So we were in Charleston for a family wedding. I say family although we are not related to any of the wedding party. The Rileys have been a part of our lives since we were little, having crossed paths several times during my dad's military career. Pat and Jane were our guardians, I babysat their kids as some of my first official babysitting jobs, we went on vacations together, they have lake property on the same lake as my parents and we've generally been there for all the major events. When you grow up in the military and your dads fight in a war together, it creates a bond like no other. Their second daughter, Kelsey tied the knot this weekend and we were thrilled to celebrate with them.
Mom, Aaron, Rachael, the kids and I all left for Charleston Friday morning where we picked up Dad and Brandon at the airport. Our next stop was Poogan's Smokehouse for a delicious bbq lunch. They actually had something on the menu called the Meat Sweats...and we ordered it!
Following the gorge of meat, we walked around downtown and let the girls splash in the fountain at Waterfront Park. Grampy of course had to join in.
The hotel provided a nice pool that evening where Patrick was able to splash and play with Anna and Paige. It was fun watching Uncle Brandon and Patrick wrestle all the girls. We moms sure needed the break!
Saturday morning we all met up for a trip over to the USS Yorktown since we were staying in Mt. Pleasant. It was HUGE and had so much to see. Anna wasn't too keen on the heights from the ship deck, but we all enjoyed the different passageways and rooms.
Lunch was just a quick walk past the Marina to Charleston Harbor Fish House. Gotta love some seafood right on the water and a cute boutique to walk through!
The wedding that evening was at a nearby plantation and while the sky dropped buckets of rain during the actual ceremony, the cooler weather and view were terrific. It was such a sweet, worship-filled ceremony with loved ones. All of the girls highly anticipated being at the wedding, so they were thrilled to dress up, get their toes painted and eat yummy food to include chicken and waffle bites with a maple syrup pipette. Their two favorite parts: seeing a dolphin in the marsh and the candy station.
Patrick was sweet enough to take the girls back to the hotel while I stayed to dance and visit. We shut the ceremony down after 11pm! The next morning it was nice to join everybody for brunch before heading home. Paige loved her deep friend cinnamon roll!
Now we've got our feet kicked up and bags unpacks. School is just around the corner for all of us so I'm going to enjoy these last few weeks of summer.
