Charleston Part I :: John Rutledge Inn

We decided to take our first southern road trip/overnighter to Charleston, South Carolina.

I have always wanted to stay in a Bed and Breakfast.

I am not ashamed to admit that I am a hardcore Gilmore Girls fan 

and the Dragonfly Inn had me completely convinced 

that staying in a B&B would be overly charming and welcoming.

 Luckily, staying at these quaint old Inn's seems to be the thing to do in Charleston.

{Not to mention more affordable - which is always winning in our book}

I found this darling place called the John Rutledge Inn.

The former home of the revolutionary war hero,

 constitutional convention delegate and signer John Rutledge.

I convinced James that the whole B&B experience wouldn't be weird and away we went.

I instantly fell in love with the whole experience.

I kind of expected Lorelai Gilmore to turn the corner at any minute with Sookie right behind.

It was just like staying at an ol' friends house.

The innkeeper greeted us with these old school keys and a card with the history of the Inn.

A dainty woman with frizzy hair and a love for everything Charleston helped us map out our plan.

It was straight out of a movie and I was in heaven.

We stayed in the back house of the Inn..

formerly the slave and horse quarters.

Tea was served at 4 in the library.

True to the B&B experience, 

we met another couple who was vacationing while eating our afternoon snacks.

They were from Charlotte and so we talked about our new hometown 

and of course the sticky, sticky heat.

And our lovely room.

Sure, it was old and creeky and had a little bit of a funny smell 

but we loved every minute.

We had no idea how rich the history is in Charleston

and spending the night in this quaint Inn felt like our ticket to the past.

Saying Goodbye...

My mom was the last of the family to leave.

I had tried to be really brave through all of the other family goodbyes after the blessing -

but holding it in was never a good strategy for me.

First, a mother daughter moment.

I tell you what, this woman is a rockstar.

She has flown all over to help her girls with babies, moving, and the works.

My Mom has absolutely no idea how much it meant to me this time around.

She almost single handily packed our apartment up in California.

Took me to St. George with her for a week.

And then got me mostly settled here in Charlotte... with lots of travel in-between.

Oh, and she drove around a rockin' crown vic rental car.

And then she maneuvered a kitchen table into the trunk of said crown vic,

 by herself, in the 110 degree weather.

And much, much more.

She was in every sense of the word, a lifesaver.

When I dropped her off at the airport, I tried to act strong.

While I had done an internship and a study abroad far, far away -

they were both temporary.

I don't care how right it feels or how adventurous you are, 

living far away from family can be tough.

It makes you grow up 

and its character building

and its the right thing for us right now 

and yada yada...you know the drill.

There is no way around it - it's hard at times.

I cried the whole 15 minutes to the airport.

And then Annie and I both ugly cried the whole way back.

Don't worry, we got ourselves together shortly there after. 

It just took us a minute.

To my dear Mom...

Thank you for getting us through the mayhem.

And thank you Dad for giving her up for 2 weeks.

When I talked to my Grandma about our big move she reminded me 

that she was just a young girl when she packed up her bags 

and her little babe to follow her husband in the air force.

She called herself a "country bumpkin" to be exact.

No place to stay. No phones. No computers.

Just herself, a baby and the open road.

Now if that doesn't give you the nerve to do new things,

I don't know what does.

My Mom reminded me of this story when she left.

So, I took a page out of Grandma's book, put my chin up and haven't looked back since.

Not one more single tear.

And honest to goodness -

I am falling head over heels with our life in Charlotte.

Me, James and Annie. 

Its just perfect.

I wouldn't change a single thing about this whole crazy wild ride.

Fourth of July...

I was a little nervous about our first fourth of July in Charlotte.

My apartment was packed to the brim with boxes 

and I was worried I wouldn't be able to feel the spirit of the fourth.

Lucky for us, a few friends from the ward invited us over for a delicious breakfast.

We got to know some incredible new people and it really made us feel welcome.

I then convinced James to hit a parade that was going on Uptown.

