Where History Lives

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"Southern charm, hospitality and history imbue Charleston, one of the most well-preserved cities in the United States. Visitors can't help but feel they have been magically transported to another era. Stroll down cobblestone streets past magnificent churches, grand mansions and beautiful gardens, all meticulously maintained. History buffs will relish the old plantations and numerous historical museums dedicated to the Civil War and the Old South. Steeped in tradition, Charleston still manages a modern flare. Fine restaurants featuring gourmet Southern cuisine and fashionable boutiques line the streets of downtown. This effortless mix of past and present attracts visitors from around the world."







2008 98th Destination in the World (Trip Advisor)








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2008 18th Destination in the United States (Trip Advisor)


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Best Mannered City 10+ years in a row.




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Jealous? I know you are. ;)

Chris, what does a hippo say?

I finally have tons of pictures to show off of my adorable nephew! I can now compete with Alisse! (Haha.. jk. ;) )


Chris is Ryan and Mandi's first little boy. He's almost 2 years old. He is stinkin' cute.


Chris can't really say everyone's names. So I'm Nina, Kurt is Dirt, Stephanie is Festy, Caroline is Fairfine, and Collin is Bubba.


He can say Chou chou exactly right though.




Chris loves Chou chou. I mean, he really really loves her. He really loves to lay on her and fortunately for him, she was brow-beaten into submission by Collin when he was a toddler. She just takes it as calm as can be. (Sorry about the dark pictures... my video camera doesn't appear to have flash.)




Chris is immensely intelligent. He already knows all of his colors, can count to twenty, can say the alphabet as well as recognizing every upper case letter.




Chris loves animals. His favorite animal is the elephant. When we sing Old MacDonald (which I meant to get a recording of, but forgot!) there ain't no horses and cows on his farm. There's elephants, rhinos, monkeys, hippos, and Chou chou's. This is Chris doing his impression of a hippo ... he just opens his mouth. (Sorry about the M&Ms in his mouth, I didn't know!)


Chris is pretty much doted on by everyone in the family, and deservedly so!


As I've mentioned before, Chris loves his Dirt. He basically thinks Kurt is the coolest thing since elephants.

Home, Parte Due

On Friday night we took Kurt to get some yummy Southern cookin' at Boulevard Diner in Mt. Pleasant. So good! I forgot my still camera, so I took still shots with my video camera... hence why the quality's a little odd.

By the way, I really like taking pictures of Chris. He's so dang cute!







Kurt was pretty excited to get some fried chicken. I like how that guy's shirt is sorta halo-ing Kurt's head. Just shows that my husband is saintly (hah...)








How about some delicious fried green tomatoes with a roumalade sauce? Yes please!!






Yeah, so I wasn't wearing make-up. And, if you look at my dad, you can see where I can my goofiness from.


Kurt definitely approved of his fried chicken.
After that we went to walk on the battery and I didn't take any pictures, which was a shame because it was an amazing evening. Oh well.

On Saturday morning Kurt, Caroline and I made a Sonic run ... which Kurt might have regretted tagging along on. Why? It might've been the belted-out duet of "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls. Or maybe it was the Rent songs we sang, just as loudly. I have no idea why he wouldn't love to be a part of that!

Then it was time to leave. We got ready to go and took some final pictures in the Carolina sun...





Cooper girls! Rawr!


Chris made sure that Kurt took him out to the cars. He sure loves his Dirt.





On the way to the airport we got some amazing, NY-style pizza at Andolini's. Mm mm good!!











And my goofiness is rubbing off on Collin. Who is a stud, regardless.

So we were sad to leave ... as always. I sure do love Charleston. And of course my family are my favorite people in the world. But man, we had a great time!!