Charelston South Carolina

This weekend was one of our best trips. We got to spend a day with family, visit more historical sites, and end our weekend with an afternoon at the beach. We fell even more in love with the east coast. The next two weeks are going to go fast and our trip back to Utah way too soon.

Friday night, Jason got off work a tiny bit early and we were off! The drive to Charleston went pretty quick with lots of bathroom trips and jamming out to the Moana sound track. We also got to plan our trip back to Utah, which made me a little bit more excited for going back. We finally pulled into our hotel at about 11:15pm. The place we pulled into was creepy and did not give us a good feeling. After finding out they did not have our reservation in their system, and seeing the last room they had left, we drove away on another destination to find a place to sleep. Our next stop sounded great, and when we pulled up it looked a lot better than our first choice. Upon arriving we checked in, got our room key, and headed upstairs to our room for the night. About 10 cockroaches and feeling unsure about the cleanliness later, we were on our way to another hotel. Three times must be the charm, because the next hotel was fantastic compared to the other two. We were finally going to bed at 1am!

We got up pretty early the next day to start on the adventures we had planned. After eating a good breakfast we zipped off to Charles towne Landing. It was a pretty neat state park, where we got to see animals, learn about the history of that exact place when the first settlers were there, and got a ton of walking it. It was so fun, and I must say…. I’m so glad we brought a stroller! We had lots of fun, and it was really neat to learn about the history of that place.

Daddy and his mini me.

We made an eagle friend, he was squawking at us.

Out cute little navigator.

A Cannon!!!

Carter is going to be just like his grandpa. He loves boats!

Next, we headed to downtown Charleston for some amazing BBQ. It was a bumping place, and driving down NARROW roads was nerve wracking! We were supposed to meet Jason’s brother there and eat together. We arrived about 45 min before they did, and Jason decided to order. The place (Nick’s BBQ) had you order first before you sit down (we were planning on getting a table and just waiting). After making a waitress a little upset with us and making us order, We found ourselves in a little bit of an awkward situation. When Scott showed up with his family, and half of our food was gone and the rest very cold. Once they got their food things seemed to be good and we had a really good time catching up.

Our next stop was Fort Sumter where the civil war began. We took a 30min Ferry ride to the fort located on a manmade island. It was so neat, and Carter absolutely loved riding on the ferry. He thought it was the coolest thing! Throw in his 9year old cousin Colton, and he was having the time of his life. He loved every second! As we were chugging along, we got to see dolphins jumping out of the water, and we saw some pelicans do some very impressive diving. It was a really neat ride.

Walking around the fort was pretty cool. Carter got to see more cannons, the adults got to run after the kiddos and miss most of the history of it all, but it was so good to be with family and so fun to be learning about American History. The hour we were allotted on the island seemed to go by very quickly, and before we knew it we were back on the boat headed to the mainland. I was a little sad about heading back too, because that meant we had to say goodbye to Scott, Kim, and Colton. We really liked spending the day with them.

Carter and Daddy checking out the sights.

Carter really likes cannons.

Carter and Colton. They were best buddies ,3

Getting ready to go back on the Ferry.

All of us at Fort Sumter <3

Once back on land, we visited for a little while. The boys played near a fountain and we tried to stretch our time for as long as we could. It seemed like seconds after however, we had to say our goodbyes and let them get back to their home in Florida. That’s when Carter, Jason, and I decided to go bowling. 

The boys at the fountain.

Now everyday Carter says, "should we go bowling>"

After having a fun time bowling the worst game in history for me, and splitting my thumb nail down the middle, we were on the search for some yummy ice cream. We settled with frosties and headed back to our hotel. Once there I was out within minutes and Jason watched Over the Hedge with Carter. Getting 15,000 steps really took it out of me.

Sunday was a fun day! We woke up, got dressed for church, eat breakfast, and headed to the Summerville South Carolina 1^st Ward services. Once Sacrament meeting was over, we jumped in the car yet again, and headed to Myrtle Beach South Carolina. It was a gorgeous day, and 80 degrees! There was so much to see and so much to do there. After parking and changing out clothes, we ate lunch at this yummy sub and pizza place, and then headed down to the beach. Carter absolutely loves the ocean, and Jason and I love to see him run and play. He tried to catch a whole bunch of seagulls and got soaking wet. Apparently the coldness of the water didn’t phase him one bit. There was a moment when I was so thankful for the beautiful world around me, and so thankful for my little family. I am truly blessed.

