HHI Beach Portraits

We waited until our very last night during our week in HHI to do our annual beach portraits, so there were no do-overs.  The forecast called for sunny skies, so it seemed like a safe bet.  When we walked out on the beach from between the trees lining our path from the house, we were immediately hit by a wall of wind.  It was by far the windiest evening I have ever experienced on the beach there.  These were not the hair-flattering slight breezes one would welcome for having pictures taken—I think some of these images might look like we’re commentators for The Weather Channel during a hurricane.  We were fortunate to have another washed up tree on the beach (like last year), but the wind just wreaked havoc on our hair, blew air into our clothes or flattened them against us, and definitely got sand in every crevice of my camera and lens. 

Okay, enough of my photographer rant!  These photos are always so special.  It’s fun to look at the photos from each year side by side to see just how much the kids have changed.  Jake was Drew’s size when we first started going to HHI together and Tracy was pregnant with Ivy.  We’re so lucky to have such a wonderful family—on both sides (we’ll get to see our Williams fam by the end of the month)! 

Hilton Head Island Week!

A huge thanks to Nonni and Papa for another week of fun and family bonding in Hilton Head Island!  2017 marks the 5th consecutive year we have spent the week of 4th of July in HHI with my parents and my sister’s family.  We all cherish this time with each other, at one of our favorite vacation spots no less.  Every day life can seem so busy and trips to visit each other have gotten harder and harder to fit in to our kids’ overscheduled lives, so this concentrated week together with everyone on vacation is pure gold. 

We try to fit in a few new activities each year—this year we went to see a super-fun community theater production of Mamma Mia and also biked out of Sea Pines to Duck Donuts—but for the most part each wonderful day consisted of beach time, bike rides, and down time (games, puzzles, crafts, and movies)…plus lots of great food and great cocktails!  One of my favorite weeks of the year!

{in addition to creating tie dyed american flag shirts, the craft this year was painting sand dollars.}

{papa gave each grandkid a flight jacket and they took turns selecting squadron patches.  i had no idea my dad had so many.}

Instagrammin’ in June

With June comes the end of school and the stat of summer.  This year the end of school marked the end of an era for us—8 years of having a kid in elementary school came to an end with Jack wrapping up 5th grade.  Next year we’ll have two middle schoolers!

jack’s last field day | UF women’s tennis won the national champs and my friend angie (who’s son was being recruited by gators basketball) sent her this pic of us with the UF tennis team. | jack received the gold presidential education award. | congrats to jack! | ella’s last day of 7th grade | jack’s official last day of 5th grade | water gun tradition—ella and i soaked jack when he got off the bus. | hangin’ with baden and ilse | go karts! | ilse won. | day spent in greenville on our way to atlanta | ella and jack loved exploring falls park on the reedy. | and goofing around in downtown greenville. | summer adventures are fun. | we visited aunt tracy and cousins drew and ivy in atlanta—they even took us to the six flags water park! | we dropped jack off for another week of davidson soccer camp. | great team with great friends this year at davidson soccer camp | both kids were vbs teen helpers this year! | ella and jack both swam on the swim team, too. | charlotte eagles soccer camp for jack

Girls’ Trip to Charleston: Sunday

My mom, my sister, and I headed to Middleton Place, an 18th century rice plantation right outside Charleston, on Sunday.  While the main house was burned by Union troops at the end of the Civil War, a house remains that used to be the “south flanker” which housed offices but was enlarged in 1870 to be the main residential building.  The gardens and grounds are the real star of this plantation.  They remind me of an English manor house with sprawling forests and gardens, complete with a little cottage by the lake and sheep roaming acres of green grass…just add in some Spanish moss and humidity.  The gardens are apparently the oldest landscaped gardens in America and I believe were modeled after French gardens of the time.  I hope to return one day when the azaleas are in bloom. 

It was such a lovely weekend with my my mom and sister.  What a special way to celebrate my mom’s 70th!  I love these new girls’ weekends we’ve been having—can’t wait to plan the next one!

Girls’ Trip to Charleston: Saturday

To celebrate my mom’s upcoming 70th birthday—and because a girls’ trip with my mom and sister is always a good idea—my mom, sister, and I met for a lovely weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.  On Friday evening in Charleston, we took a food tour, explored the Charleston City Market, spent time in all of the little shops near the Waterfront Park, and walked around the Battery before taking an Uber back to our hotel at the Charleston City Marina (Uber was so easy in Charleston—and a lifesaver a few times!).

My mom, Tracy, and I were up early on Saturday morning to walk down to Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit (a Charleston staple) for breakfast before a historic Charleston walking tour.  We loved the tour.  Our guide took us down the most beautiful side streets and alleyways that I had never seen in Charleston, historic neighborhoods were locals actually live.  I also enjoyed being able just listen to our guide and follow her mindlessly all the while I could just take it all in and take pictures to my heart’s content.  After our tour, we had a delicious lunch at Husk, explored the Charleston City Market again (always such interesting sights there), and then walked up King Street for some more shopping.  We’d had our fill of walking around Charleston by late afternoon, so, after a break back at our hotel, we decided to drive out to Shem Creek for dinner at Vickery’s.  The boardwalks, lowcountry marshland, and shrimp boats are beautiful in that area, and it’s fun to drive over the scenic Ravenel Bridge.   

Instagrammin’ in May

Looks like I had a great month of May!  

my last lunch at school with a kid—jack will join his sister at middle school next year. | mother’s day strawberry picking | and mother’s day family tennis | girls trip!  my mom, sister, and i met for a beautiful weekend in charleston. | callie’s hot little biscuit—yum! | historic walking tour of charleston | rainbow row | husk for lunch | vickery’s for dinner | enjoying the view at shem creek | exploring 18th century rice plantation middleton place | my mom’s the little red speck next to that oak tree—that’s how big it is!

Florida Spring Break: St. Augustine Beach

We ended our spring break week at Nana and PopPop’s house in beautiful St. Augustine Beach where we were lucky enough to spend some time with, in addition to Nana and PopPop, all of the Williams cousins, Aunt Jacqui and Uncle Randy, Aunt Chrissy and Uncle Chris, and—bonus!—Aunt Anita, Uncle Mark, and Grandmom and Grandpop!