The day after Christmas my family took a vacation to Amelia Island, after a couple of days first spent in Savannah (read our adventures in Savannah in another blog post).  This was our first time on Amelia Island and really our first family vacation in Florida that didn’t include The Mouse.  The weather was really nice, most days there was a high of 68 degrees; jeans, a tee shirt and a hoodie were our everyday attire.

The Ritz-Carlton, Ameila Island

We stayed at The Ritz-Carlton (we are brand loyal fans of The Ritz), which is right on the beach and very casual.  Our room was very comfortable; the closet and drawers were big enough to hold ALL of our luggage and clothes (if you saw the video from the Savannah blog post, you would know that’s a big deal).   I found the beds comfortable and there always enough towels.  The bathroom was large and accommodated all of our toiletries.   We started off with a coastal view room of the dunes and the ocean around the corner, but we were upgraded to an ocean view room and it was very nice (we could see the sunrise).  Every room has a balcony with a table & 2 chairs.  There is a mini-bar in the room (that we didn’t use).   I’m not sure if there was a dvd player because we barely turned on the TV.  There was space near the terrace door for Girly to play on the floor.

The the rest of the hotel was just beautiful and decorated to evoke an elegant, yet relaxing atmosphere.  Because it was Christmas, all the common areas were  beautifully decorated for Christmas with greenery, lights and a Christmas tree; there was even a HUGE gingerbread ship in the lobby.  Unfortunately the decorations were taken down without warning overnight on Dec 30^th and we didn’t get to take any photos. The hotel had 2 pools, 2 hot tubs (indoor and outdoor) and a kids’ pool with a rain umbrella.  There was also a playground near the pool.    Outside of the lounge on the patio was a big firepit surrounded by sofas.  Beyond the patio was a lawn perfect for playing and used for various programs.  Surrounding the green space were lawn chairs and fire pits.  We really enjoyed sitting by our own fire pit each evening talking and gazing at the stars.

There are 2 restaurants on site and food could be ordered in the lounges and at a poolside grill as well (the poolside grill was closed for the winter).  We ate at the lobby lounge a couple of times; there is a limited menu of burgers, cheese plates, salads and chicken wings.  We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at Café 4750 and it was very good, if expensive.  The breakfast buffet was the best!   The lunch and dinner menus were similar, so  it was good that we were able to eat outside the hotel for variety (and less expense).  We did not eat at Salt, the 4 diamond restaurant, although we heard it was very good.  There was also an adult sports bar with a pool table.  We didn’t go in there because of our kids, but we did poke our head in; it was very nice and had a more contemporary vibe than the hotel lobby bar.

This Ritz-Carlton is very family-oriented.   Although my kids didn’t take advantage of it, there is a Ritz Kids room that looked very welcoming and fun (for an extra fee); it was located just beyond the pool.  In addition, there is an unsupervised teen space for ages 13+ called “Our Space”; my son hung out there a bit and really enjoyed it.  There were video games, table games and a fantastic movie theater showing movies all day long; in the evening there were snacks and drinks as well.   Besides the dedicated kid spaces, there were 3 drop-in unsupervised ball rooms set up all week: a toddler room, a family game room (ping pong, pool table, basketball shot, air hockey) that we utilized every night and a movie room filled with bean bags, a popcorn machine and drinks; a different family movie was shown every night.  I got the feeling that these rooms are not in operation during non-holiday times.

If that wasn’t enough entertainment, there was a list of (complimentary) activities available throughout the day like shark tooth hunting, a puppet show, zoo animals brought in from the Jacksonville zoo, pool and beach games and an astronomer with a powerful telescope.  Daily activities were listed in the lobby or a schedule could be had from the concierge.   And my favorite: just about every evening there was a bonfire either on the beach or on the hotel lawn with marshmallows, s‘mores fixings and hot cocoa.  Sometimes these bonfires were accompanied by a ghost story-telling pirate lady.

