…when on the 3rd day (every weekend should be a long weekend), you…

• nap.  twice.
• daydream about showering…but the shower’s just so far away!
• relive the weekend’s events out loud – - in order
• eat half of a left over cupcake while flirting with the 3 ½ others waiting to be eaten
• check Facebook 14 times, just because
• giggle about tomorrow being Tuesday
• scold yourself about not taking any pictures…AGAIN!
• start to scheme about more visitors and long weekends in the future!!!

The hubs and I relentlessly showed off Charleston to Laura and Trevor this weekend.  I will steal some of Laura’s pictures (with permission, of course) when she gets to posting them.  Promise!

I think we’re really getting the hang of this whole tour guide thing!  There is no rest for the weekend visitor in the Trottier household – time shall not be wasted…sleep is yours to catch on the plane!!!

We got to just about everywhere that Scott and I find necessary when showing off the Charm of Charleston to first time visitors!  Here are all of the spots we hit this weekend (FYI: the fun began Friday at 4:30pm and ended at 7am this morning)…

1. Downtown – - A LOT of downtown.  Amen Street for dinner and Market Pavilion Hotel Pavilion Bar for drinks; Farmer’s Market in Marion Square (best fresh donuts EV.ER); shopping at Urban Outfitters and lots of browsing on King Street; walking walking walking through and around Battery Park, Rainbow Row, the Historic Charleston City Market, and Waterfront Park (twice!).  Yeah, our feet hurt.
2. Mount Pleasant.  THEE bridge.  Okay we just drove over it often, not so much with the walking on it.  What?  Our feet were tired!  Red’s at Shem Creek (no trip to Charleston is complete without seeing dolphins!), Mount Pleasant Pier and Memorial Waterfront Park, drive through Towne Centre and Boone Hall Plantation, Harris Teeter, Chick-fil-A (and the serious giddiness that follows) and CUPCAKE.  Yes, I included Harris Teeter  - ha!
3. Sullivan’s Island.  Poe’s Tavern for dinner and then a late night walk on the beach.  Very romantical.
4. Isle of Palms.  Beach time with plans of lunch at Coconut Joe’s shack…but that didn’t go very well!  The sky opened up and we moved it on out.  Bummer, dude.
5. Daniel Island.  A little driving tour – we passed the big, bigger, biggest, and then GINORMOUS houses.  So picturesque.
6. Our screened in patio.  Yes…it’s a must-experience (with candles lit while head-bobbing to Justin Timberlake’s Justified CD)!  Love!

I’m sure I’m forgetting a few stops.  Regardless, I am pret-ty proud of our tour guiding skills.

We didn’t even get over to the other side of the peninsula to see West Ashley, Angel Oak, Charleston Tea Plantation, Firefly Vodka Distillery, Irvin House Vineyards, Kiawah Island, or Seabrook Island.  We also didn’t go on or to any historical tours/museums/forts, to the aquarium, or on a boat.  Next time, kids!!!

The amazing news?  Tomorrow is TUESDAY and Bachelor Pad is on tonight. Now…to sneak in a shower before 8pm  ;)

WEEKEND LOW? A less than stellar beach experience.  High tide (aka – very little beach) + an insanely big crowd + a gazillion out of the ordinary sticks and shells (thanks to Irene?) + pouring rain = underwhelming beach time.

WEEKEND HIGH? Watching 2 people fall in love with our first love, Charleston!  ♥

The Battery

I hope y’all had an amazing Labor Day weekend!  What was your weekend HIGH?  Did any fellow Charlestonians have visitors?  Where did you go?  Where did I forget to take our visitors?!  

I’VE MISSED YOU!

p.s. College football started this weekend.  I’m confused and need your help. Look for my confession through blogging tomorrow!

p.s.s. The NFL starts on Thursday.  I need to iron my Giants jerseys ASAP!

p.s.s.s. Sorry about not being able to leave comments lately.  Hope you can on this one!!!

