WEEKEND REVIEW: Hilton Head Island

WEEKEND REVIEW: Hilton Head Island

When life hands you lemons…
MAKE LEMONADE.

But isn’t lemonade bitter?
I think I needed something a little sweeter…

After a DIFFICULT 7 weeks, with a variety of personal challenges and struggles, we were at a point where we HAD to get away.  For our hearts… our sanity… and our marriage.

Gifted with a beautiful nights stay at a resort in Hilton Head Islands, we packed the bags and hit the road Friday night.

OH. MY. GOODNESS.
My heart and soul are SO refreshed!

RESORT: Sonesta Hilton Head love love loved this resort!  It had amazing service, wonderful grounds and fantastic amenities!  We enjoyed their gorgeous pool (with bar service), lovely poolside dining for lunch, private white sand beaches and loooooovely room.  The bed was SO plush and the room included a balcony (score!).  Though we weren’t there long, we want to plan another trip there soon.  The drive in alone was breathtaking!

DINNER: The Chart House we were craving delicious seafood and decided a splurge at this waterfront restaurant was in order.  It surely did not disappoint!  What I loved most is that they were very accommodating to my need to eat gluten free and ensured that there was no cross contamination. HUGE WIN!
We ordered the Shrimp, Crab, Avocado & Mango Stack for an appetizer and it was so light and refreshing.  For my entrée I chose the Bronzed Mahi Mahi: sweet & spicy seared fish, topped with lump crab, tomatoes, shallot butter and Yukon gold garlic mashed potatoes. OH MY SWOON!  Justin decided on the Peach-Bourbon Glazed Scallops & Shrimp: skillet fried corn with bacon with asparagus, red grape tomatoes & roasted red peppers.  So delicious and savory.  For dessert we chose our favorite Creme Brule and it was perfect! Paired with a Korbel Brut for me and a Blue Moon for him, we were happy as a clam!

Hilton Head was so gorgeous and I know that next time we will be able to take the time to explore more of the island.  For a spontaneous, gifted weekend away, these Atlanta residents were LOVING that little slice of paradise!

Have you adventured there in your travels!? Comment below with where you went and your favorite parts!

Here’s a couple of our highlights from the trip!

Till next time Hilton Head!

xox,

 

NC Weekend Getaway!

NC Weekend Getaway!

I GOT TO SPEND AN ENTIRE WEEKEND AWAY WITH MY MR!!!

Justin and I just got back from our FIRST weekend getaway as a married couple and had SUCH a wonderful time with some of our dearest friends!  On May 27th, we celebrated 8 months of blissful marriage and decided it was time to have a little adventure!

Justin was able to get off work early, so I picked him up at 6pm!
(I know to most of you this is NORMAL or even late for a Friday, but it was anywhere from 2-4 hours early for us!!!)

As we drove to Charlotte North Carolina we stopped at a {surprisingly} BEAUTIFUL Rest Stop!
It had a gorgeous lake and woods and I made him do a spontaneous photo shoot!
***I LOVE THE SOUTH***
Did I mention how EXCITED I was to have a weekend getaway with my darling husband!!!?  My heart overflowed with love!

But lo and behold, even the shortest of road trips (ours being 4 hours!) causes one to be hungry!
SO LETS GET CHIPOTLE!!!
Its our FAVORITE cheap eats/semi fast food place to go and we were so stoked to have found one at the half way point!
Buuuuuuuut… It was No Bueno 🙁
Poor Boy. So sad.  Our favorite eatery had an OFF night to say the least {and we are NOT picky eaters!}
Rice-bland.  Meat-Forgot the seasoning.  Salsa-uhhh… wheres the kick!?
Half way through picking around my beautiful burrito bowl, I looked at him and asked
Me-“Is yours bland!?”  Him-“I was about to ask you the same thing!”

But we ate it, had full tummies and moved on with our weekend adventure!  Only a few more hours till we reached Charlotte! We pulled in just a bit past 10pm and were greated with joyful hellos from our dear friends Gavin, Colleen and their 3 year old princess Alyona!  We stayed up till almost 3am talking about life, the Lord and Colleens soon arriving baby boy Ethan and collapsed into bed.  What a gift it is to have friends so near and dear to our hearts close enough to still feel like we were on a mini vacation!

WE SLEPT IN!  Praise the Lord!!!
Gavin made us these decadent Paleo Pumpkin Raisin Breakfast muffins and we literally stayed in our PJ’s all day till we got ready for church that night!  My hair was CRAY and I had no makeup on and LOVED IT!!!

We were so excited to go to their new home church called Freedom House, and heard an amazing message on unforgivness!
We love the local church, and were honored to hear what the Lord is doing in NC!
After church, as we were on our way to dinner, we passed by a LEGIT snow cone stand and U-turned around so the 9month preggo lady could have a blue raspberry treat!
True love stands in a LONG line for snow cones 😉Dinner was at this delicious Tavern and we all got Burgers, some delicious fruity drinks and DESSERT 🙂

My baby LOVES his sweets ;)))

On our last day there, we decided it was the PERFECT day for a dip in the pool!
THIS IS THE WAY TO DO A WEEKEND VACAY!!!
I might have forgotten to put on sun block (ooooops!!) But it was SO worth it!
Justin and Gavin tossed the football for 2 hours in the pool while Colleen and I soaked up the sun!
To treat us before we hit the road, we dined on buffalo steaks (I die!) and coconut ice cream!
MY FAVE!!!
What a gift our dear friends are to our hearts!  We so enjoyed our time, and didn’t want to leave, but had to hit the road!
Till next time NC!

Cheers! Rachael & Justin xox