Georgia Music Hall of Fame

The good-byes

New friends!

Little Drummer Girl!

Emma is rockin'!

We took the First Graders down to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon for a field trip last week.  Darcy, Claire, and Emma met us down there and helped wrangle all the kids.  My students loved Claire and Emma.  They kept petting Claire and Emma's hair and Claire got to learn about lots of beads in hair.  It was a fun day!  The kids are still talking about the trip.  Thanks to Darcy and the girls for making the day even more fun!

Thanksgiving- Part 2

Baby Gerard

The Gang!

Chris

Ron, Jeff, and Maxey

Brad, Clem, Tim, and Robin

As much fun as Thanksgiving Part 1 was, being away for Thanksgiving means you don't get any leftovers.  As Chris and I were boarding our flight to come home, we decided that we would have to do a Thanksgiving Remix.  We had 15 folks over for a sit down Thanksgiving dinner- with 1 fried turkey and 1 baked turkey as the stars.  Everyone brought a side and it all came together.  Wow.  Luckily the table held 10 people and the "kid" table was able to seat 5.   Great fun!  We had plenty of leftovers for turkey noodle soup, turkey sandwiches, and turkey enchiladas.  Just what the doctor ordered!  So this Thanksgiving season was very special.  We got to spend it surrounded by family in DC and our friends here in Atlanta.  I also got leftovers.  How can you beat that?

Thanksgiving- Part 1

Sweet Pea Emma

The Roberts Family

Stacey and Darcy

The Fried Turkey Crew- Scott, Jeremy, and Chris

We spent Thanksgiving in DC.  The holiday was named the great Pile-in by my Aunt Vicki.  We had 22 people- 8 kids and 14 adults.  It was quite a gathering and non-stop fun.  From the beer tasting party to the trip to the American History Museum, we were thankful to spend Thanksgiving surrounded by family.

Sonoma- Sept. 08

So, I have been completely awful about updating this blog.  I am planning on posting a lot more in the next few days, so stay tuned.  It will probably be ages before another post but at least, at this very moment, I have very good intentions.  

These photos are from our Sonoma trip in September.  My cousin Tyler got married and we went out for the very festive day.  It was a quick trip- out on Friday and back on Monday, but we managed to squeeze in a trip to Muir Woods, 5 vineyards, a great dinner at Dry Creek Kitchen, and the wedding.  

Tortuguero

Tortuguero is really a small strip of houses.  One one end of the street you have the park, to the east you have the ocean, and to the west you have a river.  

Here is the strip of land called Tortuguero.  The runway (and I use that term loosely) is on that strip.

 This is the Caribbean side of Tortuguero.

We took a canoe trip one morning with our guide, Ross.  He was an amazing guide.  He's a Canadian botonist who has decided to make Tortuguero home.  He knew a lot about the plants and wildlife, which made the trip even more interesting.  He had an opinion on everything.  If you ever find yourself in Tortuguero, Casa Marbella was a great place to stay.  They are the ones that arranged our trip with Ross.  

This is an anhinga.  He was drying off his wings.  

Costa Rica! First Stop- San Jose

So, I know we've been back from our honeymoon for about 3 months now.  I am just now getting around to getting the pictures up!

We only had 1 day to spend in San Jose so we headed over to the Market Centrale.  It was a maze of stalls and little food stands.    

Arroz Con Pollo with 2 fruit drinks.  One was blackberry (moras) and the other was something delicious (meaning I forgot the name).

We only had time to hit the National Theater and the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum.   The gold museum was very interesting.  I would have loved to have visited the Jade Museum but it closed early.

The next morning we boarded our flight and headed up to Tortuguero, a small village on the edge of a national park in the Northeastern part of Costa Rica.  It is only accessible by plane or boat.  There are no roads going in.

More Wedding Photos!

Here are a few more pictures of the wedding weekend. These are the family pictures. I am still waiting on folks to send us some of the less "formal" photos.

The Johnson/Bradley's

Stacey, Papa, Chris, Jack, Jenny, Darcy, Emma (6 weeks), Jeremy, and Claire (3 years)

The Bradley's

Maureen, Stacey, Chris, Monica

The Bradley's

Pat, Stacey, Chris, Roger, Monica

The Wedding Weekend!

Well, Chris and I are married! It was a great weekend despite the rain 20 minutes before the ceremony. We are both really happy with the way everything turned out- especially since we were able to get the outdoor photos we wanted. We loved having everyone at the BBQ and at the ceremony. It gave us more time to spend with everyone!

Papa, Frank, Mom, and Cheryl at the Lighthouse


The wedding party- Darcy, Me, Chris, Monica, and my niece Claire in the role of the Flower Girl.
Chris and Me on the beach

The first dance with our parents.

Claire, reliving her duties as the flower girl.


This was the sky from my parent's room at the St. Simons Inn moments before the ceremony. Good thing we practiced the "rain back-up plan" the day before!

Chris and I had a blast and we were so happy that we were surrounded by loved ones. We missed not having those who couldn't make it there with us. You were certainly thought of during the weekend!

Bringing the little ones?

Chris and I are excited about the wedding and can't wait to see you! For the parents out there, we know that traveling with the wee ones is often stressful and many times it can be a deal-breaker. We want to help ease any concerns you might have in this regard.

First of all, the children are more than welcome to attend both the wedding and the reception.

For those that want to be kick back and relax but still want to have the kiddos close by, we have made arrangements to ease your minds. We have dear friends that are bringing their nanny with them. Rachel is a highly qualified babysitter and has agreed to help us out for the wedding/reception. We have booked a room at the St. Simons Inn (directly across street from the festivities). She will be available for both the wedding and the reception. There will be pizza, movies, coloring books, and whatever else might be entertaining for the kids.

