The Soul of Savannah

Such an awesome day with amazing people!  We went to Tybee Island to the beach.  Enjoyed the sand and surf and some amazing sandwiches (which were mostly free of actual sand) as well as a little too much sun.  It was so beautiful, and definitely a time to remember.  However, I must say it was a little outclassed by my evening.  Jonathan had been planning a surprise for months for our Savannah trip.  All I knew was that I needed to bring a dress, and a little later on, that it would just be the two of us doing whatever it was.

This morning he told me that he was taking me to Alligator Soul (a seriously amazing restaurant...just check out the link!) for dinner, just the two of us.  And that I wasn't, under any circumstances, to think about price or anything of that nature when ordering.  He showed me some pictures and the menu, and I have to say I was pretty impressed and very excited.  But that was nothing compared to when we actually arrived!  However, let me back up a little and say a little more about the time leading up to our arrival at the restaurant.

When we got back from Tybee, I hopped in the shower to start getting ready.  Jacob and Grace went to the pool, but Rita stayed and helped me as I tried to remove all the remnants of the beach still clinging to my person while trying to not aggravate the sunburn I could already feel on my back.  After spending nearly an hour getting ready (which for me practically amounts to a lifetime), I had donned a beautiful purple dress with a halter-esque top and my one and only pair of stiletto heels (in which I managed to not twist my ankle) and some of my favorite jewelry (gifts from this previous Christmas), as well as a touch of makeup (which I rarely wear).  I certainly felt ready for a monumental evening ;-).

As we got ready to leave, Jonathan and I had Grace take a few pictures of us in all our splendid apparel and then the rest of our group morphed into a chauffeur service ranging from driver (Rita), footman (Jacob), and photographer/back seat entertainment (Grace).  We arrived promptly at 5:30 at the restaurant (which was our reservation time).  The restaurant was built in an old wine cellar, so we had to go down a set of stairs from street level before we arrived in a beautiful underground room.  The service was magnificent, the food was divine, and the setting very romantic.  My guy did good! ;-)

After dinner, we headed to a nearby square and watched kids playing in the fountains until the others finished eating at the seafood restaurant they had chosen.  Then, they came back to let us into the van so I could get more comfortable footwear to walk the riverfront with them.  Or so I thought.  Upon their arrival, they informed us that they were going to disappear after letting us in the car and go do their own thing for the evening, so Jonathan and I were pleasantly surprised to find our date night extended.  We ended up taking a carriage tour that focused on Savannah history as dusk fell.  It was pretty awesome.

When the carriage ride ended, we headed to wander along the riverfront, and eventually found ourselves watching the trumpet player again while eating some excellent fudge.  The others found us there, with fudge and candy of their own from the riverfront shops.  After a short while together, though, I requested we return to the hotel so I could change into something that would be less aggravating to my increasingly painful sunburn, so we went back and watched some Olympics.  Grace knitted on her current project while the other four of us played spades (in which Jonathan and I were completely pounded into oblivion by Rita and Jacob), before we all headed to bed.

But wait, there's more!  In spite of our very tired selves, Rita and Grace and I stayed up chatting and catching up for another hour or two, which was so much fun and something we hadn't done in a really long time with Grace in Columbia all summer long.  So, even though by this point my back was on fire, it was a totally amazing day, and I enjoyed every minute!