I’m so glad we finally got in some beach time!! We walked up and down for about 25 minutes before we left to take Canada to the airport.
I LOVE THE OCEAN!!! I really would love to move somewhere on the coast. I love the water, the breeze, the smell, the scenery, the romance. I also love warm weather, cosmopolitan areas and the East Coast where my family is. I think our top 3 potential locations are now Jacksonville, Norfolk and Charlottesville. We just need to do more visiting and research on all of them. We concluded that Jacksonville reminds us a lot of San Diego, which is somewhere we would totally move if 1) We had a million dollars and 2) Our families came too.
We hit the road around noon and drove an hour north to Brunswick, GA to stop for lunch. We try to plan small towns into car trips so we aren’t forced to eat at some Subway on the side of the road. The stop into Brunswick was a great place to grab a bite.
As you might imagine, Brunswick is famous for brunswick stew, so I wanted to have that for lunch. Using the iPhone, I scouted out the Brunswick Station Cafe, which had a nice menu of sandwiches, salads and stew.
But it turned out to be closed 
So we settled on this cafe instead:
I ordered a Farmer’s Fresh Salad with Chicken and no onions and found the Mediterranean Salad in front of me when our food was delivered. I was too polite and hungry to complain, so I had my second Greek salad chicken of the weekend.
It was quite good, and I cleared the plate.
And don’t ever think you can sneak an onion in my salad! I spotted this guy like a needle in a haystack 
On the side I had a piece of grilled toast
Matt got a fried green tomato + Italian meat panini with blue cheese slaw
3 hours later I finally was hungry when we stumbled across a place to get that ice cream cone I’d been craving all weekend in the heat.
Gasp. Shock. Awe: KERF at McDonald’s!
I haven’t had an MCD’s cone in ages, but it sure was good. Not too bad of a snack either given the balance of protein and fat in low-fat ice cream. I asked for mine “on the small side” but Matt enjoyed his vanilla mountain (Somebody needs a haircut!)
The cone actually held me over really well – all the way till a 7:30 dinner.
We walked in the door at 7 after our 6 hour drive and two pit stops and this was on the table by 7:30!
We grilled a bunch of veggies (peppers and one squash) and this corn from Kelsey’s parents’ garden. It was the most unique corn ever – very, very chewy and popcorny in a good way!
For the protein portion of dinner Matt made a sardine salad with a can of dill + mustard sardines, carrot, some olive oil mayo and some other unknown seasonings.
The sardine salad needed some dippers, so we opened a bag of Sun Chips leftover from Saturday’s Zoe’s Kitchen lunch, plain Pop Chips and a few Old London Melbas -
Dip-a-dip. That is my thumb, but it sure looks like a man’s!
It’s good to be home : ) Luckily we left our house in spotless condition with some foods in the fridge, so it’s like we never left.
Matt is up trying to sleep already. I’m going to bed early too because I have to be at work in the morning. I’m planning a workout first thing and a trip to the farmer’s market in the afternoon! So excited to have 2 full weeks at home for cooking, recipes, and getting organized. We may be going up to Virginia for the 4th of July now, so this might be my last weekend with no plans all summer!!
Nite 
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
HOORAY for beach time!!! I haven’t been to the beach since last summer when I was in Oregon… I miss it so terribly! I know its awful, but I absolutely love McDonald’s ice cream too!
hey kath! I live in the San Diego area and you dont gotta be that rich! Plus the pay is higher over here (i think lol) so it balances out…err or maybe not, my boyfriend pays 1200 a month for a one bedroom apartment.
I am obsessed with McDonald’s frozen yogurt!!! I haven’t had one in a while but you are definitely right – they’re not a terrible nutritional investment!
Yay! I love traveling, but it is SO nice to come home.
Especially when you get to come home to healthy foods and a clean house. PS I made another oatmeal pancake today…awesome! Check out my blog for the pretty pictures. 
