Cameron’s 1st Temple Trip

December 30th, 2020 in Uncategorized

Our church changed when you can go into our temples to do baptisms so all of the sudden Cameron could go ten months earlier! We drove the few hours to the Colombia, SC temple. It was fun to do it just the four of us. It is a peaceful place but we did get a bit irreverent when the person ahead of us had over 300 names to do.

Polar Bear Plunge 2019

December 30th, 2020 in Uncategorized

South Carolina’s favorite tradition to us was the Polar Bear Plunge on Sullivan’s Island! On New Years Day people come dressed up in old Halloween costumes, with their chests painted, crazy drunk, to play games, or just in their swimsuit to all be together and RUN INTO THE OCEAN! You smell BBQs going, hear lots of giggling, and everyone participates. They line up behind some tape and watch the men in white suits count down until you break the tape and run into the ocean.

It is just JOY! You see old men, little kids, uptight moms, bored dads, too cool teenagers all start giggling and running into the water.

One of my very favorite family home videos 🙂

We also shot over to a party a friend was throwing…

And started OUR tradition of staying up to eat at Waffle House right before the countdown!

Shae’s Ear Piercing Day

December 30th, 2020 in Uncategorized

Shae was 7.5 and it was time to get her ears pierced! The girls always get a present Christmas morning after their 7th birthday to let them know it is time.

Shae was excited and had lots of plans on what earrings she wanted to wear. Stinky thing is I wish we had never got them pierced. Her ears are allergic to EVERYTHING and have been so painful for her.

Before picture, outside of Claires:

During:

And After!

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day 2018

December 30th, 2020 in Uncategorized

Christmas Eve we tried yet another tradition, a horse carriage ride around downtown Charleston. Learned some things about the history in the area, weather was perfect, and cobblestone streets & southern homes never get old.

The girls opened some gifts from extended family, sunglasses from Uncle Bryan were a winner.

Then the three elves got ready for Santa to come to the one left….

On Christmas Day I gave all the girls a handmade jewelry box made from one of the artists we met in North Carolina. My most prized possession is the handmade wood jewelry box my grandfather gave me.

We also continued on with the subscription box gifts. Reagan got one to JoJo Siwa, Shae to Minecraft, Cameron to Harry Potter Accio and Abby to Pop Sugar.

Couple other fun highlights were the girls getting pjs from their grandma.

Also somehow trapping their dad into a bag with raisins, haha, his nemisis!

New Southern Christmas Traditions

December 30th, 2020 in Uncategorized

The Brown girls were on the hunt for new holiday traditions. We like to try new festivals, concerts, shopping places, plays, etc. Not so much into traditions that are done at home. Which didn’t translate well into 2020 life. However in 2018 with our first year in Charleston we wanted to try some new ones out.

Shopping on historic King Street for Secret Sister Exchange TOTALLY was cooler! However they bought nothing from any unique boutiques. Just from Urban Outfitter in the pointless gift section.

We headed over to the Belmont Hotel to see their train set up…

For our service project this year we participated in getting Santa for a couple families. The girls always enjoy choosing shoes, clothing, coats, and toys for other children around their age.

Going to the Nutcracker is a must and we couldn’t get tickets to a Nutracker that a friend was in so we went to the “fancy” one in town. Yes it was fancy but the audience did not know how to act. On phones, walking around, talking to each other loudly. It was insane and we were bummed!! It was funny to hear my girls’ all talk about audience etiquette.

Holiday Pops at the Charleston Symphony WAS a hit! They had a very talented mix of singers, bagpipers, instrumentalists, etc. Sure, they would all hope it was half as long.

We hosted some holiday parties with church friends in hopes of getting the girls to get to know people. We really struggled with our ward. However Cameron & Abby did really end up clicking with girls younger than them that were sweethearts. This night we did a cookie contest to help two new girls in the ward get to know people that had just moved in a couple of months after us.

Cameron’s sweet friend Rebekah replaced Abby at our holiday play we went to. This year it was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Meeting Rebekah was one of Cameron & Abby’s highlights of living in South Carolina.

SO….the holiday outfits I chose this year Abby and Cameron DESPISED. They said they looked like a depressed poet. You know…now looking back I kinda see it.

One of my favorite things was the beach decorated with holiday decor. It was so bizarre to be living somewhere where it was the holidays but with no snow!!

Choosing a Christmas tree was a bit of a buzzkill because there was no trekking to the mountains.

For teacher gifts we gave comfy socks with movie tickets stuck in them and handwritten notes. This is one of my favorite things about the holidays, to have the girls sit down and write to all the people who are apart of their village in life.

