Miracles on 57th Street, New York City

I'm BACK!!!

 

Yes, I am BACK to blogging! 
And, yes, I am BACK in San Diego. 
I got home November 16th. 
 

BUT I still have lots of stories to tell,
so I HOPE to write about them,

and I HOPE you'll keep reading them.

 

I believe I left you guys in New Jersey. 
Sorry about that.  I guess there are worse places I could have left you.
 
It was just really hard to write my blog when I had visitors with me on my trip
and when I was visiting. 

 

So....after dropping our truck off in New Jersey, Barry and I went to New York City. 

Let me tell you about a couple of things I believe were MIRACLES for that part of the trip. 
We own a timeshare (that was a MISTAKE, NOT a MIRACLE...don't buy one)
 that has a property in NYC. 
I believe we can only make our reservations for that property 45 days before the checkout date....
yeah....that's a little confusing. 
Anyway, I was trying to do that. 
Since it is our timeshare, it should not cost us any money to stay there.  The day I was suppose to make my reservations, there were not three nights in a row available. There was only one night in a studio for Monday; one night in a one-bedroom for Tuesday, and one night in a studio for Wednesday. 
Well, that would be annoying....switching rooms every day. 
After trying to figure something else out, we decided we would do that...switch rooms every day.
When I called to make the reservations,
they told me because I was switching rooms like that,
it would cost me $400! 
What!? 
I have to switch rooms AND pay more money?

So...I said NO, and prayed God would open up a room three nights in a row for me. 
After searching NYC for some other options, I said to God,
"Okay....I'm going to refresh this one more time. 
Please, provide a room for us with three nights in a row."

And after I hit refresh, a room popped up with three nights in a row!!!! 

OH MY GOSH!!!

I was so excited!!!

I quickly put all of our information in and our debit card number to hold our room, and when I pushed the confirm button, the stupid computer took me back to the home page and didn't confirm our reservation. 
I was so upset! 
I quickly tried again to see if the room was available, and it was GONE!!! 

OH MY GOSH!!!
 

I called the timeshare company to cry, complain, curse, etc. 
The lady said, "Mrs. Strickland, you have the reservation."

WHAT?!
 

YES!!! 

I don't know what happened.  All I know is that was a stressful few minutes,
and God answered my prayer. 

Sometimes our prayers are not answered as nice and calm as we'd like them to be,
but He did answer my prayer nonetheless.
 

That was our first MIRACLE!

The second MIRACLE....I'm not sure you'd call this a "MIRACLE," but stayed tuned because you'll see why it was later.
 

The second MIRACLE was that as I was taking a shower....
now, remember I've been taking RV showers this whole time.  For those of you who don't know what an RV shower is...it's a shower that you have to keep turning the water off and on the whole time, so you don't run out of hot water, and you don't overflow your holding tank.
 

So after taking RV showers for a long, long time, I was excited to take a "real" shower. 

The shower I took may have been a LITTLE long. 

And the shower drain could have been a LITTLE clogged,

and the lip from the shower to the bathroom floor could have been LITTLE,

so because of my LONG shower,

and because of the clogged drain,

and because of the LITTLE lip between the shower and the bathroom floor,

there ended up being A LOT of water in the bathroom. 

A LOT of water...like two inches of water! 

I didn't even notice! 
I was too busy enjoying the non-RV shower. 
Barry ended up seeing water running out the bathroom door! 
OH MY GOSH! 
We had to call maintenance. 
They had to come vacuum up all the water flooding the bathroom floor and try to fix the drain.
 

They did vacuum the water up, and they thought they fixed the drain, but they didn't fix the drain, so Barry ended up taking an RV shower where he had to keep turning the water off and on so the bathroom wouldn't flood again.

  Hahahaha.  That is funny!
 

Here's the MIRACLE part....because of our "incident," they gave us $95!

 

Here's the third MIRACLE!
 

The next night, our air conditioner didn't work. 

Was that a big deal?