If you think you might want to drop off the young ones with Rachel let us know so we have an idea of how many to expect. Please include the ages so we can make sure she is fully prepared for the event. If need be, we will find her some backup.

If you have any questions or concerns, we are more than happy to contact Rachel for you or provide you her contact information. Let either one of us know (staljo@bellsouth.net or thechris@bellsouth.net) if you might need her services or have any questions. If you are bringing someone with you that might want to help Rachel out, please let us know that too.

Things to do in and around St. Simons

The wedding is quickly approaching! Hopefully everyone has been able to book hotel rooms. The hotel block at both hotels will be released on May 23 so please make sure you go ahead and book your rooms.

I also want to remind folks that our wedding will be a casual affair. For your comfort, we are banning pantyhose, ties, and jackets.

If you are looking for things to do while you are in the St. Simons area check out the list below. All of them are less than 2 hours away. St. Augustine is furthest of all the trips. Chris and I have visited all of these spots, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask us.

St. Simons Island

http://www.stsimonstours.com/

(Trolley Tour info)

There is plenty to do on St. Simons Island. The link above takes you to the trolley tour which is a great way to get an island overview. You can sun your buns on East Beach (the best place to swim and lay out). You can tour Bloody Marsh, the site where the British took on the Spanish in order to protect their colony.

Savannah, GA

http://www.savannahvisit.com/

Savannah is only 45 minutes north of St. Simons. Take a trolley tour, walk the squares in the historic district, stroll along the Savannah River, and catch a bite to eat at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons.

Cumberland Island, GA

http://www.nps.gov/cuis/

Cumberland Island is a fantastic trip if you have a day to spare. It is about 30 minutes from St. Simons, but only accesible by ferry. Chris and I camped here for 2 nights in Feb. It was amazing. There are wild horses on the island, along with armadillos and the biggest 'possums you'll ever see! You will need to make ferry reservations to get on to the island. Pack a picnic lunch, take the ranger-guided walking tour, bring your swimsuits, and chill out for the day.

St. Augustine, FL

http://www.historicstaugustine.com/

St. Augustine is also about 1 1/2 hours away from St. Simons. It is a great place to visit for the day. Walk through the historic streets and forts or take a trolley ride and see the oldest house and the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the country.

http://www.fountainofyouthflorida.com/

Visit Ponce De Leon's Fountain of Youth and drink from the springs! It is just outside of historic St. Augustine.

The Okefenokee Swamp

http://www.okefenokeeadventures.com/index.html

The Okefenokee Swamp is about 1 1/2 hours away from St. Simons. There is a great boat tour that tells you all about the swamp. Gators are everywhere!

Where is St. Simons and how do I get there?

St. Simons is a small island on the coast of Georgia. It is an hour south of the Savannah airport and an hour north of the Jacksonville, FL airport. St. Simons is about 5 hours from Atlanta by car. There is a small airport in Brunswick, GA that is serviced by Delta with connections through Atlanta. It is about 20 minutes from St. Simons. This map shows a few of the wedding event locations. You can also see where St. Simons is in relation to Savannah, Jacksonville, and Atlanta when you zoom out. Things on the island are much closer than they appear. The only place that is not within reasonable walking distance is the King and Prince Resort. You technically could walk if you were up for it.


View Larger Map

Hotel Details!

We are starting get details nailed down for the wedding. We will be getting married at the lighthouse around 7 pm on June 28. Don't let the 7 pm hour scare you! It is NOT going to be a formal wedding. We would like for all of you to be very comfortable. It will be warm (hot) at this time of year. Please dress accordingly! If you show up in pantyhose, a jacket, or a tie, you will have to go back to your room and change.

We have blocks of rooms at 2 hotels. Both hotels are within walking distance of the wedding/reception site. The blocks are under the Johnson/Bradley wedding party. Make sure you mention the block when making reservations. June is peak season in St. Simons so try to book your rooms as soon as you can. Both hotels are small and would only give us a certain number of rooms. They will continue to book rooms for us if we go over our block as long as they have space.

The Village Inn and Pub

http://www.villageinnandpub.com/

The majority of our rooms are at the Village Inn and Pub. This is a small little hotel with only 28 rooms. We have 20 rooms reserved for our party. The nightly rate will be $200 with a 2 night minimum. It is within walking distance to the shops and restaurants in the village, as well as the wedding and reception. Chris and I will be staying here after the wedding.

St. Simons Inn

http://www.stsimonsinn.com/

The nightly rate here is 134.10. It is the closest hotel to the wedding and reception. In fact, you can see the lighthouse in the background of this picture. It is also within walking distance of the village restaurants and shops.

The King and Prince Resort

http://www.kingandprince.com/

The King and Prince is a gorgeous hotel on the beach. It is only a mile or so from the wedding. They would not give us a negotiated rate so we didn't block rooms. I just want to give a beachfront option! Please contact them for their rates and specials. I think they are currently charging about $249/nt. with a two night minimum for the summer season.

If you want to make a week's vacation out of your trip to the Golden Isles, there are many condo and rental houses. A Google search will help you out with vacation planning for these options.

We're Getting Married!

It was after a long day of shopping that Chris and I decided to unwind with some champagne and a cheese plate. I noticed Chris was getting a bottle of bubbley out of the fridge. I reminded him that was our "fancy" bottle and it was only for special occasions. Without hesitation, he said "Well let's make it a special occasion then" and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. He was super calm and I never saw it coming. He surprised me completely. Very suave. I said yes, of course!