Beach Count: 59

Pool Count: 18

High Temperature: 83°

Extra Virgin Oven (EVO) is yet ANOTHER local restaurant that has been gotten lots of press lately.  A major difference is that EVO is not located by a beach, creek, or in Downtown but in North Charleston’s Park Circle area.

North Charleston is huge with lots of different, how shall I say this?, s-e-c-t-i-o-n-s.  First, just know that this area is huge and spread out.  There are 7 North Charleston exits off of Interstate 526, if that at all helps to explain.

EVO’s location, Park Circle, appears adorable and homey (not “yo yo yo” homey, but “aw, so cozy” homey).  It doesn’t hurt that it’s right around the corner from Coast Brewing – one of our favorite breweries in the area.  Def the hippiest of ‘em all!  Coast is also the location for the most awesomest (yes, I’m deciding that’s a word today) beer festival – Brewvival.  Oh yes, we’ll see you again next year…pretzel necklace and all!

Brewvival fun – 2011

Nothing like beer to get me off track.

North Charleston is also home to the Charleston International Airport, Tanger Outlets, Stingrays Professional Hockey Team, the new (and often controversial) Boeing Aircraft, and North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center.  I haven’t seen a show at the Coliseum yet, but that tends to be where the biggest acts in Charleston play/perform.  I gotta say (from what I’ve gathered)…Charleston’s got nothing on Charlotte or Myrtle Beach when it comes to concerts/shows coming to town.  Kind of a bummer.

North Charleston has more shopping than just the Tanger Outlets.  It has just about every big name store (Target, Walmart, Michael’s, Pier 1, Best Buy, etc., etc., etc.), furniture store, car dealership, chain restaurant, gas station, you-get-the-point, that you can think of.  In addition – a traditional indoor, old and outdated Northwoods Mall (nothing like gorgeous Mount Pleasant Towne Centre!) and an ungodly amount of pawn shops.  Yeah – don’t ask!  Along with these unlimited money-sucking destinations come some serious traffic.  Patience is key, people…patience, coffee, and legal U-turns!

From what our Sheriff neighbor tells us, there are areas of North Charleston that not even police officers navigate alone.  There are some really rough and scary neighborhoods.  (I’m talking South Los Angeles kinda business.)  Yikes.  So bring your GPS friends, and know your destination!

My least favorite part of the city of North Charleston?  There is NOT a ban on smoking in public places.  Capital letters YUCK!  I have asthma and do not appreciate this situation whatsoever.  This for-sure keeps me from giving restaurants in North Charleston business.  I’m sure I’m not alone on this!

Smoking is gross…AND it kills.  Just sayin’. 

Excuse my current ADHD.  BACK TO EVO!

From their website (because I can’t say it any better!)..

EVO was featured in Food Network Magazine’s September 2011 issue, specifically in “50 States 50 Pizzas.”  EVO’s Pistachio Pesto was voted the best pizza in South Carolina!  That hasn’t been their first public praise.  Click here to see the list of local and national acclaim that EVO has earned.  Have I mentioned that EVO began on a rolling cart at the Charleston Farmer’s Market in 2005?  Yeah.  How cool!

Pistachio Pesto Pizza!

A few nights ago, EVO was featured on Cooking Channel’s “Pizza Outside the Box.”  We DVR’d it!

Onto our personal experience at EVO:

We didn’t get the Pistachio Pesto pizza.  I dunno why.  But it does give us an excuse to go back there!

Anyway, we busted open those doors at 5pm as true early bird specialists. Seriously – the waitresses still had their purses on!

Not sure my chin would reach over this high bar!

Yummy local beers on tap (Holy City and Coast)…

I’m a sucker for mason jars =)

Me praying to the pizza gods.  Yeah, not too sure what’s really going on here.

And behold – Margherita pizza and Pork Trifecta pizza. YUM-EEEEE!  So fresh with amazing crust!

