82nd Annual House and Garden Tour

Hey y'all! I recently went on a super fun girl's trip with my mom and maw maw to my favorite city, Charleston, SC. My friend and fellow blogger, Wendy, told us about a home and garden tour that was being held in the holy city in April. As fate would have it, I had a long three day weekend the weekend of the tour. We immediately started planning our trip! I had been looking forward to the trip for so long, so when it was time to leave I could barely contain my excitement. I couldn't wait to kick off spring in Charleston! 

We woke up early in the morning to head down south. Earlier in the week it had been almost 80 degrees here in WV, so you can imagine how surprised I was to travel through SNOW on my way to Beckley. I met my mom and maw maw there, and we traveled together the rest of the way. 

By the time we arrived in Charleston, the weather had gone from cold and snowy to breezy and sunny. We were greeted by a perfect 70 degree temperature and a very large pineapple fountain! I mean did you even go to Charleston, SC if you didn't get pictures in front of the pineapple fountain?! After a quick photoshoot and a lap around the Waterfront Park, we headed to Market Street to explore the Charleston City Market. Mom and I bought some books and cookbooks. My cookbook was published by the Charleston Junior League, and it was first published in the 1950s. They've only published it a handful of times since then, so when I found that out, I HAD to purchase it. To my disappointment, the recipes (called receipts in the cookbook to keep the language traditional) are very old, unique recipes and not really anything I would make for a weeknight dinner. Also, the recipes are for large groups of people. I guess if you and 300 other people ever want to come to my house for punch, I've got us covered! By the way, I'm not exaggerating. The cookbook has recipes that serve 300 and some even 600 people LOL Lesson of the day: Always skim a cookbook before you buy it. Despite it not being practical, I'm still happy to add it to my cookbook collection! 

After shopping at the market, we headed to a local hotspot for dinner. I've eaten at Poogan's Porch several times, but this was my mom and maw maw's first. Obviously, we ordered (two) servings of the famous mac and cheese to go with our dinner. It was amazing as usual! 

After dinner, we were absolutely exhausted, so we headed to the hotel. After resting up, we were raring to go to the tour the next morning. Our hotel had a great breakfast available, so that is where we ate. The cinnamon rolls were to die for! The tour didn't start until 1:00, so we headed to King Street to do a little shopping. Naturally, we went to the Lilly store, Palm Avenue. My sister Kelly's birthday is coming up soon, so we all got her a little something from there! I can't wait for her to open her presents. I had to get myself a little something too. I found an adorable off the shoulder top in different shades of blue. I can't wait to wear it with white pants soon! 

There was a local Farmer's Market down the street from Palm Avenue, so we headed that way to check it out. It was so fun! They had music, food trucks, fresh produce, and lots of other vendors there. It was at Marion Square which is a park area in the city. People were hanging out on the lawn, eating, and shopping. The whole area was buzzing with so many people just enjoying the event. I loved it! 

After checking out the Farmer's Market, we started the tour. The tour was self guided and at your own pace. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the sites we visited. The homes we went into were houses that people live in currently and have remodeled/renovated/restored. One of my favorite homes used to be a stable. It was so beautiful. My favorite part was the kitchen because the floors were brick. It was so unique, and I loved how she worked with the old parts of the stable. We also toured a home that was only built a few years ago but was made to look historic. That house was a real show stopper! We had a great time looking at all of their decorations as well. 

By the end of the day, we had walked over 5 miles. We were exhausted! After a few "accidents" like mom almost twisting her ankle (she caught herself by slamming into the door of a house along the street) and maw maw thinking she had lost her phone (while she was talking to pawpaw on it), we just needed to stop what we were doing and take a break. Y'all we belly laughed over these things when they happened! We ended up stopping at a chain restaurant along King Street and had some fried pickles, fried mac and cheese, and super sweet tea. Just what a gal needs to recharge! LOL We had it in our heads that after we ate and rested, we would be ready to conquer the half of a mile walk back to our car. Unfortunately, all that fried food hit us like a ton of bricks. I felt like I needed to be wheeled out of that restaurant. Our waiter was nice enough to call a bike taxi for us, which was an adventure in itself. The three of us squeezed into the seat and held on tight! 

After we got back to the car, we drove around the city checking out the sights. The next morning, we woke up early and headed back to the mountain state. I loved getting to experience yet another fantastic Charleston trip with two of my favorite ladies. I'm already planning for next year's House and Garden Tour! Until next time.. Take care y'all! 

One Year Anniversary Trip

Hey y'all! This may be one of my most favorite posts yet: celebrating our one year anniversary. Our actual one year anniversary was on June 27, 2016, but with both of us taking boards this summer, we had to compromise on when we took our weekend getaway. We knew we didn't have time to take a long trip, so while I was still studying and before Tyler started studying, we took a quick weekend trip to Savannah, GA. If you know me, you probably know about my love affair with Charleston, SC. I have never been to Savannah, but I knew it was another famous southern city that I MUST visit. I wanted to love Savannah, but I was afraid it just wouldn't compare to Charleston. I was excited to finally get to explore this gem of the south even if it was only for a couple of days. 

