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Jekyll Island Club Hotel
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Girls Weekend | Jekyll Island Club Hotel

I was provided a complimentary stay at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel for review. All opinions are my own.

Schlepping kids to and fro, breaking up fights, late night trips to Sonic for half off milkshakes and squeezing in work where I can, pretty much sums up our Summer vacation thus far. When the tragic but beautiful reality hit me that the first day of school was just a little over two weeks out, I starting scrambling to  schedule a last minute getaway without the Mr. or the children.

My SILs and I thought it would be a great idea to do a Girls/Sisters getaway, our cousin Tosha tagged along and we had the most epic girls weekend EVER filled with laughter, shopping and fun.  Jekyll Island Club Hotel was just what our nerves ordered. Between us there are 11 children, new demanding positions and busy kids schedules so breaking free for a few days was just what we needed.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel is a National Historic Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is located on Jekyll Island, which is considered one of the Golden Isles of Georgia. The property has been tastefully restored retaining many of its historic southern qualities while offering modern amenities.

 

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Our room was exquisite. Old world charm with free WIFI….yes please.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Couldn’t truly enjoy the beauty of the plantation shutters that blocked out the sun because cousin Tosha rang the alarm at 6:30a our first morning there laying out our itinerary for the day. While I did issue her the most epic of all side eyes I’m glad she did, otherwise we would’ve never been able to experience all the island had to offer. By the time most people were just getting up we had eaten breakfast, shopped and were headed to the beach.

The hotel offered free shuttles to their beach pavilion which provided us with complimentary beach chairs, umbrellas and towels.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

We walked the sandbar talking and laughing, the weather was overcast and the breeze off the water made for one perfect early morning beach stroll.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Club HotelJekyll Island Club Hotel

When the heat got unbearable and the storms started to roll in, we retreated to the club house for lunch and frozen libations before heading back to the hotel.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

After giving our dead phones a little juice we journeyed back out to the lobby of the hotel to rent bicycles for a whopping $8 for 2 hours. OMG! We had so much fun. The sun was setting and the breeze was everything so we set off with property maps in our bike baskets and we rode….

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

We stopped along the way to admire the property and the Spanish Moss that hung eerily in the prettiest way from hundred year old trees.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

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Then we found our way into town and parked our bikes and went in little beach shops and looked around

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

….and we stopped when our legs got tired and enjoyed the breeze

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

….then we got lost and our booties were hurting and we needed to check our social media. It was then that we realized we had biked nearly 7 miles. S E V E N miles.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

We finally found our way back to the hotel and we had jokes with the friendly staff when we were walking like zombies….but we did that! Now I want a bike.

W E D N E S D A Y

Cousin Tosha allowed us to sleep in and we had a little girl talk before venturing out to a local Mexican restaurant on the beach for brunch. After brunch we headed back to the property to admire some of the historic homes on the property that also housed quaint little eclectic shops where we gathered souvenirs for our babies

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

These few days were much needed. It’s so cliche, but I’m going to repeat the obvious. As women we spend so much time nurturing everyone else that we really need to make it a priority to nurture our own relationships with the people that we love. We are already planning our next trip back.

If you are looking for a great place to host a girls getaway weekend, or a weekend with “bae” take a peek at all that the Jekyll Island Club Hotel has to offer. There was so much more to do and explore that we didn’t touch. Truly a resort where everything you need is within reach.

When was the last time you took a quick getaway?

Boy Style Featured Girl Style

{VIDEO} H&M. Gap. Tanger Outlet Back to School Shopping Haul

Hard to believe that in just under a month my children will be back in the classroom. A few weeks ago I took a trip down to Tanger Outlet just to get out of the house and lucked up on some amazing deals for children’s clothing. A few of the sales are still going on so I would say keep your eyes peeled for Spring and early Summer clearance clothing that can easily help you transition your children back to school without draining your wallet.

At Tanger Outlet I was able to score some incredible deals at Gap, Old Navy, Carters, and P.S. for Aeropostale. Believe me when I say I didn’t pay over $7 for any one piece of clothing. I’m still excited about all of the things I was able to find some for as low at $0.50.