HelpMeghanRun.com
I admit to eating McDonald’s vanilla cones on occasion. They are tasty and at less than $1 each, quite a good deal! Glad you got to frolic on the beach – I love the ocean
yay for getting in some beach time
and good for you guys for cooking dinner after that long drive!!
kerf at mcd’s! shocker haha.
i adore the beach too. there’s nothing better than ocean air and warm weather!
Ooo that soft-serve ice cream looks yummy!
Charlottesville is such a nice area! I think Norfolk can be overwhelming with the traffic since there are a lot of DC commuters in the area. There’s also a military base nearby as well. I’d go with Charlottesville out of those two. I don’t know much about Jacksonville besides that it’s a huge city. I’d say really think about what you want for your future as well, and which place has better opportunities and will more than likely fulfill what you envision for yourself. Good luck! Glad you made it home safe and sound.
if you wanna be by the beach you should come live in fort lauderdale! it’s sooo pretty here i’m so sad to go away to college lol
I love the ocean, too! That beach looks beautiful. And I love Mediterranean salads. Too funny about the onion
McDonald’s soft serve vanilla cones are yummy! I haven’t had one in a while, but they’re actually not a bad treat. Your grilled veggies look delicious, too.
Glad you made it home safely!
Your dinner looked really tasty, and corn from a friend’s garden is always a great way to eat locally! I wish you luck in finding the best locale for your new lives.
charlottesville is amazing!! i am hoping to move there too!
I’m so jealous! I haven’t been to the beach in ages! Food looks great as always!
-Jessica
I love McDonald’s ice cream cones. They taste good and they’re cheap! Love it!
Glad you enjoyed your trip! You’ve been all over the place since school let out!
I totally did not forsee the McD’s stop, especially after you writing that you go into towns instead of stopping on the side of the road….very clever!
I totally NEED to go to San Diego asap!!! Its my dream! Sooooo expensive though…
I think many of us will admit to an occasional lapse and get a McD’s ice cream cone. For a buck, it’s totally worth it. Not sure if I would want to eat it if it cost more than that though. It looked really tasty, especially on long rides. I probably will end up forking over a buck later this summer for one myself.
I live in San Jose, CA and we need a GH bakery badly. I grew up in the Midwest and enjoyed going to them there. But here, there’s nothing. There is a local bakery chain, but it pales in comparison to GH.
McDonald’s ice cream cones are actually low-fat and only 150 calories per (normal) serving. Probably the healthiest thing on their menu!
I actually still eat McD’s or whatever other junk once in awhile… all about the balance!
I haven’t been to the ocean in years!! I’m so due for a visit. Sigh…
Jenn
Ooh, loving the roasted veggies, and the beach! That hat is adorable !
hahaha I can’t believe you spotted that tiny little onion!
KERF at McD’s is one of the funniest things I’ve seen all week.
Jacksonville sounds amazing, if it’s like San Diego you can’t go wrong (SD is one of my fave cities).
Sounds like a beautiful day! And I agree that living by the ocean would be such a bonus. It’s so wonderful to have the water right at your backdoor!
Dinner looks so good… I can’t believe you still had the energy to whip up such a delicious meal. YUM!
Enjoy your time off at home!
Dill and mustard sardines in a can? All together?
The beach pictures are great. Glad you made it back safe!
love the beach too! I also love SanDiego! Your dinner looks yummy!!!
McDonald’s cones are my favorite quick dessert – I’m totally addicted!
Love the hat, sister!
Just thought you should know that my hubs checked out KERF for the first time to today. Crazy!!!
Lol, how dare you get an ice cream cone from Mickey D’s!! Haha. just kidding. The heat makes me crave ice cream too
KERF at Mickey D’s might have been the best thing I’ve read all morning.
The cone looks yummy!
