This is kind of late but fitting because I’m sharing my birthday celebration from this past November as we are welcoming 2021.
Fitting because they are both worth celebrating. Me with a new year of life to look forward to. And cheers to hopefully a better and brighter year for all in 2021!
I knew my 30th rotation around the sun would be a memorable one indeed. But goshhhhh, I will never forget it or 2020.
I know a lot of bad happened and still continues, but with all the dark and sad days it made me appreciate all the good that much more.
Please excuse me while I try to focus on that good. In no particular order: My parents finally became grandparents to TWO beautiful babies. And I became a proud proud auntie again and again! Khang and I spent more quality time than I could’ve ever wished for and realized how lucky I am to call him mine. It only strengthen our marriage. I fell deep in love with our home and back yard. Spent loads of time bonding with my sweet nephews in Virginia. Realized we wanted to start a family sooner than later. Found out we will become an auntie and uncle to TWO more babies in Spring 2021! More time spent in the great outdoors… King’s Mountain, Catawba Trails, Grayson Highlands, and Blue Ridge Parkway+. Clocked in 140+ hours driving safely from Charlotte to MS for more family time. Accepted a part-time teaching position as a clinical instructor at CPCC Dental Hygiene Program here in Charlotte. On my birthday at that. Hopefully that’s a good sign. And lastly, all our loved ones are safe and healthy. All this good. I’m rolling it up and taking its good vibes and energy with me into 2021 and my 31st year. It was important to me to mark the end of my 30th year on a happy note, so Khang and I set our eyes on Charleston, SC. Finally. It did not disappoint. So much history and charm bursting at every corner. Here are a few photos from our basically 48 hour getaway. Not pictured are the delicious shared meals and absolutely lovely alleyways we found along the way. Also Khang being Khang found this wonderful audio tour that we used during our self-guided biking/walking tour. Y’all it was such a beautiful day! I couldn’t believe our luck…truly believe we were charmed during our entire stay in Charleston. Our tour started at the corner of Church and Cumberland Streets. Notice the “French Quarter” print! Tower of St.Phillips Church Our first alley in Charleston was Philadelphia Alley! If I had known, I would’ve taken a photo of each alley we explored. I could write a separate blog about them alone. I only have photos of Philadelphia on Hans. But I strongly encourage everyone to find these secretly tucked away alleys. I think we walked through at least 6-7. My favorite was Stoll’s Alley. I took this quick snap with my phone. It was the narrowest alleyway. Dock Street Theatre Next up is Joe Riley Waterfront Park or The Pineapple Fountain. Why a pineapple?? Because it has historically served as a symbol of Southern hospitality. I loved biking through this area so much! The grove of oak trees with hanging spanish moss during sunset was beautiful! Of course, Rainbow Row was a highlight for me. I love colorful anything. All that and more like the Historic Charleston City Market, Pink House, more alleyways, and The Battery all happened before noon, so we biked back to our cottage for an afternoon nap. Y’all already know. It’s me. We really enjoyed our cottage ( really a pool house) which was also located in an alleyway and within walking distance from King’s Street. We even found the cutest neighborhood bakery around 1.5 blocks from our cottage. After recharging we explored more alleyways and empty historic neighborhoods just really enjoyed and appreciated all the charm and architecture. I forgot to mention this was all Day 2. On Day 1 when we arrived, we ate a late lunch, perused up and down King’s Street, bought a few vinyls for my girl Phoebe (phonograph/record player), and drove out to see the gorgeous Angel Tree. There was so much I didn’t capture with Hans but I hope you have an idea of just how lovely Charleston is enough to go yourself! Please feel free to ask questions if you’re curious. Of course we practiced social distancing and wore masks in public except when eating. Speaking of eating, restaurants and dishes worth noting: The Seafood Plateau + raw oysters at The Darling Oyster, THE Ricotta Gnocchi Bolognese at Fig, Okonomiyaki with pork candy + Papaya Salad at Xiao Bao, everything at La Patisserie, and Vicious Biscuit. Now I’m hungry. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year–I have loads to share from all our holiday festivities too especially DIYs. Soon! Thank you for reading and following along with me, Jules.
