January's Read: The Invention of Wings

Hello my sweet chinchillas!  

 

Happy New Year! How are you?

Lately I’ve been feeling like I’m living in the Berenstain Bears ‘Too Much TV’.  Let me explain…

Growing up, one of my favorite things to do was sit in my room all day long and read. Just read. I lived for reading. Summer reading programs at the library, book orders in Elementary School, camouflaging a novel with my textbook in science class. I remember when the second Harry Potter book was released late on a Friday night. Either my mom or grandma (maybe both) took me to Barnes & Noble at the mall Saturday morning to get my very own copy. When we got home, I sat in my room all day long and way into the night and had the book finished by noon Sunday. All eight hundred and something pages. One of my favorite gifts was a reading light that my parents clipped onto the headboard of my bed. I could read all night long, even when I was supposed to be sleeping. If I heard my parents wake up or the floor creak, I would quickly shut if off and pretend I was sleeping. Rebel yell, baby.

It's a bit sad to realize that I really don't read that much any more. My mom gave me a book a few months ago and the only times I've read it are when I'm at the salon getting my hair colored. Pathetic, to say the least. 

I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to read more. Instead of watching a half hour of TV before I get ready for work, I’m going to sit down with a cup of coffee and read. In lieu of playing on my phone or on the computer during my lunch break, I’ll read my book. Rather than watching those late night episodes, I’ll let them record and hop in bed with my book.  

So to start this off with a bang, I’ve chosen Sue Monk Kidd’s novel ‘The Invention of Wings’.  

As I mentioned before, our family is having a reunion in Charleston this June. I thought that for Christmas, I would give the ladies a couple books that were set in Charleston to get us in the groove. Everyone got a copy of ‘The Invention of Wings’, then I chose another book based on each person’s individual taste. I also included this streetmap of Charleston. All of the books are fiction, the second book for my sister was  ‘Oolong Dead’ - she loves tea.  The second book I chose for my mom is a murder mystery called ‘The House on Tradd Street’, it was kind of neat because when she looked at the map, she was actually able to find Tradd Street in downtown Charleston. Can you tell that I really like to get into vacation mode?

Back to the novel. It was partly inspired by the historical figures of sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimke, who were born to a slaveholding family in South Carolina. The book takes us back to the 1800s during a time of abolitionist and women’s rights movements. Beginning on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is gifted ownership of a handmaiden Hetty, or ‘Handful’ as she's called, we follow their lives over the next thirty-five years as the women form a complex relationship while fighting against oppression to create lives of their own. They experience loss, hope, love, sorrow and everything in between on their journey to create the meaningful life they know they're are meant to lead.

I’m starting it today and, after reading the inside flap, I don’t think I’ll have a problem setting the TV remote down.

Have you read anything good lately? Do you know of any other books set in Charelston?

Charleston, South Carolina

Boone Hall Plantation

We recently found out that my grandparents on mom's side of the family are hosting a family reunion.

We are a pretty small family on my mom's side, but this will be our first reunion. Since we're spread across the country, grandma picked a vacation spot for us to all travel to, as opposed to having it at one of our houses. The place happens to be somewhere that I've always dreamed of traveling to...Charleston, SC!

We'll be staying at a big house within walking distance to the ocean. When I say big house, it's big, but not quite big enough for everyone. This means we'll get to spend lots of time together and get to be really close. (Yikes!) Since half of the family lives out of state, Kelly has yet to meet most of them. It will be nice for him to finally meet some more of my family, and I'll get to see cousins (first and second) that I haven't seen or spoken to in years.

I'm a reality TV junkie and this past spring a new show, Southern Charm, premiered and I was all over it. It's based in Charleston on the lives of a few socialites. It's not a terribly meaty show, but it does showcase a lot of the beautiful, historical buildings and gorgeous countryside. 

We're so excited to have a trip in our near future!

Have any of you been to the Charleston area? Any reccomendations?


[Photo via Boone Hall Plantation] 

Last of the Honeymoon

Day four took us to two different destinations, both somewhat scary.  

 

The first outing of the day took us to Trail Ridge Road, which is a pass through the Rocky Mountains that our host at Stonebrook Resort recommended. Since it was a clear sunny day, with chances of showers for the next couple of days, she suggested making the drive that day as the pass had been closed for three days during the prior week due to four foot snow drifts across the road.

Here are some pictures from that day, if you'd like to see...

Bear Lake, Colorado

Bear Lake, Colorado

If I had to chose my favorite thing that we did on our honeymoon, I would say the it was the day we spent hiking to four different lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park. Before our trip, I had been researching a bunch of different areas to hike while we were out there, but, as luck turns out, our wedding photographer had actually been out to Colorado the week before and recommended starting with Bear Lake. So that's what we did. 

Click on to see the oodles of pictures from our hike...

Honeymoon {Part Two}

The next couple days of our honeymoon took us from flying over the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, to visiting a local herd of Elk in Estes Park.

Here are some more pictures, if you'd like to see...

Honey, I'm home

Wedding Photo by Meg Day Photography

Hello my dears! How have you been? We are back from our honeymoon. Six days of pure loveliness that I can't wait to share with you all!

