A weekend with family and celebrations.

We were blessed with lots of family time this weekend. 

Our niece Jill's baby shower, and our granddaughter Audrey's 8th Birthday party.

Always excited to have our oldest Son Brice and wife Jennifer here staying overnight at the house. 

We get to spend quality time with the Twin Cities grand babies. 

Lots of hugs, kisses and snuggles.

Audrey turned 8 last week so the family-party was Sunday. 

It was a beautiful sunny and warm day, which was extra special since it always seems

 to be cold and rainy during her B-day parties.

We were able to sit out on the deck and visit while we ate, and the kids were able to play outside.

 My mom & dad doting over Little 6 mo. old Lewin, 

He is their youngest and 8th Great-grandchild.

 Rick and his 2 grand boys.  

Carson almost 5, and Lewin 6 months

 Audrey, had such a nice party!

Here she hugs a letter "A" Emoji pillow from Uncle Gavin.

She loved her pink Flamingo slipper from Rick and I

Sunday morning Scarlett (our youngest Granddaughter) struts around wearing 

my nightgown draped over her shoulders. 

She wanted to be "Elsa" (from the movie Frozen)

It's the right color and the right length....perfect! 

 Out picking "flowers" for mommy & daddy

 My son Brice snapped this photo of Uncle Gavin and Scarlett, 

just hanging out in the back yard. I LOVE this photo!

Today we had our sweet Carson over for a playdate.  

We love to play games and Play-doh

(Photo taken about a week ago on another play date)

Sometimes after the grandkids are here I leave the toys sitting out 

for days to remind me of those precious ones. 

I also leave hand prints on the windows left by the sweet little hands of 

Audrey, Carson and Scarlett...

It feels wrong to wipe them away.

Can you tell, I just love being a Grandma, I can never get enough of those little blessings.

America's most photographed plantation....

Boone Hall Plantation...

 Some consider this America's most photographed plantation

I certainly can attest to this statement

These 88 magnificent oak trees line the 3/4 mile drive up to the plantation house.

 The trees are 500+ years old, moss covered branches meet in the middle to give this 

gateway a unique and spectacular view.

Looking back toward the entrance of the plantation.

"Avenue of Oaks"

Rick and I loved the visiting this plantation, so much history and awe. 

Probably our favorite part of South Carolina

Nine of the original slave houses which date back to 1790-1810,  still stand at the plantation.

The "privileged slaves" occupied these one-story brick buildings. 

By "Privileged" I mean the slaves that worked closely with the plantations owners such as 

cooks, housekeepers, gardeners, blacksmith etc.

This sweet lady sat in one slave cabins, reenacting the making of seagrass baskets. 

  

Rick and I sat through a presentation by this lovely woman whose great-grandmother 

was one of the original slaves on Boone plantation. 

They call themselves "Gullah", they have their own unique culture and language, 

which was originally adapted by African slaves. 

Her narration was given as if it were current day, it was fascinating to hear.

Her name was.... Jackie 

 Just a pretty picture

  

We took a little wagon ride around the plantation grounds, 

we learned lots of neat facts about the plantation. 

Boone Hall is also one of America's oldest working farms. 

They have been growing crops for over 3 centuries, actively producing strawberries, tomatoes,

 and peaches, just to name a few. 

Peach trees

Initially, the primary crop was Rice then Cotton & Indigo. By the late 1800's Boon Hall was one of the nation's leading producers of pecans.  Prominent homes, churches and a lot of the buildings in South Carolina were constructed of bricks made by the hands of the slaves of Boone Hall Plantation. 

 Several movies and TV series have had snippets from the grounds and buildings of Boone Hall.

 North & South (starring Patrick Swayzy)

Alex Haley's "Queen"

The Notebook

Days of our Lives

Gone With the Wind  

Our time at Boone Hall Plantation was time well spent, if you ever visit the area it would be in your best interest to visit this moment in history, we are glad we did!

Part 2... But part 1 of Charleston on our Anniversary road trip

Our next destination after staying at the foot of the mountains of TN was Charlston SC.

Our hotel was on one side of this bridge, Charleston on the other side.

We stayed 3 nights in Charleston, each morning we woke up and took a walk, 

one day we walked nearly all the way across. 