 No, it wasn't even hot. 

We didn't even know we were going to be blessed for that one. 

As we were standing out front waiting for a cab to leave the City the next day, the manager came running out to us and said she was sorry for everything that had happened to us, and that they were going to refund us a night of points AND to contact her next time we come because she wants to make sure our next visit is enjoyable!

YAY!!!

So...just to review....three nights show up in a row, so it doesn't cost us anything. 

They give us $95,
AND we get a night's worth of points back!!!
 

YAY, God!

Thanks for the miracles on 57th Street! 

 

 

Barry looking quite excited on the train to NYC

 

A model in Times Square

 

This was a truck parked on the street in Times Square

 

Barry and me in Times Square

 

This is a place called the "High Line" where they made a walking path where a train used to run through the city.  This is just showing you where the tracks were.  The walking path they created is very nice and doesn't have a bunch of plants in your way. 

 

There are some things that happened on the trip that were presents just for me.  I'm the only one who understands how important this was for me.  This is a Picardy Shepherd.  I used to have a Picardy Shepherd.  They are very rare in America.  I have a whole miracle story about how I got mine.  The short version is I was praying for one.  My friend, Loretta, prayed I would get one for FREE.  They are very expensive.  I ended up finding a rescue Picardy Shepherd that had been imported from Belgium in my same neighborhood in Alpine!  I got a very expensive Picardy Shepherd for FREE right in my own neighborhood!  That was definitely a MIRACLE! 

Her name was Addy, and I had her for a year and a half, and then she died unexpectedly, but we had a great year and a half together, and honestly I've never felt more loved by an animal in my life. 

A weird thing is (don't tell anyone), I brought her with me on the JOURNEY (her ashes) because I believe she was a gift from God to me, and I brought her along as my little guardian.  So it's just crazy I'd see one in NYC. 

Yes, that was a gift for me! 

The owner was amazed that I even knew what kind of dog it was.

 

God had told me before the trip that He knows the things I like, and that He'd show me them on my JOURNEY.  He said I was to look for special surprises.  This was a special surprise/gift for me.

 

Thanks, God!

 

Barry at Washington Square 

 

 

Barry is half Italian, and we LOVE Italian food and especially desserts. 

We may have gotten a little carried away here.

 

 

We don't have Mr. Softee in San Diego, so we were excited!

 

My FAVORITE part of the year is Fall.  San Diego doesn't really have very much Fall, so that's why I wanted to travel during that time. 

This is Central Park with a little bit of Fall. 

I got to see so much Fall after this. 

It was AMAZING! 

What a beautiful picture God paints! 

\

Next stop....New England!



Barry Joins the JOURNEY

 

After visiting our friends, Dave & Amy, in Virgina, we headed to Pennsylvania to visit our cousins, Lou & Ida and their son, Louis, and his family, so the Panellas. 

 

Let's talk about that drive for a minute...yes, the drive from Virginia to Pennsylvania. 
Let me just say that I am happy I live in California where there are FREEways because I really, really, really can't stand the TOLL roads of the East Coast. 
I stopped keeping track, but I know for sure we paid at least $70 in tolls from Virginia to Pennsylvania. 

It's only a three-hour ride. 

That's ridiculous!!!

The worst was Maryland.  I swear we were on their precious road for about five minutes.  We get to the tollbooth and the girl says $24. 
I said, "What???  Are you kidding me???  $24???" 

That was NOT how you act on a missionary trip across the country!
 

Okay....I'm done complaining now, but THAT is so crazy! 

Illinois was worse in the toll department for different reasons, but we'll get to that in another post.
 

Just a side note...Barry and I are very much into budgeting our money and keeping track of everything we spend (thanks to Dave Ramsey....
see blog post One of the Top Ten Days of My Life (Dave Ramsey),
but on this trip, I audibly heard God say in the beginning when I was keeping track of everything I was spending, "Stop it.  Don't keep track of everything this whole trip.  I'll take care of it,"
and He has...way more than I could have imagined. 

