Emptynester

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In my Lebanese matriarchal family, we often forget that my maternal grandpa was IRISH! I probably have more Irish genes than I do Lebanese genes, but I will need to take the ancestor DNA test to confirm. In any case: I wish all of you a Happy St Patrick's day and many blessings for luck and happiness! We spent our final day in Charleston exploring the neighboring beach towns. We tried to stop at a few Irish pubs for green beer and lunch, but none were open for lunch! We finally decided on pizza at Coastal Crust pizza (Irish people love pizza, too)! The pizza was great--highly recommend Coastal Crust if you are on James Island. Folly Beach is lovely. It was not crowded--I think because it is spring and still a little chilly. The water is very clear, and I wish we would have spent more time just walking and exploring the beach. We tried visiting the beaches in Kiawah Island and Seabrook, but we were told only residents can access the beach --maybe we we...

Day 3 of our Charleston adventure was lazy and quiet because it rained all day. Neither of us was up for sightseeing in the rain, so we napped, played games, and just spent the day being with one another. We ventured our for lunch at Bahama Breeze--Larry had a pina colado and we shared some empanadas! The food was actually really good. I got to wear my cute sun/rain hat, and it remninded me of my Titi--she wore these kinds of hats all the time. Anyway--sometimes our vacations are about reconnecting and spending quiet times with each other--we dont always have to be on the go and doing tourists' things! Tomorrow, we will venture out and see more, but today, we are quite content, snuggling on the couch, listening to the rain, and sharing our quiet moments!

For Day 2 in Charleston, we ventured to the French Quarter, which is perhaps my favorite area of Charleston! The cobblestone streets, the beautiful homes, and the blooming azaelas all made for a wonderful walk around the French Quater. We also walked around Waterfront park--took pictures of the fountains and watched the sailboats--it was wonderful just holding hands and taking in the waterfront views. We then visited City Market and snooped in more art galleries. I purchased some Magnolia candles and some French Lavender bath bombs--both smell amazing! We stopped for cheesecake at Carmella's bakery and ate it al fresco on the sidewalk patio where we people watched and enjoyed the gorgeous weather! We ended our evening dining at Magnolia's--OMG, the food was incredible! We shared the fried green tomatoes, and the tomato butter was so delicious that I could have eaten it like soup! I had the corn chowder and Larry had the southern chicken--both were excellent. The only thing I di...

On our first full day in Charleston, we started our day shopping on King Street. Larry needed coffee, so we stopped in King's cookies, so he could get an iced coffee. I couldn't resist ordering a pecan praline cookie, especially since I saw them come straight out of the oven--the cookie was devine! We wandered into some of the art galleries and oogled over some of the local art--very tempted to go back and buy some. We also snooped in some of the antique and home stores. We found our way into Charleston Place--a very fancy hotel with high-end designer stores like Gucci, Rolex, and Louis Vuitton. I immediately texted Stephanie and told her about it--she immediately looked it up and booked a stay for her and Michael for this sunmer! They both enjoy high-end places and bougie boutiques, so I knew Charleston Place was for them! We went into Lake and bought a pair of pajamas that Stephanie wants for her birthday. I also looked in several boutiques for an Easter dress, but the ones I...

Day one of spring break, and it snowed! We got 5 inches of snow on March 12th--the most snow we have gotten all year! We spent the morning watching the snowfall and Netflix binging and then went for pedicures to prepare for our trip to Charleston tomorrow. We are definitely excited to visit Charleston and enjoy some warmer weather! Stay tuned for more stories about our Charleston adventure!