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Charleston Day 3 and Homecoming

The last day of our vacation we decided to spend at Folly Beach, relaxing and soaking in some sun--and again we couldn't have asked for a better day. 

We spent the morning napping on the sand, reading and talking.  Although glorious as it was, we spent a lot of time watching families with their kids and laughing about how weird it was to be on the beach without chasing little ones. 

 We took a break from the sun to grab some lunch, yep we weren't tired of eating yet! This time we settled for a rooftop bar and had fish tacos and margaritas.  Some of my faves! 

After lunch, we shopped around then went back to the beach.  We also went to see Morris Island Lighthouse... which isn't actually an island at all anymore because of beach erosion.  The lighthouse literally sits in the ocean now on a sandbar.  There's a project in place to try and save/restore it.  Maybe sometime we'll come back and get to see it up close in personal :)

 before heading back home, we had one more thing to check off our list...SheCrab Soup.  So we stopped in at Rita's to get a little dinner before driving back.  Loved the atmosphere of this place..a total beach restaurant.  

We got home late that night, so we didn't see our babies until the morning.  It was a sweet reunion though.  

 Of course we got the kiddos some souvenirs.  The boys were especially excited about their pirate gear!

Charleston Day 2

On our second day in Charleston, we went downtown to hit some of the more touristy spots...and of course do some good eatin'! 

We started our day with breakfast at Toast..along the way we picked up a paper at the newsstand featuring the concert we went to the night before.  I'm not a huge breakfast lover, so my meal consisted of this lovely creme brûlée latte and some hasbrowns  

 while my husband went all out with the "Lowcountry Eye Opener"

 Shrimp Etouffee, Carolina Stone Ground Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes with a side of homemade biscuits.  Oh Mike was in heaven.  FO SHO.

 After breakfast we took a Gullah Tour around the city with a most entertaining guide.  Then we walked around the market and shops downtown until we worked up an appetite for lunch :)  This time we stopped at a local brewery--Mike loves to try local beers wherever we are at and we love the atmosphere at these places. 

 After the large breakfast, we just had some yummy appetizer--crab dip and Caribbean shrimp. 

We spent the rest of the day walking around exploring.  The weather was perfectly sunny and not hot at all.  Here we are at Waterfront Park.  

 We skipped the Battery/Rainbow Row this trip.  There was a lot of construction going on there and it was honestly just a mess.  So instead we decided to drive out of the city and visit Sullivans Island and see the lighthouse.  We both really loved the island and would love to make it back to vacation there sometime.  It was so quiet and cute.  A perfect family vacay spot for sure. 

 Cooper River Bridge--Mike wants to do this run sometime, we may try to make it back next spring so he can do it...

 and what we were waiting all day for...

dinner at Hominy Grill.  I did extensive research on where to eat in Charleston.  We only had 1 night to eat in the city and there were so many options.  We settled on Hominy Grill, as recommended by every show on the Food Network.  We also liked it's casual atmosphere and that it was a little out of the the touristy areas. 

 The meal was seriously amazing.  It was a beautiful night and we were lucky to score a seat on the porch.   We had a pretty late dinner reservation and because of that a few things had been sold out, so my first choice wasn't available.  Even still... i had the best steak, with fried mac n cheese and cucumber salad. 

 and Mike had what they are famous for...Shrimp and Grits.  He said they were the best he'd ever eaten.  I don't love grits, but i tasted them and they were pretty good. 

apparently this place is most famous for it's chocolate pudding, but of course it was all gone.  I can't imagine what makes chocolate pudding so special but it was featured on Food Networks' The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  So obviously, that's just a reason to go back again :)  

Charleston Day 1

This April we celebrated our 8th anniversary.  This is also our first anniversary ever going somewhere--oh deployments and babies!  What started off as just a concert turned into a weekend in Charleston and we had a great time.  So thankful for friends and family willing to take care of our littles so we Mike and I could have some good quality time together. 

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Our first stop was really just for kicks and giggles.  I really wanted to ride a ride and mike wanted to play putt-putt, but none of that is open at 10 am.  So we settled for breakfast at a debatably mexican restaurant and some goofy pictures before heading on our way. 

 

CYPRESS GARDENS

There are lots of gardens/plantations to see in Charleston, but we opted for one a little outside of the city, in Summerville.  This is where the famous canoe scene in The Notebook was filmed.  You are able to take their boats on a self-guided tour around the swamp at any time.  We had a great time, any hotter, it most likely wouldn't have been enjoyable, but the weather was great and my man basically took my anywhere i wanted to go.  We even got to see a few alligators! 

 

Next on the plans for the day was our first food stop, another reason we chose the garden in Summerville.  Mike and I like to eat at restaurants featured on Man vs Food/Diners, Drive-in's and Dives when we can.  This place was especially exciting because we love hotdogs!  Although i just knew that i would love the hotdogs, i was expecting to love the pork chop sandwich the most, but it was so good!  We would have loved to have tried some other things, but we rolled out of the place as it was.  

Our choices were house faves, Triple D Pork Chop and the Frank Cuda

 

really this sandwich was amazing.  i feel like a traitor, being from NC--i should be loyal to Snappy's (Mayberry) pork chop sandwich...but this totally took the cake.  

and then the whole reason for the trip to begin with was Nickel Creek.  Mike and i went to their concert back when we were dating, i believe i was still in high school.  Although we can't exactly remember when we went, we have never forgotten the concert.  It was one of the best i'd ever been to and we were both very excited to get to see them again...and they didn't disappoint!