Hey ya'll! I'm goin' back to Savannah I reckon'

What? Back to Savannah? Yes, dear blog reader, you read the title correctly. While being a Jersey girl for the last year has been quite an interesting ride, I will soon be returning to my Southern roots for a new job. Funny how it all played out, because this new job is actually with my former office where I spent my first year as an Army Public Affairs Intern.

Ahh yes, good 'ol Savannah. The Southern city of oak trees, Spanish Moss, sandy shores, marsh grasses, tidal waters, Southern drawls, historic buildings, River Street....and of course, Paula Deen.

A view of the famous Forsyth Park Fountain
I captured in fall 2009 in Savannah, GA.

I remember when I was at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Md., about a year ago from today, when I had to write a speech about a topic of my choice. I then had to give this speech in front of my classmates while my instructor critiqued my presentation skills. Of all the topics I could have selected, I chose to write my speech about Savannah. How fitting.

Everyone said the topic was a perfect fit for me, especially considering my drawn-out Southern accent. A few people even said I could pass as a spokesperson to advertise tourism for the city. Ha ha. Little did I know I would be moving back to the wonderful city a year later to settle down for what I now think will be long term.

Jersey has been fun. The summer and fall brought us amazing weather and many opportunities for outdoor recreation, hiking, sight-seeing and other random adventures. The winter brought several unique and first-time experiences, from walking amongt the beauty of a true "winter wonderland" to the frustrations of shoveling snow.

My job here has brought a tremendous amount of experience, opportunity, lessons learned and insight to the ins and outs of Army Public Affairs. The cultural experiences - from trips to New York City to small-town excursions in Sussex County - have been eye-opening. Interacting with the people up here, from co-workers to neighbors to random people I meet in public - has been somewhat of a cultural experience as well.

But hey, I still have two weeks left - including a trip to Boston for St. Patrick's Day - so hoping to squeeze in a couple more blog posts before I say goodbye. But even then, it won't be goodbye for long, because I'm already brainstorming names for my new Savannah blog....