We had extra time to hang out with the best next door neighbors ever; Claire, Libby & Norah. Over the break we did late nights, movie nights, craft days, and went to the trampoline park.

One that wasn’t pictured but that was a hit was going to James Island County Park for their holiday celebration. A drive through of cool light set ups. Then places to park and get out and cook S’Mores and visit Santa.

We had a few new ones to try that had to do with the water however the two Decembers we there they had abnormally wet & rainy Decembers and the events were rained out.

Wild Dunes Santa Trip

December 30th, 2020 in Uncategorized

On Isle of Palms there is a resort called Wild Dunes and we tried out a new tradition to go stay overnight there on the beach and do Breakfast with Santa. It didn’t have the same charm as Grand America. Our first holiday outside of Utah it was hard to not compare all the new traditions we were trying to old traditions they we adored.

That morning we went to the restaurant on site to visit Santa, it ended up being the last time that all my girls’ did a “Santa” thing.

Most importantly we did some matching Christmas pjs on the beach!

Christmas Piano Recital

December 30th, 2020 in Uncategorized

Mrs Callie Condie taught the girls’ piano while they we lived in South Carolina and she was also in our ward. She did a large Christmas piano recital each year that the girls got to participate in.

I’m always so proud of them when they walk up to play their pieces. I remember how terrifying it is to play in front of people watching you!

Cameron also around this time got her Faith in God award before the church changed their program and before she entered YW. She got it along with her sweet friend Rebekah Lin.

December 2018 Dance Recital/Sneak Peak

December 30th, 2020 in Uncategorized

At the girls’ new dance studio they have a “Sneak Peak” in December to show off what they have learned so far on their competition teams. So the dances aren’t finished or cleaned but we can get a sneak peak on what it will look like in the spring. Kasie & Jeanette who run the teams do a great job of supporting and cheering on the girls.

Here are Shae & Reagan’s Sneak Peak dances, they were both on the same Mini Team:

Cameron was on the Junior team:

Abby the Senior Team:

The owners and staff at the girls’ new dance studio really treated them with such love and attention. Here are a few cute snapshots through the first six months of them at the studio:

They did fun contests, craft days, and team building activities. Such a great studio!

2018 Asheville NC Trip: Biltmore

December 29th, 2020 in Uncategorized

I had heard that the Biltmore Estate was on people’s bucket lists out there which I found a teeny bit odd. Sure it looked like a cool manor to walk through but I never thought it would classify itself as a bucket list item. We were in Asheville the last part of November which is when their fall is at top peak. However at the Biltmore they had just opened up for Christmas. In the town and at the manor they called is the “Fallidays” which is the perfect mixture of the best things of fall and the best things of the holidays.

I did understand after our day why it is a place that people want to come to! In the manor they had 55 Christmas trees and it was so interesting to walk through and see how the family lived. Outside it is was extremely chilly and windy. So I had to hurry and buy socks to put under our sandals, sweatshirts, and gloves.

I took hundreds of pictures but did something wrong with my phone and none of them saved. However I did save a couple of pictures of the greenhouse with was our favorite part. The plants in there were so gorgeous and fun to walk through. We also enjoyed walking through the English style gardens.

2018 Asheville North Carolina Trip

December 24th, 2020 in Our Travels Worldwide

Living on the East Coast has a huge pro, #1 its the best coast #2 trips to other gorgeous states are so easy! I didn’t get through all the places I wanted to go as a family while we lived back on the east coast. North Carolina is a state I would like to fly back to a visit Asheville again as well as do finally do my Outer Banks trip that was canceled twice!

I rented a home with A YURT ADDITION up in the mountains above Asheville. While living in states without seasons we do an annual “Drive to Find Fall” trip and this was it. I thought the girls would have a blast sleeping in the yurt however when it got to it they were too terrified and I found myself sleeping with a different kid in the yurt each night. Haha, we found out at the end of our stay there was a bear on the property so I guess that was a good thing.

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The house itself was an artist retreat cabin and had the most unique art and feel to the home. On the property they had these shells hanging from the trees that I loved so much I put them in our California home.

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Just being smack in fall and in chillier weather was such a treat.

We went to Chimney Rock which was too foggy to see the beautiful views but still quite cool. Kind of terrifying as well, it is really steep. Walking through the cave to get to the elevator to take you up was gorgeous.

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In addition we drove Blue Ridge Parkway and just stopped at a certain museum which at the time was holding the Craft Guild. I have never in my life been in a place with more talent and craftsmanship. I bought some beautiful things and have had artists make us additional items since being there. If you ever need a place for unique gifts check out their website: https://www.southernhighlandguild.org/shop/

Of course we made the girls do many walks in different parks, historic trails, etc. MY FAVORITE and their least favorite thing.

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