Friday Favorites - Kiawah 2022 breakdown and more

 

Happy Friday!!

Two blog posts in one week!  It almost didn't happen b/c I feel like most of my "favorites" I posted in WUW but there are a few more here and some more detail from my birthday trip to South Carolina.

This was the view I was waking up to last Friday morning:

We made this last night and it was such a hit!!!  Thank you for the recipe Shay :)

I got these shoes for my birthday -- I love them!!

And then talked my girlfriend into a pair too :). I told the salesperson to please get her a pair, that if she put them on she would not take them off -- and I was right!!  

The highlight of the month, of course, was my trip to Kiawah Island, SC.  I don't have a TON of pictures because (1) I get to go quite a bit so I have dozens of "scenery" pictures and (2) we were just all enjoying being "in the moment" that pictures didn't come up too often.  Here are a few favorites though:

I was stopped at the guard gate just long enough to snap this picture and send it to my husband to let him know we had arrived (my sister and niece flew in so I picked them up on the way to the island).  THIS is the point where your body says, "now we are on vacation!!" :)

Jodi and I always try to head STRAIGHT to the beach upon arrival. . .and I can never resist this first pic.  She took one of the two of us but I must not have a copy of it.  Regardless, when we are here I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world.

After a long day of travel from Ohio and Tennessee we needed a bit of a snack to tide us over until dinner.  We had some company across the pond:

It was just warm enough for him to come out to sun :)

We had dinner that night on the island. . .her friend from the complex was in and my friend was driving in from Florida's panhandle -- a great first day/evening!  My niece opted to stay in and we brought her a carryout.

Friday morning we were out on the beach riding bikes -- one of my favorite things to do on the island!!

After a 3+ mile ride down the beach to the Ocean Club, we biked over to the Marsh House for a cocktail :). 

Aren't all these views just spectacular???  While we were there, we checked in with my brother, who had come in from out-of-town to stay with my mom (she is 6 weeks post-op from her broken leg and just now home and learning to get around)

He is really, truly the best.  Well, so is my mom :)

Jodi clocked us at just about 14 miles when all was said and done.  My butt and Amy's knees didn't recover until we got home :/

Finally, the fifth person in our party arrived and we were all together again :)

Dinner at the B-liner (one of my favorite places!) with these lovely ladies:

Missy, Amy, and I have been friends since our youngest kiddos were babies.  We used to vacation together on Anna Maria Island every February/March as our schedules would allow. . .between us we have thirteen children!!!  Those two are rockstars -- three of those children were adopted into their wonderful families.  My beautiful niece graduates from HS this year (she is my sister's youngest) so, technically, between the 4 mommies on this trip we have FIFTEEN children between us.  We are so fortunate.  Or I am fortunate to have their influences in my life :)

Saturday was Missy's birthday and we headed into Charleston.  We got TWO pictures -- ha!  We had a birthday lunch at Virginia's on King and then took this ONE picture of the three of us:

We headed to the Charleston Market and Jodi and her daughter headed down King Street to shop.  We all met back up for our BIG treat -- massages!!  Everything on the island was booked but Jodi found another place in Charleston and we all thought it was perfect.

The day ended with a "snacky dinner" back at the condo with phone calls to a couple people we all know (just great to Facetime all together) and some wine with cards.  A beautiful, full day.  Oh, and lest I forget, I got to have a tennis clinic that day too!!!  I wasn't planning on it so had to borrow a racquet and play in walking shoes but it's always a great day when I can be on a court somewhere :)

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear.  A bit chilly for my Florida ladies (40's) but with the sunshine (and layers) it was more than perfect for me.  My sister went on a run and I biked to the beach and then took a walk, snapping pictures and picking up shells (I can't resist).

Then. . .brunch!!!

My sister had made reservations at a place I had never been for breakfast -- so delicious!

The plan was to then go kayaking.  We had brought clothes to change into after brunch and here we are, dressed and ready to head out:

Abby didn't want to go so she had stayed back and, as we were loading into the kayaks, I decided not to go out with them either.  I hate getting wet, am not a good kayaker, and it was just a tad too windy/chilly for me.  This is the second time I have done this to my sister -- gotten ready to go and then not gone. . .it's just not my thing.  But I really don't mind hanging back when this is the view I am surrounded by:

That is a private dock to the left but if you really zoom in, you can see three little dots out there on the right around the bend.

Jodi said they went out to the river but it was pretty windy to get on so they just came back.

And happy ladies coming in!

Dale Hollow Lake and our boat is more "my thing"!!!

We headed back over to the Ocean Course (this time we drove -- enough exercise for the day)

and sat out on the deck for the longest time and just watched people practice their putting, chatting, and enjoying the sunshine.  Another perfect, relaxed day.  We went over to Fresh Fields to find something for dinner and ended up at Fuji.  Then back to the condo to pack up, clean up, and set alarms for a very early morning --

There you go. . .6:51 and they are heading into the airport and I'm heading north.  This is a song my niece loaded onto my playlist and it came on just as she left the car.  I love having songs on here that specifically remind me of someone special.

I arrived home to Favorite #4

After losing a truck and two cars in the last six years (that's what 4 teenagers will do to you :/) my husband finally bought a just-for-him vehicle.  I'm so happy for him -- on my 18th birthday he bought his very first black Toyota pick-up truck.  Now, on my 50th he's come full-circle with another, larger version for his much larger life :)

Yesterday my son asked me to look for something and I ran across this:

One of the friends I had just been with last week -- this was us when we all lived together in Ohio.  They were a military family and would have three more moves after this one and, unbeknownst to me at the time, we would have two.  Every kid in these pictures are now in college and just doing so great.  (No, this was NOT 1997. . .2005 maybe?)

Wow, that ended up being a much longer post than anticipated!  I don't scrapbook anymore (although going through some of them makes me wonder why??) so am glad to have these posts to come back to look through.  

Happy Weekend!  I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika on this one.

Jenni