Myrtle beach

Carter loved being at the beach!

<3

My boys and the beach... is there anything better?

He's going to catch one, one of these days!

The ride home was pretty uneventful. I am going to miss coming home to this apartment here. I miss our little home in Spanish Fork so much, but this apartment has become a piece of us and it’ll be so hard to leave. We have 2 full weeks left here, and sadly I think they are going to go by extremely fast. Until next time, Happy Reading!

A Weekend of History

A couple of weekends ago we decided to make our way to Jamestown Virginia. A very historical place in US history. Than we ended it with an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a wonderful weekend, and now that our weekends are slipping away quickly, we have tried our best to cherish every moment. We are going to miss North Carolina so much. I think there might be some crying the day that we have to make our way back to Utah. We have really loved the adventures, the people, and the refreshing attitude of the East Coast. I hope that someday, we make it back here.

So… Jamestown. It was so fun, and so neat to see all the things that I learned in my US history class years and years ago, be relived and made real in my mind. Our first stop was the American Revolution Museum. It was really neat to learn about our country’s history and see and hear what the fore fathers were thinking and what was happening at that time. We even got to see a musket gun fired and met people along the way dressed up as characters who knew so much about the things displayed there. Carter was a little bored, but he loved watching the movies of the men fighting and although the gun scared him a bit, I think he enjoyed himself as well.

Carter has decided he love cannons.

Jason holding a musket, and yes, that is my finger :(

We had a pretty fun time at the American Revolution Museum!

Us as we left the museum. Carter likes to be a stinker about pictures!

Next was the battleground. We got to drive out to see the battleground where men actually fought for the American revolution. The trenches were still there, and it made us so thankful for all that they did. Without all of their sacrifices, we would not have this great country and it would not be what it is today. Oh yeah, and when I say we saw the battleground, I mean Carter and Jason. I was stuck in the car trying desperately to catch some z’s. I guess I missed all the exciting stuff, especially when I heard Carter almost got hit by a car. Sorry Jason, next time I won’t be such a sleepy head.

Carter checking out more cannons at the battleground.

Our last stop for our Saturday in Jamestown, was the Jamestown settlement. It was a pretty awesome place to go and visit. I’m so glad we decided to go there, and it really made the whole trip worth it!

First we walked into a Powhatan Indian village where we got to walk into their dwellings and learn about the things that the Indians did and what they knew about living off the land. Carter even got to try and carve wood out of a tree trunk to make a canoe. People dressed as the Indians taught us about the history that was in front of us.

Carter and I standing inside a hut.

Carter scraping out the log to make a canoe.

Next we made our way to the shipyard where 3 ship replicas were floating in the water. Carter was so excited to go aboard and explore the ship. We learned from shipmates on the boats that the three boats are actually still used to sail. They were replicas of the first ships that arrived in America with men from England. They were the first company settlement to go and try to make money off of the land in America. That was probably our favorite part about all of Jamestown settlement.

Jason and I at the shipyard. Carter refused to be in the pic.

Our last stop was the camp. If you have ever seen Pocahontas, it looked a lot like the fort John Smith and the other men made. Inside there were houses, buildings, gardens, and many people there to teach you about everything we saw. Carter loved seeing chickens and chasing them around. Jason talked to a man dressed up as a member of the settlement, and he learned so many things about what they did there. We all really enjoyed ourselves.

Just before leaving the settlement we watched a movie about the place, and then it was back to North Carolina for us. We really wanted to make it back in time to attend a multi stake conference with Elder Quintin L. Cook of the Quorum of the 12 apostles. The drive seemed long, and we got back pretty late. Lucky for us day light savings was the next day, and we had to drive to Charlotte for the special event.  Sunday came very quickly, and before we knew it we were on the road again. There was lots of talk about snow coming that day, and sure enough as we got closer to Charlotte the snow started coming down. The conference was wonderful, we were so glad we went and naps were a mandatory part of our day once we got home.