I am determined to get out and experience this incredible city despite the hot sticky weather.

Miracles do happen.

Annie zonked out in her carseat.

Meanwhile, I was sweating to death (as is evidenced by this photo)

and a nice man (in the ball camp behind me) gave us the 411 on the Shriners.

The charitable worldwide group of men has deep roots 

and now dedicates itself to the medical care of children.

Thousands upon thousands gather each year to parade with their unit.

This year - Charlotte was the spot.

Clearly these men are all invested in the well being of children...

which led them all to stop me so they could ooh and ahh over Annie.

I happily obliged.

Stopping for a snowcone.

Tastes like America to me.

And yes, we braved the stand with Winnie the Pooh and Simba on the side.

So far we are still alive.

According to the friendly Shriners, these hats cost around $500 a piece.

When I asked these men if I could snap a pic they were thrilled.

Note the tunnel we are standing in.

Charlottes indoor walk ways = a gift from heaven during hot humid days.

 

I need to do a little more research on the history of Charlotte but these signs sure do help.

They are seen throughout the city.

I am loving living in a place with such deep rooted history.

My little mini James.

I know I am bias, but boy is she the cutest.

That night we headed to a Stake BBQ in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

I'll admit - I had no idea Charlotte was so close to the boarder.

Geography never was my strong suit.

Apparently several decades ago the LDS missionaries were driven out of Rock Hill.

The local indian tribe was nice enough to take these missionaries in for the night.

Turns out most of the tribe was baptized into the LDS faith - including the chief.

The missionaries and the church were so highly respected that the tribe deeded over 100 acres of their land to the LDS church for a whopping $1.

Needless to say, the church has some incredible land in the area.

According to our bishop, this is one of the only LDS churches that also has a cemetery in the back.

We had fun learning the history 

(which I hope I got right)

and meeting lots of new people at the stake event.

I was dying over the mass amounts of chips, coleslaw and macaroni 'n' cheese at the event.

Definitely not in healthy Cali anymore.

We also learned how to play Corn Hole.

I have seen it done at various events throughout my life but never heard it called Corn Hole.

James was of course up for the fierce competition.

I think we played several games of Corn Hole in our first few weeks here.

It is a hit in the south.

Stripping Annie down to her diaper out of fear that she would overheat.

Have I mentioned it was hot?

Record breaking heat here in my first week.

And I thought St. George was hot.

Our fun new friends, the Moss family.

Henry was not a fan of the fireworks - and neither was Annie.

James and I quickly jetted out after waving farewell to avoid the big bangs.

I am loving this view.

The Duke Building has quickly become my favorite.

Not only is it my hubbies home away from home 

but it also lights up in brilliant colors.

On the night of the fourth it would change between red, white and blue in a matter of seconds.

Now if that isn't all-American, I don't know what is.

I must admit, our first holiday in Charlotte was an absolute blast. 

I think I'll stay.

A Name and A Blessing :: Annie May Barker

On July 1, 2012 Annie received a beautiful name and a blessing, performed by her Daddy. 

She wore my blessing dress that I wore almost exactly 23 years ago.

This dress has been displayed in my parents bedroom on a porcelain doll for many years.

It is something I have loved and admired my entire life.

As James dressed her I couldn't help but think about the other important white dresses that I hope Annie will wear in this life.

There is just something special about a girl in white.

We were also glad that this dress made it to Charlotte.

In a stroke of sheer stupidity, I packed her dress with the rest of our belongings.

When you ship things across the country they give you a four-day window of when it will arrive.

I am fairly certain it was a miracle that this white gown was delivered with our goods just 24-hours before her blessing.

We had lots of family in town but it was just our little family of three at home that morning.

Over the last few weeks these two have started connecting more and more.

We have a little family ritual each morning when Annie comes in bed and plays with Dad.

The morning of her blessing was no exception as she grinned up at him beneath her precious bink.

James gave her a beautiful blessing 

and I felt that this little one's Heavenly Father has a lot in store for her.

In every marriage there are a few "surprises."

