Amelia Island GFIA Trip Recap

Well, I know that I said I would update from Amelia but there was the eating, and the laying by the pool and then of course the reading.  So basically, I didn't have a single minute to do anything.  I really did do more than that I promise. 

When we got to The Plantation on Thursday, I quickly realized that I wouldn't want to leave this place anytime soon.  This is the view from our room:

Not only was the view amazing, the room itself was gorgeous.  I could not keep my eyes off of this group of photos that was placed over the desk area.

And this chair and ottoman.  The ottoman has a leather tufted top.  Get out.  The large pillow was off of the bed.  This room was exquisite. 

Then of course, there was more fabulousness and things of beauty when we went to supper Thursday night in downtown Fernandina at Brett's Waterway Café.  This was the BBQ shrimp over a bed of grits and turnip green.  And oh yeah, there were Vidalia onion rings involved.  I ate every.single.drop. that was in that bowl. 

 

Then we were back to the resort for the Best Bagger Contest.  Our girl, Katie didn't win but she did us proud and represented us well.  And on top of that she is just the sweetest thing ever.  This bagger contest is face-paced and intense.  There are two rounds:  one for plastic and one for reusable.  They have no idea what the grocery items are going to be that are to be bagged until they walk up on the stage. The score is based on weight distribution of the bags as well as their timing.   And they're up in front of about 300 people.  It's pretty nerve racking and I was just watching. 

 

 

On Friday morning, I attended a seminar with Darrell and then decided to go into downtown Fernandina to do a little shopping while he was still in meetings.  I adore this little town.  There are such great shops and restaurants.  But I wasn't out for a leisurely stroll.  I was on a shopping mission.  Last fall, we stayed on Amelia during the Georgia Florida game and were able to spend some free time in Fernandina.  That's when I found my most favorite pair of pants ever.  They were the cutest, most comfortable pair of pants I think I've ever had and I wore them all winter.  They were black (surprise, I know) so I thought maybe a brown pair might be a good idea.  And guess what?  they had them in brown.  I snatched them right up and skipped all the way home. 

Friday night at the GFIA convention is so fun.  There is dinner, a live auction and a seriously good dance band.  We danced and danced and just had the best time.

Then Saturday was the food show which was amazing.  Of course, there is food galore but there is always a place I find my way to first.  The book table.  They give away, get this, FREE books.  Yes, I pretty much think I have died and gone to heaven when I get there.  I quickly filled up my bag with all I could carry.  On Saturday night we got all dressed up for the Chairman's Dinner.  Here we are in our finest. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Amelia Island Plantation!  We sure had a good time!

Hope to see you soon. 

 

Love,

The Wileys

 

Sleepless on Springdale

I have officially decided that sleep is over-rated. That's because I now know that I can't sleep again until Friday night. I might squeeze in an hour and half or so tonight but tomorrow night, there's no way. I have done so much the past few days that I'm not sure if I'm coming or going. So to say that leaving Friday morning on vacation is much anticipated, well that's just an understatement. You need a vacation after you try to get all that needs to be done, done, before you leave. Does that make sense?

I love a good vacation but you know, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed about the whole process. I'm leaving E behind with two big meetings. She can handle it without a doubt but I still feel like I should be there with her. I'm leaving some very dear friends behind with heavy burdens. I feel like they might need me. And why do I feel like both of my children might need us while we're gone and we won't be here for them. Or my momma? What if she needs me? Am I having some sort of guilt complex? I think I might be.

Okay. Heavy sigh.

Let's think on the positive side. This vacation is going to be fabulous. I can hardly wait to spend a week with my sweet husband in the beautiful city of San Francisco. What a blessing!
I'm not sure how much I'll blog if any, so I'll give you a little itinerary because I know you are just dying to know what I'm going to be doing every single day. :)

We'll fly out early morning. By mid-afternoon, we'll hopefully be checked in our room and on our way to our Alcatraz tour. D is so excited about this he can hardly stand it. He really wanted to take this tour at night but apparently, that tour is so popular, tickets were already long gone. I can totally understand why you would want to go to an empty prison . . . at night. I don't think so. I personally will be going to bed early this night. Although I may sleep with one eye open after seeing the cell of the dastardly Al Capone.
The next day, we are going to get up fairly early and make our way down to the Farmer's Market. Supposedly, this is supposed to be "foodie" heaven, and so, as you can imagine, D and I are all about this. "Amazing Grazing" is the theme of this trip. Oh yes. This day will be spent walking the city, going to China Town, hopping on a cable car, walking the Golden Gate Bridge, and taking in all the city has to offer.
A couple of things are still up in the air, but one day we will mosey out to Sonoma for a wine tour. Another day a car will be rented and we'll spend a few days just exploring the whole area. We plan on taking in Muir Woods, Sausilito, Yosemite, the Redwoods, Monterey, Carmel and Yosemite. All of this will culminate on the very last night with a visit to see the Giants play at AT&T Park. Because no vacation is complete until we go to a stadium and see someone play something that involves a ball. It's so true but I can live with it.

