In my mind I'm going to Carolina...

Although I've grown to love Kentucky, "home" to me is always going to be South Carolina. My Mom is in SC, my high school friends are in SC, and it's where I grew up...thus - it's home. Unfortunately, because it is SO FAR AWAY - I don't get to go very often (as in until recently it had been over 2 years since II had been there). I've been to the beach each summer which is close, but I've not actually stayed with my Momma and been to see friends in over 2 years which just boggles my mind - it's crazy really. With the way my work schedule had been (M, W, F) it was virtually impossible to make it down there and usually for holidays we all meet in the middle so I never quite made it down until a couple of weeks ago. My big sister Melissa is on maternity leave and she and I decided that since my schedule allows me to take a long weekend and since she is off on leave - we'd go together. Once we picked the time we'd go, we both contacted our friends and planned when we could get together, but mostly we wanted to just spend time with Mom. It was a crazy trip down which included a broken GPS, rain almost the whole way and a minor fender bender (no one was injured thankfully) so needless to say I was more than thrilled when I stopped in Charlotte to pick Melissa up and she offered to drive. Hallelujah! We were a bit apprehensive about all three kiddos fitting in the back of my Jeep, but fit they did:

I always wondered if Tim and I added to Team Taylor would we have room in our present vehicle and now I know ~ we most certainly would. Now...packing all their gear for any trip longer than a few days (jury's still out because holy moly at the stuff):

Kennedy proved to be an excellent paci-putter-inner and Declan was thankful:

The fair was in town while we were there and my Mom really wanted to take Kennedy. This was Kennedy's first experience with a fair this size, but let me just tell you that intimidated she WAS NOT - she was ALL ABOUT IT! This was her first ride and oh.my.word.the.joy!

We went pretty early so she virtually walked right up and onto each ride of her choice. It was so funny watching her because she'd basically finish with one ride, then go sprinting to another ride while we all tried to keep up behind her. I kept telling her not to run off like that but then the excitement would just overtake her and she'd do it over again. Thankfully, because the crowd was slim when we went it wasn't too big of a deal and we mostly just laughed at how exhilarating it all was for her. Oh to be 4 again!

She tried her first elephant ear and fair corn dog. Melissa and I decided there seems to be no future fear of "carnies" in her future as she took to each ride operator as if they were family. God love all those people - they could have been the stereotypical minimum wage worker - agitated by their job and life in general, but they weren't. Most of them acted as if it was opening night and would hold her hand and ask her which car, animal or swing she wanted to sit in as if it was their life's work not only to make her happy but make it the best experience EVER! As a Mom - you just appreciate that kind of attention and attitude. Now, I can't say if they really were excited about their job or if they were just smitten by her fair permagrin. Either way, I don't really care -I'm just thankful because she had a blast. She was asleep before leaving the fair ground parking lot.

I have not been to the fair in FOREVER before this and let me just tell you it was some excellent people watching - excellent I tell you. I must confess that for some reason I kept envisioning the scene from Joe Dirt where he operates the fair ride. Do y'all remember that? Well, if you don't: no worries....for your viewing pleasure -

I know right? Bahahahahah - it kept making me laugh while I was there. Hee hee hee........

I got some excellent snuggle time with my one and only nephew Declan. Seriously - look at that handsome mug!

Most of the snuggles were reserved for Honey - oh how my kids love her and oh how I love that they love her - there's just nothing like family. Because our time together is always so limited, it's just precious.

Melissa and I got to visit with some of our Charleston friends while we were home. Crispin met us for breakfast one morning at the IHOP. Kudos to him - he braved breakfast with two women and three children and he is newly married with no children so that's something to brag about in my opinion!

I got together with several of my girlfriends from high school too. Every time I go home I make a point to see these girls. I'm so thankful that we have stayed friends all these years. We've been friends since middle school. I switched from private to public school in 7th grade and that is when I met these girls so that is over 20 years (that is insane - I kept re-calculating that in my head thinking I had to have messed up...nope, just gettin' old!) We've obviously matured, married and had kids but the friendships have stayed the same and I'm so grateful for that! Kaye isn't pictured here unfortunately because she'd already left for the night but pictured are Jennifer, Kelly and Casey. Kaye and Kelly don't have children so it was a bit high octane for them I'm sure, but I'm glad they joined in the chaos because I loved getting to catch up with them.

All our kiddo's. It was an act of God (and bribery with Halloween candy)  that they all sat still for this.

Just us gals!

After Jennifer and Casey posted the above pictures on Facebook I just kept thinking about how long we'd all been friends and in lieu of my reminiscing (Kennedy and Jackson) in my last posting I decided it would be fun to try to find some old pictures of us girls. Well, let me just say first that I have always been a big scrapbooker so I knew right where to go to find old pictures. My "scrapbooking" hasn't always been fancy though -

Oh my word - it had been a long time since I'd opened that scrapbook and it gave me lots of laughs and smiles. I think the main picture there was taken at a Beta (honors society) club event our freshman year? I'm in the red dress. To my left is Kelly and to my right are Jennifer and Kaye. Below that big picture and in the middle is a cut out picture of Casey and I. I know you're lovin' that vest and pant combo I'm rockin' - just let my Mom know because I think she sewed it: aww yeeeahhh! I'm not sure who of all my friends reads this blog but Kelly and Jennifer if y'all read this: I love your hair in your high school yearbook pictures! Ha! 

Once visiting with friends was done it was all Honey time from there on out....just what Kennedy wanted clearly:

Declan too (nobody can rock a colic hold like a Grandma and don't you forget it!)

I may have had to shake a maraca and act like a crazy idiot to get them all to look...of course my Mom isn't. Oh well - I tried! =)

oh, but wait for it...wait for it - Yes! Score Mommy/Aunt Lindsy! Totally frame worthy.....

There was absolutely NO way we were going to make trip down South and not see Kennedy's other cousins. She kept asking..."Mom, we are going to see Catherine and Maggie, right?" I may have answered that question 242 times or at least like 10 - she LOVES those girls. We broke up the trip on the way home with a night stay in Winston to see my other sister and the girls.

We tried to rise as early as humanly possible and get ready for our drive home on Halloween day - we were desperately trying to make it in time for trick-or-treat and clearly from my last post - we made it. I wanted a few pictures of the girls in their festive outies but Avery was the only cooperative one. She's a pretty cute cooperative one though:

Not sure when I'll get to make another trip home, so I'm so thankful we were able to make this one. I had so much fun getting to just be home. Hopefully it won't be two years before I return ;)