I can’t believe that we only have 2.5 weeks left here. Part of me wishes that Nestle would say, sorry but we need you out here forever. Then again we would miss our friends and neighbors in Utah terribly. Life has dealt us some pretty crazy hands, but it has also dealt us some pretty awesome ones. Our time in North Carolina has been our best adventure yet. Stay tuned for our last couple of weeks, our crazy weekend trips, and our drive across country to make our way home to Utah. Until next time, happy reading!

A Ballantyne Weekend

For those of you who don’t know, I have the coolest most awesome maiden name! My last name used to be Ballantyne before I found my prince charming. I tried to convince him that Ballantyne had such a nice ring to it, and he could be Jason Ballantyne. Well we all know who won that battle. Needless to say, he did not take my last name.

Ever since I was little I was obsessed with my last name. I thought it was the best name that I could ever have, and one day we found out that there was a place in North Carolina called Ballantyne. It looked beautiful in pictures and my sisters and I vowed we would make it there someday. Well, that day came true when we drove to Ballantyne North Carolina for the weekend.

Before we left, we stopped at Home Depot where Carter got to build a rain gauge before we left. He had so much fun building, and I think his daddy really liked it too.

Carter's rain gauge. He did such a good job!

Carter and daddy building a rain gauge

First we went and saw all the important sites. We stopped at Ballantyne quad and parked our car. It was a beautiful day outside, and we really wanted to go see the Ballantyne Hotel. Once we parked we got out and walked. Eventually we found ourselves inside a very fancy hotel and talked about my famous dad and how he was the founder of the hotel. Later we found out that it was actually named after a man’s grandma. I think Jason’s favorite part about the hotel was the bathroom. You are given actually hand towels to dry your hands after washing them. I told you my dad knew how to live in style.

Standing by the Ballantyne Quad sign

Walking to the Ballantyne Hotel

The Ballantyne Hotel. Pretty fancy....

After walking around and spotting all of the different Ballantyne signs, we headed over to Adventure Landing for some first time miniature golf with Carter. The three of us had so much fun, especially watching Carter try to hit his golf ball. He was treating his stick and the ball more like hockey than anything. He would get frustrated if we tried to step in and help him, only to revert back to the hockey stick and puck technique. That little boy of mine is so fun!

Getting ready to golf.

Carter and I golfing.

After we were all kind of done with the whole miniature golf thing, we went and played some arcade games. Carter loved earning tickets and we left with little trinkets for the little Mr. All in all I would say we had a pretty good day. Best of all, we ended up at home by the end of the night.

Here are some pictures of Carter finally riding his bike with his friends this week! He actually rode his bike! There were lots of moments where he wanted to stop, but that little boy kept trucking. Sometimes I wish he wasn’t afraid of everything like I am. 

He's riding his bike!!!

The Outer Banks

One of our bucket items the whole time we have been here, is to see the outer banks. Another was to run their half marathon haunted by pirates and beautiful breath taking views. Unfortunately we will no longer be on the east coast for the half, and so we made it the best trip that we could under our circumstances.

We left Friday night and drove all 4.5 hours straight until we finally arrived around 11:30pm. Jason got off work later than we were expecting, and so off we drove at 6:00 at night. Our hotel was right on the beach, and we hoped for an ocean view. By midnight, we did not have an ocean view, and we had a poor sick little boy. He could not stop coughing and coughed all through the night. I think the most any of us got to sleep was an hour if that. We made many trips to the grocery story down the street trying to find the best medicine to knock him out, but nothing worked.

He was so excited to go swimming at the hotel.

Saturday morning we all slowly rose from our beds and made I way to breakfast. As we were walking, Carter could not stop coughing and ended up puking all over the side walk outside. I have only seen Carter puke one other time in his life, and this was probably the worst weekend for him to start.

