Events & Holidays

  • Family Friendly Bowling Alley (Easley, SC)

    Over the past few months we have gone to Rock Springs Impact Center Bowling Alley several times. We have gone for part of a date night, when my parents were in town visiting and when the kids were home for Spring Break. The bowling alley is open throughout the week. There are days when it is only $3 per person / game, including rental shoes. If you need some munchies when you are there they have a concession stand that serves a variety of snacks and drinks.

    We typically go in the evenings after dinner on a week night because it fits easier into our schedule. It is a nice family activity for a reasonable price. I can’t say that I will win a bowling game any time soon, but I do have fun. If you are looking for a good activity in Easley you should check it out.

  • Mission Escape (Cartersville, GA)

    While visiting one of the kiddos we stopped and did an Escape Room. We chose Mission Escape in Cartersville, Georgia. It was a fun adventure. We did the Copan Ruins escape room in a Mayan Temple in Honduras.

    We had a blast! Our team solved the mystery and escaped. Woohoo! I was only startled once in our adventures.

    We found out that if you go visit Mission Escape on your birthday you also get a special surprise! If you are looking for something fun to do in Cartersville, check it out.

  • Off Season at Folly Beach (Folly Beach, SC)

    We recently went to Folly Beach, South Carolina while visiting one of the kids at college. It had been several years since we had been to Folly Beach. The area had grown a good bit and even in the off season the best place to park was the metered parking along the beach.

    We got out, walked, collected a few shells and enjoyed some time together at the beach. A purple shell and whole sand dollar were the favorite finds during our walk on the beach. We found a variety of neat shells. It was a cool and overcast day. There were still a good number of people on the beach but very few people swimming in the water. About the only people that dared to go into the water were kids that day.

    If you like the beach, can find decent parking and want a place to get out and walk for a little bit Folly Beach is a nice place to stop near Charleston, SC.

  • Charleston Tea Garden (Wadmalaw Island, SC)

    We were able visit the Charleston Tea Garden on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina when we were in the area visiting one of the kids. It was during the off season so we did not get to see as much of the farm activities during our visit but it was still interesting to see the gardens.

    The visitor center and gift shop was out of some of their standard items like a sampler tea gift, key chains but they did have a good number of other fun items for people to purchase. They had a variety of both hot and cold tea for visitors to try during their time on the farm. Since it was a cooler day I went for some samples of the hot tea. My favorite were the Carolina Mint and Cinnamon Spice Tea. Another favorite hot tea in our party was the Charleston Breakfast Tea. Some of the other people in our party tried the sweet cold teas and said that they were great too. If you are there go ahead and try some of their tea!

    We took a farm tour which was informative and interesting. We rode on the big red trolley. Since it was off season there was only about ten of us on the tour. The guide did a good job on the tour. We saw the tea fields, learned about the history of the farm, visited the green house, took some photos and more fun. Their harvester was in the shop for repairs so we did not get to see the “Green Monster” that cuts the tea leaves.

    Tea fields in the winter and dormant stage. The leaves typically grow seasonally in Spring in late April or May through late September or October. They say when the flowers bloom and it looks like white popcorn all over the fields. It would be neat to see the flowers blooming and the harvester in action.

    Interesting sign showing how many miles to various tea plantations around the world. It was neat to see the distance to different locations.

    If you enjoy tea or learning about the process of making tea it is worth at least checking it out if you are in the area.

  • Old Post 1940 Coffee Shop & Wedding Venue (Easley, SC)

    We visited the Old Post 1940 Coffee Shop & Wedding Venue in Easley, South Carolina. It is a 1940s United States Post Office that was renovated into a pretty wedding venue and coffee shop. It was a neat wedding venue near downtown Easley.

    They had a small coffee shop serving organic coffee. We each had a coffee and looked around the venue. The coffee was good, the building and location were nice. If you are looking for a venue near the Easley area you should check this place out. If you have a large event there is not a lot of parking at the building but there is a decent size parking about a block or so away at Old Market Square.

  • Someone’s Excited for Spring Break!

