Sass, My Sister and Savannah

Frankie and I traveled to meet one of my sisters in Savannah for the night. It was such a fun experience for us. The travel time was only about two and a half hours, so it wasn’t too daunting. We left early enough to be there by lunch time, because we always enjoy dining in a different city. Not only does it get us out of the local area restaurants we frequent often, as food loving people, we always enjoy trying something new to tickle our tastebuds. A good friend of my sister, who is from Savannah, was meeting us for lunch and he insisted on eating at Flying Monk (flywiththemonk.com), which is a noodle bar. Frankie is a huge fan of noodles, and this restaurant did not disappoint. It did not surprise me either knowing Scotty is a huge foodie and also Korean, so it was destined to be authentic Asian cuisine. A few days prior, I had a stomach bug, so Pho was exactly what the doctor ordered. Not only was the broth rich and comforting, but it was also a bowl big enough to split with Frankie. Especially after edamame dumplings, which helped to fill our bellies. However, I am positive we would have both been satisfied without them. Yet I am extremely glad we ordered them as well. The dumplings were crispy on the outside and full of edamame, served with an umami sauce to help kick it up a notch. I highly recommend giving this restaurant a try if you are ever in downtown Savannah area and enjoy a good noodle house.

After lunch we checked into our hotel, unloaded the car and then walked down to take the ferry across the river where my sister was staying with a friend on the other side. The afternoon was warm, so we decided to go for a swim, relax and enjoy the pool for an hour or so. Frankie loves to swim, so we took the opportunity to let her get out some built up energy. She swam nonstop for almost an hour. I was only a little worried that she would wear herself out to a point of no return and have a meltdown. I was also secretly hoping it would bring her energy level down just enough to not have any struggle getting her to bed, especially in a different place. To my surprise, the excitement of being with my sister and in a different city, helped her pull through dinner time without any major breakdowns, thankfully!

After dinner we began our journey back to our hotel for the night. The walk was only one-half mile away, but walking with a four-year-old, who has been on a short road trip, walked at least two miles and swam for an hour, was pushing our luck. I thought for sure it was all over once we got to the extremely steep staircase that would get us up off of River Street. Frankie looked at me and just about lost it when she saw the stairs. She immediately started whining “oh man, I don’t want to have to walk up those stairs!” The truth was that none of us wanted to walk up those stairs… and I definitely didn't want to especially if I had to carry her 40-pound body up them as well. So, Caron and I yelled with excitement, “oh let’s see if we can count them all?” That motivated Frankie enough to take the stairs. 31 steps later, we were at the top, all out of breath. Yet we still had about one-half of a mile to walk to the hotel. This was it; this was about to be the straw that broke the whining toddlers back. Luckily for us, Samuel “Mule” with Royal Bike Taxi | Providing Excellent Pedicab Service in Savannah was waiting in the street just at the top of the stairs. Like a knight in shining armor, he sat upon his Pedicab as if it was sent to us from heaven. My sister and I said it must have been our mom looking out for us. The timing of his presents was impeccable, serendipitous even. Frankie just jumped right in the seat and said, “We should ride this!” Samuel looked at her and said, “Climb on aboard!” That man was as lucky to see us, as we were for him to be there. Naturally, he offered to take us the scenic route and tell us some of the history behind the areas we passed. It was the perfect way to end our day in Savannah.

The next morning, we woke up and had a quick breakfast before heading to the Savannah Children’s Museum SCM (chsgeorgia.org). This museum is all open air and sprawled throughout the former Central Georgia Railway repair facility and stood adjacent to the Georgia State Railroad Museum. The museum has over a dozen creatively designed exhibits, including an exploration maze, a reading nook, a sensory garden, and a nature kitchen. The museum educators lead participatory art and STEM programs daily. Frankie enjoyed the water table, arts and crafts area as well as the large cushion building blocks to construct forts with. One of the things I loved most about it was that it was very different from the children's museum we frequent at home. She was able to use her imagination while simultaneously piquing her interest in STEM activity. When it was time to leave, Frankie gave me a bit of sass. So, I assured her we would return another time for a longer visit.

Finally, our last stop before getting on the road home was THE ULTIMATE DINOSAUR ADVENTURE, a unique kid activity located at Savannah Riverfront Hotels | JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District. It was educational and we caught a glimpse of a Stegosaurus skull, Walrus skull and cave bear fossils from about 150 million years ago. Also, on exhibit were some of the largest geodes I have ever seen. The size of these crystals was beyond imaginable. It was a last-minute decision to check it out, and we were super glad we did. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our Savannah adventure. When it came time to load up in the car for the two- and half-hour ride home, Frankie climbed right in her seat leaving any sass right there in Savannah. She was exhausted and I was extremely glad to have a very peaceful ride home.