Our first stop after breakfast was The Wright Brother’s memorial park. It was so neat to walk around and see where the wright brothers changed history. Their visitors center was closed for renovations, but the 65 degree weather outside made it very nice to walk around and enjoy being outside. Bye the end of our tour, we had a very tired, very angry, very upset little boy who refused to walk any further. As soon as we got him into his car seat, he was fast asleep.

The Wright Brothers Memorial

This is where the first plane took off!

Out next stop was the Bodie Island light house. It was beautiful, and there was lots to see and a view point you could walk out to. Unfortunately I was stuck in the car with our little prince and it ended up being a quick stop before finding a place to eat for lunch.

Bodie Island Light House

Carter didn't want to get in the picture. He was on the side walk crying :(

The Outer Banks has so many seasonal restaurants, it was a little crazy to drive up to a few of them and find out they would not be reopening for a few more weeks. We would get so excited about a pick we would find online, only to drive to it or call it and find they were not open. Finally we found a place called Mulligan’s. Jason and I ate, while our little man slept at the table. Everyone who walked by wished us luck and hoped that our little man would feel better so. Our poor little boy was just not having a good day.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic is a free museum that is supposed to be pretty sweet, and have all kinds of info about real pirates who live and did their business on the Outer Banks. We were just about to make the hour drive over, when we decided to call and see if they were open. A phone call informed us that they would be closing early and we would not make it to the museum. I was pretty upset about that, and Carter was not happy about missing the pirate ships. So we had the bright idea of seeing the batman lego movie. I missed 2 hours of my life I’ll never get back, Carter was memorized by the screen not really understanding what was going on, and Jason was laughing and enjoying himself far too much. DQ after made for a great surprise of the day, and off to bed we all went hoping for some sleep.

Saturday night was a little better with sleep, but not even Benadryl would knock poor little Carter bug out. He would got about 1 hour stretches before having the worst coughing attack ever, and screaming out in disappointment to his dream or whatever he thought was going on. When the sun came through our window, I think we were all hoping for a tiny bit more sleep.

Sunday we attended church, and drove out to Hatteras Island and saw the light house. Then we walked out to the beach collecting shells and other cool things. Carter was still not himself, so Jason ended up walking by himself down to the water. It was beautiful, and then it was time to say goodbye. We drove all day until we finally arrive home in just enough time to put a sick sleep boy to bed. Monday started another hectic week and another week crossed off for our time here. I’m still hoping the company will change their mind and decide to let us stay just a little longer. Although, I don’t know if just a little longer is going to be long enough. Have a wonderful week, happy reading!

The beach was beautiful! Jason loves the ocean!

Us at the beach! We loved looking for sea shells.

Jason down by the water. It was too cold and windy for Carter and I.

A visit to Utah

Yep, we just got back from a visit to Utah (3ish weeks ago). It was a pretty crazy week, and now that everything is said and done, I'm glad we got to go for a visit and we get to be in North Carolina for a little longer. If it were up to me, it would be A          LOT longer, but you get what you get and you make the best of it! 

The flight

Did I ever mention that I hate flying? It is always fun having Carter around and how excited he gets with everything, but once that turbulence hits... I'm down and out! Especially with the turbulence heading into salt lake. I almost grabbed a barf bag. It took me a while to settle my stomach, and much of the waiting was with my eyes closed. It was not very fun.

Cute little man sleeping on the plane

We're flying. Can you tell I don't feel very good?

Anyways, I'm sure you don't really want to hear about my wonderful barf bag experiences, so we'll get back to our trip to Utah. First of all, it was a little weird to be coming back for a visit and staying in our own house. For one we felt like guests, and for another my sister has made herself comfortable and taken up tons of our space, so that was different to see as well. I never knew a single person could have so much. It was good to see all our old pictures and see that our home was still standing. I must admit, I've missed having our house.

The whole week was filled with friends and visiting. Carter was so happy to see all of his good friend again, and so was I. That's the part I've missed the most, the wonderful neighbors and friends we've been so blessed to have and keep. My little niece Carmen even got to spend the day with us, and we all loved it. I guess seeing family again was pretty great too ;) 

Carter was so excited to see the snow!

We brought good weather with us and played outside!

