We miss you so much, babe!

We drove up to Pennsylania yesterday with my cousin Betsy and stopped in Chambersburg, where she’s spending the week with her sister, Laurie.  The kids and I stayed overnight with Laurie and Jon too, who are currently living with Jon’s parents while they finish renovating their pre-Civil War era house in downtown Chambersburg.  Judah and Amie loved meeting the litter of kittens, picking apples (although not so much eating the apples), and spinning on the tire swing. I love spending time with my cousins.

Some friends let us use their hunting property outside of Barnwell, SC, this weekend.  It’s a huge piece of land with a cabin on it that Judah calls “the lodge.”  I overheard him explain to a new acquaintance that we would be spending the weekend at a lodge with lots of animals sliced up and glued to the walls. All of my family was able to convene for a couple days of fun.  We brought lots of food and games and cake to celebrate Mom’s birthday, and didn’t have to leave the property at all.  As you’ll see from the photos there was plenty to do and the kids wanted…

On Sunday we stopped in St. Augustine, FL, for a few hours on the way home.  This port city has a special place in our hearts because it’s where we spent part of our honeymoon.  Nine years later, we stopped at a French bakery for chocolate croissants and roamed the streets, showing the kids where we ate our first fancy dinner out as a married couple. St. Augustine is completely charming, a smaller, more laid back version of Charleston or Savannah with more of a European feel.  There were several parts of it that reminded us of Sri Lanka. We took a tour of the Castillo San Marcos fort, one…

We joined my parents at New Smyrna Beach, Florida for a few days this weekend.  We spent lots of time on the beach, ate some great seafood, and loved watching our kids soak it all in.

I stopped eating gluten and dairy at the beginning of April and was a little nervous about vacation, but we found this organic, vegan cafe just outside Charleston (on Yelp of course) and it was a hit with the whole family. This is my gluten/dairy-free Mediterranean platter.  Yum! Lazy Sunday evening on the balcony We brought food with us for breakfast and lunch and ate dinners out.  Poe’s Tavern and Taco Mamacita on Sullivan’s Island are two of our faves.  And I was pleasantly surprised with all their gluten and dairy-free options (man, being gluten-free in America is downright easy!). “The girls,” by Amie Poor Judah got really sick halfway into…

A friend has generously let us use her family’s beach condo for a long-weekend-getaway.  David surprised me with the news and it’s perfect timing . . . especially after a long week of Amie and me being sick.  We’re soaking up the sun, the quiet, and lots of family time.

Toward the end of our trip up north we got a warning for a snow storm, so we all spontaneously decided to head for the West Virginia mountains to get the full experience of being “snowed in” for a day or two. We stayed at the lodge at Blackwater Falls State Park in Davis, WV, and it was wonderful.  Right on top of a mountain, perfectly quiet with few guests, indoor swimming pool, and the steadily falling snow. I loved looking out all day at the white world. We stayed two nights and a great time was had by all. Sadly I got sick the day we went and spent…