So I haven't kept track, and that's why I don't know EXACTLY what we paid in tolls, and now I'm not going to complain about the tolls anymore...
until Illinois!

We had a nice visit with the Panellas. 
Thanks, Panellas, for dinner and for letting us "camp" in your backyard!

 

This was on a gas pump by Lou's house. 

So fitting :)

Their cute dogs

 

Barry and his second cousin, Louis

 

Louis, Kristy & Alaina

 

There was also Lou, Ida & Brianna, but we didn't get any pictures of them. 

Sorry, you guys. 

 

The next day, we drove to New Jersey (more tolls) to visit Barry's dad's grave. 

 

The JOURNEY mobile driving through the cemetery

 

A great man, Guy Strickland

 

We then went to my Aunt Debbie's to park the camper, so we could take the train to

New York City

 

 

This picture was taken at the lake behind her house. 

So beautiful!

 

We left my aunt's house and went to our friend, Jeff's house. 

He was so awesome! 

He let us park our truck at his house for a few days while we went to NYC. 

 

This is how nice Jeff is....

he let us park our truck at his house;

he took us to the train station in New Brunswick AND

when we got back from NYC, he had washed AND waxed our truck!!! 

 

Are you kidding me?

 

That was so nice!

 

Thank you so much, Jeff!!! 

You really BLESSED us!!! 

We really appreciate all that you did!!!

 

Jeff had said he's been a faithful follower of the JOURNEY blog.  We asked him if he needed prayer for anything.  He said reconciliation with his daughter. 

Barry and I prayed with him that God would reconcile his relationship with his daughter. 

If you would, please pray that for Jeff and his daughter.

 

We're expecting a MIRACLE.

 

Jeff & me

 

Jeff & Barry

 

Jeff took us to New Brunswick, which is where I went to college :)

Thanks again to the Panellas, Aunt Debbie & Jeff.

You guys are the BEST!

Craigslist Joe

Okay.  So we're going to take a little detour (haha....get it?) from the JOURNEY to talk about a few of the things that inspired me to take this JOURNEY to begin with. 

 

As my header to my blog says, part of this was to celebrate 50 years on this Earth. 

Yes, it was my 50th birthday present to myself.

I think birthdays should last at least a week, so, of course, turning 50,
it had to last 2.5 months. 

It only makes sense, right?

 

Another reason I wanted to take this trip was Saige was off to college, and Auston is all grown up.
I felt like I had given my wonderful family 30 years of my life, and I wanted to take a little break. 
I told them I loved them very much, and I'm thankful for all those years, but I wanted a little retreat away from all the things I do all the time.

They were very supportive and understanding and said it would be okay. 

I think they said that. 

I'm not sure because I wasn't listening.
 
I had decided to do this anyway. 

Really...thanks, you guys, for your support and understanding. 
Especially my husband who has had to "run" things at home without me. 
We also have our own business, which I have had to keep working at during this time, but Barry has had to do a couple of "my" things, so thanks, Barry!
 

 

Another inspiration was that right after Victor gave us the JOURNEY sign,
(see my blog post It All Started With a Sign)
I had watched a documentary called Craigslist Joe. 

Here's the trailer if you want to watch it:  Craigslist Joe Trailer

It's a documentary about a guy who decides he's going to survive off of Craigslist for 31 days. 
All he has with him is his license, passport, a laptop, phone and a bike, I think.
He did end up surviving solely on Craiglist by doing things like working for a day to make money, finding places to stay, getting rides, attending events, etc. 

I watched it twice. 

You may not think it's worth watching twice, but it really touched my heart....
the people he met, the things he did! 

I said to myself, "I want to do that, but I want it to be a God road trip.  I want God to tell me where to go, where to stay, who to meet, who to talk to, who to go with me, etc.

Kind of like a missionary trip across America.

After watching the movie, I decided that's what I wanted to do, but I wanted to do the trip in an RV, which I didn't even own yet.

