Charleston, S.C.

Here we are just arriving at the Magnolia Plantation. This was a huge highlight of the trip. The Magnolia gardens were spectacular and we enjoyed touring the Plantation house as well.

We saw many alligators and other wildlife as we toured the gardens by bus. Lots of swamps, Spanish moss, magnolia trees, and other varieties of beautiful flowers and trees inhabited this plantation, We learned it was a rice plantation back in the 1700's.

A beautiful bridge

These were slave homes, restored many times over. We learned that decendants of the slaves who worked on this plantation are still working and maintaining the gardens today.

The owners mansion. It was beautiful inside!

We enjoyed looking at many trees like this one with different shades of blossoms.

We walked through an old graveyard behind a very old church. Most of the deceased had lived and died in the 1700's.

Heidi brought William and I have to say that he might be the cutest baby I've ever seen! He was really good too, considering he went 5 days without a nap.

I thought this orange house was beautiful and very unique

It is always soo good to be with my mother and sisters. This trip was especially memorable for many reasons. The most memorable thing for me is feeling the strength and love that comes though having good relationships with each of my sisters and my mother. They each individually have blessed my life.

This restaurant was recommended by our Aunt Nancy whose favorite place is Charleston. It was as good as she said it was. I had never had real southern cooking before, so I decieded to try something the waiter recommended. It was scallops, lobster, shrimp, and fried collard greens over grits. It had a lobster cream sauce which was out of this world...not to mention very fattening. We also had some sweet potato fries, hand cut and fried. These were amazing. Its probably a good thing I don't live in the south. The food is delicious, but its not very healthy.

You can find a Cracker Barrel on every street corner in the south. We ate there twice.

I express the deepest love and gratitude for my amazing parents who make all of this possible. They keep life exciting and continue to allow us to grow together, creating priceless memories.

Boo's baby Bella, was a joy and breath of fresh air. She was all smiles the entire trip.