SPRING BREAK 2010

I am currently sitting in my hotel room in Columbus, GA resting up to drive back to Arkansas in the morning. I rented a car at the Little Rock Airport on Thursday night and began driving at 3:30am on Friday morning in order to make it to Fort Benning to pick up Eric in the early afternoon.

We had a fabulous spring break/Easter weekend together. Friday I picked him up on base and we drove around for about an hour so he could show me different places and things about the base. It was nice to finally see where he is living and be able to somewhat understand the lifestyle he's living.

Next, we checked into our hotel, showered and changed, and then Eric took me out for my birthday dinner to Ben's Steakhouse. We enjoyed wine and excellent food while catching up and telling stories of what we've been doing.

After dinner, Eric took me to walk along the RiverWalk. Here we are as the sun is setting.

Sunset on the RiverWalk.

Afterwards, we went to the Columbus Brewhouse for a beer, and then headed back to our hotel for the evening.

On Saturday, Eric took me to "Animal Safari," which is a drive-thru park full of animals. We bought bags of food pellets and drove through the park, feeding deer, cows, bison, zebras, giraffes, pigs, and other animals! It was so much fun -- we spent a lot of time laughing and freaking out because the animals slobbered all over us (and my rental car!)

I love this picture! These were some elk that Eric was feeding!

I really liked feeding these little white deer. They were fairly calm and not as intimidating as some of the bigger animals!

Me feeding a giraffe! They were fenced in but could bring their necks and heads down to the cars!

I never knew how much I loved little pigs until I kept seeing these cute, muddy little guys everywhere!

Haha, I also love this picture. This bison came right up and slobbered all over Eric and I managed to capture it on film!

Big horns + rental car = we didn't stop for this guy (haha)!

"Animal Safari" was AWESOME! Needless to say, I had to take my rental car through a car wash because it was covered in slobber, but it was definitely worth it!

Next, Eric took me to Calloway Gardens, which is sort of like a giant country club with tons of beautiful gardens, hiking trials, golf courses, nature exhibits, and outdoor recreation spots.

Here we are on a bridge walking through one of the gardens.

We visited the butterfly house, which is always fun!

Afterwards, we cleaned up at the hotel and then headed to Logan's to watch the MSU basketball game. We enjoyed buffalo wings, nachos, and beer while watching State make a run at the national championship! Sadly, they just couldn't close the gap at the end. Maybe next year State.

This morning (Sunday), we woke up and headed to the National Infantry Museum. Eric was able to show me and explain to me many aspects of his program and training while at the museum. I really enjoyed seeing the artifacts and learning more about the military with him.

Lastly, we enjoyed our Easter lunch at Ruby Tuesdays, and then I dropped him back off on base. I was sad to say goodbye, but I know it will only be a short few weeks until I come back in May for his graduation. It was an absolutely perfect weekend <3

Happy Easter and spring break to you and your families!