Another person who inspired me was my eye doctor, Greg Giles.  
He's an awesome eye doctor at La Mesa Vision Care 

Dr. Giles & me

He had told me a story about a little missionary trip he and his family had gone on.  They felt like God was telling them to go on an RV trip and visit some people that they know.  They bought an RV and made their plans.  God told Greg that he was going to have them break down during the trip because there were some people God wanted them to meet that they would not have met otherwise. 

I made sure I told God that I didn't want that to happen on my trip.....just sayin.

Anyway, that did happen. 
They did break down. 
The first time they broke down, this man came to help them.  They ended up staying at his house that night.  After talking together, they found out that the man and his wife had been praying for something, and Greg and his wife had the answer. 
(Not sure I have that exactly right, but it was a major God thing that happened).

They also got a flat tire, and a person showed up right behind them that was able to help them, and they had a God encounter with him too.

They also had a little fender bender in a KOA campground, but because of that accident, their insurance company totalled their RV, which still works fine, so the RV they actually bought for the trip ended up being free!

That sounds great too, but I'm not sure I'd like that way of doing things either....just sayin.

So after the JOURNEY sign, the Craigslist Joe documentary, my 50th birthday present, wanting a break from life, and Greg's stories of his God-inspired RV adventure, I wanted to go on my own.
 
That's how this JOURNEY came about.

This is a letter I wrote to God about it:

"Dear God,
I pray you'll show me everything about our JOURNEY...where to go, who to meet, who will meet me and come with me. Help me be a light and a witness to those that are joining me on the trip also. May you be glorified in all that we do together. I pray for safety and protection; to hear from you so clearly and to do your will and for people to be saved, healed, blessed. Glory to your name."

I already shared this letter in another post, but this is what God wrote back:

"Dear Lory, I love you with an everlasting love. I will show you great and mighty things.
We have such an adventure to go on....you and me.
I will touch people with my Holy Spirit. I will be glorified. Glory is your new word.
Look for my glory wherever you go.
I will show you the path to take. I will show you my wonderful ways.
There will be many people you'll meet. All will be touched by my glory in one way or another. Follow close to me. Do not go to the right or the left. Stay on the straight and narrow path. I will show you great things. Look for me in unexpected places.
I'm excited about our trip. Thank you for the faith and courage to take on this task. You will be blessed. We have great things to do together. Listen for me, and you will hear me. I will tell you each step of the way. I will be glorified. Keep listening.
I love you,
God."

So in January 2013, all the plans, prayers, odd jobs to make money for the trip began.

I am writing to you from Albuquerque, NM, and this trip has been way more amazing than I could have imagined, and there's lots more to write about.

Thanks for being part of my JOURNEY.
 

 

 

Missionary Lady?

After leaving Barry Edwards in North Carolina, Susanne and I headed to her final stop on the JOURNEY, Virginia. 

 

The end to that little part of my JOURNEY was quite SCARY.

 

SCARY indeed!

 

Throughout the whole preparation time for the JOURNEY, I had moments here and there where I would get messages from God about NOT being afraid. 

 

I NEEDED to know those messages for this part of the trip. 

 

Here are some I received from God....

 

This was posted by my friend, Deana, on Facebook just when I NEEDED it.

 

There's a book I read every day called, Jesus Calling, that speaks to me ALL the time.  Other people have said that too.  If you can, pick up a copy.  You won't be disappointed.  It gives you a page to read for each day.

 

 

One of the entries in the book said, "Concentrate on trusting Me, and fearfulness will gradually lose its foothold within you."

 

Another day..."Trust Me and don't be afraid.  Fear is one of Satan's favorite weapons.  When you start to feel afraid, affirm your trust in Me.  Speak out loud.  Resist the Devil in My name, and he will slink away from you." 

 

I've used that one a lot on this trip!

 

"Trust that I will equip you fully for whatever awaits you on your JOURNEY.  I am with you, watching over you wherever you go."