There was so much relief I felt after the wedding was over and our relaxing honeymoon was just the thing to make me feel myself again. I swore we weren't that couple to fight and argue when getting ready for a wedding. I'm a very easy-going, come-what-will type of gal. When it came to weddings, I was always that person to think, well, you love each other so what do the other details really matter? Honestly, the other details really don't matter on the day-of, but even though we tried to keep everything regarding the wedding in perspective, the month before the wedding was very rough on our relationship. 

Luckily, we discovered the purpose of honeymoons and why they were invented. I woke up Sunday morning after our wedding and felt like a brand new person. Maybe it was just the new last name? ;) Truly though, it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and I could act like a normal, sane person again. Add loving wife to that list. During the days that followed, we bounced right back to the happy couple that we were before. 

Here are some photos from our honeymoon...Part One

Wanderlust Wishes

It's been quite a rainy day in Georgia, so how about we take a little trip? Let's go across the country to Northern California, home of Humboldt Redwoods State Park.



Photograph by Michael Nichols

Follow along after the jump...

Gruene, TX

Back in March, we flew down south for a five-day trip to Texas. We were splitting our trip between San Antonio and Austin, but our unplanned side trip to the pint-size historical town of Gruene is what I’d like to share with you today.

We spent the morning zip lining across Wimberely Valley in Texas Hill Country and made it back to base camp just as the first drizzles started to fall. As we jogged back to our vehicle, a sweet gentleman stopped us and asked what our plans from there were. We didn’t have any, so he quickly drew us a map of how to get to Gruene and suggested that the Gristmill be our first stop for an early dinner.

The building that houses the restaurant was part of Gruene’s water powered cotton gin, built back in 1878. The mill burned to the ground in 1922 and the only building left standing was its three story brick boiler room, now the Gristmill Restaurant. We rushed in from the rain and had a drink while we warmed our hands in front of the woodstove. The mill was cozy on a chilly, damp day with with fireplaces located throughout the entire restaurant and an abundance of happy people filling their bellies with good food.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the most scrumptious salsa that my taste buds have ever encountered. It was so stinking good that I don’t remember what either of us ate for dinner.

  

This little town seems to be centered around Gruene Hall, Texas’s oldest continually operating dance hall, built in 1878. It’s been host to ‘up-and-comers’ George Strait and Lyle Lovett, to name a few. And does anyone remember the movie ‘Michael’? John Travolta’s famous dancing feet filmed a scene for the movie right on those old wooden floors. Plus, they couldn't go wrong serving ice cold bottles of beer.

 

 

 

 

The General Store had many delicacies to offer…Pickled Quail Eggs anyone?
 

 

We found a charming little wine tasting building dressed in wood siding and a tin roof. We stopped inside and I ordered a glass of red wine, while honey opted for a beer. Since it’s located in a historical town, we were actually allowed to take our beverages and continue exploring.

There were a few antique shops, a coffee house, a tea room and many other quaint little places that we didn’t have time to explore. We hope to visit again someday.

Cheers to unplanned adventures.


xx.

 

National Parks Wish List

My sweet chinchillas, I’ve been feeling a little wanderlust-y.  One of my dreams is to visit all of the US National Parks in my lifetime, but here are a few currently at the top of the list.

 

 

Rocky Mountain

Photo Credit: NPS

   

This makes the tippy-top of the list because it is where we will soon be spending our honeymoon! I’ve been following Andy's blog for pictures, pointers and motivation.

 

 

 

Glacier Mountain

Photo Credit

This is the park I chose to research for my fifth grade National Parks Project. It's only fair that all of that homework time should result in a vacation.   

 

 

 

Acadia

A photo of preservationist George B. Dorr 

  

A little East Coast love. It's on an Island, plus we could stop along the way for a bona fide New England Clambake! You know, the kind where you dig the hole in the sand. How does that work anyways?

Have you been to any National Parks this summer?

Silver Lake

Over the July 4^th holiday weekend, I took my first trip to Silver Lake State Park on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Driving in northern Michigan is beautiful, but when the trees cleared and I was left looking out over Silver Lake to these mountainous golden sand dunes topped with a setting sun, my jaw dropped.   

 

 

Beautiful, no?

 

We stayed in a tent at a quiet little campground called Silver Hills.

 

 

(Photo Credit: Silver Hills)

 

We had bonfires at night and woke up in the wee hours to beat the breakfast rush at a yummy diner in town.

From there we would head into the dunes, which was a complete experience in itself!

 

 

(not our vehicle)

 

On the lakeshore the speed limit is 25, so it’s safe to park and walk along the beach.

 

 

A John Deere tractor missing its little person

 

On the day of the 4^th, we left the dunes early and drove back to the campground where we cooked our dinner over the fire. After a couple games of bean bags, we headed to town for some shopping, go-carts and zip lining. We walked to the ice cream shop before claiming a spot on the beach with a blanket for the fireworks show.

It’s a beautiful place and I can’t wait for next year.

Have you ever been?