Outside of Tanger I also ventured to H&M and found some amazing deals as well. I spent right at $200 and walked a way with a ton of high quality children’s clothing. See what I picked up on the video below. Be sure to thumbs up and subscribe to my YouTube channel for all of my vlogs and videos!

Toyota Hybrid Prius
Featured Living

{Toyota Hybrid Prius Review} Top 5 Things a Mom Needs in a Compact Car

I drive an SUV and my husband drives a gas guzzling classic 1972 Cutlass. Nearly a year ago I was forced to say goodbye to my paid for Chrysler crossover. I had grand plans to transition from that crossover into a car but instead was forcefully upgraded to an SUV. While I love my SUV for travel and transporting kids, I have really been longing for a smaller, gas efficient car.

For a week I had the pleasure of testing out a Toyota Hybrid Prius and all of the reasons why I think our family needs a small, fuel efficient car were verified with the Prius. I fell in love with that little car. Let’s just say it took $15 to fill  up….and if you are cruising at a constant speed you can actually almost get 100 mpg.

Toyota Hybrid Prius

 

Yes. Your eyes do not deceive you.

To say I didn’t want to give the car back is an understatement. Here are my top 5 reasons why I think every mom could appreciate a compact car.

1. Fuel: If you’ve ever watched my vlogs you know I spend a ton of time in my car. From lessons, to school, to activities I am always moving and in an SUV moving = $$$.  On average I can easily spend $100 a week in gas. I received the car with a full tank and traveled nearly 500 miles before I had to refill it.

The car also runs solely on electric when traveling under 25mph

Toyota Hybrid Prius

 

2. Bluetooth: When you are always in your car there are creature comforts that make a busy life more comfortable. One of those things for me is music. The car allowed Bluetooth connection not just for hands free phone but also allowed you to stream music. This was big for me because I have Rhapsody and I was able stream my playlists through the radio in addition to the Satellite radio option.

Toyota Hybrid Prius

 

3. Trunk Space: I have no idea how I accumulate so much stuff in my daily travels but the short time that I had the Prius I had to transport a few things and believe it or not the trunk space did not disappoint not to mention the seats fold down for additional room. Because the trunk of the car was glass, the cover was able to pull over my items to hide them from plain sight.

Toyota Hybrid Prius

 

4. Keyless Entry: I LOOOOVED this feature. My car is newer but not that “new new” that is keyless entry. With my phone in one hand, a toddler hand in the other while trying to juggle a coffee cup and bags I just simply touched my finger to the handle and voila! Pushed the button and the car started. No digging for keys.

Toyota Hybrid Prius

 

5. Easy on the Eyes: I don’t care how functional a car is if it isn’t cute then what’s the point. That could just be my logic. I thought this was the cutest little car. I loved the color and the small size that allowed me to easily pull into parking spaces and I even was able to snag an electric car only space. I plugged in and went shopping. Going electric has its privileges obvs.

Toyota Hybrid Prius

I was a little concerned about the space but the children fit comfortably into the back, Trina and I even took the girls on a day trip and two booster seats fit comfortably.

After my time with the car if financially feasible I think having a small car is a must have in every family. Now if I can just dig up the coins to get myself one I’ll be doing good!

This month all of the Fab Top Five got the opportunity to test out vehicles. Be sure to stop by and see what each lady drove and their Fab Top Five Drives topic!

LaShawn @Everyday Eyecandy

Kita @ Kokoa Mag

Bernetta @Bernetta Style

MJ @ Fab Haute Mama

Featured Photography

{#OurProject52} Negative Space

I’m a huge fan of negative space in photography by default. I love to utilize the rule of thirds with my subject positioned either to the far left or right automatically creating negative space to either side of the subject dependent on where it is placed.

Negative space is really an easy and effective way to really draw attention to the subject you are photographing. It puts the focus there.

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In theory I THINK negative space is supposed to be solid colored as in a background but seeing that photography is subjective and I like shooting outdoors my interpretation will almost never follow that rule. I encourage you to use your own creativity and eye when practicing this technique.

Be sure to head over to see LaShawn. I know we are in the Summer slump but drop in when you can. We would love to see what you are capturing!

Project 52

http://everydayeyecandy.com/2015/06/tips-for-negative-space-photography/