Andrews Birthday

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The very first full day that we were in Fresno (way back at the beginning of June !!!) we celebrated Andrews 34th birthday! As usual we had a BBQ at the Smiths house with our closest family and friends. Some of the pictures aren't the greatest. Oh well!

Stace and Mary. A couple of my favorite girls in the world!


 The Reeds. Brother Josh...always classy.


 Little Miss Kate with crazy hair.


The cousins playing with choo-choos in the newly titled "train room".


Grill Master KC and the birthday boy. (Andrew actually did the majority of the cooking that night. Happy birthday babe!)


The gang chatting. David being a ham.


 Brother and sister doing kitchen prep.


Silliness with David.


The Akina girls playing calmly.


Jonah and his truck. 


As always, it was a laid back evening with the people we miss the most. A great way to start our trip!

Charleston, SC (2)

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Are we still talking about Charleston? Wasn't that forever ago? Hasn't a lot happened since then? Yes, yes, and yes. But, since we use this blog as our family "yearbook" as well as sharing with others, then I feel a need to be complete. So....let's finish it off shall we?!

Later in the week (of our trip to Kiawah Island) we headed back to Charleston to see a bit more. Here are some pics from our second day there.

We made sure to take a few pics at the "slave market" since it is still a thriving part of the town and we had gone through it on our previous jaunt in the city. (btw...Back in the day slaves did their shopping there, they were not purchased there themselves. phew!) This in the entrance to the market which begins under the Daughters of the Confederacy building.


We went back to the Circular Church that we passed on our carriage ride before. It is the oldest church in town, and has a really cool graveyard that houses the oldest known grave in the city. (Both the church and the grave are from the 1600's. The church from the late 1600's and the grave was there prior to that in the earlier 1600's. The oldest grave is the dome shaped one. )

 
 
 

We had to give Jonah a little time behind bars while we were. Just kidding! (Though we maybe should have, since he was kind of a pill during this part.)


We had lunch at a great BBQ place on King Street. (Menu: Pimento cheese burger and fried green tomatoes for me with a vodka sweet tea lemonade, and mac and cheese and pulled pork for Andrew)


Then we walked King Street for a bit to check out the shops and architecture.

 

  I thought Andrew should have taken home this fetching suit, but, no deal. (I really do love southern gentlemen fashion. Soooo unlike Fresno!!)