Escape to HHI

It is literally impossible for a working Mom to relax at home. There is always, always something on the regular "to do" list (laundry/dishes/whatever is stuck on the bottom of the vegetable crisper), the "wish list" (way less glamorous than it sounds) (includes things like reorganizing the storage shelves and cleaning out the garage), or the "if I should be lucky enough to get something contagious, rendering me unable to work, but not actually be on death's door" list (hello, linen closet!) Which is why every chance I get to relax, I'm packing 87 pairs of underwear and socks and begging my family to accompany me on an adventure.

Ok, it's not the only reason- I also really like adventures- but it doesn't hurt.

Which is how Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend found us in Hilton Head, an unlikely time of year to go to the beach but also a much-needed and laundry-accumulation-free adventure.

Seth wanted to try out the kayak fishing (for some reason I have no pictures of this except an early morning shot of a PJ-clad Ford dropping his Dad at the boat launch, with cold feet and nothing to wear on them but a random glove)

and I'm committed to my "six more months in NC" bucket list, and had inexplicably never been. And it was incredible. The sand is so packed you can ride bikes on it 

(but still soft enough for sand angels),

the winter weather was invigorating (according to a can't-stay-out-of-the-water Finley),

and HHI has all the amenities, including the lovely Sweet Carolina Coffee,

 airbnbs with very dangerous bunk beds,

the unparalleled Coligny Beach Park,

and hundreds of miles of bike trails. Which eventually yielded this adorable nap.

To keep things interesting, there are also alligators just roaming about

and disconcertingly plantation-themed attractions everywhere.

Which, refreshingly, reminded us that kids may require difficult conversations but are, at the end of the day, just kids. ("Mom, it's not OK to have slaves. Right? But I do like these camelias. They smell like fresh meat." (?!) "Also, alligators could eat you.")

They were rewarded for their incredible bravery in the face of mostly-invisible alligators with an early morning trip to Starbucks

before church at one of the oldest churches in America, the Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Savannah.

We rounded out our day playing tourist in Savannah with a trip to SCADstory,

a walk through historic squares,

a surprisingly well-received visit to a spooky but beautiful New Orleans-style cemetery,

and a trip to the iconic Forsyth Park, where we took zero decent photos,

 and played on the swings.

Because we have a Seth Nieman, we also watched the playoffs games at a River Street dive which happened to be the home of the Original Chicken Finger,

after sampling the world-famous Byrd's cookies.

Having been assured that the Packers would not make it to the Super Bowl, we were free to enjoy our last day by visiting the iconic Hilton Head Lighthouse (114 steps to the top!)

and laughing about the facts that 1) it contains a "top of the lighthouse" souvenir shop,

 and 2)  you can't get much more "South Carolina" than a lighthouse overlooking a golf course and a yacht club.

 

 At least there was also a decent playground

and some real Southern BBQ before the long drive home.
Note that Ford refused to be parted from his new pirate hat,

which outlasted him on the trek home.

My favorite photo of our idyllic long weekend, because it may have captured the one in which I laughed the hardest, was of the kids aggressively chasing seagulls at the beach. I'm grateful for a lot of things, but tops

is that I'm really glad they didn't catch one.