To celebrate my Mom's Birthday this year, I decided to go home to visit. I took a military Space Available flight out of
Ramstein Air Base on Saturday, April 2nd and flew into
Joint Base Charleston, SC; I then flew back out again on Saturday, April 16th. My Mom's birthday is on April 9th so I made it in plenty of time for a nice long visit.
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| Dad & kids |
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| Mom & Me |
We went to Myrtle Beach, SC for the weekend of her birthday and ate at the most amazing restaurant called
Rioz. It's a Brazilian steakhouse with endless meats, a huge buffet with sushi, gourmet cheeses and a very good wine selection.
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| Mom, aka Birthday Girl |
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| One of our Gauchos |
"Dining in a Brazilian Steakhouse has been compared to having a well orchestrated ballet serve guests dinner. From the moment guests are seated they are welcomed to our extensive salad bar of hot and cold seasonal favorites, which features seafood and sushi. A continuous table side service of savory choices of more than 15 different cuts of beef, pork, lamb, poultry and fish will be prepared and presented by our Gauchos."
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| In the kitchen...it was hot! |
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| Cheeses |
While I was in the states, I was able to see all my friends, defend my Master's final project at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and even interview and get hired for a job back in Germany. I also ate at all my favorite places to include:
Andy's,
Thig's BBQ House,
Flaming Amy's,
Margaritaville, and
Front Street Brewery.
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| "Big Jerk" as a salad @ Flaming Amy's |
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| Cheese Steak |
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| Andy's Sweet Tea |
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| Thig's Fried chicken , fried okra, & slaw |
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| Thig's Carolina BBQ, slaw, & Mac n Cheese |
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| Hush Puppy's from Thig's BBQ House |
I wanted to hang out with as many people as possible without having to make too many separate plans, so I sent out a Facebook event for everyone to meet me at
Duck's Grille & Bar in Jacksonville for drinks on Wednesday night. It was so nice to catch up with everyone.
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| The girls @ Duck's |
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| Laura, Me, Shelly |
I couldn't believe I was actually able to defend my Master's final project so I could graduate while I was in the country. It felt so good to return to Germany knowing I was finished with school!
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| "Master" Mandy |
I really needed this two-week vacation. Living in Germany is great, and I'm so thankful to be here with my husband but I really miss everything about North Carolina. Friends and family mostly, but the beach, and the way of life in the South East just can't be beat. When you can enjoy a grilled dinner in your back yard or walk into a bar wearing flip flops, where people remember your name, and there's a hint of salt in the air...that's home.
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| North Topsail Beach, NC |
Some day before I'm old are gray I hope to live at/near the beach once again. My husband and I love the Sneads Ferry area so hopefully there will still be some land for us in Mimosa Bay. Until then, home is wherever the Marine Corps sends us. As long as we're together, we'll never be alone.
Liebe,
Mandy
