Friendcation (Atlanta 2015)

A couple of my best friends and I decided we would make a trip up to Georgia – Helen, Atlanta, and Six Flags.

Road Trip!

We had an awesome time. We walked around this cute little German village (Helen, Georgia). Then we headed to Atlanta. Had the most amazing burger at Vortex. Walked around this beautiful botanical gardens with lights and ate s’mores. We danced like no one was watching (mostly to Gage’s embarrassment). We pretended like we were going to go out and party hard, and then we crashed in our hotel room at a normal bedtime. We walked around downtown Atlanta a little, and had breakfast.

Then we went to Six Flags, and for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to become a season’s pass holder.

Did I mention I am terrified of roller coasters?

Bucket List: Dance like no one is watching

Merry Christmas? (Atlanta Road Trip)

I asked Kevin if he wanted to exchange gifts for Christmas (2014). Originally, he was like “Yeah, why not?”. That was that. Later I got a text message that would begin quite the trip, “Instead of exchanging gifts, do you want to go on an adventure?”

Uh, duh. Of course I want to go on an adventure!

We spent the next week or so trying to decide where we wanted to go. We ended up choosing Atlanta. We had such an awesome time (and somehow managed not to kill each other!)

We followed my hour by hour itinerary for the weekend 🙂 Which included adventures at the Georgia Aquarium, the Coca Cola Museum, Ice Skating, and the Fernbank Museum.

I am going to miss Kevin when he leaves for California 😦

Day 4

The trip began before we were ready, and will probably end the same way. It’s amazing what you forget when you are in a hurry. We forgot the basics; shampoo, conditioner, and later we realize, our tent. So on our fifth trip to Walmart (different Walmarts, same day) we finally unroll out sleeping bag successfully on the fourth day.

The first two days we were met with unconditional generosity. Everything from a place to stay and shower to a home cooked meal and an on-loan inflatable queen mattress. (A luxury we were going to forgo because of cost.) After being on the receiving end of such generosity it really makes you feel the love the world has to offer, and we know it is only the beginning of such kindness.

Our first struggle, as I expected, was staying in our budget. In 4 days we’ve probably dropped $400. That’s a far cry from $22 a day. ($88 vs $400). So here we are on day four, early in our schedule, and we are stranding ourselves in the middle of the woods for the next 3 days to begin making up for our little spending spree.

The first 2 days eating out got us. A drink or two at a bar and a tip would blow the whole budget. The trolly your in St. Augustine was the days budget and yet we still kept eating out. Jacksonville and St. Augustine were our lesson. Wednesday morning we made our way to Savannah, and made up for our spending in St. Augustine. With a flash of our trolly tour boarding pass we found ourselves with a 2 for 1.

Savannah just wasn’t our cup of tea, or in this case our bottled brew. Beautiful area with a lot of history, but after you’ve snuck on the trolly tour (or paid $60) you really find yourself with a lack of things to do. Pay to take more in-depth tours or eat out at restaurants. Or go the poor college kid route, buy your drinks at a gas station and lay at the park listening to the street musicians. This was nice for a time, but it’s not what our trip is about. So we cut Savannah short and headed to Myrtle Beach, which later our stop changed into Francis Marion National Forest. We almost made it to our destination, but stop short at a 24hr Walmart super center and call it a night. Laid our sleeping bag on the chairs in the car and were out.

St. Augustine was too touristy for us. Savannah was too artsy. Honey Hill Campground, S.C. was just right. We did realize as we were setting up camp that we were lacking the basics, like a tent, so that was another unexpected cost. Then we purchased some food to get us through the week, and I needed a good pair of hiking boots. So camping this round has had some unexpected expenses that threw us for a loop, but they will balance out as we continue camping.

Camping at Honey Hill has been our favorite stop. Something about connecting with nature really makes you feel closer to God.