Savannah & Charleston

I am not into trip itineraries. (I'm a jerk. I know.) I care more about what people learned.  What they felt. That sort of thing. So here is what we learned and felt on our adventure:
Savannah was stunning. Because of my anxiety attack two months before our trip (read previous post), I had only planned one thing for our two days in Savannah - a three hour electric bike rental. Luckily, I am married to Trent.  Trent is a lover of detours and finding adventure. So as we were driving to the bike rental, he saw a sign that led us to Fort Jackson. It was a fort that was built around 1810. During our entire trip, we went to four forts. The forts were all used during the Civil War. But some were also used during the Revolutionary War or WWI and WWII. 
I'll just say this: to be inside a structure built so long ago makes the past closer than it seemed before.  There was a reverence in each fort and the knowledge I gained was invaluable. I learned more in that week of the Civil War than I did throughout all of my schooling (probably because I was too chatty of a student). I also have a very, very deep appreciation for the advancements we have made as a country in the last two hundred years. Seeing the tools used by doctors then was shocking and seemed almost barbaric. My patriarchal blessing tells me to be grateful for the time period I was born into. That rang true to me during our trip.
Fort Jackson - Savannah, GA

Fort Pulaski - Savannah, GA

(By the way, going into those underground tunnels underneath those green mounds - UNREAL. So cool - except for the spiders crawling all over. And the moat that surrounded both forts in Savannah. That was dreamy too.)

Fort Sumter - Charleston, SC
The first shot that started the Civil War came from here. It was the shot "heard from around the world."  This was a very special place for Trent and I. It was a three story structure built - and by the end of the war, all the remained was rubble and the first story. You can still see the damage caused by war. They also had a museum that was equally touching.  I felt the spirit multiple times as I read accounts from Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis  (The President of the Confederate States). Honestly, it gave me greater perspective.  I saw parallels between their days and ours. 

  Fort Moultrie, Charleston, SC
This fort was in the middle of a NEIGHBORHOOD. You can see a house behind the cannon picture between the trees. Really, Charleston is an unreal place.  This fort was built out of Palmetto trees during the Revolutionary War. Amazingly, when the British would attack with their cannon balls, the trees would absorb the hit and the balls would bounce off.  God is in the details people. I'm serious! Later, it was torn down and made with bricks during the Civil War and then they added compartments during WWI and WWII.

Some of my favorite memories:

Every night Trent and I would come home around 7 or 8 and work together on our hobbies. He would be doing his drone videos and I would be editing pictures. We would show each other our favorites, swap suggestions, and just talk.  I loved it. We really do make the greatest team. I have always thought we were good together, but this last year we have really proved that together we are dynamic. 

One night while we were editing and researching places to drone, I showed Trent the last half of the music video Legends by Kelsey Ballerini. As cheesy and totally cliche as it is, I can't help but think of Trent during that song. We have a few songs like that. Trent will come home and play me a song from the radio that made him think of me. His most recent one is "I'll Name the Dogs" by Blake Shelton. He's so adorable. Anyways, I was watching the music video (I had seen it once before), and I had Trent watch the last half with me. Of course, I start crying (just go watch it), and at the end Trent says, "Oh my gosh! What are you doing?" I started laughing because I thought he was referring to me crying. Nope. I looked over to see that softy of a man wiping away tears. He then said, "Why do you do this to yourself. This is so sad. Why did you make me watch this?" I kissed that cute face. I think it's good for him to cry every once in awhile. Plus, I totally like seeing Trent get emotional sometimes. He's so tough and such a strong man. I think it's good for him. Ha!

Photos from one of our AirBNBs. Also, pictures of me walking a miniature horse and the dog from the Sandlot. They belonged to one of our other AirBNB hosts and she let me take them for a walk and feed them apples. It was hilarious!