 

"Remember that I go before you as well as with you into the day.  Nothing takes me by surprise."

 

"Keep walking with me along the path I have chosen for you.  The JOURNEY is arduous at times and you are weak.  Cling to my hand for strength and direction."

 

Isaiah 7:4 "Be careful. Keep calm. Don't be afraid."

  

Well, Susanne and I both NEEDED to know all of those messages from God. 

 

Of course, by the time we were almost to Virginia, it was DARK. 

It was raining REALLY hard. 

My windshield wipers are windshield wipers from Southern California, so they don't know how to act in torrential downpours like the one we were in,

and I couldn't see a dang thing! 

 

The highway we were on was REALLY bad, and there was an accident that kept us in traffic for a very long time.

 

We finally made it off of the highway and onto a road that was even worse. 

It was REALLY, REALLY DARK, and I couldn't see at all in front of me, especially if cars were headed my way with their headlights glaring at me. 

It was a narrow, two-lane road with no shoulder, and did I mention I was driving a

BIG truck with a camper hooked to my bumper???

 

So, honestly, I needed to know those messages above. 

 

Susanne was helping me see by trying her best to see out of the front window too. 

There was absolutely no where to turn around or pull over, and I was hardly fitting on the road.

Just when I thought we were done with that road, we went around a little "rotary" or "circle" (when I was living on the East Coast as a kid, they were called "circles") that took us on a road EXACTLY like the one we were just on. 

 

That was it! 

 

I was SCARED and even considered crying a little bit. 

 

Susanne was awesome and said the most beautiful prayer I think I've ever heard about Jesus taking the wheel (I know....but way better than the song) and driving us through this.

 

It reminded me of another scripture God had given me in Mark 8:34 - 

"Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. 

You're not in the driver's seat.  I am."

 

Well, thank God that He was in the driver's seat, and thank Susanne for that prayer!

 

We eventually did make it through all of that ALIVE!

 

We were planning on meeting her friend at Walmart, so Susanne could go visit with her. 

 

Well, I was never so happy to see a Walmart in my life! 

 

After Susanne left, I went right into that Walmart and bought me some East Coast windshield wipers!

 

I have "camped" at Walmarts on my trip.  I did not feel very "comfortable" camping at this one, so I called the Target across the street, and they said I could spend the night there. 

For some STRANGE reason, there is such a difference between the Walmart parking lot and the Target parking lot even when it is across the street.

 

So the next morning, these two very handsome gentlemen came and rescued me from the Target parking lot!

 

Yes!!!  Barry joined the JOURNEY!

 

 

This is Barry and his life-long friend, Dave.









 

This is Barry in Dave's driveway all ready to join the JOURNEY

(Yes, he backed it up)



 

This is Dave's house. 

I'm sure his neighbors didn't mind us parking our travel trailer in their driveway. 

I'm sure they didn't mind at all!

Anyone seen the Homeowner's Association rules???

 



This is Dave's wife, Amy, me, Dave & Barry

 

This is Dave & Amy

 



 

This is Dave's step dad, Cork, and his mom, Mary



 

I don't have any pictures of Dave & Amy's daughters, but they have three...Maggie, Grace & Esther.  We got to meet them, and I got to hang out with Esther a little bit.

 

A couple of weeks later, I got this email from Dave:

 

"Just wanted you to know..I ran into a woman in town who asked if I had a missionary at my house.  I was trying to think of what she may be talking about when she said Esther had told her all about a lady who was staying with us.  She said the lady drove all over the country telling people about God.  Then I realized that Esther was spreading the word about your visit."

 

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

That cracked me up! 

 

So I guess Esther was right.  I am kind of a "Missionary Lady,"

or at least that's my goal...to drive all over the country and share God with people.

 

Amen

 

Thanks, Dave & Amy, for letting us "camp" in your driveway,

and thanks for your generous gift to the "Missionary Lady!"