SO GOOD – can’t wait to go back!!!

Warning: EVO is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

What’s your favorite kind of pizza?  I’m a sucker for white garlic pizza with broccoli, but Scooter sadly isn’t. 

p.s. Should I have broken up this post into 2 or 3 separate ones?  Probably! Sorry for my long-windedness.  I have a feeling, though, that you’re used to it!

p.s.s. Crossing our fingers that hurricane Irene skips right on past Charleston!

p.s.s.s. Who wants PIZZA now?!  ;)

Beach Count: 57

Pool Count: 18

High Temperature: 87º (we even opened our windows for some fresh air last night!)

Nope, it’s not my wedding or house or fat pants or discovery of pickled okra anniversary.  It’s a special one, though.  That’s for darn sure.

One year ago today – Scott and I completed the 933.1 mile trek from Albany, New York to Charleston, South Carolina to start our brand new life filled with beaches and palm trees and dolphins and (I could go on forever) sunshine.

Who would’ve thunk that a whole year would go by so quickly?!  There have been a million ups and very few downs.  We are incredibly thankful that Charleston came into our lives.  We honestly smile more, laugh more, and kiss more (too much? haha).  Remember our cheesy video on the hour every hour from our ride down?  I know y’all certainly remember my face sans makeup.  Who could forget that (yikes!)?  Check out the blog that started my blogging journey (including the aforementioned video).  

Here are some of my favorite pics of our journey to Charleston (or bust)…

Charleston Week Vacation – - July 2009 (♥ when we fell hard! ♥)

Charleston Job Landing Weekend — June 2010

Newbies in town as Charlestonians – - July 2010

Yay for Charleston – this place makes me breathe a little easier…with a slight tan.  =)

p.s.s. Happy 1 week living-in-Charleston anniversary to my Mom and Dad!

p.s.s. Happy wedding anniversary to my in-laws today!!!

Beach Count: 47 (in 1 year!)

Pool Count: 11

High Temperature: 92°

We’re on the third and final leg of the Trottier family Charleston tour and boy have we been thirsty!  Johnny T. was here the 13th-20th.  Mom and Dad T. were here 17th until today.  My parents arrive at around 11am today and leave next Saturday.  YAY!  Weather for the week is looking pretty good (thank you Storm Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Rob Fowler – locals, you know the voice!).

Scott’s parents’ flight left at 6:15am this morning.  We brought them to the airport around 4:30am.  Normal people would go back to sleep when they got home.  Or at least attempt.  Rest maybe?  Nope – not us!  We needed to put humpty dumpty back together again.  Check out the productivity that occurred between 4:30am and 9:00am (the time now!)…

• 2 loads of laundry

• cleaned bathrooms

• vacuumed house

• made guest room bed (one of my very least favorite household tasks, FYI)

• dropped off recyclables

• brought back 2 overdue library books (whoops – we’ve been busy!)

• got 2 carts of booze groceries at Harris Teeter ← our grocery store of choice (hello $10 off coupons every single week – hence 2 carts….2 coupons…2 happy people)

• emptied dishwasher

• snuck in a blog!

We still have 2 hours until we have to be at the Charleston International Airport again (our 5th time this month – good thing it’s only 15 minutes away!).  Who knows what we still have in us!  When I told Mom that we may not be able to flip the house in time for their first viewing, she said, “Well then forget it, we’re not coming!”  Haha – what choice did we have?!

So an early night is probably in our future, but so what.  Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and I’m on Spring break!  Many more posts to come with pictures of fun times with family.  Until then, here are some to hold you over from Shem Creek and our patio.  =)

p.s. Farmer’s market downtown today?  If so, I’ll report back!

p.s.s. I think Scott’s family liked their first taste of Chucktown – success!

p.s.s.s. Time for my iced latté, no?

Update: Scott washed both cars, too!  =)

Beach Count: 36

Pool Count: 4

High Temperature: 73°