It was a beautiful sight with the Cooper river on both side, which eventually flows into the Atlantic, and the city of Charleston in the foreground,  we even caught a glimpse of a couple of dolphins.

Sunny skies and mid 70's seemed about perfect for our sight-seeing days.

Fort Sumter was on the agenda for our 1st day in Charleston

My guy like to read all the detail while this girl looks around for photo opportunities.

(That's how we roll)

Just off the South Carolina coast lays an island fortification that is rich with American history. 

This man-made structure in the middle of Charleston Harbor is credited with 

having had the 1st shots of the Civil War.

The original fort had walls that were 5 ft. thick, and they stood 50 feet tall.

The only way to the fort is by Ferry or personal water craft.

Fort Sumter was designed to house 650 men and 135 guns in three tiers of gun emplacements, 

although it was never filled near it's full capacity.  (Wikipedia)

Them were some big cannon's

Did I mention it was very windy this day???

There are several areas in the fort walls where unexploded shells still remain.

Pretty interesting stuff, Fort Sumter was well worth our time.

Stay tuned for day 2 in Charleston....

This one...

Happy 8th Birthday to our beautiful free-spirited, and lovely Audrey. 

When I think if Audrey this photo comes to mind. 

She is fearless in many ways and from the beginning 

she seemed to have a spirit of determination! 

She is lovely, she's sensitive, caring, a thinker and she adores her family and loves Jesus.

She made me grandma first, and shaped me into the grandma I am.

  Sometimes I wonder if this is perhaps the reason for which I was created!

truth!

I have always love seeing these two together, it's a special bond!

She has stretch my heart, and gave new meaning to just how precious life is!

Grandparenting is truly a gift,!

Jojo,  you are loved and prayed for everyday, 

God has given Grandpa and I a precious gift...YOU! 

 Audrey Joanne and we love you so much, and are proud of the little girl that your are. 

Part One (Spring road trip)

For several months Rick and I have been planning  a trip to the southeastern part of the United States.

(Today at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains)

We decided to drive so we could really experience the trip. 

We left on Wednesday morning at 5:20am traveling 12  hours to Clarksville Tennessee.

Our travels so far have been on the tail-end of some pretty significant weather,

luckily all we have encountered is rain....

 

sometimes torrential rains

many of the fields looked like this, hopefully they hadn't been planted yet.

 Rick snapped this photo of the Arch in St. Louis from the passenger seat.

Trucks, trucks and more trucks

 So far all we have been doing is driving and eating. 

The rain has been relentless, so we haven't even been able to take a walk. 

We are looking forward to some walking and exploring the rest of the week 

as the forecast looks promising. 

 Tennessee

 Some blooming going on

Hwy 441 at the base of the Smoky Mountains was closed due to ice and snow! 

Rick and I had planned to travel this road and hike up to 

Clingmans Dome, a lookout that is the highest point in Tennessee. 

The higher elevations had a forecast of 90% snow today.  

We were bummed!!!

So... we drove around the foot hills of the mountains to our hotel in Maggie Valley NC

 It rained the WHOLE time.

The rest of our trip looks like sun and warmer temperatures,

really looking forward to Charleston tomorrow.

When God made you, he must have been thinking about me...

Happy Anniversary to "My Guy"

I love the song, "When God made you"

It's as if the song writer was writing about us.....

Please take time to listen to the music video below, 

it's a lovely song about my husband... I'm sure of it!

"Oh I wonder what God was thinking,

When he created you.

I wonder if He knew everything I would need,

because He made all my dreams come true...

When God made you

He must have been thinking about me"!

Thank you for telling me about Jesus, being patient with me and not giving up on me. 

I'm Grateful ~ Thankful ~ Blessed

My high school graduation party, me and my boyfriend Rick.

We had already been dating 2 years.

3 years later.... We said, "I do"

I just knew I loved him, but I didn't know how much yet...

Our love has grown. 

He is the better half, 

my best friend, 

my partner for life,

 and I love him more now then ever before.

I'm blessed with an amazing man who makes me laugh, encourages me,

and has a way of making me feel loved and beautiful always!

Happy 35 years of marriage sweet one,
I'm looking forward to growing old with you!
I love you!