Most of our time at the hotel was spent on the beach. The beach was right outside the hotel accessed by 2 boardwalks that crossed over the dunes.  There were lounge chairs already there and on the warmest days a hotel employee was available to set up beach umbrellas, distribute towels and bring water.   There are many shells on the beach up near the chairs, which some people don’t like, but since collecting shells is one of Girly’s favorite things to do, it was perfect for her.  Just know that you will need shoes on this part of the beach, although the sand was smoother near the water.   The water was freezing, so we didn’t go in, but some people did.   We absolutely loved the beach and it was perfect for flying our kite, collecting shells and making sandcastles.  The beach was pitch black at night, and when we went to the bonfire, we could have used a flashlight to find our way.   However, I believe that at certain times of the year, flashlights are forbidden at night because of the turtles hatching eggs.  The hotel has a sunrise watch every morning on the beach, but we didn’t make it (although we did watch it from our balcony).

The spa was awesome!  Check-in was friendly and gracious.  Next I was taken on a tour of the facilities, shown how to use my locker and given a robe and spa slippers.  After putting on my swimsuit I went to Wet Lounge for a soak in the huge hot tub before my massage.  This room also has a steam room, sauna, showers and lounge chairs.  Cold towels laced with ice and cucumbers were a welcome treat after my soak.  Refreshed, I went into the lounge to wait to be called in for my appointment.  The lounge is very soothing, decorated in green and white tones, with spacious and comfortable lounge chairs.  There was tea, water and banana chips for snacks.  I got to peek into the co-ed lounge; it has a fireplace and looks very inviting also (James and I have to come back for a couple-only trip).  There is also an outside private spa pool and hot tub; you could really stay there all day.  My massage–a Signature Massage with hot stones on my back–was fantastic.

We were at the hotel for New Year’s Eve; there was so much going and it was packed.  There was a big bowl game the next day, so it was a strange mix of football attire and New Year’s Eve glamour.  The big deal at the hotel was the Masquerade Ball and people came dressed to the nines in tuxedoes, ball gowns and masks.   Salt also offered 2 prix-fix dinner seatings.  We didn’t do either of those things, but hung out in the lobby and had dinner there.  Ritz Kids and Our Space had special programs going on that night (pre-registration was required and it was an extra fee).  Even though it was expensive, it would have been nice to register our kids because all the children in the hotel were there and they looked like they were having fun.  After dinner we went to the bonfire, family game room and movie room.  Promptly at midnight the hotel had a fireworks show on the beach; we sat on our balcony and had a perfect view.

Restaurants on Amelia Island

Even though the food at the hotel was good, we enjoyed other restaurants on Amelia Island as well. Brett’s in historic downtown Fernandina Beach served the best fried shrimp basket that we ever had!   We stopped in there between meals, so it was a limited menu; we need to go back next time for lunch or dinner.    Sitting outside on the pier, watching the boats and huge pelicans, Brett’s was really nice.

Another day we ate at The Happy Tomato Café, also downtown.  We were surprised that they served BBQ as we thought they only served sandwiches, but it was very good and we were impressed.  The Happy Tomato is very casual with counter ordering and courtyard (outside) seating.

Not very far from The Ritz was Gourmet Gourmet near American Beach.  Although we didn’t eat there (we stopped in the use the bathroom and bought key lime bars), the food looked very good .  There is a small dining room, but this would be a good spot to get take-out to bring to the beach (we should have done that when we went to Fort Clinch).

Our Activities on Amelia Island

Besides eating in historic downtown Fernandina, we browsed the shops lining the main street.  It’s a cute town to walk around, but there weren’t really many stores that we would actually shop.   I bought an ornament at the Christmas shop and some books about seashells in the bookstore for Girly.

For us the highlight of downtown was the fudge at Fantastic Fudge.  Seriously this was the best fudge that we have ever eaten and we went back a few times!   To stop each other from giving sharp elbow jabs, we had to carefully equally divide the fudge; it was that good!

The island is small and easy to get around, so we were eager to explore.  One day we went to Fort Clinch State Park; we were not sure what we would find, but eager to stay away from any alligators.   Initially we didn’t intend to go inside the fort, thinking that it was just a bunch of stones, but when we did go in we were pleasantly surprised by all the history and details (staged rooms, real canons and even a costumed soldier present to answer questions).    We really enjoyed the experience and stayed quite a long time (until the Confederate soldier started talking and we had to leave before my husband felt compelled to bring him back into the present).

