Afternoon with Becca

This was back when John and Lindsay got married, at the reception in Tennessee. That is Becca and John's oldest daughter!

Emma, their second daughter and she happens to have my favorite name!


She was trying on my shoes! So cute :)

Becca is a dear friend, who I adore and love. She is one of the reasons I dream of moving home. Why? She is the most talented, down to earth, sweet friend you could ask for. She is full of southern charm and from the moment you meet her, you love her. Needless to say I had a blast visiting with her and she made me almost move home on the spot! I would have a picture of her on my blog from my visit; but she had just had major surgery and so I did not think it would be appropriate to ask her to take any pictures. So I am adding a picture from the past, so you can feel like you know her.

We had girl talk and she solved a mystery I had about men. I would write it, but then I am risking men reading into our secret insights on them. So I leave it a mystery and you can ask me if you really want to know. So anyways, her little addition Emma, is adorable and friendly! She has the cutest curls and is just as wonderful as her Mom! My Mom, Becca and I had fun together and I miss them all already! As a side note; Becca married one of my High School friends John! One thing I love about the guys I grew up with in Tennessee, is they have all married amazing women and so for that I am extremely happy!

Tea Time with Clara

Its time for a party!
My castle!
The ballerina tree!
The Restaurant
One of the place settings

Front room of the cutest place!

The heart warming fireplace!
The bridal room where we ate lunch!
My meal in all its splendor! (The only thing is, this place is expensive, my plate was about $16 and tip)
My Mom and I!

This restaurant is so cute!

This place is full of southern charm and showcases why I love Tennessee and the people there! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Each room has a different theme and there is a room for all the little princesses and ballerina's! If I ever have a daughter then I want to take her here! It was fun :)

Fireside with Friends

There was a fireside in Tennessee while I was there for the young adults. I went with my friends the Stephen's: Jordan, Tara and Megan! It was fun being with them and seeing old friends like Whitney Roberts, Rick Barnes (my old Bishop), Rachel Orme (who I used to babysit and is now a young adult!). It was wonderful and I loved the way President Rick Barnes did the fireside, we got to write down a question and he spent time answering our questions. I found it insightful and he said somethings I needed to hear.

My first time eating crab meat!

My Dad's Plate of eaten Crab!

We had crab for dinner for 4th of July and it was good, I only could eat four legs of meat. John and my Dad seemed to get the most enjoyment out of the meal! Lindsay showed me how to eat the crab and my Dad helped me get a hot piece of it so it tasted better than the cold crab I had eaten! My Mom is not into SeaFood and so she got steak! The funny thing is we ate hamburgers, chips and the American Flag Cake on Saturday instead of for the Fourth of July!

USS YorkTown Navy Ship

This is from the room where I read about the men and women who gave so much defending their country and fellow soliders! They died heroes and I have profound respect for them and their families! Let's keep the men and women who serve our countries in our prayers and bless the whole United States!

Lindsay is in the mess hall where they would have all their meals, it is not as snazzy as the officer's mess hall!
One of the many cool planes showcased
This room was dedicated to all the women who have served in the Navy

My Grandpa served in the Navy and so this held special meaning for me and I am so glad we came here. We got to explore the ship and see what it is like for the men and women who serve in the naval services. We did a flight simulator, read about the brave men and women who died serving our country, while protecting the men they served beside them. That was the most touching part to me the stories I read and the feelings of patriotism I felt as I read about these remarkable people. I loved seeing the mess hall, the post office, sleeping quarters, sinks they used to get ready, etc...

It was extremely hot and humid and that made me appreciate the American men and women more because they deal with uncomfortable circumstances everyday to protect our freedoms and rights! I love America!

Middleton Plantation and Garden's

One of the oldest trees!

Middleton place was recommended to us by the visitor's center guide as being the BEST place to visit while in Charleston and her personal favorite. So we decided we had better go to this place. I was looking forward to seeing a true plantation and touring it thoroughly! Well we got there and it was very green, there was not the flowering blossoms that the Magnolia plantation offered from there brochure, but it did have some beautiful views and I could picture Mr. Darcy riding his horse on the grounds.

The plantation it turns out was burned during the civil war and so when the war was over they used the slaves house as the main house, refashioning it to their needs. It was not what I expected and it was small! They even told us that it is what is in the house (the artifacts) that were from the house. I did enjoy seeing the music room and bedrooms; but, it was a disappointment compared to what I had imagined.

Overall, I am glad we went and I got some beautiful shots. But, as a word of caution, don't listen to what everyone else has to say about their "favorite spots"! I think it was slightly overpriced at $35 to see the grounds and the house together. I did buy a fascinating book about wealthy plantation women and their lives were not as fabulous as I had once thought. They worked hard and had hardly any support. It is a fascinating read and I highly recommend it!

Jestine's Kitchen...

Doe's this look like it's worth $15 dollars? (I don't think so!)

We were recommended the restaurant Jestine's Kitchen, so we waited in a hot and humid line outside to get into the place. We were all excited about the place, because even Rachel Ray recommended this place. So we eagerly open up our menu's and all order various things. The waitess said that there was no shrimp and grits that Linds wanted and there was no chocolate ice cream that Robert wanted. John and I ordered the pork chop and it was good, but not worth $15 dollars that I paid and it was not spectacular! Everyone else said the food was okay, not what everyone recommended. Then it turns out that we all did not order what they were famous for... fried chicken! So if anyone of you go to Charleston, please visit this place and let me know if the fried chicken is worth a wait and a lot of money! Also if you want shrimp and grits, remember its only available on Sunday! Don't forget now and hurry back!