Retirement capitol of SC

Unlike Massachusetts, I have adopted a few people that want to actually travel around with me every weekend. I have mentioned Jayson that plans the trips, but I have girlpals that want to join me and recognize the opportunity to get away for the weekend. Last weekend I was in Charleston I emailed my sister Steph, it read, "I just now realized that I am a spoiled brat! I get to go on vacation every single weekend!" She replied, "yeah but you deserve it you are awesome"! I agree but still after 5months am dumbfounded that I get to do this! So anyway, my dad used to get to go on business trips for his company every other year if I remember correctly. My mom always talks about her favorite trip to Hilton Head. Naturally I am going to go to Hilton Head Island to investigate and see if in fact it is the greatest place to visit. My friend at work here, Megan, chose to come with me.

Friday afternoon we set off to the island but there was a little glitch in our southern geti-up. There were snow flurries here in Sumter, SC!!!! There are not enough exclamation points to explain the amount of excitement and anxiety in a southern state when it snows! Here I was driving my SUV with NE plate on the front, KS plate on the back at the normal speed limit through town, attempting to leave town. The residents of this state were calling there friends, coworkers, relatives, bosses, schools attempting to shut down the town. There was precisely zero inches of snow on the ground when I walked into the gas station and overheard a phone conversation from one of the attendants, "maybe people in Nebraska are used to this but I hear that the airports are shut down and they may cancel school on Monday"! I raise an eyebrow, walk back to my SUV, laugh out loud, and drive to the island. It did change from snow flurries to rain along the way which made for a long ride with people driving 10 under the speed limit but we did make it. I confirmed with Megan whom originally is from Colorado and moved to South Carolina, that the airports must shut down as do the schools because they have no deicer agents or snow plows. Snow plows for what?? One inch of snow that will melt in a second because Saturday and Sunday is for casted to be 50degrees and sunny!

We arrived at Hilton Head Island on a rainy "cold" evening and checked into our oceanfront hotel and then went out for dinner. I had met a couple of guys on the shuttle the weekend prior in Charleston and one of them worked at the Red Fish in Hilton Head. He went there for one of the best seafood meals I have had. Calamari in a smoked tomato basil sauce, sea bass on a bed of seaweed ginger noodles and Megan had seared scallops with a bed of lobster macaroni and asparagus. The meal was great the night after was fun and dance filled. The cab driver did warn us that the cabs may shut down if the "snow" gets too bad! I said, "let me get this straight, if the so called snow which was really just rain, not even sleet, gets too bad you will shut down public transportation. And what, Sir, do you propose that us normal, rational people do to get home then?" He then told me that this was the worst storm since 1986 and he can't predict what will happen. Well folks, the world did not end and we did make it home to our hotel......even in the huge snow storm of 2010! haha

Saturday we woke up an took a stroll along the beach checking out all the starfish and the cutest little boy with his puppy named Cody. It is sad that I can remember most dog's names that I meet but the humans names are a little fuzzy! ooops. So we went to the hotel for a short nap and then to a small bar/restaurant for lunch. Back to the hotel to lounge around and enjoy a day of laziness. We headed out that evening with a new friend, Christopher, to an Italian restaurant. Megan is a tall blond haired blue eyed girl that says she is Italian! Um, well I am not too cultured but Italians are not usually looking like that at all! She then assured me that her family is from Italy, Northern Italy. Well Ok then Miss Megan, I do believe you and our meal was great....as usual. We then went out to a local bar/restaurant and watched a sporting event where they score you on dunking the ball and shooting 3-pointers. Well that is neat! There was a really good band though so that was good. Chris is a traveling physical trainer so he gets to do my same gig but has to be much more healthy! Too bad for him:) During the course of the evening I said to him, "don't we have the best lives right now? Really who gets to be us?" He definitely agreed!!! Megan and I turned in early to get up for our drive home but not before some more adventures.

We got up the next morning on Sunday and packed up early, on Valentine's day. Yippee whoopty do da! Megan and I went to this great brunch place for an early breakfast after seeing a lady being arrested in the hotel lobby for shoplifting I do believe. Now Megan is going through a divorce and I just turned 30 while still being single, but nothing beats getting arrested at 9am on Valentine's day!! Anyway so here Megan and I sit eating a great breakfast while being sung too by a cute old man playing an electric piano....love songs, lots of love songs...thanks Sir! So we left there and headed to this lighthouse picture on the map. Hilton Head Island is absolutely gorgeous all year round. Barely anything turns brown except most of the spanish moss hanging from the trees but that is because it is fed off of the humidity in the air and in the winter months there is obviously less. We went past the hotel that I believe my mom and dad stayed in many years ago and ended up at the lighthouse. We walked around the marina and millionaire yachts picking out all of our favorites and then Megan yells, look a dolphin! I say yea right Megan.....and really there was. So like in the movies, not sure which one though, we chased a dolphin around the docks of this marina to get his photograph! He stayed around for quite a bit to play in the marina. It was a great day. We drove around a bit longer, ended up on Deer Island which driving over the bridge the sign read, "private, do not enter". Well I do not think it to be the best idea to turn around on that bridge with my SUV so we had to drive onto the island in order to turn around. Glad I did! There were the coolest little lofts or hut thingys that were round elevated structures with a little sun room and stairs on the bottom then really just a round room on stilts! It was simply amazing with the spanish moss hanging from the trees and the BMWs parked all around....simply gorgeous!!!

Well we left that Island, then the next island and onto the mainland to our homes. Becky took a 3hour nap to get up and start planning again!!! Mom would have been right about this amazing place....except she hasn't been to Maine:)