HILLYARD HAPPINESS

I feel so fortunate to live amongst so much history right now. It's literally right at my fingertips, and I should probably be taking much greater advantage of it all while we are still here. So this weekend I had a fun photoshoot with the cutest family and their sweet little newborn. They had suggested Drayton Hall as a location and I was all about it -- gave me the perfect excuse to explore somewhere new! It was a pretty cloudy day with a high chance of rain, but we decided to brave it and prayed the rain would hopefully hold off for us. Luckily, not a single drop fell from those big grey clouds overhead. The grounds were so beautiful (especially that pond, wow) and the air was just slightly brisk. We walked down to the Ashley River and strolled through the giant oak trees, the spanish moss swaying in the breeze. After exhausting them all with pictures (and chasing their little toddler everywhere ha!) we stuck around to tour the mansion. I love how classic and simple the layout of these historic homes are, yet the architecture and embellishments on the insides are so incredible. The house was built in the mid 1700's and was passed through SEVEN generations before the property was finally turned over to the hands of the preservation society, with the most important request that the house would remain in it's original condition and always be available for the public to experience. So many intriguing stories are held within these walls and while I have never considered myself to be a history buff of even the slightest degree, those darn tour guides always suck me in. I imagined the lives that occurred in each room as the antique wooden floors creaked beneath my feet. (What I would give to have those amazing floors AND that grand staircase in my future house) What was life like for them and even more so for the dozens of slaves who lived there. Wouldn't it be so crazy cool to have a time machine?? The guide talked about the formal greetings, the business deals, the fancy dinners and balls that most likely took place here, as well as the door frame that held nearly a hundred markings of children's names and heights as they grew. Unlike most other historical museums, the entire house was empty and completely lacking furniture (for preservation purposes). But supposedly the society is developing a digital rendering of the what they might expect the interior to have looked like when it was furnished. Super cool stuff. I have a feeling I would get really into genealogy if I made more time for it, because I genuinely love learning about life in the past. I must get that from my sweet grandma who lives and dies by family history :) Well, if you ever have the chance to visit Drayton Hall or any of the other plantations in Charleston, definitely do it. You won't regret it.

It's the third day of December today and I think fall has FINALLY found us. I was feeling really bummed watching the leaves change everywhere else, thinking fall was never going to happen here. That somehow all of the trees would go straight from green to brown. I've always been a summer lovin girl, but the past couple of years it seems, I have found myself absolutely loving fall. Especially after making it through the summer here, the fall weather is seriously a dreeeeam. And this time of year is jam packed with holidays, which is obviously the best. Just over the past week or so, the colors have basically exploded! I am loving every second of my morning drive to work, winding through the forest of beautiful leaves on my way off base. This afternoon I stepped outside with Libby for a few minutes and had to snap some pics of this tree behind our house, because...well just look at it! It's on fire right now! So so pretty. It felt good to sit and soak in the sun for a minute and just breathe. We are at a really funky time in our lives right now. A whole lot of waiting and uncertainty and frustration going on at the moment, but I'm feeling pretty lucky to have this girl to keep me laughing (and cozy haha she's such a cuddle bug) while Landon is working his butt off haha. Good things are coming, I just know it. Also really looking forward to my visit to Utah for Christmas! It's been almost a year and a half since I've been back. I am so excited to see sweet family and friends I have missed so much since we moved. AND there better be snow! ha Let the countdown begin :)

Our first go around with this crazy southern humidity has been a real treat. It has been soooo hot the past few weeks that we only leave the house when we have to and instead have been spending hours studying for the PE exam together. I guess that is probably a good thing since it has helped us to stay semi-focused, but being cooped up inside just gets old and it was about time we got outside for a few hours. Our sweet friends passed along their state park pass to us, so off to Huntington State park we went. The park is full of wildlife (okay.. birds and gators mostly), has a nice campground, and of course the beach. And yes - it was the same old story. Libby is STILL terrified of water. Everyone watches as we try to coax her into the waves with food, and then she darts back out of the water the second she sees a wave headed her way. We just keep hoping that one day she will realize how much cooler it is in the water haha! It was so hot and humid the moment we stepped out of the car, I honestly didn't think we would even last 30 minutes, but as we walked out onto the beach, we caught a nice cool breeze and we were in heaven! The water temperature was even somewhat cool (still like 80 degrees haha) but we both caught a few waves on the boogie board and had a great time just basking in the sun. And that's that. A Saturday well spent with my loves! Here's to cooler temperatures and lots of rain (hurricane season) in the months to come! Missing all of you back home so much lately! XO Someone needs to come visit us! haha.
SaveSave

Happy Birthday to the sweetest puppy around! Libby makes us laugh on the daily and completely lights up our world. We may have had a pretty rough start--so rough that your daddy almost sent you back (I was not happy ha) but he finally put on his big boy pants and let you stay. And now I don't think he would ever go back to change his mind. He loves you so much. He also loves to tease you...

You moved across the country with us and even potty trained in hotel parking lots--haha! I just can't believe how much you have grown since the day we brought you home. I am so glad we captured so many of your sweet little puppy moments. I've probably watched this little video more than a dozen times already--and it makes my heart melt every single time. You bring so much happiness to us and our world. We love you Libby.