My parents, Scott, and I tackled the freezer meal situation last week.  As in – organized it, cleaned it out, and filled it to the brim with meals ready-to-go.

Success!!!

This is what we did…

First Mom and Dad made some meals of their own to freeze for themselves (they have A LOT of company headed their way in the next few months!) and then shared the wealth with us.  Thanks to them our freezer now has lasagna rolls, chicken madeira, bolognese sauce, and a gazillion meatballs (Mom made 100 or so…she’s incapable of just doubling a recipe – ha!).  That was an AWESOME start!

I had specific ideas of what else I wanted at my fingertips.  The garbage bread was already taken care of, but I wanted to tackle macaroni and cheese, turkey burgers, some crock pot recipes, cooked bacon & chicken for salads (or whatever), and blueberry muffins.  Mom and Dad came over for the day and we banged it all out (other than the muffins, I did those the next day).  I found the crock pot recipes on Pinterest (thanks for the tip, Heidi!) – terikyaki chicken, chicken enchiladas, and sausage & peppers.  Strawberries were also on sale, so we got some of those to freeze as well.

I am not at all saying that my freezer is full of the most nutritious and fat-free meals; instead I went for easy, filling, and yummy.  We organized everything by container/freezer bag, shelf, and bins – all labeled and ready to go.  I wrote the cooking directions on everything so it’s fool proof while I’m cooking through my eyelids.  We’re also ready for company (hello turkey burgers, thanks Christina!).

Look at the list that now lives on the side of the fridge…I am my parents’ daughter!

42ish meals later – I am ready for some easy meals on some maybe not so easy evenings.  Who else is excited?!

I’m embarrassed to say how excited I am that we now have bins in the freezer. WHAT…a dork.

In lieu of making this blog post ridiculously long, I am going to refrain from posting recipes.  However – if you want ‘em, I’ll share ‘em.  Ya just gotta ask!

This week, I’m going to make spicy Chex Mix, sweet Chex Mix (monkey munch or whatever people call it), and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

I absolutely suggest doing this pre-baby, if you can.  I am so glad that this task is completed!  

How was everyone’s weekend?!  Week 38 post coming atcha tomorrow!

xoxo

p.s. I’m a die hard Bachelorette fan and was THRILLED with last night’s finale!  (I won’t spoil it, just in case you haven’t seen it yet!).  How about Emily saying that she wants to get married in CHARLESTON?!  LOVE IT!!!

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 92° 

Baby T.’s Southern Shower – through pictures…

Me and Baby -29 weeks ♥

Yummy treats (mini-cinnamon buns in the take out containers with the tag “Thank you for coming – from Sarah & her little bun in the oven”)

Mason jars for sweet tea

Some of the food spread

Sweet lil’ socks

Presents for the babe!

Everyone designed a onesie – Scott was the judge and Liz was the winner (what do you think the theme of the onesie was?  BEER, OF COURSE!)

My near future…Cathy with baby boy Kellen ♥

Julie and me (and my delish mocktail)

Some action shots – super soft blanket

Let’s hope Baby’s T.’s head is that small – adorable newborn hats

Aww – lots of duckies

What?  I’ve been leaking for weeks!

Me and my Mama!

I didn’t get a pic with Scott or with the whole crew, but it’s hard to think of photo ops when you’re busy having too much fun!

I DID get this adorable one of my matching parents.

I mean – c’mon!  Just stop it with the cuteness.

THANK YOU, MOM, FOR THROWING THE SHOWER and THANKS to everyone for coming!  We appreciate every single one of you.  Baby T. CANNOT wait to meet you all!

XOXO

p.s. I’m so glad that timing worked out for my Aunt Carolyn to be in town for Baby T.’s Southern Shower.  Loved you being there – xoxo!

p.s.s. The suitcases are OUT and ready for NY packing.  I’m holding out until the weather forecast warms up a bit

Beach Count: 75   

Pool Count: 29 

High Temperature: 84° 

*Week 22*

CURRENT STATS

Percentage Cooked: 55%

Baby Size: A papaya or a small football (Nerf?), weighing in at about 1 pound!  The baby is now about the length of an Oreo package or bottle of beer.  Coincidence?  I think not!