In the rest of the state park there are nature trails for bike riding or hiking, but after the fort we headed straight for the beach.  The beach was beautiful!   We stayed all day trying to fly a kite and collecting seashells (the sand was smooth and not full of shells like The Ritz-Carlton beach, but still plenty of shells to hunt).   We met a wonderful family on vacation from New York and the highlight of the day was seeing a beached jellyfish.

Another day we went to American Beach.  Tucked away in a little neighborhood of the same name, it was hard to find but we were determined because this beach is part of African American history.

The beach was mostly deserted and we didn’t stay long–here’s why:

There’s so much that we didn’t get to do on this trip to Amelia Island (more beaches, horseback riding on the beach, ferry to Cumberland Island, tour of the lighthouse, bike riding), that I’m sure that we will be back soon!

So, I go to Whole Foods today like I do every Monday to grocery shop.  I usually have the kids with me, but I didn’t feel like shlepping both kids and groceries in the rain, so I went before I picked them up from school.  Grocery stores can be very zen-like if you have the time and in the right mood.  I was enjoying my time in Whole Foods, talking to the employees, listening to the music (they are always grooving in that Whole Foods) and contemplating the many food choices.  Not a roaring good time, but relaxing….until I came to the dairy aisle.  

Let me say right here that I HATE milk; I always have since I was a little kid.  I hate the smell of it, the look of it and I would never ever drink it even if it was the last beverage on earth and I was dying of thirst.    I only handle a carton of milk as a service to my family because I’m self-less like that.

All that to say that I have a phobia about milk, so I am very careful when I select milk from the grocery store because sometimes there is spilled milk on the bottom of the carton and that just won’t do at all.  Uh-uh, nope.  I usually buy Whole Foods 365 brand organic milk because it is $3.19 whereas Organic Valley is $4.69; that is a huge price difference.   

$4.69

However, when I picked up the 365 milk today there was milk dripping from the bottom; it almost got on my Uggs and I jumped back about five feet.  I quickly grabbed the Organic Valley milk, checked the bottom and got out of the dairy case before I hurled.  My husband calls me quirky; perhaps this is the kind of thing he is referring to?

The rest of my grocery shopping experience is milk-free.  Next I go to Border’s.  I don’t really need anything in there; I just have to use the bathroom and the one in Whole Foods skeeves me out.  I walk around to act like I’m buying something and come upon this book:

Armed in America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes by Kyle Cassidy

It kind of freaked me out too.  Not as bad as the milk, but close.

My son is on a camping trip with the entire 8th grade class and I miss him so much.  The house is noticeably quieter!  Even though Girly is the loud/talkative/demanding child, just having one kid here brings the activity level down quite a bit.  

Not that Girly minds or misses him, I’m sure.  Not after the other day.  We were all sitting on my bed watching a YouTube video about Disney World;  Girly was next to Daddy and I happened to be sitting behind The Boy.   When he noticed that I was behind him, he just leaned into me and I wrapped my arms around him.   All was fine and cuddly until Girly glanced at us, did a bug-eyed double-take and immediately began to whine about how she wanted to sit with Mommy.   The Boy wasn’t having it; he told her that he never gets to have Mommy and she would just have to wait her turn.    I supported his statement because it was true; Girly is always in my lap.   Time alone with him is so rare these days that I wrote a blog post about a great day that we had together, just the two of us.

Well, Girly did not like the way this was going at all!  She started crying and pouting, but I didn’t give in.  I gave a big speech about “how Mommy has enough love for both of her children” and opened one arm to put around her.   She reluctantly sat this way, pouting the whole time, until my son moved away to do something else.   Then she scooted herself squarely in my lap and clung to me like a little monkey, sighing “Mommmmmmy”.

*I don’t get paid for my opinions in any way; this is just me sharing stuff that I like and I think you will too.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I love my iPhone!  I have a few apps, but really I am not utilizing the iTunes App Store as much as I could be.  So I added Pandora, Tap Tap, Tipulate and Shazam…..and to this date I haven’t used any of those.  But I did find this cool new app that I just have to tell you about.

I’ve been sort of in a funk lately (as opposed to funki, which is the preferable modus operandi) and so I’ve been thinking that I need to start a gratitude journal to focus on the good stuff.   The trouble is, as hard as I try, I’m not a very good journal writer.  I buy a pretty journal and pen, set them next to my bed, write in it for about two weeks and then fall off the wagon.   And about six months later I repeat the process again.  Instead of feeling grateful, I end up feeling like a failure.

