What a week!

This past week my sister Shelbee came out to visit. Scott was out of town the majority of the time on training for work so it was nice to have some company. While Shelbee was here we played "tourist" and attempted to see many of the sites downtown Charleston has to offer. With all of Charleston's history I really wished I would have paid more attention in history class. Or at least tried to commit a little more to memory. The slide show above may be a little longer than normal but we really saw some cool stuff. This is also a preview of the fun you can have if you come and visit us. :) We had 80 degree weather the entire time. It was perfect! Where we went and what we saw:

Downtown Charleston: The city is beautiful with a ton of pre-civil war homes lining the streets. We took a horse-drawn carriage tour to see everything in a nutshell. After our tour we hit the Market. The Market is full of different vendors selling their crafts, merchandise, etc. In the old days the slaves would come here to sell their wares. It's fun to walk around and check everything out. While we were at the Market it just so happened that Bill Clinton showed up in the streets. I guess he was there on some campaigning gig for Hillary. Though I don't I'll vote for Hillary, I can't pass up a good opportunity to see and/or meet someone famous no matter who they are. I weaseled my was throught the craw and got close enough to take a few pictures and shake his hand! Now I can add that to shaking hands with Vice President Chaney at the Jackson Hole 4th of July Parade. To end the day we walked around town and found a place to have dinner. We then went to the James Island Light Festival which was unlike anything I've ever seen before. Tons of lights everywhere! You can even stop and park halfway through to roast marshmellows and drink hot chocolate.

Calhoun Mansion & S.C. Aquarium: The reason we chose to tour the Calhoun Mansion is because it was used in the filming of "The Notebook." Also not to mention the fact that it is 24,000 square feet and has 36 rooms and 36 fireplaces!!! This place was amazing. Because it is a private residece, we could not take photos inside. The owner bought it for between $4-$5 million 4 years ago. Crazy! The aquarium proved to be great fun for all of us. My favorite was the huge 45 foot tank and the Amazon section. They had an anaconda and I've never actually seen one before.

Patriot's Point & Fort Sumter: Patriot's Point is the home of the famous USS Yorktown aircraft carrier as well as a submarine, a destroyer, and a coast guard cutter. This boats were amazing!!!! They all took part in some major action in WWII and other battles. You could go inside of them and check everything out. Easton loved everything there but I liked the submarine the best as that was the only boat that he couldn't fall off things and run away from us. :) Fort Sumter was where the Civil War began. It is truely amazing to see and realize that all of that really happened.