Putting this all out on the Internet makes me a little nervous. I just can't imagine that the 4 people that read this blog would have thief-like qualities but on the slim chance there is a 5th reader out there who does, you have to know that we have a house-sitter, a burglar alarm that works and a neighborhood watch program. And a neighbor with a big, mean dog. So there.

And because of that I will sleep easy . . . eventually.

Vacation - Final Installment

Well, I'm sure I've about worn out my welcome with these vacation posts but if you'll allow me just one more, I'd be most grateful.

Friday night was a fun, fun night! There was dinner and there was dancing. And I just have to tell you, I about pulled out my back cuttin' the rug with D. We had such a great time dancing together. That doesn't happen very often but when it does, we sure do enjoy it.

This was taken before the dinner. As you might notice, G and N coordinated their outfits. :)

Saturday night was the final night of the convention and it is the most formal of them all. I just have to say after all the tense moments with the bow tie, I think he pulled it off. And I like it. What a fashion confident man.

I just have to laugh when I look at this picture. E tells me this is the official "sorority girl pose." Apparently, they have perfected this look as the one that makes you look the tallest, thinest and most poised. So there you go . . .

Vacation - Part 3

Continuing on about the vacation. Wednesday was relaxing. No responsibilities. Pretty much one of those days you dream about. Biggest decision = what to wear to dinner. Love it.

Thursday was a big day because the GFIA Convention was now in full swing, D was busy with meetings and that evening was the Best Bagger Contest! This is the 5th year we have entered this contest and we had a state winner in the second year. Now, this may not seem like a big deal on the surface but considering we are competing with the big boys like Publix and Kroger, little ole JandJ, with its three stores, does pretty amazing.

Our best bagger, Sonata held her own with the guys (she was the only girl competing against four guys) but in the end, didn't come home with the prize. We, however, could not have been prouder of her. She's a great young lady!
Group shot:

Husband and children - oh, how I love thee.

Vacation - Part 2

The first installment of this vacation dissertation got us not quite through Monday of our vacation week. After dinner that night, D and I and his parents went to the Disney planned community of Celebration. You just have to love a town named Celebration. We were on a mission to see a movie and that was the closest theater according to our GPS. So when we got there, there were two movies showing. It took me awhile to figure out that a movie theater in the Disney town would only show Disney (Pixar) movies. So guess what we saw? Toy Story 3. I really liked it. It actually gave me that closure I desire as Andy is going off to college and Woody and the gang are no longer feeling significant in his life. Please don't think me hormonal but I shed a few tears.

On Tuesday morning, the boys had an early tee time so E and I went to the gym. I know, I thought it was a ridiculous thing to do on vacation too but we did it anyway. After that we prepared ourselves for a shopping adventure. But before we left, E came up to our room to do something she has always wanted to do - flat iron my hair. See for yourself the results below. I kept telling her, "as long as it isn't too flat on top." You've heard it said, the bigger the hair, the closer you are to God. So I adhere to that philosophy and always have a little fluff on the top. All in all, I liked it. Not sure I can do it myself so this may be the one and only time my hair looks like this.

Our first stop (always) was for an large unsweet tea from McDonalds. That will sure enough give you what you need to face the day. Since I've sworn off Diet Cokes, these large teas have been my saving grace. You'll also notice that our shopping trip was productive. We went to the local premium outlet mall and made a beeline to the Ann Taylor Loft. We are quite fond of Miss Ann's selections. We then found our way to our favorite store ever, Target and spent the good part of the morning in there. There is just something exciting about going in a Target you've never been in before: the smell of the popcorn, the exhilaration of discovering the different store layout and of course, the possibility of new selections in the shoe department. Oh. dear. It was so fun.

Before we left the room, E happened to look out the door and look who we saw? Our boys playing hole #4.

We met them for lunch and then did more of the same that afternoon: Pool. Read. Repeat.

I'm Back from a Bloggy Break

I just cannot believe it has been 2 1/2 weeks since I landed here last. But sometimes a girl just has to take a vacation even from her blog. Let me tell you, a lot has been packed into these past weeks - a trip to Savannah to see Paula, a wedding weekend in LaGrange and a week-long stay in the land of Orlando, just to name a few. And I just can't wait to tell you all about it but because there is so very much, we'll take it in installments. I'm sure the excitement of it all would be a bit overwhelming. :)

Let's start with last week - the vacation. It was my favorite kind of vacation - full of family, books, the pool and food. (We were at a food convention, after all). My absolute favorite thing to do on vacation is first of all, be with my family and second, to sit by the pool (or beach) and read. And that is exactly what I was blessed to get to do. Here is E's book for the week - "Savor the Moment" by Nora Roberts. It is the third book in the series called "Bride Quartet" about four women who are wedding professionals and work together for their company called Vows. One is a photographer, one a florist, one a planner and this particular book is about the one who creates the wedding cakes. As you might guess, E and I adore this series and can hardly wait for the next one to come out, except that it will be the last and we hate for it to end.

