We're still here!!!

Hello! I know it's been a while.  We have been super busy since our vacation and we thought you had heard enough from us during our vacation anyway... : p

Here's a little update of our busy lives.
Last weekend my mom came to town and we had a garage sale!  We sold lots of stuff and made a good amount of money!  When we weren't outside working the garage sale, we were inside working on our family tree.

We are using ancestry.com.  We have found information on my Great, Great, Great-Grandfather on my mom's dad's side. He lived in Tennessee and his grave stone says "Hon. Asa Faulkner".  We wondered why he was "Honorable," so we Googled him and found out that he was a manufacturer. He owned and operated a cotton mill and made "Faulkner Jeans."

This week, first grade took a field trip to the Sante Fe Zoo.  We saw lots of cool animals and really enjoyed ourselves!

I have been working on a few craft projects, which I will share soon!

Next weekend, Bobby and I will head to Jacksonville, AL for his Baseball Reunion and Golf Tournament!  We are excited to see all Bobby's old friends and teammates!

Thanks for reading and until next time, enjoy your week!!!

Last Day in Charleston

Yesterday, on our way out of town we stopped to check out 2 more places on our list.  We drove down to baked, the bakery that has been featured on the Martha Stewart show! It is based out of NY but they have recently opened a shop in Charleston.  On the show, the owner was showing how to make the Brookie, a brownie and a cookie put together.  I really wanted a brookie, but the guy behind the counter said they will start making them later this year. :( I was bummed. 

Then he informed me that the first time they were on Martha they showed how to make the whoopie pie.  So we got the whoppie pie instead! And boy was it is good! It was so light and fluffy!  YUM!

 

After visiting baked, we drove down to the Charleston Tea Plantation. This plantation is owned by a man who is a Professional Tea Taster.  He has turned this land into a beautiful place to visit and learn about how tea is made.  Charleston Tea Plantation is the only tea farm in North America.  Below are a few pictures of what we saw...

Behind us is the store and factory.

One of the many fields of tea plants.  We learned that to make tea, they only harvest the leaves from the top of the plants.  It is called the "flush".  Above the sign is promoting the First Flush celebration in May.  They will continue to harvest the tea leaves until October.

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The "Green Giant". This machine is one of a kind.  It was built using parts from a cotton picker and tobacco tractor.  Using this machine, it only takes 2 people to harvest the tea leaves. One person to drive the machine and one to walk in front clearing the rows.

We bought lots of tea to take home with us.  We were able to sample the Rockville Raspberry, and it was delicious and so refreshing!

Thanks for reading about out vacation!  Hope you enjoyed our stories.  If you have ever considered going to Myrtle Beach or Charleston, we say do it!!! You'll have a blast!

Boone Hall & Baseball

Happy Friday! ... Well, it's not a really happy Friday for us because it means our vacation is over.  We have had a very relaxing time and really enjoyed the cities we have visited!

Anyhoo, Yesterday we visited the Boone Hall Plantation.  It was the home of John Boone.  In 1743, his son Thomas planted 2 rows of Live Oaks which now are called the Avenue of Oaks.  This plantation was once known for growing cotton and pecans; which you can still find in small amounts. However, now they grow crops such as strawberries, blueberries, sweet corn, onions and more. The home on the plantation is actually the 4th structure to be built there. You can also find many slave cabins and an old cotton gin on the land.
Hollywood has used this plantation for many scenes in television series and movies.

Here are a few of our pictures from the day!

On the Avenue of Oaks

The cotton plants.  

According to tradition, you should give a gift of cotton on your 2nd Anniversary!

The Cotton Gin Building.

This building was built for a scene in the mini series Queen.

The Main House.  Used in the movie, The Notebook.

The view of the Avenue of Oaks from the house.

Slave Cabins.

