South Carolina 2010

I am all about the memories.  I love making and rehashing them over and over.  The rehash part is one of my brother's personal favorite.  My fondest memories always include my family.  During the summer, we got to visit my family in South Carolina and Colorado all in two weeks.  That's right, people, we went cross country and loved every bit of it.  

Our trip to South Carolina wasn't short on memories, but for some reason I didn't take as many photos as I usually do.  I am chalking it up to the fact that I really just tried to relax and enjoy the moments.  

Totally my theme this summer!   

YES THAT IS ME...sliding down the slide backwards...YES I AM A TEACHER AND SHOULD BE PROMOTING SLIDE SAFETY!  My dad went down the slide too!  So much fun.  We can always count on Allen to up the fun factor every trip.  We had the pool set up too!  

Um, can you say precious?  

THANK YOU for a great trip.  We love you guys so much!

Treading Our Way

A few weeks back,  Brian took Little Man with him to team camp with the big boys.  To say that LM had a blast is a complete understatement.  He told me that this little two-three day trip was one of his favorite summer activities.

We tried to coordinate team camp with our vacation, so that we wouldn't have to make a double trip down south.  We arranged to pick the two of them up on our way to the beach, but first we had to get there.  It proved somewhat difficult with all of the rain, storms, and issues with the GPS.  We got to one area where we were at a dead stop.  What in the world?  This is what we saw and then had to "tread" through the water.  

This was what was running off the mountain causing the huge flood of water.  I couldn't let this slow me down...I hadn't seen my baby boy in three days...I would have swam through the water to get to him!

SOUTH CAROLINA: BOAT RIDE

We are nearing the end of our trip to South Carolina, but had to include some photos from our boat ride on my cousin, Marty's boat. What a blast and super relaxing...I could have totally gone to sleep, but I didn't want to miss anything! Shocker, I know! More shock to come and a few miracle people too!

OUR FEARLESS CAPTAIN

OUR CAPTAIN'S WIFE, my cousin! She is one of our miracles. Health can be an issue, but she is a stinking fighter! She also is quite organized and introduced me to some great bags...SCOUT.

CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER...she helps keep me young!

My cousin, Caroline, with a precious "cuz" munchkin! I love to find out what she is reading and she dresses the girls in such cute outfits!

SHOCKER: Bev is on a boat in the ocean and she is convinced that she can't swim. She was the first to snag a life jacket before we even got on the boat. Mommasita is a living miracle too! The Lord continues to work in her heart, mind, and body everyday to overcome her health battle!

DADDY:

Why is his life jacket pink and why is he wearing one? So, stinking cute...this is a classic face!

WHO is that HOT guy in the hat? I love when Brian wears one~

***I just realized that I am in a lot of the photos...sorry!

THANKS, MARTY! We had a blast!

SOUTH CAROLINA: BEACH

Lots of other pictures, but this one is the one that means the most to me!

I LOVE MY FAMILY!

SOUTH CAROLINA: SWIMMING

We did go to the beach and did get in the water, but we also got to do some swimming in pools.

Did you know? The pools are filled with salty water. Not sure why and not even sure if it is true for all of them. The pool at my cousins has salt water and Isaiah remembered this from last time we were there (he was three...good memory, huh?) Obviously, the pool water at the beach was salty!

SWIMMING AT MY COUSIN, Rooster's house

AUNT and UNCLE's BEACH HOUSE:

My Daddy and cousin, Allen, went to get some supplies for the beach and each came back with a pool! Not sure if the pool was meant for the kids or adults, but both had a blast! Check the boys out while they set the pool up...notice Brian is pondering how to help. Pretty funny...

Getting ready for a swim in the pool! Look how cute they are...

C has gorgeous eyes...

My favorite thing to do with my cousin, AM Pretty, was to run and jump in the pool. What a thrill!

Yes, Daddy, it got grass in the pool, but it was soooooooooo worth it.

Brian had to be a copycat...he loved it too!

Got Sunblock?

SOUTH CAROLINA: Food Mania

Every other summer, my family makes a trip to South Carolina to visit my father's family. We always have a great time and I end up taking a ton of pictures. I thought I would narrow the trip down into categories for easier reading! Which brings me to one of my favorite topics...FOOD. I love it...especially in the summer and when with family. In fact, I was reminded of that, last night, when I had to perform the "Get in these Jeans" dance. Which makes me wonder why I gain weight during the summer? I know why, but it still makes me a bit angry at myself! (That might be a post for later!)

Back on track...Food in South Carolina. I am a sucker for loving food related to certain regions. You know...when you go on a trip and in order to feel like you are "one" with the location, you must eat this item until you can't breathe. Don't act like you don't know that feeling! Some examples from states that are dear to my heart:

Arizona: Matta's Mexican Restaurant (the old school one), Pete's Fish and Chips, LJ's Pizza, fresh citrus, guava ice cream
Colorado: anything from my grandma's garden, peaches, Bing cherries, Enstrom's Chocolate Almond Toffee
Oklahoma: Mommasita's cooking, June's crunchy crust, Taco Bueno, Mazzio's Pizza
Tennessee: Gardner's Market peach tea, Jenkin's Deli, Village Bake Shop's Thumbprint Cookies
South Carolina: Carolina BBQ, boiled peanuts, Edisto Beach tomatoes, Beaufort Stew, grits, crabs, John Derst Bread

Enjoying my South Carolina favorites:

Carolina BBQ with the family at DUKE's

I made my cousin, Ann, stop so I could snap a picture!

Pre-eating excitement! Peanut is ready!

Beaufort Stew: Potatoes, Sausage, Corn, Shrimp, and Crabs!

This is an Edisto tradition. All quite delicious, but the shrimp were insanely good~

I HAD TO INCLUDE THIS PIC of my cousin's daughter, RA Cutie! This little crabbie became her friend. She literally tried to keep it as a pet!

Okay...now that my mouth is drooling...I am ready to eat!