Day 3: Charleston/Myrtle Beach

Today we promised Ally that we would take her back to downtown Charleston so she could play in the fountains. We headed to the fountains and saw this beautiful church along the way.

Ally getting soaked
After we finished at the fountains we loaded up and made the drive to Myrtle Beach. It was about a 2 hour drive but it went by pretty quickly. There was a lot to see along the way. Once we got to Myrtle Beach we went shopping at the Tanger Outlets near where we were staying. We shopped for awhile--I didn't find much but Brent found 2 nice shirts at the Brooks Brothers outlet. Then we headed to Seawatch Plantation to check-in. We stayed at Seawatch 3 years ago when Ally was Claire's age. It's super nice and right on the beach. Ally was so excited when we arrived. She ran from room to room checking everything out. She thought it was so cool that she and Claire got their own room to share.
the living area next to the kitchenAlly on the balcony Claire looking out at usthe view from our balcony Who knew coasters could be so entertaining?Today was Brent's 35th birthday so we went to dinner at Carraba's to celebrate.

We DO have wireless in our room so I will be able to update!! YAY!!

Day 2: Charleston

Today we spent the day in downtown Charleston. At first we thought it might rain but it turned out to be a beautiful day. There was so much to see that we decided to park and walk everywhere. Ally especially liked seeing all of the different colored buildings and she was impressed by the multitude of palm trees.

Ally was excited to find a dance studio on Kings Road.

Here we are on Market Street standing in front of Trademark Properties. They have a show on TLC (which we love) called The Real Estate Pros. We've actually seen the show where they bought this building and totally renovated it for their company.

There are many beautiful churches in Charleston.

Ally in front of a war monumentThe Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon

Waterfront Park

A couple was kind enough to take a family picture for us. This is certainly a rarity!

Rainbow Row
United States Custom House

We were exhausted from walking all day in the hot sun so we headed back to the hotel. On the way back we stopped at McAlister's to pick up dinner. Once we got to the hotel we took showers and got ready to watch the Alabama/Clemson game. Claire being silly!
Watching the game (I took this during a commercial. I was so nervous at first I needed something to take my mind off of things. Oh and Claire decided to pull out every single one of her diapers!)
We really enjoyed watching the game. I was SHOCKED by how well Alabama played. I was very impressed with John Parker Wilson--much improved from last year--as was Glen Coffee. Julio Jones, Mark Ingram, and Nick Walker also played an incredible game! These are the kinds of games I like to watch--ones where we just run all over the other team. I could actually sit back and enjoy the game. It was fabulous! Final score 34-10! Roll Tide Roll!

Tomorrow is Brent's birthday. We will spend half of the day in Charleston and then head to Myrtle Beach to check-in sometime after 4:00 p.m. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update each night because I'm pretty sure their internet access is only available in their lobby. So I will update when I get a chance.

Day 1: Charleston

Well, we made it to Charleston safely! Our flight left Memphis at 1:45 p.m. Before we left the house Ally was standing in the driveway looking up to the sky and we told her that she needed to get in the car. She got very upset and said, "No, we have to go on the plane NOT in our car!" Apparently she thought the plane was coming to our house to pick us up! She was very disappointed when she found out we had to drive to the airport first and then get on the plane.

After we got to the airport and checked in we ate lunch at Corky's. We boarded the plane around 1:20 p.m. I couldn't believe how small it was! It was a Northwest Airlink plane that held around 48 people. Thankfully we sat in the 3rd row. Ally had the window seat next to Brent. I sat with Claire across the tiny aisle.

Claire and I sat next to a college student who was flying to Charleston to visit her mom. She was really sweet and enjoyed interacting with Claire.
The flight was a little over an hour long. Thankfully none of us had trouble with our ears. Ally spent her time playing with her new fairy stickerbook that I had gotten her for the trip.
Claire was a wiggleworm--she did not want to sit still. Brent was kind enough to take her from me towards the end of the flight because I was worn out! She occupied herself by tearing a napkin to shreds.
When we landed and got off of the plane we ran into one of Brent's coworkers. He was waiting to catch a plane back to Memphis. Then we got our luggage and headed for our rental car. It ended up being a Volvo with leather interior--it was REALLY nice! It has the coolest feature--when a car gets in your blindspot a light on that side of the car lights up to alert you of the car beside you. We didn't have far to drive. Our hotel is only 3 minutes from the airport--a SUPER nice Holiday Inn.Our room has a king bed and a sleeper sofa for Ally. They brought up a pack-n-play for Claire.

Once we got settled we headed to the Tanger Outlets that are just around the corner from our hotel. We shopped until they closed (9 p.m. EST). I found some good deals at the Gymboree and GAP Outlets!Then we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Wendy's and drove around downtown Charleston for awhile. Once we got back to our hotel room we realized we were going to have to move rooms. There was a HUGE group of people there for a family reunion and everyone seemed to be congregating on our floor. They were making an incredible amount of noise and we knew there was no way we were going to be able to sleep. So we moved to a room on the top floor of the hotel--MUCH quieter! As I'm writing, everyone is asleep. We had a big day today and plan on hanging out in downtown Charleston tomorrow. And I'm ready to enjoy a good night's sleep. Until tomorrow!

My Newest Creation

For those of you who don't know, I have my own home business (Allybug Bowtique) making hairbows, clippies, headbands, bowholders, etc. I really enjoy it and I can make some extra money for our family. I just love seeing girls wearing my bows! Anyway, here is one of my newest creations--a tiger clippie! This clippie is great for Memphis and Auburn fans or those that just like going to zoo.

Happy Early Birthday, Brent!

Tonight we celebrated Brent's birthday early (the big 35!). His birthday is Sunday, August 31st but we are leaving tomorrow for vacation. (We are flying to Charleston and then driving to Myrtle Beach on Sunday.) So I decided to let Brent open his presents since we can't take them with us.

Brent with his chocolate chip cookie cake--YUM!

Brent opening his cards from his parents, my parents, Jeanna, and me.
The Bentwood Bunch sent him a Phillies apron/grill set!Brent reading the birthday notes that Ally wrote for him.
Brent opening gifts from the girls and me.

A Bose surround sound system!And Heroes Season 2 on DVD!

I will try my hardest to update the blog while we are away. I'm just not sure what the internet access will be like when we get there. Usually the internet is only accessible in the lobby. If that's the case, I'll probably have to update when we get back.