This was one of four books that I read last week. The interesting thing about this book is that it is set in Mimosa Branch, Georgia which is remarkably similar to Buford, Ga where the author actually lives. And doesn't Mimosa Branch sound strangely like Flowery Branch? A very cool read because it mentions Lake Lanier and Gainesville often as well as many surrounding towns.

I also read "The Help" which was fabulous. It is set during the early 60s in Jackson, Mississippi. And I read "Fireworks over Toccoa." This book was set, as you might guess, in Toccoa, Georgia. I guess there is theme here for the week with the Southern authors writing about Southern towns. The last book, "The Kite Runner," however was set far, far away from north Georgia in Afghanistan. Not a light read but good. Oh, how I love a good book.

This was the view from the pool at our room. We were on the 7th floor right there on the corner.
Pretty in pink! This pic was taken Monday night before dinner. Two beautiful women!

We couldn't leave our handsome men out! G and his friend hadn't arrived on the scene yet because they stopped on the way down at their favorite fishing hole, Amelia Island for another quick trip out to sea.

This is what D and I looked like most of the week. It was heavenly.

I'm Baaack from the Beach!

Have y'all gone missing me? Some of you know where I've been so maybe you'll give me a little break for taking such a long absence from the bloggy world. Well, let's see what has happened since I posted the last time.

The Caribbean cruisers returned safely from their Valentine's weekend excursion. E did a quick turn around and flew to our nation's Capital for a visit with her very best friend/college roommate/sorority sister - CP. CP was E's maid of honor at her wedding and E is returning the favor when CP gets married in August. So, I can guarantee you some wedding talk went on up there. I can hardly wait to hear all about it! I did have a short conversation with her Friday morning and she said that DC still had two feet of snow on the ground and that CP has had the stomach virus but she was on the mend. Now, doesn't that sound like fun? But you know best girlfriends don't care if you've been sick or you're stuck in a hotel room even in a fun place like DC. They'll have a great time no matter what!

Well, last Monday and Tuesday held their own challenges but that's not worth talking about at this point. But Wednesday, that glorious day, the day I've been looking forward to for weeks! I began the day with an early morning meeting with E and our company's resident florist extraordinaire, Miss M. We are planning for a Bridal Show on the 28th and have been asked to do a "gallery" for it. I'll explain more about this in the next couple of days but suffice it to say, we really needed to get our heads together and make a plan of action. Thankfully, all brains were on deck and we gathered our thoughts and ideas quickly. Oooh, I just can't wait to tell you more about this.

After that, I ran home, threw some things in a suitcase and left with my husband for the BEACH! Yea! Okay, if that's wasn't already good enough, guess who goes to college in a town on the way to the BEACH! Yes siree, that would be our boy! We had dinner with him that night. We sat and talked until he about went to sleep in his plate. He had pulled an all nighter the night before because of two tests that day and had only slept three hours in two days. So, we talked as long as he could and then took him back to his apartment. I sure do cherish those few hours with him. He is quite the young man even if he is mine.

So, onto the beach we went. I just felt the stress and worry of everyday life just melting away as we approached the sand and sea. And D must have felt the same way because he slept most of the day on Thursday. I actually got worried about him at one point. Like when your baby sleeps through the night for the first time and you wake up and realize it! You run in the room to see if they're still breathing. Anybody besides me done that? I'll have to admit, I actually went to the bedroom one time just to make sure D was still breathing. He works hard, long hours and a do-nothing vacation is just what the doctor ordered for him.

So, the rest of the week was pure bliss. I read (of course). Oh by the way, I finished "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. True to form for Mr. Sparks, this book is a tear-jerker. I could hardly read through the tears. Okay, now I'm ready for the movie. Comes out April 2nd I think. And speaking of movies, Friday night we went to see "Valentine's Day." I honestly wasn't a fan of this movie but I loved the outtakes at the end. The very last one with Julia Roberts was my favorite but I don't think any one in the whole theatre got it except us but that would be because we've seen "Pretty Woman" a zillion times.

Saturday the weather was absolutely gorgeous, about 65 degrees and sunny. A most perfect February day. We read, walked on the beach (one of us jogged), worked only a little bit (and always in line of sight of the water), took a drive, brought home dinner and watched the Olympics after the sun went down. Pretty much, fabulous.

We appreciate the generosity of our dear friends to let us use their beach house for a few days. It was perfect.

Just a few pictures. You can tell D was taking this because I didn't have my smile on yet.

These things are a combination of fascinating and gross.

Yes, it was just that beautiful.