South Carolina

Ryan and I haven't even been married for six months and we've already taken our first separate vacations! Ryan loves spending Super Bowl weekend in Vegas and I'm tired of taking the same vacation over and over, so he went off for a boy's weekend that ended up being a combo of his birthday, a bachelor party, and the big game. I decided to go somewhere new and made plans to spend the weekend with our friend's Hailey and Teddy in Charleston, South Carolina. Hailey and I met while working together on The Hill a few years ago. We ended up having a girl's weekend because Teddy, her husband, is in med school and was glued to his books for about 90% of the weekend. Poor guy! I know he's going to be an amazing doctor though, so it was worth it.

The weekend was wonderful! Charleston is beautiful and so full of history. You all know how much I love history; I was in heaven!

We started our day with a good southern breakfast at Hominy Grill: cinnamon french toast with pecan butter and apple butter syrup and biscuits with jam. Yum! The day started a little drizzly, but that was ok. After breakfast, we spent a few hours on the most fabulous tour: Alphonso Brown's Gullah Tour. The Gullahs are a segment of the African diaspora. During the slave trade, the islands off the coast of South Carolina, Sullivan Island in particular, were like the equivalent of Ellis Island in New York. Many ships stopped at the islands first so the Africans could be examined for diseases before they were sold. On these islands, and in some areas on the continent, Africans were able to maintain much of their culture and language. In fact, the Gullah language, which is a combination of African languages, Creole, and English, is an official language. Our tour guide taught us quite a few phrases while driving us through the streets of Charleston highlighting the African, African American, and general history of Charleston. He truly is an expert. This was Hailey's first time on the tour and loved it as much as I did, even though she has lived in South Carolina for about ten years.

One of the highlights of the tour was learning about Philip Simmons, the world famous blacksmith, who is responsible for hundreds of the beautiful gates on the beautiful homes in Charleston. His talent and his humble nature are simply astounding.

Here are a few more highlight photos from the trip including the pineapple fountain, rainbow row, Fort Moultrie, and Fort Sumter in the background. Did I mention Hailey's a photographer? That would be why these pictures are awesome!

We had so much yummy food throughout the weekend, went to a bunch of galleries featuring local art, when on a sunny run right along the water, and walked all over Charleston taking in all the sites and history. It was such a wonderful weekend!