Vacation!

In July, we had our first official family vacation! We've taken plenty of trips here there and everywhere, but they've always been long weekends or trips to visit family. We planned our trip for awhile and it took us a long time to decide where to go. We went to Charleston, South Carolina, which is a place very dear to us. Elio and I have been there before, and we instantly fell in love with it. The history, the ocean, the people...it's just wonderful! We always talked about how we wanted to go back and stay for a few days. We went to the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, which is a beautiful place! The trip down took about 13-14 hours, so we stopped overnight in Tennessee. I prepared an arsenal of activities to keep Calvin entertained in the car...books, coloring, toys, snacks, music, and my not-so-secret weapon: a DVD player. He did great!
The first couple days we relaxed, swam, and just enjoyed the hotel and the nearby restaurants. The third day we went to the South Carolina Aquarium in down town Charleston which was AMAZING! It was hands down the favorite part of our trip. Calvin was mesmerized and beyond excited! He kept yelling "Whoa, WOW!" We had a great time and left just as a storm was rolling in.
After checking out of our hotel, we headed to Greenville, SC to visit my long time best friend, Bonnie. She had never met Calvin, and it was so special. Bonnie and her husband Jason opened their home to us, and we had an absolutely wonderful time with them! They got a crash course in what it's like to have a baby. haha! They gave us a tour of down town Greenville, which is GORGEOUS, and we had a delicious dinner. The next day, after a breakfast from our hostess, we headed home. We ended up driving straight home. It was a very long day, but we were ready to get back to our little house in Indiana.
Traveling with a little one taught me a lot...and taught me to let go! I had so many things planned, and I literally had an itinerary. Well, that went out the window really quick. I learned to just relax, unwind, and enjoy each moment. We took lots of stops on the way there and back, and let Calvin run around and enjoy each stop. Calvin enjoyed hillbilly gas stations just as much as the resort! Haha. Although we missed the boys and our families, we had a great time and can't wait for our next family vacation.