 

Thanks, Susanne, for coming with me on my JOURNEY, your friendship, and for your prayers!

 



Cracker Barrel, IHOP & Barry Edwards

Even if we were "wandering" in the dark looking for a Cracker Barrel, we needed to know.....

 

This is a phone case Auston found for me.

 

Is that cool or what?

Soooooo Susanne and I LOVED Savanah so much that we stayed a little too long.  We didn't leave until evening, which went against ONE of Barry's (Strickland...it may get confusing because now I'm talking about two Barrys) "suggestions" for my trip, which was,

"Try not to drive after dark." 

I have NOT followed that advice at all.  There have been MANY times that I arrive at campsites (or other special camping spots...driveways, Walmarts, Targets, Cracker Barrels etc.) after dark. 

Barry's advice is very good. 

Very good. 

Good things don't happen when you arrive at campsites (or other spots) after dark. 

Sometimes when you arrive after dark, you don't see an "Exit Only" post, and you scrape the whole side of your trailer and things fall off of the side of your trailer, and you don't even realize it until the next day when things are missing! 

 

See my blog post New Orleans Voodoo or a Roaming Lion? for the complete story.

 

Anyway, we left AFTER dark to head towards North Carolina to see our friend, Barry Edwards, whom we figured out we haven't see since the five-year high school reunion, so it's been about 27 years. 

 

Oh my! 

 

One thing I've noticed since getting older is I can't stay up as late as I used to. 

I had BIG plans of driving really far after leaving Savannah. 

Big plans.

Well, my 50-year-old body had other plans. 

Susanne and I made it for a few hours, but then it was time to head to one of my FAVORITE destinations on this trip.....yep! 

Cracker Barrel! 

I just LOVE Cracker Barrel! 

They make you feel like you're "coming home." 

They have hot meals all ready for you (but not at 2:00 a.m.),

the fireplace is on,

there's shopping, audio books, games, rocking chairs....

you get the picture.

 

So we pull in to a Cracker Barrel parking lot at around 2:00 a.m. 

We are still happy that we stayed in Savannah, I think. 

I had a little bit of an issue parking, and I'm sorry about their tree.  It is not in the same condition as it was when we arrived there.  

But on a good note, the camper smelled like Christmas!

 

I took the "backing thing" a little too far this time

 



Ooops!  Sorry, tree.

 



After snooozing at Cracker Barrel, Susanne and I headed to North Carolina to
see our friend, Barry Edwards, at IHOP! 

We were very excited to see Barry. 

IHOP...not so much. 

Cracker Barrel wins in that department. 

But it doesn't matter, right? 

It's the company that counts.

 

If you've kept up with my blog, (if not, shame on you) you'd know that God told me there were THREE people I was suppose to meet with on this trip. 
One was Linda in Woodstock, GA, and I gave her the book, He Knows Your Name.

This is the book

This is Linda and her pig, Fiona

See my blog post Friends, Friends, Friends, Friends, A Pig & Some Chicken for her story.

The second person was Janice Beppel

 

She got a book too.

 

See blog post Journey Through the Sunshine State with the Beppels.

 

So the third person that God told me I was suppose to meet was Barry Edwards. 

Now, the book, "He Knows Your Name," I've HEARD  (no....I haven't read it yet, and I knew I wouldn't have a chance, and now I've given my own copy away to my niece, Jordan...sorry, Julee) the book is for girls. 

Barry is obviously NOT a girl, so I wasn't really sure what God was going to do at this "meeting."  I told Barry that God had told me I was suppose to meet with him.  Did he have any idea why?  He said no, but he would think about it.

 

When I told Janice (from above) what Barry said, and that he probably just thinks I'm a "crazy camper lady," she said, "I don't think that at all.  I think it is a feeling you can't describe to someone.  I was touched.  You have no idea.  I still feel blessed."

 

The bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6 (the Message bible),

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart.  Don't try to figure out everything on your own.  Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go.  He's the one who will keep you on track."