    We were not the only ones who were excited to see the kiddos come home for Spring Break. The old dog heard us talking about the girls coming home earlier in the week and was looking for them all week. She may be old but she does pick up on cues and knew they would be coming home soon.

    She was so worked up the day they were coming home we ended up letting her sit by the front door and watch for them. As soon as the first vehicle was near the top of the driveway she was ready for them. They timed it almost perfectly and arrived home within a couple minutes of each other. The puppy dog is absolutely thrilled to have her favorite family members back home again for a few days.

    We are grateful that both of their colleges have Spring Break on the same week. Definitely looking forward to spending extra family time together!

  • Penguins Winter Family Puzzle

    Every year we typically do a puzzle during the winter. This year “Penguins” was the puzzle of choice!  I enjoy doing the puzzle, but if it stays out for a really long period of time it starts bothering me so usually we try to do it in a timely manner. The various members of the family can walk by and put in a puzzle piece here and there. Also, during family movie time the puzzle gets some more work done on it. Once we finish we will leave it out for a few days, take a photo of the puzzle then we donate it. Does your family have a winter activity you do together at home?

  • Creative Kids: Wooden Flower

    Karlie made me this beautiful “wooden flower”

    I received this super special flower from Karlie.  She found the wood, cut it into the perfect length, carved out the flower and presented it to me in a field of evergreen leaves.  Love it!  It was a creative, thoughtful, and beautiful gift.

    It makes me smile seeing the kids use their creativity and often I am blessed with getting to enjoy the end product.  The best part of this pretty flower is that I don’t have to water yet it stays gorgeous. My type of low maintenance and beautiful decoration that lasts for a long time.  Grateful for Karlie’s talent and thoughtful gift.  I know this took her a good bit of time to design, create, and put together which means a lot to me. Love my girls!

  • Marshes & Campground at Huntington Beach (Murrells Inlet, SC)

    Peaceful

    We had nice walks along the boardwalks near the marshes at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. The boardwalks went out over the marshes where you could see a variety of wildlife and enjoy the beautiful weather. There was at one point a nature center, but it was currently being rebuilt when we were there.  It will be another great addition to the park once it is complete. There were not a lot of bugs in the evenings when we went for walks which was really nice.  It was a good place to visit, explore, and spend time together with the family.

    The Huntington Beach campgrounds were nice. We had electricity and water hookups at our campsite.  There was only one trash dumpster in the whole campground and it is near the visitor center / gift store so depending on where your site is located you may have a good hike to get rid of your trash. The bathrooms only had 2 showers and there were not a lot of bathhouses on the campground. We went after school started so it was not the busiest season but there were still lines to get into the showers most days.  Overall it was a great park and we enjoyed it.  The biggest improvement would be in the bathhouses, they could have been a little cleaner and larger.

    Sunsets were beautiful

    We stayed at campsite 111. It was gravel and level

    Nice walk at dusk through the marshlands

    Awesome boardwalk that takes you through a good bit of the marshes

    Sun is going down

    The clouds looked pretty neat

    Enjoying the last few rays

    Sunset reflecting off the clouds

    Quiet day at the marshes

    Last rays of the sun going over the horizon

    Huntington Beach State Park Chairs

    Love this sign!

  • Beach Fun at Huntington Beach State Park (Murrells Inlet, SC)

    Enjoying the rain on the beach!

    We had a wonderful time on the beach at Huntington Beach State Park.  It was a mix of sun and rain!  The rain didn’t stop us from heading to the beach for some fun in the sand and water.  We stayed at the Huntington Beach Campgrounds, it was a nice walk to the beach.  Access to the beach wasn’t too far from our campground and it was pretty quiet.  Only a few families were on the beach near us.  If you walk further down the beach it got a little bit more crowded especially on the nicer days.  Thankful for an opportunity to get away together and enjoy some time at the beach.

    Digging in the sand and watching the little critters

    On the run

    Fun on the beach

    Birds, Sand and the Atlantic Ocean

    Sand art

    My crew

    All smiles

    On the move

    Atlantic Ocean

    Dusk walk on the beach

    Sun is going down and the rain clouds are moving in now.

    Enjoyed our time at Huntington Beach