Family
It’s the Little Things
I am thankful for my husband. He blesses me in so many ways throughout the week. Honestly, too often I take the many acts of kindness he does for me daily for granted. He shows love to me even when I am a mess.
Most mornings he is up early to make me breakfast and coffee to help get me out the door for work. Often dinner is ready by the time I get home from work. He is willing to try out a different restaurant or go on an adventure with me.
Whether we’re tackling home projects or enjoying a date night, I love spending time with my handsome man. He treats me well, loves me despite my craziness, and is an amazing Dad to our girls.
There are countless reasons why I feel blessed to have him as my partner and best friend. I am grateful to have the opportunity to walk through life with him by my side. He really is the calm to my chaos.
Today I came home from running errands with one of the girls and the dishes were washed, groceries picked up and these beautiful flowers were waiting for me. His little acts of kindness are daily reminders of how truly blessed am I.
The older I get the more I am reminded that each day really is a precious gift. May we always cherish our shared moments together. My prayer is that he recognizes the depth of love for him—not solely based on his actions, but because of the remarkable person he truly is.
Surprise Visit from One of My Favorite Chick-A-Dees!
We got a surprise from one of my favorite Chick-A-Dees!!! She told us that there was a “chance” she might be flying to an airport near us for a few minutes within the next 24 hours. It was a totally unexpected blessing! There were some adjustments to the schedule due to plane availability but she made it to GMU – Greenville Downtown Airport. YAY!!!
It had been an incredibly crazy week and this special time with one of our girls made my Momma heart so very happy. We only got to spend a few minutes with our sweet girl but it was worth every second. We got in a few hugs, gave her some water & snacks, and had a quick chat before she was off flying high into the bright blue sky again. Thank you Chick-A-Dee for taking the time to fly in for a quick “hi” and give us some hugs.
It is such a surreal feeling to watch one my Babies fly in and out of the airport. So very proud of our Kiddos for all their hard work in their industries. It is amazing to get a first hand view of that training in action. They are doing and accomplishing skills that I have never learned or even tried before. If I had to help fly a plane or work with certain animals, bees or other tasks they are doing right now I wouldn’t even know where to even start.
It is fascinating and cool to hear what they are doing and learning. Our “littles” are certainly growing up. We look forward to seeing and hearing about the big adventures they will be experiencing next.
Grateful for these types of spontaneous blessings our kids choose share with us. These precious moments are treasured!
Keep up the good work Chick-A-Dees! We love you very much!
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.
Robert Redden Footbridge, Harvest Moon Cafe & Courtyard Rome Riverwalk (Rome, GA)
We were recently visited one of our kids and hung out in Rome, Georgia. One of the footbridges in the town has a huge lighted American flag. It is the former Central of Georgia Railway swing bridge called the Robert Redden Footbridge. The bridge crosses the Oostanaula River and can be seen from various spots near downtown Rome. It is where the Oostanaula River and the Etowah River come together to form the Coosa River. The bridge once rotated on its central pier to allow steamboats to pass. At the end of one of the streets near the river you see a Steamboat as a reminder of the history.
While in Rome, Georgia we ate at Harvest Moon Cafe in downtown. Harvest Moon Cafe is a cute family restaurant with a nice menu and great atmosphere. The food was delicious! They use locally sourced food, including beef from livestock from Berry College. If you are looking to host a party in the area Harvest Moon Cafe has a room you could rent out with food, drinks and games like cornhole, darts and more.
Rome has a cute walkable downtown with various shops and restaurants. There are plenty of walking and biking trails even near the river in downtown. We have been to Rome a handful of times now and have always enjoyed visiting various places downtown during our stays.
While we were in the area we stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Rome Riverwalk. It has a brightly lit parking garage, a walking bridge over the river to the downtown, across the street from the athletic field, and pretty views of the river and the Robert Redden Footbridge.
If you are in the area or near Rome, Georgia you should check it out!
Kolache Factory (Powdersville, SC)
My Grandma made kolache’s growing up so I was excited to see the Kolache Factory come to the Powdersville area a few years ago. While it is not exactly not Grandma’s kolaches they are delicious.
My parents were in town recently and we grab a bite to eat on the way out of town. We got a handful of breakfast kolaches (stuffed with eggs, cheese, sausage or ham, etc…), fruit kolaches, and cinnamon twist. At least the ones I had were delicious!
Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek (Mount Pleasant, SC)
Our group picked out Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, SC to go to as a special dinner during our weekend in the area. When using the GSP directions make sure you are in the right location because ours originally led us to a house in a residential neighborhood (a couple blocks away from Saltwater Cowboys). The restaurant should be along Shem Creek near a couple of other restaurants.
We picked this restaurant because it served BBQ, seafood, and traditional American food so it had a variety of options for everyone to pick from for dinner.
We went on a Friday night and the biggest complication we had was finding parking. It was a decent size parking lot but very busy. We had to drive through the parking lot more than once before we found a park spot. The waiting was not long despite the restaurant being very busy. The restaurant and deck is good sized so a lot of people were being served. They had a band playing and were pretty quick with the service as well.
We shared the Boals Family Crab Dip appetizer (photo above) that came with carrots, celery and 1 small sleeve of Ritz crackers. It was delicious but was not a very big appetizer for 5 people. The table next to us shared the trash can nacho appetizer which was huge and looked really cool. They served the trash can nachos in a large “coffee can” and flipped it over once they arrived at the table.
The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed what they ordered. We had a variety of seafood, hamburgers, and BBQ in our group.
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.