look at Steve....Georgia shorts with the Clemson stadium in back.

There are tiger tracks up and down all the streets.

Dinner...we were starved and this was a hit! MMM

I took this as we kept driving after dinner. It's the north side of Greenville, SC...did you about this? We didn't. This was on 25 heading north.

What a day! Our first day of our almost 3 week adventure. Steve got the Crowne Plaza in downtown Asheville on Priceline.com for fifty bucks!!!

Great American Adventure

Wide open spaces huh?!? Boy am I going to miss this house!!! It's my most favorite house we have ever lived in...of course it's the first time we have lived off-base. We are all most out of here....36 hours or less! We don't leave for Korea until the middle of August. Between now and then...Our Great American Adventure! First stop? Hint - mountains, Vanderbilt's, BIG house.












Now to get to our second stop we want to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. They say those mountains are pretty high and the road is very curvy, you can only drive 35 MPH or less...Steve is driving!!!!!!!!!



I have been hexing and loving every minute of it. This hand quilting is the perfect summer/moving project...you can easily do it everywhere. I have a long way to go.

Georgia room to Buckeye room!!!

CRAZY! Tonight we had some people stop by and asked about renting our house...we have a sign out front. They were really nice. They went upstairs to our red Georgia room first...they liked it. While coming back downstairs they said they needed a house in this area because their son was going to Union Grove but was switching to ELCA and they had to be in a new house by the 1st of Aug. to get him enrolled...okay. Then they said he was a football player. I told them Steve knows a lot about the High School football players and that he has even worked for Scout.com So they turned to Steve and said they were avery walls parents. Steve took a step back...he knew who he was. Avery is only 16 and one of the best and has been offered 32 football scholarships. They are from Ohio, Avery was born at the hospital at Ohio State but has not gotten an offer from them...they are pretty full. The parents got serious with Steve...what did he think. They had just gotten back from Tenn., LSU-didn't like Les Miles, didn't care for Nick Saben, liked Ole Miss, went to UCLA, Stanford and Cal already, went to Oklahoma and Texas, but still really like Michigan...but their coach is about to get fired. The mom asked Steve twice if it was his kid where would he push...Steve being his normal self who never says anything that isn't nice only said not Florida at first. Oregon is the only other negative thing he said....they take kids who can't get anywhere else sometimes. They gave us their numbers just in case Avery does decide on one of the California schools they could get us football tickets...the parents said they would only go to maybe two out there so they can get plenty to share. Steve is freaked out that if they do rent our house in a few months when Avery picks his top 5 schools those coaches will come to visit this family living in OUR house...we require a picture of each one in here. And if Avery picks Tenn. his parents may find themselves evicted. Avery can commit now but he really wanted Ohio State or Georgia and they are not on the table so he may wait until his deadline in November. So the dad said being that they are from Columbus, Ohio they will enjoy the buckeye room and will proudly fly their Ohio State flag out front...well of course that is just fine with us!

Georgiamobile

Now you might have known we had a georgia room but did you know we also had a Georgiamobile...it's Steve's car.

Even that thing you put air in the tires has a "G" on them. This is the car we are taking to Korea...I bet we get some stares?

This is just a fun picture of Madi living it up on that boogie board she loved playing with at Tybee Island. She looks like Madi Duke...doesn't it look like she is letting out a big YE HAW.

Today is Steve's last day at work. Monday is his final out. Steve is a Weather Forecaster in the Air Force but does the weather for the Army. So the Army had a little thing for him since he is leaving and Steve has to say a few words. His words: "He has enjoyed every minute of his time here but he is taking his talents down to South Beach." HA HA HA HA!!!!! There is never a dull moment around here!

We have been....

...swimming in our neighborhood pool. Boy are we going to miss it!!!

....taking advantage of our season passes to Six Flags. We have discovered the best time to go is between 6-9 pm...it's slightly cooler (only in the mid 90's by that time of day) and 0-10 minute wait times for rides.

....moving...I am sick of it! Sick of deciding what was household goods, what was for fast shipment and what is to be stored. I hope to not see one of these boxes for a very long time.

....cross-stitching. Every time I need a break from the moving stuff I sit down with my needle and thread. I am making stuff for this fall...it's so fun and relaxing.

....looking at old family photos. And since the World Cup was on the kids enjoyed looking at their old photos from when we lived in Germany and they were host to the last World Cup. Seeing these makes me get very excited about going to Korea, making more wonderful memories of traveling to the other side of the world. I can't wait!!!

