Category: Travel
Phoenix Bound!
| May 22, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Travel |
We are off to Phoenix for a week before heading to Las Vegas for a few days! Wish us luck – we have almost 7 hours on planes ahead of us 
We can’t wait to see some of our favorite people tie the knot this weekend and spend some quality time with our families!
Hilton Head: Day 2
| March 23, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Travel |
Ready for more vacation recapping? Sweet. Me too 
Lucky for us Em’s fever broke about 11PM Thursday night and we all got a good night sleep for a fun filled day yesterday. We naturally woke up around 7:30 and had a leisurely breakfast at the house before heading out for the morning.
Chris and I knew that we wanted to get a run in yesterday so after looking over different parks and trails we decided on the Jarvis Creek Park. The park has playgrounds, docks, bathrooms, and a loop around the lagoon for running. Perfect! Online it said the loop was 1.1 miles so we thought a quick 3-miler would be perfect. It was pretty chilly out yesterday morning and overcast but the trail was still beautiful.
I am not sure who measured the trail but according to my Garmin it was actually about t0.8 miles around. I did one loop with Chris before he took off and I pushed Emmalyne for another 2. Then he grabbed her so I could run my final lap solo. I ended up doing exactly 3.25 miles in 29:56. A nice way to start the day
We hung out at the small playground for awhile after with Emmalyne so she could get some energy out. She loves going down the slides and playing with the wheels. She also kicked her soccer ball up and down the field. Girl is a natural!
Before we knew it it was time for lunch. One of our favorite Hilton Head Island lunch spots, the Market Street Cafe, participates in Operation R&R so we headed down to Coligny Plaza for some food. I got the Greek steak pita which is delicious. It’s warm steak with feta, lettuce, and tomato in a huge pita. Seriously hits the spot. The restaurant ended up covering our entire meal which was so sweet and thoughtful!
After lunch it was time for a nap for the Emster so we headed home. Chris caught up on March Madness (Arizona WON on Thursday night – take that haters and I primped and spent some to myself. Bliss.
When the princess roused from her slumber we headed to The Sandbox: An Interactive Children’s Museum for a few hours of fun. There were tons of fun stations for Em to explore. There was a grocery and kitchen area, a pirate ship, a dress up station, blocks, a sand box, toddler area, and craft room. We spent a couple of hours having a good old time.
When we reached our limit it was time to head to Wing Fest. I have professed my love for buffalo wings on the el-blogo many times and was pretty excited to find out the annual Wing Fest was happening. We were able to go to the pre-party. There was a $5 admission and then tickets were sold for $1 each. Different restaurants set up tents and had specials for wings. We tried 3 different restaurants and ended with a cupcake.
We packed up most of our stuff last night to hit the road by 10AM this morning. I can’t thank Operation R&R enough for such an awesome weekend. We really needed this time to reconnect and focus on our family. With Chris’ hours and stress levels it was nice to totally cut back and enjoy ourselves. Heading back to Savannah refreshed and ready for the rest of his command time
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Hilton Head: Day 1
| March 22, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Army, Restaurants, Travel |
I can’t believe our first day in Hilton Head Island is already in the books and we are on to day 2! Time flies when you’re having fun right? ;) Yesterday we all slept in to 7:30AM and I made the mistake of going into Em’s room thinking she was up. BIG FAT NO. But my entering roused the beast haha. Poor thing has 5 teeth coming in at once and woke up with a fever. A dose of motrin later and she was good to go. One of the best things about our house at HHI is that there is a full kitchen. I whipped up some eggs, bacon, and bagels for a cheap and nutritious breakfast before we started our day.
After breakfast we loaded up the car and headed to shop. I seriously LOVE shopping. The fact that there are some awesome outlets up here helps my cause. Since the Tanger outlets in Hilton Head are split between I and II we hit up Tanger I in the morning. Em scored the most out of all of us haha.
After shopping for a few hours and emptying my wallet at Carter’s and Gap Kids it was time for lunch. One of the nurses I work with the ER suggested we eat at Robert Irvine’s Nosh which is conveniently located in the Tanger II outlet center. There were several craft burgers to choose from and a nice drink selection. The atmosphere inside was nice and cozy with a lit fire. Em though was at the end of her rope so Chris and I alternated playing outside with her until our food came. I ordered the Augusta burger which have pimento cheese, braised bacon, lettuce, and tomato on it. The pimento added a different but tasty flavor to the burger.
