i've been very grateful for my adopted family and am blessed to have their company at least once a week. we even had a world cup bracket draw party last night! they also took me out on a boat for my 2nd time ever (not counting the touristy boats). we boated out to st. katherine's island, a private island really close to richmond hill. a friend of theirs and i went walking around the island and decided it was time to turn around when we were walking between numerous dead trees uprooted on the sand and then saw a wild boar's skull. but it was a great day on the island - there's something to be said for tendering the boat and wading to the beach and then grilling and tanning all day!
my birthday was in april so dena, a friend from germany, came to visit and celebrate with me. sad that i went from being separated by the pond to being separated by several states...i hate being home but still being so far from everyone (about a 9 hour drive). but i'm really glad dena is close by and that i have my adopted family and salsa! :)
tybee, savannah's beach, recently hosted their annual beach bum parade so joel, a friend, and i went to tybee for the parade and a beach volleyball tournament. here are a few pictures from the past few months.
Dena and I out in Savannah for my birthday :) dinner and drinks at Jazz'd, an awesome tapas lounge in Savannah
We met this guy, Paul, and his friend, Jaime, who are both in the MWR Management trainee program and knew Meg, a lady I worked with in Garmisch...small world!
awesome, awesome, awesome thai food @ Ruan Thai in Savannah 
yummmm a birthday isnt complete without a birthday cupcake of course! from Mabel Francis Potter's Cupcake Emporium
Lacey and I in Augusta, GA salsa dancing for the first time in my life...Lacey was a pro!
Jen, Lacey, and I salsa dancing
on to the beach bum parade on tybee....as we were driving onto the island there were signs warning us: "Water Fight Ahead....Lock Your Windows and Doors"
This is serious business...so serious that Joel had bought water guns but they weren't powerful enough so we threw them away and bought the serious, big timer pumps! people were ruthless!! opening car doors if they weren't locked (hey, they were warned to lock their doors) and lots of people had truck beds with pools full of water....ICE water! brrrr I have more pictures but they're on a water camera still to be developed...
hello tybee island and the beach :)
awesome breakfast @ The Breakfast Club on Tybee Island - numerous omelet options and other tasty breakfast items
Beach volleybal! yay! this made my heart happy! the men were especially great! it was an interesting dynamic to watch the older men play against the younger guys and the differences in attitude and casualness of the game. the older men were definitely more relaxed and the younger guys wanted everything called and to be played by the books....of course, only when it was in their favor...
awesome, awesome, AWESOME shrimp tempura from Bento Cafe in Gainesville when I went to visit Dena. We had a really great Memorial Day weekend hanging out... tubing down the ichetucknee, jazz concert downtown (to include being cussed out by an old man for talking...never mind the fact that everyone in the park was talking!!), tanning/burning/relaxing on the beach at ponte vedra, and enjoying the nightlife in gainesville (hello cheap tab!!) GREAT weekend :-D