Countdown to Baby: 18 weeks

Symptoms: A lot more going on in this department!  Spider veins are getting darker – luckily in just two locations on my legs…at least that I’ve noticed.  It’s getting progressively harder to get up after sitting and laying.  A good night’s sleep happens 2-3 times a week.

The biggest negative right now is SEVERE rib pain, mostly on my right side.  I have read that it could one of a few things…my uterus pressing into my stomach, my liver pressing against my ribs (hitting the hepatic nerve), typical rib expansion in preparation for child birth, or just the baby in a funky position.  I will check in with my doctor this week because this has been excruciating at times.  I am guessing that the weight of my still growing big kahunas don’t help a thing.  

Oy.

Cravings: Took a little break from Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for some Double Stuf Oreo action.  Wise choice.  The Jolly Rancher Jelly Bean obsession is here to stay, but unfortunately THEY are not (they’re only around for Easter!).  I need to get to all the  CVS’s in town on Monday to snag what they have left on clearance – ahhhh!

Weight Gain: Well, it’s on now.  I was up 10 lbs. at my 20 week appointment.  So my guess is – 15 lbs. by now?  If I top out at around 3o lbs, I’ll be a happy camper.  Just trying to be realistic.

Related Purchases: One of these…

Some socks for Baby T.  Anytime I see gender neutral socks I am going to pick up a pair – I’m learning that baby socks tend to be VERY gender-specific and I want to make sure there are no cold toesies in this house.

Fear of the Week: You heard about baby’s SUA, right?  Yeah – enough said.

Relief of the Week: We have an appointment this week.  And oh yeah, I CAN FEEL BABY MOVE NOW AND I’M OBSESSED!  Scott has felt it too…it’s thee.best.feeling.ever. ♥

Randomness:  We are totally registered – yahoo!  We did Target and Babies R Us, but I did most of it online.  We have maternity and newborn photo shoots booked – double yahoo!  (Check out Kayla Jones Photography - she rocks!)  Let’s see…what else?  Our stroller came in and we LOVE IT!  We registered for the hospital, Scott prepped the room for painting this week, and he also moved the beer out of the baby’s closet.  Phew – and we have so much more to do!!!

Scott’s Quote of the Week:  I can’t remember the direct quote but it was something about Scott calling the Bumbo a Dumbo.

NOT

I am so pumped for this week OFF!

xoxo

p.s. The in-laws arrive in a couple of hours…GAME ON!

p.s.s. We only had 22 tables at our wedding.  A new pregnancy week counterpart coming atcha next week.  First, I need to figure it out!  ;)

Beach Count: 69   

High Temperature: 65° ← brrr!  

The Dominys visited from NY two weekends ago, with 1 year old Ethan in tow! They first visited (minus the munchkin) over 4th of July.  I hope they continue to visit everyone 6 months…if not even more often!!!  Check out our shenanigans!

We started Saturday morning at Folly Beach.  Last time they visited, we graced Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island – so we wanted them to see another local beach.  It was quite windy and not as warm as forecasted, but much warmer than NY!

This handsome boy has definitely gotten the hang of that whole walking thing!

Next we stumbled upon closed down Center Street for the Taste of Folly 2012 event.  We just hung out for a few minutes and listened to the band.  Ethan was mesmerized!

Next we went to Chick-fil-A for the Dominy family’s VERY FIRST CFA experience.  It was a success!  The cow was out to play and he was a wee bit creepy, though.  Ethan wasn’t feeling him and neither were we.  Would you?!  Not when he nudges his snout into people and lingers uncomfortably longer than he should!

Yikes!

Next we went to Angel Oak!

We attempted to go to the Firefly Vodka Distillery and Irvin-House Vineyards afterwards.  Well, we did go there but they were closed (apparently for the entire month of January).  Frustrating!!!  Wadmalaw Island is far out there! Oh well…

We headed home at this point to unwind and relax before our dinner reservations.