The view from our room.

Of course, Tyler planned a wonderful evening to celebrate our first year of marriage. He made reservations for the night we arrived at The Old Pink House. Y'all, I have NEVER in my life had fried chicken as good as the fried chicken there. They said their secret is putting a little bit of tabasco sauce on the chicken before they coat it in the breading and spices. It isn't hot, but there is just a bit of heat to give it so much flavor. We had chicken, collards, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes.. you name it, we ate it LOL That was seriously one of the most delicious meals I've ever had! Plus, they had a specialty drink of raspberry pink lemonade called The Pink Lady. I just had to try one! It was delicious!! The restaurant is exactly how it sounds: an old pink house. The rooms are cramped and not big open spaces like normal restaurants. They utilized the layout of the house as best as they could, and although it wasn't as functional as some of the more modern buildings, the close corridors gave it so much charm. Not to mention they had the ceilings painted haint blue. I could've died when I saw that. I WILL paint a ceiling in my house (someday) haint blue.  

That blue ceiling makes my heart skip a beat!

After dinner, we ventured down to River Street to see the views and other shops/restaurants. We caught a bike taxi back to our hotel because my poor feet couldn't walk on the cobblestone in my Jack Rogers wedges any longer LOL 

The next day we wanted to explore all that Savannah has to offer. We found a list on Pinterest of must see sights in the city, and by the end of the day, we had walked the entire historic district. We had a blast seeing all of the historic buildings, parks, and the large oaks dripping in Spanish moss. We also drove about 40 minutes and visited Tybee Island. It was spectacular. It sort of reminded me of Garden City Beach at Myrtle Beach. It was very low key and not crowded at all. There were no big hotels or high rises, so you could truly appreciate the natural beauty of the beach itself. On the inlet side, we had lunch with a view at a local restaurant. Tyler tried their gumbo, and I had loaded nachos. YUM! 

Heading to Tybee Island.

Back to Savannah for the evening...

Forsyth Park

We had dinner at Paula Deen's restaurant Lady and Sons. It was pretty good, but it seemed subpar after eating at The Old Pink House the night before. However, I did have her banana pudding for dessert, and Lord have mercy, it was phenomenal! 

Clearly, Ty liked his meal LOL

Back down to River Street for the evening.

Several years ago, my mom started a tradition with Kelly and me. Wherever we travel, we buy a Christmas ornament. It is a way to buy a keepsake to remember all of our trips that we can put out each year at Christmas. We put the ornaments from all of our travels on a "travel tree," and it is so fun looking at each ornament and remembering our experiences in that city. Tyler and I have collected several ornaments since we were first married. He thought to get this ornament at a Christmas store on River Street. How sweet! 

I can't lie to y'all. When I first arrived in Savannah I was let down a little. Charleston, in my mind, is the epitome of a southern city. Savannah is much smaller in size with less hustle and bustle; however, the longer I was there, the more I fell in love. It is so much more relaxed and low key. There is nowhere near as much traffic or tourists. I felt as if we were actually able to enjoy the quintessential  southern slow paced lifestyle while in Savannah. I was able to truly appreciate all that Savannah has to offer after I stopped comparing it to Charleston because they are not the same. You have to appreciate each for what it is. Savannah is definitely added to my list of favorite places now! 

On our way back home, we drove up to Charleston. I couldn't bear the thought of being that close to my favorite place in the world and not visiting it. We also drove to some places we hadn't visited before like Hilton Head, Daniel Island, and Palmetto Bluff. Those towns are breathtaking. Everything is clean and neat looking. All of the establishments are in very nice buildings, and they still incorporate old southern charm staples like the oil burning lamps and the mossy oak trees. I was loving life visiting these places! 

Quick stop at Hilton Head for lunch. I needed my cherry coke fix!

We made one final pit stop on our way home: The Lilly Signature Store on King Street. I couldn't resist LOL I got three of the cutest dresses (on the sale rack), and I have been wearing them almost every week. One of them is the new Sophie dress that has the built in SPF. It is my new favorite! 

It has been over a month since our actual anniversary, and as I type this post I can't help but think back to what all we've been through in a year. We have been together through births, deaths, marriages, a move, and job transitions just to name a few. I couldn't imagine going through this life with anyone but Tyler by my side. He is what I prayed for when I asked God to help me find my soulmate. I never dreamed I would end up with someone as caring, loving, and hard working as my Tyler. I don't know how I made it this far in life without him, but I'm sure glad I don't have to go another day without him by my side. It was so fun celebrating a milestone in our lives in such a beautiful place even if it was only for a couple of days. It is a trip I will never forget and will always cherish! Until next time.. Take care y'all!