That’s why while reading the latest issue of Skirt! I was so happy to read about an iPhone Gratitude Journal app by Happy Tapper.  For .99¢ I figured that I could give it a try and I must tell you that I absolutely love it!  I think that this will work for me!  The app is also very user friendly and has a feel-good, groovy feel.  The little Buddha is so cute and makes me smile.

You can change the background and even lock your journal from curious eyes:

The quote displayed after each journal entry is a nice touch (or you can turn this feature off):

I like the fact that I can type in my “grateful thoughts” the minute they happen in a concise bullet format and I love that I can add a photo to my journal entry as well (the photo goes in the spot of the little Buddha in the first screenshot).  

This week I have been grateful for:

a great pedicure

the ice cream truck

good iced tea

• a fantastic facial
• beautiful weather
• nice visits with my parents and mother-in-law
• a listening ear in Renee

And I am very grateful for my iPhone and the Gratitude Journal app.  Namaste. 

Everyone in my family is a food critic!  First there was my son, Captain Cuisine & The Gastro-teens, and now my husband, James Andrews/The Keyinfluencer writes his first restaurant review for Funkidivagirl.com. 

Ann’s Snack Bar: Atlanta’s Best Burger 

By James Andrews

My family is always on the quest for a good burger.  As the family leader I think that I am the cause of this; I was brought up in California which many call the capital of all burgers.  McDonald’s, Bob’s Big Boy and In And Out Burger were all birthed in California.  And those are just the mainstream/commercial burgers.  

But the hoods of California– that’s where the best burgers are found.  From Nation’s and Quarter Pound Burger  in The Bay Area hoods to Quick N Split and Mo Better Meatty Meat Burgers (the best turkey burger ever) in Los Angeles, I have tasted the best.

Upon moving to Atlanta my family had been hearing about Ann’s Snack Bar and the “World Famous Ghetto Burger” so today we decided to give it a try.   Joining us in the hood on Memorial Drive East was our friend Matt Arnett and his two kids.  

When you arrive at Ann’s Snack Bar  you can almost guarantee that there will always be a wait.  Why you ask?  Mainly because Miss Ann has a protocol; you do not come inside the kitchen, you wait in the patio area with all the others until you are asked for your order.  Not knowing this protocol, we arrived hungry and immediately went to the door where the other patrons stopped us dead in our tracks with a “You have to wait, sir.”

Put off a bit, we retreated to the wire seats in the waiting area with all of the others.  It only took a little while for us to realize that there was a “Miss Ann’s Snack Bar Protocol” and soon we were mentoring the other patrons who came behind us and weren’t familiar with the “house rules” (think of the “Soup Nazi” from Seinfeld and you have a good idea). When we finally had our chance to order, of course I ordered the “World Famous Ghetto Burger” but opted out of the chili; the chili-cheese fries that I had coming was enough.

Now while ordering is the first part of the protocol, waiting is the second.   After a good 35 minute wait (which included a trip to the package store for a few bottles of Tahitian Treat) a tap on the window signaled me to retrieve our order.   I rushed to pick up the red trays which resembled the old school cafeteria “china” you remembered as a kid.

The first burger that I grabbed was the “Ghetto Burger with chili” that my 13 yr old son ordered.  It was by far the biggest burger that I have ever seen.   The thing was so huge that it scared the people waiting and made my wife shriek.

My “Ghetto Burger” (no chili, but I kept the bacon) was big and juicy also.

I took my first bite; the very well seasoned and hand-formed patty was a pleasure to sink my teeth into.  The best way to describe it is “a Momma Burger on steroids.”   Matt Arnett commented that the bun was nothing special, but a burger of this size required a solid bun.  It is clear why Miss Ann gives you plenty of napkins and forks and knives as tools for the meal as it is plenty messy.   I barely made it through the burger but I was determined and I’m happy to say I’m conquered it.

The entire experience of the fantastic burger and Miss Ann’s protocol makes this a must do in Atlanta. This is definitely the biggest and top 3 burgers I have ever had; clearly I have been to the mountain top.   I look forward to my annual trip (I can only do this type of eating once a year) back to Ann’s Snack Bar.   The rumor around town is that Miss Ann is retiring in May, so I must go back soon.