How to Play it All Out?

On this morning, this very first morning of Kindergarten, this first Monday back after a week away on vacation, I have so many things to say, so many stories to tell, so many pictures to show, but I just don't know how to present them all.  I could create an outline, and just short-change everything, or you can just be patient with me (please!) as I let everything tumble out over the course of the next week or so, in completely random order.  Oh, and I'd like to apologize to all of you other bloggers for having absolutely no clue what you've been up to for the last week or so.  Looks like I've got a lot of catching up to do on reading your blogs! 

As I haven't even downloaded the majority of my photos from my camera onto my laptop yet, I'll start today with a recap of Days 1 and 2 of our trip, in Charleston, SC. 

We knew we wouldn't be able to make it all the way down to St. Simons Island, Georgia in one day.  Well, really, we could have, but it would have been folly to try, and really wouldn't have been fair on Samantha.  So we did some plotting, and I cashed in some of my Expedia Rewards points for a night at a historic inn (Fulton Lane Inn) on King Street in Charleston.  King Street reminded me a lot of King Street in Old Town Alexandria, here in VA, only with much nicer shops, palmetto trees, and buildings painted in beautiful, soft hues.

 

We grabbed some burgers and then ice cream (not realizing that this was a first glimpse of our diets for the upcoming week), and retired early.  I have to say, it's kinda hard to get a 5 year old to go to sleep at her regular time when she's sharing a bed in a single room while you're watching TV.  But it is possible.  And once she was out, I had a soak in the bathroom jacuzzi and dove into my vacation reading, The Help (which I have now finished, and which was truly excellent).

The next morning, after having breakfast in our room, we headed down to the waterfront to meet up with blogging/FB/IRL friends, Michelle, Joe, Kayla and Lucas for a few hours before we had to get back on the road. 

The kids had a ball playing in the fountain, as you can see by the water dripping off of Samantha's dress...



Samantha and Lucas jumping off the step.



A stranger was recruited to take this picture, explaining why Samantha looks so miserable...

We enjoyed what we saw of Charleston, but the trip was short by necessity, and the beach was calling to us.