Brooks Family Vacation Part 2

After leaving Hilton Head, we traveled to meet up with one of Charlie's friends from Furman. He and his family invited us to join them at his parents' house on an island called Dewees, off the coast of Charleston. We had been one other time to Dewees about 4 years prior. It seriously is one of the neatest places on earth to me. Dewees is a nature preserve island that can only be accessed by boat. The only people with access to the island are those who have or are guests of those who have homes on the island. We had such a fun time visiting with our friends and introducing our children to all the nature around them. The beach, of course, feels deserted, like your own private beach. The shells are amazing (we came home w beautiful conch shells, lettered olives, and sandollars). The fishing is incredible. Enjoy the photos of our kids holding the fish (and even a baby shark) that they caught. All the kids were able to catch multiple fish while we were there. I was blessed to catch a huge trout (and as you will see, blessed to eat it a few hours later)! We saw deer, baby raccoons, an alligator, beautiful birds, and petted a blue crab. There is one fire truck on the island. The kids enjoyed exploring it. We had such a wonderful time, and we look forward to hopefully visiting again before too long.

Brooks Family Vacation Part 1

We just returned from a really great family vacation. This really was our first family vacation ever. We didn't go anywhere last year because Charlie had just started his new job. In the years before that, we were always traveling down south for summer beach project with the college students. We kinda counted that as our "vacation", but it never felt like a true vacation. Part 1 of our vacation was Hilton Head Island! It was a lot of fun. I had been to Hilton Head once before for a very brief trip, but Charlie had never been at all. It felt like a new adventure for us. Enjoy pictures of the kids at the beach, on our dolphin boat cruise (we saw lots of dolphins), and with my childhood friend Sally. Sally is a police officer there on the island. The kids loved seeing her office, and Coleman specifically requested seeing her police car!

Spartanburg and Beach Trip

The kids and I just returned from a trip to Spartanburg and then to Myrtle Beach with my family. We had a great time. It was nice to have a few days in Spartanburg before heading to the beach. We got to visit with Greatmama multiple times (I forgot to take pics). Also, Jane took the kids and I to Chuck E. Cheese (fogot to take pics there as well). It was a treat visiting family. I love that Gami's house feels private enough to run around the yard in your underwear (well at least for those 5 and under)

The kids with Mr. Turtle. I found him on my walk one morning and brought him home to show the kids.

What a wonderful treat is was to see Minnesota friends! Maddux and Sophie were visiting family nearby. We had to have a play date. The girls pretty much picked up where they left off. It was a really sweet visit.

After Spartanburg, we headed to the beach for a week. The first half of the week was spent with my sister and aunts. At midweek my aunts left and Gami and Papa Phil came. All in all it was a great week. The weather was really good. I got to see Kaye and her boys. The place we stayed was nice (although unfortunately for this pregnant body, it was up 4 flights of stairs). The only low point was when my car broke down. But, with the help of some family friends, we quickly got it to a shop and fixed. Enjoy the beach pics. Thank you Aunt Laura for bringing your nice camera.

I will leave you all with a couple "Callie originals." She enjoyed bringing her camera to the beach and taking her own pictures.