 

I've walked with God for 26 years (with a walk-,away period of 7 years- don't try that one), and I know when He tells me to do something. 

Just by spending time in prayer, I have learned to hear His voice. 

 

Do I know why He had me meet with Barry Edwards?

 

No

 

Do I know He WANTED me to meet with Barry Edwards?

 

Yes...without a doubt.

 

I don't always know WHY God has me do things, but I do know He knows why. 

It's not my job to question.  It's my job to be obedient. 

 

Am I obedient all the time? 

 

Unfortunately, no.

 

Does God get mad at me if I'm not? 

 

No, I don't think so.

 

The only thing I think that happens when I don't do what God wants is I miss out on a blessing He had for me. 

That's all. 

But I do love His blessings, and I do LOVE being part of His plan, so I try to listen and do as much as I can.

 

God loves Barry Edwards and wanted him to know that He would send a "crazy camper lady" to tell  him that He was part of God's plan. 

Barry was part of the JOURNEY!

Barry, Susanne & me

 

Different angle....Barry, Susanne & me 

Barry joked with me the whole time about me being like Waldo (Where's Waldo?) so this is us looking through a map....get it?

 

Barry is now part of the JOURNEY!

He even has a hat to prove it!

 

Thanks, Barry, for meeting me on my JOURNEY!

Savannah with Susann(a)

As I said in my last post, Susanne

(or Susanna for this part of the trip just because it rhymes with Savannah)

joined me on the JOURNEY at Theresa's house in Florida. 

 

We visited my aunt & uncle in Palm Coast and then headed to Savannah. 

 

We already THOUGHT we'd love Savannah, but we really ended up LOVING Savannah! 

We loved Savannah so much that we decided to stay an extra day, which really freaked out the people Susanne was suppose to meet in Virginia. 

We ended up making it to Virgina a LITTLE late, but we think it was well worth it.  We'd do it all again and just hope and pray there wouldn't be as much rain next time when we got to Virginia. 

 

Right, Susanne?

 

We did what all tourists do....we took the Old Town Trolley Tour in Savannah. 

We decided we were going to go through the entire tour and then decide where to get off once it completed its entire route around the city, BUT we were STARVING, and the driver mentioned that B. Matthews Eatery had great food, so we jumped OFF of that trolley as quick as we could. 

 

I had the

Veggie Scramble

home-cut hash browns, scrambled eggs, spinach, goat cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, green onion, cheddar, made-from scratch biscuit

 

It was honestly one of the BEST meals I had ever had in my life.  It was so good. 

Poor Susanne....I think I said, "yummmm" with every bite.  I'm sure she was tired of hearing it, but then again...I think she was saying the same thing. 

We LOVED it there, and the atmosphere was cool too.

 

Susanne & me at B. Matthew's Eatery (yum)

 

I want to live here and have them cook for me every day :)

Fall is my FAVORITE time of the year, and it was EVERYWHERE.

 

Some bridge

 

Another cool thing that was going on in Savannah was the filming of

Sponge Bob Square Pants. 

 

I know...pretty exciting, huh?

 

This is Antonio Banderas as a pirate in the movie. 

They had changed all the storefronts in town to look like they were stores that would be in a Sponge Bob town.

 

 

Here's Antonio demonstrating some great acting abilities. 

It's hard to act without the other characters because they're cartoons, you know!

They brought in some Sponge Bob automobiles

 

 

Salty Shoals license plate

We had ice cream at Leopold's Ice Cream that's owned by Stratton Leopold, who is a famous producer in Hollywood. 

He actually walked by us as we were sitting at this table, but we were enjoying our ice cream so much we didn't realize it and missed a photo opportunity. 

It was worth it.

Ice cream at Leopold's

 

The streets of Savannah are so beautiful with the Spanish moss hanging down, but it just doesn't look as good in pictures. 

You have to go there and see it for yourself.

 

Susann(a) and I LOVED Savannah!