Charleston

Bryan and I went to Charleston for a few days and had the absolute best time!

We planned everything out based on the amazing restaurants we wanted to go to!  And our first one was a steak house, and our reservation was at 9:30 PM!  We're usually in bed at that time, but when in Charleston!

The steaks we had there were amazing, but the star of the show was definitely the caramel cake!

We walked for a few miles every day and loved the historic homes and cobblestone streets!

The home we stayed in was built in 1900 and full of gorgeous Southern charm!

At the Italian restaurant, we had a dip that was one of the best things we ate the entire trip!

Bryan also loved the squid pasta he ordered!

One beautiful day, we walked to the famous Market and to Waterfront Park.

Bryan bought this hat at the Market, and I love it so much!

And I really love him so much!

At the Southern restaurant, everything we had was delicious!

Then, we took a boat out to Fort Sumter.

After that excursion, we walked to the most wonderful bakery and had the most wonderful desserts!

He's my favorite!

Finally, on our last night, we had dinner at a small French restaurant in an historic home.  The chef creates a new menu each night, and it was the best food we had while there!

We had the best time...and we may or may not already be talking about going back!

 

Jackson and Essie

About four years ago, Jackson met a girl named Essie online.  They quickly became best friends.  A little over a year and a half ago, he asked her to be his girlfriend.  The only issue...she lives in South Carolina.  Her sweet parents invited us to come visit, so at the end of October, we took a road trip to meet them in person!

Essie and Jackson

He couldn't wait to see her in person, and the thing he wanted to do with her more than anything...take her on a date.

These pictures were taken by her sweet mom right before they went to a fancy steak house!

When we got to their little town in South Carolina, we had an amazing home-cooked dinner at their home.  The next morning, we went to church with them, where Essie and her Dad led worship.  Then, after lunch with them and their extended family, we left Jackson with them, and Bryan and I went to Charleston for a few days!  We had the best time, and they took such great care of our son and treated him as if he was their own!  And in a few months, they're going to come here where Essie will be Jack's date at Sarah's wedding!

 

25 Years!

 

25 years ago today, my best friend asked me to be his girlfriend.  23 and a half years of marriage and 2 kids later, he still gives me butterflies!  It’s truly been the best 25 years of my life!

First Day of 11th Grade!

Today was Jackson’s first day of 11th grade!

Here are a few of the highlights from 10th grade:

We love visiting the library!

He went on his first mission trip with our church’s youth group and evangelized while there!

We went to German Fest!

Jack has been helping with sound and tech at church for years now, and a couple of months ago, he let me take a picture of him doing it!

We visited a train museum for our nephew’s birthday!

He helped me bake quite a bit!

We participated in our first charity run for a local pregnancy center that we support!

And we went to Oklahoma!