A Visit to SC

About two weekends ago, we made a trip to SC to see the family. We've been very fortunate (for now) that both sets of our parents live within 15 minutes of each other. Buddy's parents will be moving out near where his sister Kristel lives in NC, so once the new year gets here, our house will actually be the midpoint. Anyway, on this trip, Quinn got to see Grandma, Grandpa, Great-Grandma Margaret, Nana and Papa!

Here are some pictures from our weekend.

Now this first picture was taken about a month ago by my dad. The house in the picture was originally my great-grandparents' house. My parents and I moved there after Grandma and Papa passed away. I think I was about 6 years old. We lived there until I was a Junior in high school. Anyway, my parents now live with my grandma, and this picture is made from her house, looking up at our old house. It was so nice growing up next door to Grandma. I also remember when my dad planted that tree. Now look how big and beautiful it has become. By the time we got there, all the leaves were gone.



On Saturday morning, my mom and I took Quinn outside to play. We walked up to see the horses. One thing I forgot to mention is that the street my parents and grandma live on is all family. All of my grandma's sisters live on this street. In fact, my Papa owned all the land, and this was their farm when my grandma was growing up. My cousin Glenn, lives on the street too, and these are his horses. We tried to get "Rusty" to come closer to the fence so we could pet her, but this is as close as she got. Quinn is trying to call her, and was even making a clicking sound with his mouth, like I was, to try to get her closer. It was really cute.



Then we went over to our old house to play in those leaves. The people who are currently living in the house actually have it for sale, so no one was home. They told Mom that Quinn was welcome to play on their play set too.



I've mentioned so many times before how much Quinn loves to slide. He was actually able to climb to the top and slide down without any help.



Gosh, I love this boy! Can't you see how much fun he had? The slide was so slick there were times he actually slid across the grass!



It was such a beautiful day, as you can see. Check out that blue sky! I couldn't help but stop and have some fun myself. And of course, there's the slide master climbing up for another turn.



After sliding and running around, it was pretty close to lunchtime. So we took a break and Quinn took a nap. When he woke up, we wandered down to my parents' backyard. There tons of old oak trees back here, and the leaves made that perfect crunching sound. We only have a couple of trees in our yard, and their leaves don't crunch, so this was probably Quinn's first time with lots and lots of leaves.



He was pretty impressed with the big trees in the backyard. I'm not sure if he's trying to figure out how to climb it or knock it down!



At some point, my mom threw leaves at him, and then the fun began! With all the movement and leaves being thrown, this is the best shot I got of Quinn throwing leaves. Oh, he and his Grandma had so much fun!



We invited Buddy's parents over for supper, so we could see Nana and Papa. My dad made his specialty....Chicken Bog. For my NC friends, this is nothing like Chicken Stew, so please don't be confused. Here it is. It's chicken, smoked sausage, rice, and lots of spices. This is one of those recipes that if I tell you, I'd have to kill you. The recipe comes from where my dad grew up in SC, what we call the "lower part of the state". It has become a family favorite, and when I say family, I mean every member of my family! Trust me, I cannot think of a single person who has not tasted this and immediately loved it and wanted more!



It was a fun weekend with my parents, and a nice visit with Buddy's parents. I will miss these times with all of us together once they move. I have been so blessed to have a family where we all get along. Buddy and my parents get along great. I fit in perfectly with Buddy's parents and sisters. In fact, I'm considered a "fourth daughter"!! It was a great time. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us come down for a visit!