 Last night we went to Opening Day for the Charleston Riverdogs. On Wed. night while on our Pub Tour we spotted Bill Murray.  I was surprised to learn that he lives in Charleston and is a half owner of the Riverdogs. We missed our photo op while on the pub tour but we were lucky enough to spot him the next night at the baseball game!

Here is Bill getting ready to catch the first few pitches of the game.

Here are a couple shots of him in action!

Kelly and Chelsea :)

The Riverdogs won the game 5-2! 

Today we are visiting the Charleston Tea Plantation, doing a little shopping and then heading back to Florida!

It will be nice to be home, but we will miss Charleston!!! Can't wait to come back!

Tour of Charleston

Hey!  Yesterday we started off our day at the South Carolina Aquarium.  We saw lots of cool fish, otters, penguins, and other creatures.  After visiting the Aquarium we checked in to our adorable Inn; The Barksdale!  Now, we understand why people like to stay in B & B's!  We are big fans!

Front view of the Barksdale Inn

Back entrance.  We ate breakfast on the back porch this morning :)

Room 3. Our room!

After checking in we decided to take a carriage tour of Charleston to learn a little about the history of the city.  We learned about S.O.B's (People who live South Of Broad, in big beautiful homes), S.N.O.B's (People who live Slightly North of Broad), The houses called "The three sisters", and many more interesting stories.

Thanks for reading!!!

La Belle Amie Vineyard

Hello Again!

Yesterday, we spent our Anniversary at the La Belle Amie Vineyard.  We started out with a Wine Tasting and then took a Self-Guided Tour of the Vineyard.  It is a small vineyard that grows Muscadine Grapes. It is run by a lady named Vicki who inherited the land that used to be an old tobacco farm from her uncle. Her uncle found a wild Muscadine vine and began to grow his own grape vines.  He bottled and gave away most of the wine he made. After his and Vicki's mother's passing, she decided to begin the vineyard, using the methods and expertise passed down from her uncle and ancestors (family wine makers in the South of France).  They experienced some rough times early on, as mother nature sent multiple hurricanes their way that ravaged the farm.  Each time they picked up the pieces, made some repairs, and have had great luck since 2004.

Our tasting was conducted by a lady named Chris, who was very pleasant and spoke of the vineyard very fondly.  We each tasted 6 or 7 different types of wine and were give 2 bonus tastings (a wine slushy and a warm cider mixture made from wine) which we enjoyed.  We bought 2 full cups of the wine slushy and set off on our personal tour of the vineyard.

 Here's Kelly and the Vineyard's "Ball Dog" Bella!

The tour took us passed a Carolina Bay, the Old Tobacco Barn, Vineyard #1 and Vineyard #3, the duck pond, and a honey bee hive.  With the aid of our handy tripod, we were able to take a few pictures along the way. We were provided with a tour booklet that provided much information about each of the stops and how they related to the vineyard.

At the Old Tobacco Barn

Figuring out the map...

 Posing for the camera in front of one of the vineyards.

The Beehive.

Shaded tables outside the shop.

We really enjoyed ourselves and would like to return someday for one of their many events that they put on throughout the year.

p.s. We are in Charleston now and plan on heading downtown to walk around tonight.  Tomorrow we plan on heading to the Aquarium and have booked an evening Pub Tour!  Check back to see if we've added anymore posts about our visit to Charleston!

Happy Anniversary!

Hi! Today is our 2nd Anniversary and we are so happy to be spending it in Beautiful Myrtle Beach!  Today we plan on relaxing by the pool, visiting the La Belle Amie Vineyard, and enjoying a nice dinner (while watching the Basketball National Championship of course ;)  ).  So far we have been to Broadway at the Beach.  It is an area that has lots of shopping, great restaurants and fun night life!  Yesterday we visited the Brookgreen Gardens where there were amazing sculptures, beautiful trees and flowers and also a zoo with animals that are native to South Carolina. Here's a look at our adventure!

Thanks for reading...
Check back for another update of our South Carolina vacation!