Mommy-cation

As much as I enjoy being Caroline's mom, it is definitely an exhausting job. They weren't kidding when they said 'motherhood is the hardest job you'll ever love.' Keeping up with her is like running a marathon 24/7, especially now that she's mobile and into everything. My friend Jackie and I were comparing war stories back in October, comparing up-all-night illnesses and teething episodes and we came to the conclusion that we were in definite need of a mommy-cation. We carefully plotted planned a girls' weekend getaway to Austin in November when it would be convenient for the daddies to watch the kids, but alas, that was the week Caroline started vomiting and we made 2 trips to the ER. So Jackie and another friend made the trip without me.

I was pining for a break this spring when I came across an ad in Southern Living for the Festival of Houses and Gardens in Charleston, SC. I daydreamed how nice it would be to get away for a few days and see all those beautiful historic homes and gardens with my mom, and just take a break from the non-stop motherhood responsibilities. After several weeks of discussions with Bill and my mom, we finally had all the arrangements worked out and the trip was set! In the spirit of 'the more the merrier' we decided to include my grandmother and my mom's best friend Susan.

Despite the unusually-chilly weather the trip was wonderful, a perfect little getaway. We spent 4 days shopping, eating good food, touring the homes and gardens, and just enjoying some downtime. We arrived in Charleston on Tuesday at 10:30 in the morning and had the rest of the day to explore downtown and partake in my mother's all-time favorite pastime, shopping. 

3 generations at the pineapple fountain at the waterfront park

Ft. Sumter. Didn't get a chance to tour but it looked impressive!

Mama at the pier at the waterfront park. A mandatory
stop so Mom could look for dolphins!

Great shopping on King St. Mom got so carried away in her
quest for shopping she ended up getting lost and dragged
poor Susan and Mama several miles on a bass-ackward
attempt to get back to the hotel. 

Beautiful little pocket park tucked into downtown

Cobblestone streets: fun to look at and take pictures of,
not so fun to walk on! 

Battery Park

the 2 Susan's, aka 'Susan Major' and 'Susan Minor'.
BFF since 7th grade. 

mini cannon for Susan Minor!

On Wednesday we struck out to explore the College of Charleston, one of the oldest colleges in the nation. On a whim I actually applied and was accepted to C of C my senior year in high school, so I was especially interested to see the campus. It was absolutely gorgeous...it has even more live oaks and azaleas than LSU, which I always thought was a beautiful campus. And all the buildings were all beautiful, stately, and well-maintained. 

Instead of walking across a stage to receive diplomas,
the C of C grads walk across this grass oval
in the dell! 

Hard to believe this beautiful building
is just the English department!

Of course we had to take a pic at the Phi Mu house!

And MaMa at the tri delt house!

The rest of Wednesday and Thursday were spent on the homes and garden tours. I took about a bajillion photos; they were all stunning and so beautiful. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pics inside the homes and gardens (some sort of pesky state law about photography on private property) but I was able to legally snag a few from the sidewalks!

It was a gorgeous time of the year for garden tours...lots of beautiful flowers in bloom. 

On our last day we toured Middleton Plantation, a gorgeous sprawling plantation estate claiming to have 'the oldest landscaped gardens in America.' The weather had warmed up and the sun was out so it was a perfect day for strolling and taking in all the natural beauty. It took an entire day to take it all in!

This little lamb was only 2 days old! So cute!

More lambs. Perfect timing for Easter!

in front of the azalea hill....THOUSANDS of blooming azaleas!

 

rice mill pond. The plantation produced rice and shipped it
down the Ashley River, adjacent to the plantation.

Terraced lawn that led up to the plantation house. Unfortunately
the yankees burned down the house right before the end of the
'war between the states.'

I had to check Mom's purse to make sure she didn't
pilfer any bricks from the burned down house. She considered it.

This live oak is over 1,000 years old!

One of the only items the damn yankees didn't destroy,
the garden nymph statuary.

I can't even calculate how many miles we walked, but I'm pleased to report that my 82-year-old grandmother kept up like a champ! It was quite a workout and we were all exhausted by the end of the day, but Mama trooped right along with no problems. I can only hope that I'm in as good shape when I'm 82!

how we felt at the end of each day!