My parents babysat Ethan (great practice, Mom and Dad!) while the 4 of us went downtown to 82 Queen for Charleston Restaurant Week.  Scott and I had never been there before, so we were hoping it would deliver.  IT SOOOO DID!  Here are some pics from their Facebook…

We were close to a half hour early, but they seated us anyway.  We sat out in the courtyard where we were covered and cozy (they had heaters pumping – just enough).  It was incredibly romantic!  Our waiter was so witty and awesome. During our dinner, a thunderstorm rolled in.  We stayed completely dry being outside, but inside.  It was awesome!  The romance scale was officially tipped. Those poor waiters, though – they got SOAKED!  Christina and I had the jambalaya, Scott had the frogmore stew, and Mike had the meatloaf.  We took our time eating and did not feel rushed in the least.  The food, the ambience, and the wait staff were all amazing.  Scott and I can’t wait to go back!

Next, we went to Coleman Public House for a night capper (aka – more water for me!).

Sunday, we went to the aquarium as our big outing.  One of the largest exhibits for toddlers was closed for renovations, so I was pretty disappointed (the admission is expensive!).  Either way, I think Ethan enjoyed it.  His favorite part?  Cruising up and down the stairs, of course!

That night, we watched the Giants kick some 9ers booty and ate some yummy/totally-bad-for-you food.

♥ A weekend of perfection ♥

Thanks for coming – Christina, Mike, and Ethan.  We love you guys!!!

p.s. HAPPY 61st WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TO MY GRAM AND POP!!!

p.s.s. GOOOO GMEN…SUPER BOWL!

Beach Count: 66   

High Temperature: 65°  

12 months is a long time.  As promised, with each year, those months feel shorter and quicker and, well, sneakier.  Here goes my first attempt at a year in review!  I suggest a beverage and  a snack break around June/July…it was a busy year!

Disclaimer: *Charm* wasn’t born until March of 2011, so (as you’ll see), January and February are pretty fuzzy.  This fact reminds me why I not only write this blog for YOU but as a documenting tool for ME.  =)  Also, I planned on highlighting each month with just ONE picture (“Highlights, Sarah, HIGHLIGHTS!”).  Fat chance…that lasted 1 month!

The Year 2011!

1 – JANUARY

We were fresh off our snow-filled trip to NY, SO happy to be home in 70° weather.  We took a trip to the beach, took some trips downtown, and celebrated Scott’s 32nd birthday.  (Apparently, by ourselves according to the picture above!) Hmph – I’ll document this January a little more seriously  ;)

2 – FEBRUARY

We visited the South Carolina Aquarium for the first time.  I swiftly blogged about it in June.  #oops  #FAIL

We went to a fun Super Bowl party with great friends where I won an award for my garbage bread – yay!

We had an awesome visit from our awesome Scottish friends, Jeremy and Carrianne.  Martelle even came down from Charlotte for a bit to visit (you remember him, right?).  We all fawned over Baileigh-boo and had a fabulous time!  If only we lived a little closer!!!  xoxo

All of us, minus gorgeous Carrianne (if only pictures could take themselves!).  

Lastly, we went to Brewvival and had a ball.  We need to get on the tickets for this year, STAT!  Chucktown peeps, if you like beer and good food – do it, do it, DO IT!

3 – MARCH

We had our second beer tasting at the house, celebrated St. Patty’s Day at Westbrook, and pimped out our patio.

And shall I not forget, I published my very first post on *Charm of Charleston* where I introduced Spikey to the world!

Dead already?  I think so  =(

4 – APRIL

April was bizzzz-eeeeee!  

We had our first Bridge Run experience (sans the actual running part).  What a fun time downtown.  Can you say MIMOSAS?!

Pool weather, it was!

The Brewers stopped by for a quick 5-hour visit on their drive down to Florida (I think this was April and not February??).

I went to my first ever tennis match at the Family Circle Cup and learned that this is a quiet event (who knew?!).

Scott’s brother, Johnny, came down for his first visit.  Scott’s parents’ also came down for their first visit, overlapping Johnny’s by a few days.  Good times!!!

I went to my first Southern wedding…Buffie and Jay’s!

Scott’s parents left and mine came in on the very same day (zZzZzZ)!  We celebrated Easter at Boone Hall Plantation, commemorated the Royal Wedding, and my parents picked out their future house!

AND THEN, we slept  =)

5 – MAY

We checked out downtown Charleston’s Farmer’s Market for the first time, I drooled over the best.burger.ever from Coleman Public House, we soaked up some 90° days, I confessed my ridiculous issues with blinking, and I met the lovely and talented Christina behind Hungry Meets Healthy!

