Nonprofit Connectors

The haunted town I love

I lost my heart to Savannah! I can’t remember going anywhere and feeling more comfortable. I didn’t feel like a stranger in Savannah, and yet it was my very first time ever setting foot in Georgia. One thing I learned about me, while I’m from the District of Columbia, I’m definitely not a southern girl; I’m city through and through.

Savannah is a quaint place full of ghosts. Every house tells a tale of a haunting, or the prevention of such a thing. There’s one house that is said to have been mailed ordered, and was assembled with every single window installed upside down (see picture). This was done to ward off evil spirits.

I took the trolley tour around town several times, and spent hours hearing different renditions regarding the same historical sites. Each trolley driver had their own unique way of telling a story. The St. Patrick’s Day was my favorite. One driver said, “The St. Patrick’s Day parade is the second in the country to New York. Everything in Savannah turns green: the river, the water fountains, the beer, and the next day the faces of the people turn green.”

The food in Savannah was by far the best I ever had! I ate at the Olde Pink House, Lady and Sons, and I cooked my favorite meal at the 700 Kitchen Cooking School. We made Low Country cuisine, and it was further proof that I’m not a southern girl. Every other dish started with biscuits and grits both yuck in my personal opinion. Yet, when in the South one must try it out. So, I ate enough (a very little) to at least be able to say that I tried them. I know my former mean coach would’ve been proud of me!

However, I do love fried green "tamadas"!

A vacationing I will go

Working vacations, doesn’t that sound like an oxymoron? Well, it didn’t to me this past week as I hung out in Savannah, GA. I traveled with my dear friend on her birthday trip. I hadn’t taken the week off; so, I still had to work. However, because I plan for times like this I have a laptop, a cell phone (that I transfer my business line to), and GoToMyPC.

Armed with the right tools, I set off for Savannah, where I had a lovely river view from the Bohemian Hotel. I logged in every morning to check email and work on assignments. Then logged off, enjoyed the town and all it had to offer. Before I retired for the evening, I checked email again. My clients knew I was away, and they knew they could count on me to complete the tasks at hand.

Being a business owner really does afford me the flexibility to work from a variety of places. If I were an employee, I’d be limited to what my supervisor would deem appropriate. Now, back at home, I’m writing this post while hanging out with my hubby at one of his favorite places – the Washington Bible College.I have my laptop connected to their wifi system, and I’m plugging away. The sad realization is that when I leave here, and go home, no one will have come by to clean my room, leave me fresh towels, and I’m sure I’ll have to make the dinner myself. But what a wonderful week of work and vacation it was!

Do you venture to mix the two, work and vacation? If so, what tools do you use to meet your needs? If not, why not? I look forward to hearing your replies!

The Wilderness with Nieces

Every summer for a week, I take my mom and two youngest nieces to the Wilderness Presidential Resort for a summer get-away. We stay in a trailer, grocery shop every day, swim, eat out every night, and just have a great time. It is fun, but not very relaxing as there is ALWAYS something to do.

This year is the first one where I’ve been completely disconnected from the internet. The Wilderness is isolated as cell reception isn’t the best, and the only wifi is at the reservation lodge at the very entrance of the park. There’s absolutely no opportunity for someone like me with two busy little girls and one impatient mom to stop playing and check FB, Twitter, and god forbid check email.

Also, this year we tried something new, we did activities off property. The most memorable for my nieces may have been the lunch theatre performance of The Little Mermaid. However, for me and my mom, it was the Trolley Tour of downtown Fredericksburg, VA. My mom was completely fascinated by the civil war history as told by our trolley tour guide. He showed us battle scenes that have lived over the course of 140 some years. It was absolutely overwhelming to hear stories about actual battles, and to walk through the battlefields where men gave their lives in a war that nearly divided the country.

It gave me a new appreciation and deepened my fascination with this horrific war fought, in part, to afford me the freedom I have today. It amazed me to see a slave auction block still standing in the central part of town. Would you allow your child to play on this?

So, while we are a united nation there will always be signs of our divisions.