Southern Sensations

We made it back to the south. Though I must say our time was quite brief. But, in the four weeks we were in Charleston, South Carolina, we were able to have some fun and work with some incredible people.

Justin was partnered up with another IM at this location. They were expecting mass chaos. When we arrived, the restaurant was filled with so many loving people who welcomed all of us into their store. They were kind and loving and so eager to learn.

Justin and I spent some time seeing the sights around the area. We drove over to Folly Beach one evening just before sunset and walked the beach. It was too chilly for swimming and laying out, but perfect for a walk. And depending on which one of us you ask, our first date was spent walking along the beach.

What is the point of visiting Charleston if you don't stop by a few sights of The Notebook? Exactly, none! We took a Sunday afternoon tour of Boone Hall Plantation. The Avenue of the Oaks was breathtakingly beautiful! The house was Allie's summer vacation home from the movie. I was slightly disappointed to know that the house was built quite recently in comparison to the plantation. We also got to see the water where Noah and Allie went swimming! The plantation also included 9 original slave cabins and the wedding site of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

Thanksgiving was excellent! Thanks to the amazing supervisor at our hotel she upgrade both of the rooms we had booked to two bed room suites so all of our family could stay together! We were so grateful! Jesse, my parents, and my aunt and uncle were all able to travel to us for the holiday. We combined both of the kitchen tables into one room and made one large dining room table.

The day after Thanksgiving, we took a downtown historic carriage ride on the waterfront. We had so much fun and got to see so many beautiful houses. Our tour guide also told us that the first shot of the Civil War was by accident. Apparently a sneezed caused a soldier to fire the first shot, and hence started the Civil War. Crazy!

We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to stall so that we could all try a seafood restaurant that is supposed to be the best in all of Charleston. Online it said that people started lining up at 4:30 outside of the building just so that they could get in before they ran out of food. We figured that it must be good if people were lining up that early. No one in our group was impressed with the food, though the sunset was pretty.

Sunday, it was just us and our parents. And though we had planned every single minute of the time our family would be in town, we somehow forgot to take into account that the Sunday after Thanksgiving the interstates would be packed! Of course, we didn't realize the crisis until we were in the car for over an hour and began to pull across the bridge where we could see nothing except for unending miles of traffic at a complete standstill. At this point, it was too late, so we proceeded to Savannah, Georgia.

My Dad's face pretty much sums up the car ride.

We also wanted to go to Paula Deen's Lady and Sons Restaurant, and now we have. The food was okay. Nothing to rave about, but we got to check it off our bucket list!

We also did a bit of exploring the water front and took some pictures by the Forsyth Park Fountain.

By now you should know that where there are traveling Belchers, chaos is sure to follow. About a mile down the road, after we had left the park, Mom decides she wanted to show me a picture on her phone. Her phone was nowhere to be found. So, Justin whipped the car around and floored it back to the park. He let my dad, his dad, and myself out of the car on the opposite side of the park, so we could get to the place where mom and been sitting earlier. I went dashing across the park and get to the spot where she had been. I started questioning everyone around the area. There was a family who had seen a man take the phone. I thought, "Great that's it. The phone is gone." I darted around the corner, looking for the man that they had described, and there he was, holding Mom's phone. Before I could even ask him for the phone, he realized what I was there for and handed it back. He had been in the process of calling my Dad's cell to see if he could return it. Just when you begin to think the world is becoming void of good people, you find a good Samaritan.

The time with our family passed way too quickly. Before we knew it everyone had gone home, and we were left in our empty hotel room packing for our next adventure.