6 – JUNE

We bought the iPad 2 and went to NY for 23 days.  We saw all of our favorite friends and family, went to our friend Katrina’s wedding, and spent as much time as possible at Scott’s parents’ lake house.  The biggest event?  Mom and Dad said goodbye to living in the Northeast and MOVED TO CHARLESTON!

::How ya holdin’ up?  Snacky time?  Hang in, we’re halfway there!::

7 – JULY

Well, I blogged once a day during July (er, 31 blogs in 31 days) and loved-every-second-of-it!

Big things happened this month.  BIG!  Christina and Mike visited from NY for the 4th (!!!), Scott and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary in Charleston AND our 3rd wedding anniversary, we bid farewell to Spikey while welcoming Spunky into the family, Mom and Dad closed on their house, and we found out that we were pregnant.

8 – AUGUST

We celebrated Shark Week by watching a screening of Jaws on the lawn at the Aquarium – FUN!  We checked out the ginormously spectacular tree that is Angel Oak and fell in love with Kiawah Island.  Mom, Dad, and I went to the 8th Annual Wine Stomping Festival at Irvin House Vineyards.  I did some cleaning that resulted in this flashback, this one, and this one.  Luckily, we dodged a large bullet that was Hurricane Irene.  And on a Debbie Downer note, we found out the worst news possible – that we lost our baby.

9 – SEPTEMBER

EXCLUSIVE: Scott was busted for being his bad@$$ self and experienced the rare comfort of the back of a cop-mobile.  A-gain.  Did I forget to share that in September?  (Jokes, it’s our neighbor’s “ride.”  Yes, we’re cool enough to stage fake arrests.  What?!)

Y’all helped me decide that I am a Carolina Gamecocks fan, I poured my heart out on 9/11, and we had our 3rd beer tasting party,

10 – OCTOBER

We celebrated our house anniversary, I shared my you-can-barely-see-me magazine debut, I was invited to and attended Southern Living’s Taste of Charleston event at Boone Hall Plantation, I had a week-long birthday celebration, we went to Charlotte Oktoberfest (where Scott’s homebrew was on tap!), and visited Asheville, NC!!!

11 – NOVEMBER

Scott received his ribbon for coming in first place for his saison in the Savannah Homebrew Contest, we experienced a gorgeous sunset on Sullivan’s, checked out Middleton Place (whoops, still need to blog about this!), and had a 36-hour Knupp marathon IN CHARLESTON.  We also hosted Thanksgiving for the 2nd time – this year with my parents, brother (for his first Chucktown visit), and brother in-law.  =)

 12 - DECEMBER

Scott and I went on our first annual trip (oh yes, it’ll be an annual thang) to Brookgreen Gardens for Nights of a Thousand Candles.  Ahhh – romance. ♥

My first guest blogger, the hilarious Brooke at Veggie Table, shared her great honeymoon in Charleston with us (yay – thanks again!!!)

ANDDDDD…I basically slacked for the rest of December!

And there was my year is a very large and wordy nutshell ← typical ME!

Seriously though, 2011 year was filled with MANY ups and some pretty down-in-the-dumps downs.  I blogged through it all and am very grateful for the opportunity to share my life with YOU.  Thanks for the memories 2011, but 2012 is going to be MY YEAR!!!

Happy New Year, loves! ♥

p.s. If you actually read through this entire post, we are officially best friends forever.  

Beach Count: 64  

High Temperature: 60°  

And now…for a special treat, kiddies!  My very first guest post from a blogger friend of mine.  (yayyyy!!!)

Hi *Charm of Charleston* readers!

I’m Brooke – better known as the veggie head behind the meatless, Pomeranian-obsessed blog called Veggie Table.

I have been an avid reader of the Charm ever since discovering the blog world and I’m beyond thrilled to be guest posting today!  I adore Sarah and her writing style for several reasons:

1) she is very open, honest, and absolutely hyyyylarious

2) her palm tree updates crack me up (Hi Spunky!)

