Jen @ Cheaper than Therapy hosts ATWT, a place where we can post photos that bring back happy memories!

Eight years ago this week was not only the Salt Lake City Olympics, but also one of the best vacations I have ever taken.  This vacation was not to some exotic or far away place, nor was it at a luxurious five star hotel.  This vacation was about friendship and simplicity!

I first met my friend Stacey when I was a client at her salon.  Over time, we became good friends, as did our daughters.  Maddie was 18 months younger than Tara, but they enjoyed playing together.  Stacy was recently separated, and had a week at a condo in Hilton Head available to her for a very reasonable price, and invited Tara and I to join them.

On Feb 15, 2002, while the girls were at pre-school, Stacy and I packed the back of my Blazer to the brim, and picked up the girls and headed out on our road trip.  I had rented a VCR for the car, which was some of the best money I spent.  Tara was always a good traveler and never had issues with her car seat, but Maddie was not a fan, so videos were a great distraction.  Until we moved to FL (and back) this was the longest road trip Tara has been on!

We drove 1/2 way the first night, and stayed in a hotel with a pool.  The girls had a great time, and I think would have spent the whole vacation there.  They even had fun climbing trees at one of the rest areas on I-95.

We arrived at our destination Marriott’s Harbour Point, Hilton Head, and unloaded our car!  We had so much stuff!

Our week was fun and simple, two mom’s with two girls.  Some of their favorite times were “swimming” in the jacuzzi tub and swimming in the resort (heated) pool and hot tub!

The girls went on pony rides.  Bike rides (with those hitch hiker bike seats attached for the girls).  We saw Peter Pan Return to Neverland.

We went on a dolphin watch boat ride (didn’t see any dolphins) but we could see them from our patio.

We visited downtown Hilton Head, went up the lighthouse and played on a a great playground.

We ate simple home cooked meals, watched lots of Barbie & The Nutcracker and the Olympics in the evenings.

We celebrated my birthday/Mardi Gras.  The girls wore the tiaras and beads, spent the afternoon with Stacy’s aunt-in-law at the beach, while Stacy and I spent the afternoon at a spa being pampered, and we enjoyed pizza, wine (the big girls) and birthday cake (the girls picked it out for me!) back at the condo that evening.

 

  

 

On the trip home, we stopped again at the same hotel, and Tara got a stuffed tiger at a gas station that she still has and cherishes as one of her favorites to this day.  His name is Hilton!

I look back through my photos and realize that I didn’t capture much of the beauty of the Island, just the happy faces of the kids!  It is a vacation that I will always remember and I bet I spent less than $400 for the entire week (gas, food, lodging, etc)

We ran into Maddie and Stacy at Blockbuster a few months ago, and had planned to get together, but it has not worked out yet.  I think this post will prompt me to give Stacy another call.

A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness!
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