When we were dating I was pretty convinced that James was anything but emotional.

Quite contrary.

Giving our first child a name and a blessing really got to this guy.

He's one big softy when it comes to our little family and the gospel.

Annie and I are lucky girls cause we get to have this man in our life forever.

It was a special morning to watch my husband, his father and my own father stand in a circle to give her a name and blessing that will carry her through this life.

{You can read about baby blessings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints here}

Although I would have loved to get some pictures outside - 

it was about 5,000 degrees with humidity.

So inside it was.

Boy were we glad to have so much family here.

Many sweet words were said that day 

and I could feel the love that both the Barkers and the Staples have for the little miss.

The two Nana's and Ann's that Annie was named after.

A picture I will definitely cherish.

I was so worried she was going to cry through the whole thing.

But my Dad later told me that little Annie stared right up into James eyes the whole time.

She sucked that precious bink until it finally popped out.

My Dad said it rolled off one side and one man in the bishopric caught it 

and then rolled off the other before it was gently placed back in her mouth.

Miracles do happen and Annie didn't make a peep.

I guess she already loves being the center of attention. 

This sweet scalloped blanket is the one my Mom was blessed in.

She has held onto it all these years.

When little Henry was blessed she snapped a picture of him in it.

I think we have a new tradition in the works.

It is a lovely reminder of the generations of faith 

and dedication that is being passed down to these little children.

 We had planned a big celebration in California for her blessing day but our plans quickly changed.

Of course I wanted a big ta-doo and was pretty bummed

but in the end I think this was all meant to be.

It was probably the reminder that this sometimes "over-the-top" Mama needed.

I promised Annie a big get together for her birthday.

And as it turns out she didn't even mind not having a party.

Ha.

Her blessing day was just perfect and looking back I wouldn't change a thing.

We enjoyed a nice lunch with our dear family before saying our goodbyes.

Boy were we lucky to have both sets of grandparents 

and Aunt Allie in Charlotte with just three weeks notice.

That is dedication!

Even though we were in a new place it immediately felt like home.

We had our family around us and a new ward family that welcomed us with open arms.

It was a wonderful way to set up roots in our new home.

:::

We sure do love this little girl.

It is amazing how children come at a specific time for a specific purpose.

We can already see exactly why Annie was supposed to come when she did.

She has brought a spirit into our home that would not have been possible without her

and at a time when it is definitely needed.

At times I look at her and wonder what she can remember about those moments before she came.

While I was out and about the other day a woman said in her thick southern accent,

"What a pure thing in an evil world."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

She seems so close to God and we can feel it in our home daily.

You are our little sunshine Annie

and we are blessed beyond belief because we get to call you ours.

Meeting Poppy...

One of the great things about our move is that, 

for the first time in our marriage, 

we will live close to the Barkers.

{Well, at least Jim, Ann, Allison and Lizzie.}

D.C. is just six hours north of us.

I arrived in Charlotte Tuesday, June 26 and we blessed Annie in our new ward that Sunday, July 1.

It was the only way we could work things out with all of the transitioning etc.

Luckily, both sets of our parents and Allison were able to be come

The Barkers and my Dad got to Charlotte on Friday.

Jim hand't been able to meet Annie, so first thing

the Barkers came over and Jim met his very first grand daughter.

Pretty stinkin' cute!

While Poppy isn't a huge fan of holding the new babies -

he warmed right up to Annie and held her a number of times.

I am pretty sure Annie loved meeting her Poppy.

We always love getting to hang out with Allison,

my darling twin-in-law.

The trips always seem too short with her.

We love catching up on blog stalking, bachelorette updates, and the like.

Annie was all smiles for her Nana Barker.

Cute little moment right here.

It was absolute mayhem as the movers dropped all of our boxes and furniture off Saturday morning 

but we didn't even mind.

We were just thrilled to have a little family time in between the chaos.

Both the Staples and Barkers helped us open a few boxes, move furniture, 

and get the kitchen ready for move in.

Thank goodness for their helping hands.