By the time lunch was over Em was in meltdown mode so we went back to the house for her nap. While she snoozed, I ran up to the fitness center for a quick workout while Chris watched March Madness. I did a 2 mile run on the treadmill and a quick CrossFit WOD of 21-15-9 reps of push-ups, bench dips, and sit-ups. It felt good to break a sweat and work off some of my burger
When Em woke up we headed back to the Tanger I outlets so I could hit up J.Crew and BCBG. I ended up scoring some awesome deals at both … Maybe a fashion post is in my future?
For dinner we hit up one of the restaurants associated with Operation R&R. Hudson’s on the Docks is located right on Port Royal Sound and has some killer views. They also give 50% off of food to Operation R&R guests! SCORE. When we pulled up I was immediately impressed with the views and naturally insisted on taking some photos
For starters, they bring out an entire basket of hush puppies and oh my goodness they were addicting! We definitely had to watch ourselves so we didn’t eat them all. In lieu of an appetizer, Chris and I shared 1/2 pound of snow crab legs. Crab legs are one of our favorite foods and these were by far some of the best I have had. For my main course I had blackened wild Alaskan cod with sautéed spinach, lump crab meat, and cheese served over a cheesy grit biscuit. The sauce it came in made the dish. Finally, for dessert we had bread pudding. While the taste was there, I like my bread pudding warm and this was cold. Intentionally? Not sure.
After our meal we spoke with the manager and thanked him for providing that special to military families. Turns out he is a former Marine so he gets it
Unfortunately, Em’s fever returned with a vengeance as we got home. After a quick bath she and I snuggled on one of the extra beds. She actually fell asleep on me for about an hour which she never does. Here’s to hoping that she is feeling better today and we can continue with the fun adventures we have planned!
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Operation R&R: Hilton Head
| March 21, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Army, Travel |
Hello from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina! We got up here last night and have settled in quite nicely. For my Fort Stewart friends you need to check this out. We are here with Operation R&R. Operation R&R is a nonprofit organization that works to provide an opportunity for Service Members to spend quality time with their families upon return from deployment. Local property owners donate their homes and villa to fulfill this purpose. Operation R&R Hilton Head serves Service Members from Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield, Fort Benning, and Beaufort Marine Corps Air Base. To qualify, your Service Member must have been deployed at some point over the last 2 years. Chris’ 2 year anniversary of coming home from Afghanistan is next month so we made it in by the skin of our teeth.
Hilton Head Island is a convenient 1-hour drive from where we live just outside of Savannah. Chris and I hit up the noon CrossFit class yesterday, grabbed groceries, and loaded Em into the car and hit the road. Going into it we knew we were getting a 3-bedroom house in a timeshare community but didn’t know much more. When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised! Jack met us at the club house and showed us around. The complex includes lounging areas, a pool table, a (small) fitness center, and pools. We then headed to our house and were SHOCKED.
How cute is this place? Inside, it is a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom house. Operation R&R is for the Service Member and their immediate family so there is plenty of space for several kiddos. When we walked in we were greeted with a spacious living area.
One of the best things about staying in a timeshare home is that there is a full kitchen. When we got settled in last night I whipped up some oven baked tacos. We also brought some food from home so we could make breakfasts in the morning and have healthy snacks on hand. LOVE.
In our house, there are two master suites with attached bathrooms and then an extra bedroom and separate bath. This is so much better than staying in a hotel with Em in the room with us. Here, she has her own room (we brought our pack-and-play) and we should all get a good night sleep
I am really excited for the fun things have planned during our stay. Shopping anyone?? ;) Word on the street is is that there is a Wing Festival and you all know how much I love buffalo wings.
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Recovering
| January 10, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Travel |
It took us:
2 hours in the car
4 hours in airports
6 hours on a plane
But we made it to Phoenix. To say we (I) am tired is an understatement of epic proportions. Travel is hard on little people which in turn makes it hard on big people. We will be back after our hibernation today.
It took us:
2 hours in the car
4 hours in airports
6 hours on a plane
But we made it to Phoenix. To say we (I) am tired is an understatement of epic proportions. Travel is hard on little people which in turn makes it hard on big people. We will be back after our hibernation today.
