Fripp Island. . .

We also go on summer vacation with Brandon's family. Typically we go to the Myrtle Beach/Surfside area. This year we went to Fripp Island. It is close to Beaufort. Brandon's parents wanted to go there because that is where we went for Brynn's 1st beach trip and this was going to be Addie's 1st trip to the beach.

I love going to Fripp because there is absolutely nothing to do. Well, there are some things to do just not normal beach things because it is not commercialized. You just relax and enjoy each other. It actually feels like a vacation.

This year it wasn't just our family and my in-laws going. My mom-in-law's parents came and her niece and her son and her friend. We had a total of 13 people in 1 house. Luckily it was a 2 story house...plenty of room for everyone!

We left our house at 4:45 a.m. Both the girls were wide awake and I was praying they would go back to sleep. Addie eventually did (which was a blessing because she screamed the entire 4 and 1/2 hours home...not fun).

Bright Eyed and Bushy TailedBut not for long

When we got there Brynn went running straight for the beach. We (Brandon, me, the girls, Brent, and April) were out on the beach walking around and I turn around to find my child stripping her clothes off. 1st came the shorts...which was fine. At Fripp, especially this time of year(September) there is no one on the beach. 2nd went the shirt...still fine with it. She was only 3 and can get away with going around without a shirt on. Last came the UNDERWEAR!!! I about had a heart attack but quickly regained my senses and made her put her underwear back on and explained how we NEVER go out of the house NAKED!!!


During the day we played on the beach and looked for sand dollars and shells. This year we even found a few starfish.

Addie carried this shell around the entire time we were on the beach.Sand castle attempt

Each night we would go out on the golf cart and bicycles to look for deer.A neat thing about Fripp is the wild life. The deer will come right up to you and eat out of your hand. The 1st time I went here I didn't believe this was true until I saw it with my own eyes.

We found lots of blue crabs and hermit crabs each time the tide went out. 1 day Brent found a crab hiding under a large rock. He work for about 30 minutes to get it out. It was the biggest crab I have ever seen in my life.

I also saw this crane when Brent was fishing. I nearly walked into it before I realized it was standing there.

We went kayaking 1 afternoon. I could lie and say I had a great time but I won't do that. I obviously am not cut out for outdoor activities. We were gone for an hour. I had blisters on both my hands and 1 popped before we got back. We did see a few dolphins that swam right past us.

Dolphins are near the top left corner

Family shot: Back row:Brent Brandon Brandon's dad Brandon's grandpa Front row: April Brynn Me Addie Brandon's mom Brandon's grandma

We went shopping in downtown Beaufort 1 afternoon. They have a nice downtown area. The boardwalk is absolutely beautiful. I wish I could have spent a few hours with Brandon walking along it and enjoying the nice view!

We had a great time! I hope we go there again next year instead of Myrtle Beach. And, hopefully I got our Christmas card picture!!

Interested in a new Look. . .

Check out this really cool contest. I found this blog from Stacy. I have been reading about this lady's story and her family and I must say I am addicted. So click on the contest link and check it out!

Riverbank Zoo. . .

Each year we make a trip to Riverbank Zoo. We have gone every year since I was pregnant with Brynn. We typically go in May or June. This year we didn't make it until August.


Every year we always plan on getting to the zoo when it opens and it never happens. We usually make it there before lunch. Right when it is starting to get hot. For some unknown reason, this year we ACTUALLY made it to the zoo about 15 minutes after they opened. It was so nice to be there when the animals are 1st coming out. They are alot more active. Another bonus was we beat the heat!!!

We normally skip the area where the merry go round is but this year Brynn spotted it. We rode it twice and she wasn't very happy that we weren't riding it a 3rd time. Lesson Learned !!! When entering the zoo make a right causing the merry go round to be closer to the exit.

Addie and MeUs girls

Brynn went on the pony ride. This is one of her favorite parts. She also feed the lorikeets this year.A funny thing happened while we were feeding the birds. A man that was in there with his daughters started talking to us(me and Brandon's dad). He asked my dad-in-law how old our daughter was. I about had a stroke and I think Brandon's dad did too. He could hardly get his words out. He told the man that Brynn was his granddaughter and I was... I finished his sentence with DAUGHTER IN LAW!!!!!

Brynn wanted to feed the giraffes. We stopped to do that. This is another good part about getting to the zoo early, none of the animals have eaten that much so they are hungry!
Brynn didn't mind that the nasty giraffe tongue was all over her hand, me on the other hand was having a TH moment and quickly brought out the sanitizer! Addie was not a big fan of this hugh animal coming towards her. Hopefully next year she will be more open to the idea.

We made our annual photo op on the tiger.Each year the zoo moves their statues around so it is fun to try to find the new spot.

We skipped the reptile exhibit this year but made it to see the penguins. Some how we also forget about this exhibit. I know why now. You have to walk past the EXTREMELY STINKY FLAMINGOS!!! It was a neat show, you almost forget about the smell until you walk out and it hits you in the face again.

Brynn looking for the penguins

Poor Addie feel asleep about half way through the zoo. She was knocked out.It was a great day spent as a family. I can't wait until next year!!!

Blogging Marathon. . .

If that is what it should be called.

I have somewhat fallen off the blogging bandwagon over the past few months. I have decided to catch up on all the events that have happened that I have not had a chance to blog about.

So pull up a chair and be prepared for a new post every couple of hours until I am caught up!!

Update. . .

Sorry it has been so long since I posted on how my dad is doing.

My dad is home. He came home on Tuesday. The Dr. concluded that the stroke was a result of high blood pressure, his diabetes, and his smoking. He is fine physically…he is having no trouble walking or moving. He is on the other had having trouble with his speech. He can read fine. He can have a conversation with you; it just doesn’t always make sense. He knows what he wants to say, he just can’t always get the right words out. My mom is working with him at home. We are working on getting him in with a speech therapist. This will help him the most because the sessions will last longer and will help him deal with his frustration. It is going to take some time but the Drs. feel like he can make a full recovery.

Thank you to everyone that has prayed for our family over the last week.

Update on my Dad. . .

The Dr. came in tonight with the results from the MRI. My dad has suffered a large stroke on the left side of his brain. The Dr. thinks it happened within the last two weeks.

Tomorrow, more tests will be done to determine how severe the damage is. (Hopefully, I get all of this info right...it all sounds foreign to me) My dad is having an ultrasound on his neck to check for bleeding and/or clots. He is also having a cath ran from his thigh to his brain to look for inflammation, bleeding, or clots. His heart is being monitored and will have an ecocardiogram.

The results from these tests will help determine what route we will have to go on in the recovery process.

Please continue to pray for my dad and especially my mom. I know how hard this has been on me but I can only imagine how difficult it must be for her. Thank you for all your prayers.

PRAYER REQUEST. . .

Please keep my family in your prayers today. My dad was admitted to the hospital last night. I don't really know much right now other than the drs believe he has suffered several mini strokes which may have caused him to have early stages of dementia(sp?). The neurologist is supposed to meet with him this morning. We should know more after that. It has been a rough night for our family. So please prayer for us today.