We're all a little Nutty

It's always nice when you can look back on a trip and realize how smoothly everything went.  We had a few bumps that could have turned into a bigger deal, but fortunately all was well.  Just some minor inconveniences... Waiting an extra hour and a half for our flight to leave SLC.  Delta called us to notify us about the delay...when we were halfway to the airport. Our airplane from SLC was pretty rickety and due to the turbulence throughout our ENTIRE flight (because of the tornadoes brewing in the midwest), it sounded like it was going to fall apart.  Dillon got whacked in the head by the tray table in front of him when it busted off it's bolt.  The flight attendant fixed it like this... Our first room was advertised as "sleeps 7."  Let's just say their target market must have been dwarfs.  The two beds and the sofa bed were doubles (not queens) and bed number 7?...These two mini cushions on the couch that Ian slept on. I reserved a r...

These happy faces are the memories that stick with me the longest... Lizzie arranged a tour of the Blenheim Ginger Ale factory.  Interesting and tasty! Myrtle Beach...I don't know why my kids are happiest playing in the sand Signing the constitution at the Charles Pinckney estate This sign put a smile on MY face.  It was at the entrance to the Magnolia Cemetery. Walking across the Ravenel Bridge Visiting the Citadel What a surprise...Dillon is photo bombing I wonder why I kept having to ask the kids to stop climbing on things they shouldn't have been climbing on... Trying on hats at the hat shop on King Street...I think someone must have put one on Mckay at the last minute... Me trying to convince Dillon that this cemetery was cool. Yay!  Amano Chocolate! Before everyone was tired from exploring the aircraft carrier for 3 hours The kids reluctantly went to this restaurant advertising "real Southern food." ...

We can never resist stopping in a city called Dillon.  Here are some of our favorite tributes...

Here were some of the beautiful things we saw and experienced on our vacation to the Carolinas... The Congaree Swamp Fog on Christmas morning gave us a white Christmas after all.  (Lizzie is mad at Mckay in this photo because he kept telling her he saw an alligator in the water.) It looked like we were driving off the edge of the earth as we followed Clair across the Ravenel Bridge (on our way to see Star Wars) The Angel Oak Trees formed archways over some of the downtown Charleston streets. A pier on the east side of Charleston -- there was a boat about 100 yards away, but we couldn't see it through the fog. Just a sampling of the amazing history and architecture everywhere you turned Swinging on the giant porch swings at the Waterfront Park The Magnolia Cemetery was beautiful and eerie all at the same time. Sunset in Fayetteville, NC Beautiful family on the beach below Fort Moultrie

There are always so many angles to view a vacation from, so it's easiest for me to group the memories into subcategories.  This one captures the time spent together in meaningful, peaceful (notice I didn't say quiet) ways. On our recent trip to the Carolinas, we made memories as we reunited with family and friends, and celebrated our Savior in various ways.  Here are some of my favorites... The kids exchanged gifts with each other before we left. Lee and the older kids went to the LDS temple in Columbia while Ian and I explored outside. It was misty and gray when we entered the swamp in Congaree National Park.  A thunderstorm unleashed its fury on us while we made our way back to the trailhead. We attended Christmas Eve mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Christmas morning, we finally watched Star Wars.  It's a documentary about good vs. evil, really, so it counts as a religious activity, right? We made the fanciest Christmas dinner we co...