3) she and Scott are always doing something fun (I live in lower Alabama – enough said)

4) we have several things in common, brown hair, vertically challenged, our husbands love a good brew, beach bums, and Charleston holds a special place in our hearts

Two years ago, I married my best friend, Forrest, in a small ceremony in Huntsville, Alabama.  We planned our wedding in a week (no, I wasn’t with child) and invited nine members of our family to join in on the festivities.

After our “I do’s,” we celebrated our commitment with a brunch and then hit the road to Honeymoonville…Charleston, South Carolina!!  As soon as we arrived, I fell in love for the second time that day – Forrest was lookin’ pretty snazzy in his wedding attire .  Reasons I love Charleston and want to a book a flight back immediately…

Tree-lined streets and the beautiful, historic homes nestled behind them…

Ohhhhh those trees are so magical and I found the house I want to live in if we win the lottery

Henry’s…

We loved this vintage rooftop bar – it was close to our hotel, the decor was funky, rooftop = outside, and the drinks were strong, ha.

French Quarter Inn

Forrest booked reservations for this place not knowing much about it – turns out it’s awesome!  Great location, incredible view of the water, our room had a huge balcony, and it was super convenient to everything.  We were winning waaay before Charlie Sheen.

The Market

I loved waking up in the morning, demolishing breakfast, and walking around the market.  All the vendors were selling such beautiful and original items – I wanted one  of everything.

The water

Forrest and I spent many hours of our  honeymoon strolling along the waterfront thinking of ways to make this city our home.  No luck so far but my fingers are still crossed.

Shopping

Let’s just say the husband’s bank account was hurting and we’ll leave it at that.

Dinner cruise

As touristy (cheesy?!?!) as it might sound, we did hit up the dinner boat.  It was a great way to see Charleston and all it’s beauty from a different angel; however, the cruise did last longer than anticipated and we were both ready for land.

Many types of transportation

By the end of the week, our legs were sore and my toes were swollen but we still wanted to see more of the city.  We cruised around in this carriage for a half hour and loved it.

A few other reasons why I love Charleston that went unpictured:

All the amazing restaurants – our favorites included Monza, Snob, and Poe’s Tavern on Sullivan’s Island.

The people – everyone we met was so friendly and helpful.

So, if you are planning a vacation I would highly recommend Charleston.  I could go on and on but would hate to wear out my visit on the Charm.  Thank you Sarah for asking me to guest post – it was fun reliving our honeymoon in the city you call home.

Isn’t she the cutest?  Follow her blog…you’ll get obsessed.  promise.

Brooke, thanks for sharing your awesome honeymoon with Charm readers!!!  Our door is always open – BRING YOUR BUTTS BACK!!! =)

Southern Confusion

3 Southern Thesaurus entries for you.  I realize that I owe you.  (It’s been a while!)

Southern Thesaurus – Entry #10

North Charleston = Nort/Nor Charleston

That lil “th” means nothing.  I don’t know why, but it’s just the way it is.  I was shocked at first, but now you can consider me officially GUILTY.  I, too, leave off those pesky little letters!  I don’t have time for that nonsense  ;)

My favorite part of the Nor Charleston – the Tanger Outlets (from here)

Southern Thesaurus – Entry #11

Asheville = Asheville (rhyming with Ashehill – totally normal!) BUT…

Greenville = Greenvull (rhyming with “Greenfull”)

Very Southern sounding.  I can’t.  I just can’t.

BTW – there’s a Greenville in North AND South Carolina.  Just to confuse me.

Southern Thesaurus – Entry #12

Lightning Bugs = Fireflies

I haven’t seen any since we’ve lived here, so I haven’t heard much about them. However, country music has taught me this thesaurus entry (thanks, old school Faith Hill).

(from here)

I have no explanations for the above entries.  Just wanted to share!  =)

THANKS! 

Check out my second Babycenter blog by clicking here.  4 more to come.

Thank you for all of the positivity and supportive comments.  They mean the world to me. ♥

Seriously.

My heart is full.

Asheville blog tomorrow…promise!!!

GO GIANTS!!!

p.s. Johnny T. is here and Jon C. will be here in about 24 hours.  Do I really have to work tomorrow?!

p.s.s. The weather has been unreal…so beautiful!!!  

