Kreider Khronicles

Sorry for the delay in posting. We spent Saturday traveling back home. Awake for almost 24 hours so Sunday was spent sleeping in and resting.

We finally landed in Savanah Georgia Sunday afternoon. Benjamin didn’t get a window seat on our last flight either. There was a mix up with the seats. He was very disappointed after the last flight. Once we landed my best friend Kelsi picked us up from the airport and drove us to the house in Hilton Head. It was so nice to see her again for the first time in over a year.

Sunday evening was spent relaxing with the family at the house. We had shrimp and chicken tacos for dinner and walked along the beach. It felt so weird to be on the east coast again and to see darkness. But the darkness did help us adjust a lot better to the time zone than we thought. By the end of the evening it was a struggle to stay awake. My eyes were bloodshot from being awake for over 24 hours. We all went out for ice cream and then straight to bed when we got back to the house.

To help with the time change we set alarms in the morning so we didn’t over sleep. The family was very impressed we did this and didn’t sleep. But at the end of the week it was very helpful for us. Monday was a beach and pool day. Felt so nice to sit out in the sun by the water. What we didn’t expect is how warm the water was. The pool felt like a hot tub and the ocean felt like a bath. Not super refreshing from the heat and humidity. Oh did I miss the Alaska temperature right about then. Monday evening was spent in Harbour Town for dinner and checking out the shops. We picked up a pirate ship ornament. We like to collect small ornaments from different places we travel to. Watching the sunset over Harbour town with a few dolphins in the water.

Benjamin’s grandparents rented bikes for everyone to use while we were there. So on Tuesday morning we biked for breakfast at Stacks. There were so many different biking paths that you could get anywhere you wanted too. Breakfast was amazing. So many options that all sounded amazing. Benjamin got Crème Brûlée French toast. Major sugar rush. Then we biked to a mini golf place down the road. Everyone worked off breakfast by the end of mini golf with how much we sweated. The coarse had no wind movement so you felt the heat pounding on you. Then it was back to the house to enjoy the beach and relax before dinner.

Wednesday was spent in Savanah touring the city. We all did a bus tour that allowed us to get off a certain spots and explore that area before getting on the next bus to the next stop. Benjamin and I checked out this amazing mansion with so much history. The owner helped to create Savanah into the tourist destination that it is today. Talk about the history and legacy of that mansion.

Later in the day we caught up with the family to check out a prohibition museum. Very interesting history lesson there. Not only did we learn about the prohibition but also what people did to still be able to drink during that time. Learned the history behind the start of moonshine. Also that moonshine runners were the origin of Nascar. By the end of the day everyone was tired and ready to be back at the house. So instead of eating in Savanah we stopped along the way to the house. Finally got to eat stuffed mushrooms. For those who don’t know Benjamin hates mushrooms so having them is a huge win for me.

Thursday morning was spent yet again outside on the beach for some people and the pool for others. The afternoon was spent with the men fishing and the women shopping. Yet again Benjamin out fished everyone. He caught the biggest shark and a sting ray. His shark was too big to bring onto the boat for a picture. While he was fishing I was shopping with the women. We went off the island to a near by Tanger outlets that was huge. It was nice to go into shops that aren’t in Fairbanks. Got some clothes and a pair of true Birkenstocks. We finished the day with dinner at home, family pictures on the beach and drinks at Coco’s, the local beach bar.

Friday was our last full day in Hilton Head before everyone began their travels home on Saturday. Started with breakfast at Stacks again. Benjamin got the same thing as the last time and I tried the biscuits and gravy which was amazing. We then all headed back to the house to enjoy our final beach day. Which kept getting interrupted by sharks in the water. Just as we wanted to go in the water the life guard would blow his whistle, running up and down the beach to get everyone out. This went on for about and hour an a half. With how hot it was outside most of the family went to the pool to cool off before we finally could get in the ocean. The water was a lot cooler than other days. The wild thing was how much the tide came in during high tide and how far it went out during low tide.

We ended our day with an early dinner which was the first the whole vacation. Because there was 13 of us most places didn’t have the room till almost 8pm for dinner so it was nice to eat early for once. After dinner we enjoying hanging out at the house and playing a little five crowns before saying our goodbyes. Benjamin and I had the earliest flight home so it was easier to say goodbye in the evening instead of everyone getting up at 4am to say goodbye.

Saturday started bright and early at 3:45am. We packed our suitcases in Benjamin’s parents car along with their bags. It was a very tight squeeze for the 45 minute drive to the Savanah Airport. We said our finally goodbyes to Brent, Kristin and Alissa before starting our 17 hours of travel back to Alaska. It was sad to say bye after spending a week together. We checked our bag, made our way through security and waited for our first flight home. A little after 8am we landed in Atlanta Georgia for our first 4 hour layover. Benjamin did get a window seat on the first flight which made his day. During our layover we passed the time by walking the airport to our terminal, walking back to a different terminal to get Chick-fil-A for lunch and then back again to our terminal to board the plane that took us to Minneapolis. Once in Minneapolis we had yet another 4 hour layover and passed the time the same way. Walked to our terminal, walked to a different one to get Dunkin, to yet a different one for panda express and finally back to the original one to eat and wait for our final flight to Fairbanks.

We landed in Fairbanks around 8:15pm which was 12:14am eastern time. At this point we were exhausted but also really hungry since the last time we ate was around 4pm at the Minneapolis Airport. We were lucky enough that our friend Cade picked us up from the airport and drove us home. On the way home he was telling us about the midnight sun festival happening in Fairbanks. This was for the summer solstice. It went from noon to midnight. So once we got home, we got back in our truck and went to go check it out. You probably think we are crazy after traveling for 17 hours and we did feel crazy. We went and the first food item we saw was cowboy fries. These fries were amazing. It was fresh cut fries with cheese sauce and pulled pork on top. We enjoyed them and walked around the streets to see what all was there. So many for stands and vendors. After seeing everything we decided it was time to head home after a quick stop at the store to grab a few essentials. Mainly coffee creamer for me. By the time we went to bed we were up for 23 hours. Definitely didn’t set an alarm for Sunday.

Sunday was spent sleeping in till 10am which is rare for us but also much needed after traveling and changing time zones. We relaxing the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon. In the evening Benjamin went fishing with friends. I stayed home and experience my first thunderstorm here. It started with hail which I thought was tree branches falling on the cabin at first. Then went into a pretty intense thunderstorm. Thunder so loud it shook the cabin. I wasn’t a fan on thunder before and still not a fan now. Benjamin picked me up a little later and we headed to Cade and Nicoles house for pizza and to hang with friends. A nice relaxing day after traveling home from vacation.

Now we are back to getting into the swing of everyday life after a week away. To seeing what adventures we want to embark on this week and to enjoy the cooler weather again. See you all on Sunday!