And a Kiley visits...

Yes, you read it correctly. We had our first Kiley visit and we loved every minute of it. Grandma Cece decided to come and hang out with us this fall around Halloween. She got the "full meal deal" of small town life too. Friday both Anna and Gavin had Fall parties at their schools. In the morning we went with Anna's preschool class to the pumpkin patch. We learned all about how pumpkins grow, got to pick our own, and went through a little corn maze. We finished off the morning with Halloween cupcakes...yummm!



The future Mr. and Mrs. Shane Nelson couldn't be separated.



Then it was on to Clinton Elementary for their red ribbon day parade (quite tragic as parades go I might add). But we did get to see the Presbyterian College cheerleaders. Sorry, no pictures of them. After the parade Gavin's class had a "Fall" party. Let me be the one to say it out loud...When did Halloween become not politically correct? Let's start a revolution. Bring back the Halloween party!

Well, not to be out done, Clinton High School's homecoming was that weekend and they had their homecoming parade late that afternoon. It was a candy fest for the kids. Back in the day, we used to have our "pre-kickers" before we'd go out partying, well, the kids got their pre-kickers to trick or treating with this parade. Oh, and with Presbyterian's Halloween party for the kids. Anna participated in a contest I have never seen the likes of. They hung two donuts from strings and people would compete to see who could get the donut off their string first (hands behind back). Well, Anna and Shane, her future husband, decided they wanted to try it. Donut icing all over their faces, they were in heaven. Again, no camera. Grrr.

So,as you can tell, Cece got a real snapshot of the small town life we are living and the small house we are living in. She even got to go to probably one of the smallest Catholic churches ever, too, in Joanna, a little hamlet just outside of Clinton. But before she left for mass we got the kids ready for trick or treating.

Here's Anna Mae as a pirate.



And Gavin as Darth Vader.



The kids loved having their Cece there.



The Halloween crew arrived right before it started to rain. We got a quick picture and off we went.



By the time Cece got back from mass it was a pure down pour and the kids were home crying in their Halloween bags from lack of candy. Oh,lest I forget, and we need to give a shout out to their generous cousins, Jacob and Ella for sending Gavin and Anna some of their candy later in the week. What sweeties!

We all had such a great time with Grandma Cece and can't wait for her to come back and visit us again. So what Kiley is going to grace our door next? Hmmmm...

Gamewright Games Winner!

Via Random.org the following comment was drawn:

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Here is your random number:

04

Timestamp: 2009-11-08 21:15:30 UTC

Comment #4 is:

mytwogirls said...

"I think Frog juice looks really fun.."

Congratulations mytwogirls!

Deers and Alligators and Loggerheads, oh my!

Question: What did we do on my 43rd birthday back in September?

Answer: We took a trip to Fripp...Fripp Island, South Carolina.

It's about half way between Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. According to Wikipedia, Fripp Island is often seen as an alternative, affordable, and less "touristy" destination compared with its large neighbor Hilton Head Island. Fripp has garnered national attention as a leading beach destination in South Carolina. It still remains relatively uncrowded in comparison to Hilton Head and commercial activity is heavily restricted. The most seaward of the South Carolina Sea Islands, Fripp Island is known for its scenic beauty and island resort amenities.

Being used to the pristine white beaches of the gulf coast of Florida, we weren't quite charmed by the natural beauty of the beaches right away. But as our little holiday progressed we became more intrigued with the primitive quality of the beaches and coasts. The entire island is comprised of a Bird and Game Sanctuary. Wildlife and bird populations include alligators, deer, raccoons, egrets, heron, and osprey. And we saw them all...some very closely.



The deer on the island was plentiful. They were all over the place. I swore that one morning I was going to step out onto the screened in porch to find the deer with a sign around it's neck saying, "Will work for food".



Most of our time was spent exploring the island on the golf cart and trying to see if we could figure out where Pat Conroy lived. In doing so we discovered all the places where we could go swimming. Our favorite place was where there were three pools, a hot tub, a pool side bar (not opened at the time...Newman!), a beach area for the kids to play while we, in theory, drank adult beverages and it overlooked the ocean. It was idyllic.



Gavin got some golf lessons from Papa. We lounged around and enjoyed the view.



The beach was more a place for us to explore than to sunbathe and swim on. Although, I'd say give us a few times of vacationing there and we'd figure out the tidal system well enough to work that out.



The kids loved it and the pictures show it.



But the highlight of the trip came at our last evening there. The Fripp Island community is very committed to the protection of the loggerhead turtles. Each spring the Loggerhead Turtle comes in from the sea to dig her nest in the soft sands on Fripp Island. The Fripp Island Turtle Nest Protection program insures that the nests are protected from predators and that the hatchlings make their way back home to the ocean. We were fortunate to be able to witness the volunteers checking a loggerhead's nest three days after the eggs were to have hatched. Many times there are hatchlings that don't make their way out of the nest because of debris or unhatched eggs keeping them in the sand. The volunteers check the nests around the time of hatching and look for "flipper prints" in the sand, signs of the tiny turtles making their way back to the ocean. Then three days later volunteers will open the nest to see if any got left behind.

When we were there the volunteers discovered four loggerhead hatchlings that hadn't been able to get out on their own. So we got to help them! Actually, Anna Mae got to help them. After the volunteers let the turtles get a feel for the sand, they chose children who were watching to help carry them to the ocean's edge to let them go back home. Anna decided she wanted to name her turtle "Gavin" because Gavin had to leave earlier that day with Patrick to go back to school.



I even got to get some of Gavin, the baby loggerhead turtle's homecoming on video. Not the best sound quality but it was exciting for us. We were all surprised by how strong the three day old loggerhead turtle was. You might wonder who is the crazy lady talking in the back...uh, that's me...sounding crazy.




So all in all, Fripp was a wonderful place to just relax. Not much to do but that. If we go in the summer they have day camps for the kids (hint hint) and more opportunities I'm sure for adult beverages. But I loved the fact that it wasn't a commercial place but just homes and condos to take in God's handiwork, a game of golf, a few sets of tennis, build a sand castle or two...oh, and save some turtles too.