When my parents flew in, all the wedding craziness came crashing in and life was suddenly exhausting. There were so many things to do, so many people to feed, and so many things that were not quite communicated. The groom’s family wasn’t happy with how we did things, but they don’t speak English. Kira and her husband were an hour late to the reception, and I’m sure we looked hilarious to those who weren’t part of helping out. There was arguing, and mixed cultural things, and really we had a little bit of a good laugh when it was all over.  I'm sure everyone has their share of crazy wedding stories. In the end, my little sis was beautiful and I really hope things work out for her. I can't believe my little brother is the only single one left. Since when did we all get so old?! 

Carter with his buddies waiting outside the temple.

The bride and groom

The siblings.

The nieces and nephews

I made these for the reception. They took FOREVER! I had an awesome friend and family help me out.

I loved having my family all together once the reception was over. We had so much fun spending the day together and I realized I do miss being around family. Although it may not be good all the time lol, it is definitely good when we do get together.  

Uncle Andres and Carter busting into some cake.

My mom and dad left Monday afternoon, so we spent the morning together with them and my big bro. After Cabela’s, Scheels, and a lunch adventure, we all said our goodbyes and off we were back to life. The rest of Monday was packing, cleaning, trying to get things organized and ready for our all day trip back to North Carolina. Then Tuesday morning the shuttle picked us up and we were on another flying adventure. Tuesday wasn’t so bad though and I ended up getting to North Carolina in pretty good spirits, and not a single grab for the barf bag.

During our week adventure in Utah, we found out that we might be going home middle of March or early April. I cannot believe our awesome adventure will be ending so soon. No worries though, we will make the most of it and do all we can to make it the most memorable possible! Happy reading, at least for the next few North Carolina posts…..

Carter and his cousin Taylor trying out a quad

Lazy 5 Mile Ranch

I have left you out of at least a month of adventures in North Carolina. How could I do that? Excuses are easy to come by, but let's get you caught up!

So basically in the month of January....

We've been keeping busy by being outside, going to all kinds of story times and city events, going to a place called the Lazy 5 Mile Ranch, and making new friends. I am going to be so sad the day that we have to leave. We're starting to get attach to the people here, and this is going to be another hard move for the books. 

Our favorite Museum in Raliegh

Carter playing trains at our favorite children's museum in Raliegh

My silly little boy making pizza with googles on his head

The museum even has a hockey rink to play in! It's AWESOME!

La Bauer park and Carter doing what he does best, making friends

Story Time at the Greensboro coliseum. He got to play basketball

and watch the teams practice before their big game.

Woke up to this little guy out side our apartment.

The Lazy 5 Mile Ranch

We have had a huge bucket list for our time on the east coast, but we haven't been the best at crossing them off. When you’re asked to speak in church, your husband gets a new calling, and your little sister gets married, suddenly those endless weekends become very sparse. So we take advantage when we can get something checked off. 

I had a friend tell me about a ranch you drive through and feed all kinds of different animals including zebras. From the awesome picture she showed me, and her description of the experience her little family had, we just had to check it out. Boy was it an interesting experience. We bought a bucket of feed and started on our adventure. We saw ostriches, llamas, yaks, deer, sheep, rams, zebras, pigs, giraffes, camels, and all kinds if different random animals. We got about 10 minutes into the drive before a yak decided to take our entire bucket of food. We still had a long ways to go, and our food was already gone. We were bummed that we couldn't feed the animals anymore, but I'm pretty sure Carter and Jason were entertained with my reaction to the ostriches and emus coming up to the window. I don't think they've laughed that hard in a while. It was a pretty fun trip. Best of all, it just took one Saturday afternoon.

Carter loved all the animals, but I think he really like the zebra the best. Some times I wonder if this crazy little boy if mine will have any memories of our Carolina adventures. I sure hope he does. I hope he remembers how much fun we had, how much we loved him to pieces, and that we are best buds. I hope he remembers the wonderful people we've met while being out here, and I hope we can always look back at this time with smiles on our faces. Someday I hope we come back.

The giant yak who stole our food bucket!

Just pretending to feed animals.

A ZEBRA!

The zebras were Carter's favorite!