We are back in DC

We had a great time in Charleston and Kiawah- even though we got a rained on most of the day on Saturday. So with the rainy day- our first stop was to see the Hunley submarine from the Civil War. Kerry and I decided that the first crew of this submarine were definitely adventurous (no good oxygen supply, VERY small space, bad crash/sinking record and a whole list of other things working against them). Here is Kerry in the replica- the crank was the sub’s ‘power’:

Kerry attempted to fit through the porthole. I think that the 9 men crew were all under 5′ 7 and must have weighed 100 pounds. And, no- I did not even attempt to try- I was on photo duty:

Next rainy day stop was Fort Moltrie on Sullivan’s Island (we got a nice view on Fort Sumter too):

To finish off out unofficial military history tour of Charleston (and it was still raining), we opted to tour the USS Yorktown and Patriots Point since most of it was inside. Kerry had never been on an aircraft carrier (his Army experience did not include large boats).

And, he found the Captain’s chair:

On Patriots Point, there was a modern submarine that we walked through. It definitely had more space than the Civil War version but the tight space and hatch doors were not great for me.

After all the walking and touring, we went back to Kiawah and enjoyed a nice Italian Valentine’s Day dinner in a restaurant completely to ourselves.

Sunday we forgot to take pictures when Amy and Dan came to visit! Amy, Dan and I went to Colorado State together and they are currently living in Myrtle Beach, SC. It was great to see them and we are hoping to see them in Denver this summer. We hope their moving plans stay on schedule!

Even though it was VERY windy- I did get a photo of Kerry on the beach.

Today, we just headed back home and now it is sinking in that we have to return to work tomorrow. Only 6 more weeks until Baby V’s official due date!

Friday

We wore ourselves out the last two days in South Carolina! (Sadly, we are back at Casa de Kaine at 8pm on a Friday night making a blog posting and watching Law & Order). Yesterday, we arrived on Kiawah Island and were very happy with the 70 degree weather and the bright blue sky. Last night, we took a fun ghost tour with Mike from the Old Charleston Walking Tours. We did not see any ghosts but Charleston is pretty haunted and there were some fun stories we learned along the way. One of the local churches must not find it amusing that people look for ghosts in their graveyard because they have posted this sign:

Then today, we took a harbor cruise around Charleston and out to Fort Sumter- still enjoying the lovely 70 degree weather. If you are in Charleston- Fort Sumter is definitely work the trip!

(33 weeks, 1 day pregnancy picture)

Of course, there was some silly moments.

Then we went back to Charleston and wandered around town. We visited the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon and learned that it is one of three of the most historically significant buildings in the U.S. Number one is Faneuil Hall in Boston (went there over the summer) and second is Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

We may have gotten a little too much sun today. But, tomorrow is another busy vacation day!

We are nerds

And, we both are okay with it. Kerry and I both love history, playing tourist and exploring cities. We even spent our honeymoon touring around Boston (we had already spent a week lounging on the beach at Sanibel). While in Boston, we walked everywhere (with our tour book hidden in my purse), went to historic sites and towns, ate at tucked away places and just really enjoyed the city. And, we are about to go explore another city- Charleston here we come. Here are a few things already on the agenda:

We are taking a tour of the Hunley submarine- used during the Civil War by the Confederates. More history here:

We are taking a cruise around Charleston Harbor and visiting Fort Sumter:

Also, we will be seeing Amy and Dan (friends of mine from college- Kerry met them a few years ago when we were in Wilmington)! let us know if you have suggestions on restaurants, things to do or places to see!

Oh, and we are staying on Kiawah so hopefully the weather stays nice so we can get some walks on the beach.

The Recliner

The new recliner/glider/rocker is now in the house. It was convenient that it arrived right before the two football games today- Kerry decided to keep it in the living room for a few hours to ‘break it in’ and ‘make sure it was comfortable.’ It was football, chili, a fire in the fireplace and a recliner and he was completely happy.

The chair did get moved back to the nursery but Kerry had to make sure it was still comfortable.

And, I promised several people I would post a profile picture of my expanding middle. No laughing allowed. I have 10 1/2 weeks left!

It has been a pretty quiet weekend at the house due to the Inauguration and not being able to easily get around town so we do not have a whole lot to update. In a few weeks we head to Charleston and so far we have plans for a ghost tour, a tour of the Hunley submarine and a trip to Fort Sumter. Let us know if you have any other suggestions!

Two trips to Charleston

In January- Mom, Leigh and I will be going to Charleston, West Virginia for a weekend away to celebrate Mom’s birthday. We have been talking about going there and visiting Blenko Glass for several months and decided January would be a great time! I have only driven through Charleston (one winter on the way back to college in Colorado and huge snowstorm detoured me through Charleston) so it will be fun to explore and celebrate Mom’s birthday.

And, according to Trip Advisor- they have a great art and science museum, a weekend flea and farmers’ market and outstanding Indian Food! If you have visited- let us know what we should add to our list.

Then, Kerry and I will be going to Charleston, South Carolina for an extended President’s Day weekend. According to the weather experts, it should be in the 60s and that is perfect weather for us to play tourist for five days.

We will be touring historic Charleston and Fort Sumter and the rest of the trip is up in the air! Looking forward to your recommendations!