vacation part 4 (the final edition)

Life has been technically challenging lately. My computer has been having issues and this week I am pretty sure lightening hit our house and damaged a lot of our electrical equipment.  Being without our everyday conveniences has proven to be a challenge to some degree.  But, with the help of a cellular connection, today I am hoping to bring you the rest of our vacation pictures because honestly,  I am ready to move on already.  So this might be a long post, but here is the rest of our vacation story.


VACATION...PART 4 (the final edition)


Saturday, August 20th was a very special day indeed.  Our little boy was celebrating his second birthday so we decided to head back to the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean and spend the morning playing in the sand and the water.


Being the photog momma that I am, I had an idea of getting his second year birthday photographs on the beach prior to playing.  HA..I must of been fooling myself because getting to a beach early meant it was puppy playtime (literally hundreds of dogs playing catch and swimming in the water), so of course my doggie loving little guy had to stop and see all the "good girls". And then he himself was ready to jump in the waters, in his clothes and all. No stopping him!

Thankfully, I was able to click at least one photo before he landed himself in the ocean.

Happy happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

After a morning of fun, sun and lots of time swimming in the ocean, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and make the three hour drive from Charleston to downtown Asheville, North Carolina.  Both kids took a nice long nap in the car which made for a very delightful and super fun evening celebrating once we arrived.  We found a pizza parlor for dinner and a bakery for a birthday cookie. Rylan was a very happy birthday boy!  He loved each and every time the happy birthday song was heard and enjoyed singing along as well. (Can I bottle up this cuteness forEVER??) 

We love you, our little 2 year old!

The next day we spent walking around downtown Asheville which is a place we all loved.  An artsy, eclectic and vibrant community with an importance placed on keeping local businesses alive and I have to say, the most aMAZING restaurants. After coffee, juice and scones at a little coffee shop we walked about, playing in parks and doing a little shopping.  Once we were hungry again (like I said..the f.o.o.d...yum) , we sat at a outside table at The Laughing Seed and ate divinely, sipping wine while the kids ate a veggie stir fry (kids menus can be healthy!).  Another perfectly wonderful afternoon.

Yes..that's a coffee shop in the two story bus!  So Cool!

Taking in the awesomeness of Asheville, we headed to Lexington, Kentucky to visit what else, but some horses!  The kids adore animals in general and have a special love for horses so we thought this would be super fun for them...and it was!  A quick visit to Keeneland, in which we walked the grounds and admired the land (there weren't any horses there at that time) and took a few adorable pictures of the kids. 

Ready to see some horses, we drove to Old Friends Horse Farm, a home for rescued retired thoroughbreds. I learned so much about horses, the racing community (didn't really care for it before and now I certainly don't!)  and found this place to be just amazing.  Who knew these horses were often abandoned or sold after their racing career?  Or sent to a slaughterhouse?? Not me.  My eyes were truly opened and I wish I had the funds to send to this farm.  The owner takes in these horses (by finding them abandoned or buying them to save their lives) and cares for them as his own.  Truly an amazing place and if you are ever near Lexington, pay a visit here and it will not disappoint.  

We were taken on a tour and "met" each of the horses and told of their story..and each one had their own life story. One of the horses featured in the movie Sea Biscuit lives here as well. We left here both humbled and in awe of the work and energy taking place to give these horses a wonderful rest of their lives.

On our way out of Kentucky, we made a quick stop at a local distillery where Scott ran inside for a tasting and the kids I played in their gardens.  Scott returned just in time to see our find and the kids were so excited to show Daddy. Yep..a childhood experience in itself..a caterpillar.

And with that..we wrapped up our vacation and headed back home.  After a full day in Kentucky, we knew we wouldn't get home until the wee hours of the early morning, but we were so ok with that!  We soaked up every minute of time that we had and used it to it's fullest. And although we definitely kept busy throughout the week, it was very relaxing as well.  Perhaps because we didn't have an agenda and did what we felt like at that moment?   The kids did extraordinarily well in the car, really surprising all of us. The trip was flawless and a very magical adventure. This may of been our first car trip vacation, but it certainly won't be the last!  Until next time...

Miss MC is a pretty good photographer!