Beach Count: 64  

High Temperature: 73°

Lisa and Seth came in Friday night at 6pm.  We had approximately 36 hours to spend quality time with them (we hadn’t seen them since June) AND show them around Charleston for the very first time.  Nooooo pressure.

thirty!six!hours!

This is how we do it…

(no pictures – sorry – I was too busy staring into Lisa’s eyes catching up!)

{My eyes were closed in the pic of Scott and I…shocker!}

Don’t get between girls and their cupcakes!!!  But seriously, the boys like them too.  ;)  We got 2 cotton candy, 1 chocolate peanut butter, 1 black bottom, and 1 pumpkin.  Y-U-M!

Lisa and I thought this was adorable, so we had to take a pic  =)

We had a great dinner!  Here is the only picture of the 4 of us…I failed at getting rid of our red eyes.

We had a FANTASTIC time with our guests and cannot wait for them to visit again – for 48 hours or more!!!  

Lisa and Seth – 5 more weeks until we see YOU in NEW YORK!  LOVE YOU!!!

Until then, 5 more days until my brother in-law arrives and 7 more until my brother comes to Charleston for the FIRST TIME – YAY!!!!

After that, more great friends will visit for the 2nd time in January…we LOVE visitors!!! 

p.s. Christmas came early for my husband…I’ve been voiceless for 2 days!!! ::Thank goodness for blogging!::

p.s.s. How could I forget this picture?  Me, Lis, and Spunky  =)

Beach Count: 64  

High Temperature: 73° 

Scott and I had our much anticipated Fall beer tasting beer on Saturday and it was our best yet!!!

Yes, we did some major damage (in the form of 16 different high gravity craft beers!) 

Each person was responsible for bringing at least 2 beers from one of the following categories – 1. Fruit, 2. Belgian/Blonde, 3. Fall/Harvest/Pumpkin. Our heaviest category was the third, which I think was fine by everyone!

This is how I assigned the beers to our go-with-the-beer-flow guests…

Confused?  Just pick one!

Hey – I never claimed it was EASY to be my friend!  Ha!

In the interest of keeping this post from being a 60-minute read, I will continue my story in fragments.

PEOPLE: Great friends and my parents = 12 fabulous (and thirsty!) folks

FOOD: A yummy dip from Cathy and Jeff, scrumptious white chili with cornbread a la Mom and Dad, homemade pumpkin beer bread by Julie and Paul, shrimp risotto (made with some beer, too, but of course!) whipped up by my fabulous husband, cheese and crackers, hot mulled cider, and Fall M&Ms

DECORATIONS: Some cheesy fake Fall leaves for the tables, coasters, a leaf placemat, Fall flowers in pilsner glasses as vases, heavy brown postal wrapping paper for tablecloths, a couple of pumpkins, and (my favs – homemade decorations by moi) a beer guide, bottle cap frame, and garland made of beer coasters

CRAFT PROJECT: Pretzel necklaces – duh!!!

CLASS WORK: Everyone was asked to rate each beer by appearance, aroma, mouthfeel (keep it clean, people!), flavor, and overall impression.  We Sober Cathy totaled all of our scores and we ranked our top 3.  Fun!

CONTEST: “The Most Dedicated Beer Taster” was crowned at the end of the night.  The prize?  A growler and gift certificate to Laura Alberts Tasteful Options on Daniel Island.  Congrats, Jeff!  Special runner-up recognition goes to Dan Martelle for coming all the way from Charlotte for our party!!! 

SO MAD I didn’t get better pics of our pretzel necklaces!

LOTsa pretzels!

Whoops – don’t be offended by the serious comments above!  

Beer winners?

1. Leffe Blonde

2. Scott’s Summer Saison – woot, woot!

3. I must’ve blacked out…I can’t remember.  Haha!  I think it was either Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin or Pursuit of Hoppiness Imperial Red

Other noteworthy beers?

p.s. Remember our first beer tasting?  For some reason I didn’t document the 2nd.  Hm – that was dumb.

p.s.s. Scott and I (and Sarah and Jackie) purchased our beers from the great selection at House of Brews in Mount Pleasant.  A post on this awesome place to come!

Beach Count: 61  

Pool Count: 18 

High Temperature: 89°

…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°