Savannah Sand Gnats and Riverstreet Sweets

Something would be weird if my family went to a town and didn't stop in at the local ballpark...so of course while we were in Savannah we went to a Savannah Sand Gnats game. As we were walking up to the beautiful old stadium Steve was going on and on how this place had been here since the 1920's and that lots of famous baseball players came out of here. The Sand Gnats are the minor league for the San Francisco Giants (our soon to be hometown team) and they played against the Rome Braves, minor league for the Atlanta Braves...so we rooted for the Rome Braves.

Goodness you can watch the game while practically on the field.

And you can watch the guys in the dugout UP CLOSE!

The kids got slushies and Madi was so excited that hers was aqua in a red bowl...she has the red and aqua fever now too.

Ben was sitting here enjoying his slushie with a pitcher warming up...throwing 90+mph balls...looks like crazy. Steve and I stood there to get the feel of what that speed of a ball would look like coming at you...I didn't like that.

It was a beautiful night to sit outside at a game. This picture is when we were walking back to our car.

RIVERSTREET SWEETS! If you go to Savannah you gotta go to Riverstreet and stop at this candy store!!! Right before moving here to Georgia, Country Living Magazine spotlighted this shop. And my friend Susy had also just gone here and was raving about it. So every time I get the chance to go we all go. Funny thing happened. While walking on Riverstreet and just a few stores down from Riverstreet Sweets my phone rang and it was Susy calling to say hi...and of all places to be I was right there 'our place'. Susy said to eat a praline for her so I was nice and ate at least 3 or 4 of the worlds greatest pralines for her :-)

When you walk in they let you sample a praline...I sample on my way out too.

The Candy Maker was making salt water taffy.

One of the days on Tybee Island we took the kids to the lighthouse.

We climbed the 178 steps to the top.

One of the workers at the lighthouse let Ben and Madi try on bell keepers hats while we were waiting for our turn in line to go in. The kids and I didn't like it at the top where you can walk around the outside...there was just a wimpy fence....Steve laughed at us.

Savannah/Tybee Island

Steve's family had a family reunion over on Tybee Island next to Savannah. A few 4th of July's ago they had one down in Palm Beach that was fun but this year all the Florida relatives came up this way. My kids are no longer afraid of waves like they use to be...they LOVE the beach.








Steve's mom rented a big beach house so we could just walk to the beach anytime we wanted. Look at the porch on this house...I want one! It was larger than the Walton's porch.




There are Nana and Aunt Lisa.










Looks like Baywatch....but it's just our Madi.





The first day at the beach was windy but it felt so good! Look at Madi, Haley and Bianca...their boogie boards are flying around like kites...they were cracking up.

Those girls...Haley is pulling Madi?

We walked down by the pier. This was at 8 pm...it was so nice outside.

This is the boardwalk to get to the beach house...look at all the sand the wind blew on there.

Then Deedee started pulling Madi on the boogie board.

They did fireworks on the Island on Saturday the 3rd and then down on Riverstreet in Savannah on the 4th. Madi, Ben, Jacob and Nathan played in the sand while waiting for the fireworks to start on the beach. All the kids want to know now is when can they go back to the beach?

Unexpected needed fun

My neighbor Kristy from across the street came over acknowledging how busy we are and that we must be tired after having movers at our house but she had some free Braves tickets for a game that was starting in 40 min. and they couldn't go. She had a parking pass for the Green Lot (front row) and $40 gift cards attached to the tickets for food. Well you don't have to twist our arms to take an offer like that...we were ready in 5 min., jumped in the van and headed toward Turner Field.

We had great seats.

The wave made it around the stadium a few times...that is what Madi was watching.

A grasshopper made it to the game. Isn't it funny perched on the bar with the scoreboard and skyline in view.

We are all tired now!!!! We needed that fun time enjoying the night outside.

Grandmothers flower

Just what I needed a new hobby...hexing...english paper piecing. I really enjoy doing things with my hands like stitching, cross-stitching and now hexing. This small quilt used 19 1" hexagons to make the traditional grandmother's flower.






My red flower was so fun to make I made a blue one to use as a gift. I bought a pack of 600 paper hexagons so all summer long I will be hexing here and there and everywhere. We will be in a million hotels.



Today this yummy fabric came in the mail...I have paper to match this too. My first set of movers come on Tuesday but then our fast shipment is being picked up until 12 July so I think I am going to keep my sewing machine out so I can have fun from now until then.

Steve leaves for Korea the first part of August and the kids and I will follow the middle of August.