In my photos, I always look like I have either 1) man hands, or 2) wrinkly old grandma hands. Oh well, guess it’s more mysterious that way…
Interesting to hear your positive thoughts on Jacksonville. My FH is in the Canadian Navy here on the East Coast of Canada and often finds himself in port visits along the US Coast. Jacksonville is his least favorite so far. He says it’s huge, widespread, ugly and boring. This is likely due to the fact that the bases where they dock are usually quite far from anything good and they have to pay a fortune for taxis if they want to go anywhere…but I was telling him about your trip and future plans and he just rolled his eyes and said “no way you could get me to live there!”.
haha, totally random…sorry about that.
Meh, you can do a lot worse than a small cone at McDonald’s! Sounds like a great way to cool off
I loooove coming home to a clean house after a trip. Too bad that rarely happens!
Your lunch looks so good! I love Greek salads!!
YAYAYA Maybe everyone in the C’ville area can plan a blogger meet up!
that would be fun!
Oh man, a Charlottesville blogger meet up would be so much fun. I will take any excuse to drive up to Charlottesville for the day. : )
I’m glad you made it home safely and had a nice trip:)
mmm…i love red onions
My parents live 10 minutes from Norfolk – I grew up in Chesapeake, and I love the area except that there aren’t any mountains! I’m used to seeing them now that I live near Roanoke, but it does have a lot to offer.
Glad you got in some beach time and that you enjoyed a yummy McDonald’s ice cream!
I wish fried green tomatoes were more prevalent in the north! Love them!
I also love McD’s ice cream once in awhile. Its so creamy and reminds me of the delicious ice cream cones in Ireland.
I live 10 minutes from the beach and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to leave! I love it way too much, although I haven’t made it once yet because of the nasty weather we’ve had. I can’t wait to have a beach day soon!
McD’s ice cream SERIOUSLY hits the spot sometimes! I haven’t had that in ages but it’s so good
Looks like a fun roadtrip. All your food is so colorful!
Fried green tomatoes! Those are sooo good and sooo southern. Love it.
Gasp at McD’s! JK. Their cones are good.
Ha, I would have caught that onion, too! Can’t get those by me!
Looks like a fun trip.
I am stuck on the fried green tomato and italian sandwich…I may have to try to recreate that!
Hey Kath:
I live in Virginia Beach and work in Norfolk. I think that if you are considering living here, you should know a few things about it!
1.) VB is great by the Chesapeake Bay, and in the North end. The boardwalk during the summer is insane with people, and so you’ll want to avoid that portion except early in the mornings for a run (when I hit that area). Nothing beats living by the water though…I live near the Chesapeake Bay (within walking distance).
2.) Traffic can be a bear. But in the a.m. it takes me about 30 minutes to get to work, and when i leave work (late!), it only takes me about 18-20 minutes.
3.) You feel like you live on an island and it’s very hard to get off. To get out of Norfolk and VB, you have to take a tunnel (unless you are going west to the middle of nowhere, or Nags Head). The tunnels get so congested in the summer, that it feels like living on an island sometimes. But, to correct a previous comment, we do not get any traffic from DC–that is 3+ hours away!!!
4.) The organic food craze has NOT hit here as I would want it to, but it is getting better. But it would not be like Charlotteville, that has a ton of healthy restaurants and cafes.
5.) Norfolk has more of a dowtown feel than VB, but not like Raleigh (which is great!). Lots of people live in Ghent, which is a great place for older homes that are quaint. I prefer VB since it is closer to the water, but there is newer construction, and thus, not as attractive.
Hope that helps!
AM
Yay for Virginia! You should check out Suffolk and Chesapeake–40 minutes from the beach, but not as crowded and would love a bakery = )
Lynn (The Actors Diet),
Yup, that’s the sauce flavor.
Sarah (LovIN My Tummy),
how fun!
Jaime ,
I would think visiting a place for vacation and for living would be very different mindsets, but thanks for your input!
AM,
That helps a lot – thank you!! (We’re coming to visit!)
Kath
you dont need a million dollars to live in san diego, there are lots of affordable places! Im moving there in a week and we are paying the same rent as Houston. You can get a 1bdrm condo by the beach for around 800 a month