But don't let all this mushy gushy stuff fool you. Trent and I have our disagreements. Recently (maybe about a week before our vacation), we were having a "disagreement" again. Those happen almost daily around here. This one was a bigger one that usual though. I remember Trent saying something along the lines of how we both are so stubborn. I remember saying, "Trent you and I are both passionate about this subject. I don't see it as fighting. I see it more as sharing our passions with each other. We just have to make sure that we realize that we care about EACH OTHER more than our passion. Because at the end of the day, we are the most important."  It's true both of us are passionate. Which led to many discussions about information we had learned during our trip. Information about the confederates, slavery, the union. We didn't necessarily always agree. But I've learned to really appreciate his perspective. 

We also had a fight in the rainstorm at Magnolia Garden. This place is the most unreal thing I have ever seen. Absolutely STUNNING. Flowers and vegetation of all kinds. There were mazes, gazebos, statues, (multiple of each of those). Everything about it was wonderful. Except that dang rainstorm. And our small umbrella. And the fact that we both couldn't fit and so we were both getting drenched and both demanding to hold the umbrella. Also Trent was on this mad hunt for alligators and found one. He then RAN OFF TOWARDS THE ALLIGATOR and left me in the rain (with the umbrella). But there were animals everywhere?! And who runs after an alligator? Well by the end of it were both drenched and cold and bickering. Then, suddenly, I realized how ridiculous we both must look. I also realized we were both acting ridiculous and I lost it. I just started laughing. And I couldn't stop. And then (because I have had two kids) I started to pee my pants. So I had to stop and crouch down, putting all my weight on my front toes, and buried my head into my hands and literally laughed until I cried.  Too bad Trent didn't find the situation as amusing. He literally thought I had lost my mind. And I seriously had. But I would either laugh at our situation or cry. I decided to do both.

Magnolia Gardens Charleston, SC 

This is what I picture heaven to be like....

ALSO... to prove we don't take ourselves too seriously. All the times I caught Trent looking exasperated at me on camera. We couldn't get the timing right on most pictures (Hence the picture on the left. I thought the picture was already taken - and clearly the camera was still taking pictures). It was hilarious. That right one where he look super annoyed.... yeah. I had tired to jump on his back for a cute piggy back picture. But I couldn't jump very high and fell. I thought it was funny. Trent just said, "Please tell me that wasn't you actually trying to jump."

One last thought. And then maybe I'll post another blog post in six months. Ha! 

We had visited USS Yorktown - similar to the USS Midway in San Diego. At the end of our visit, we did the Medal of Honor Tour. The most touching experience of our whole trip. Towards the end of our tour Trent said, "This really makes me stop and think about what we are contributing to our community and society."  We then had a really good conversation.  We bounced off ideas to each other until we came up with the perfect idea for us. I hope we can get our plan off the ground soon. But if not this year, I know eventually we will make our plans a reality. It was just another moment when I was so grateful for the team we have become. I love that man way too much.

And that's basically it folks. We went to the Boone Hall Plantation (where my camera battery broke so I have zero pictures). And that was another incredible experience. I learned so. much. about slavery. It's not a comfortable topic to learn about. It's hard to imagine such horrendous acts being justified. And although I do not understand all of it, I do have a different perspective now. NOT that it makes slavery okay. But I learned of the mentality of the southerners (through journals and research provided) and it was interesting. I also gained a huge respect for those were slaves. Ah. I could write a whole other blog post about the information I learned. But the experience is worth noting.

Some other sites: 

Cathedral. Savannah, GA

Wormsloe Historic Site: Savannah, GA

Houses and Sites from Both Places:

Savannah & Charleston Pre-Trip Confessions.

Trent and I have been planning this trip since January.  I wouldn't suggest it. At the beginning of this year, all i could think about was October. But as October came closer i started to get nervous. I planned and researched and dreamed of this trip for MONTHS. Then about two months before our trip, I stopped. I didn't look at a thing. I didn't plan anything.  I started getting nervous that I was building this up too much. I had these amazing expectations, and what if that trip didn't meet those expectations?  
Another confession: I get major anxiety leaving my house. Short periods, I do okay. Long periods: I'm a wreck. I know in my mind it's foolish for me to worry. And.... I mean, we hardly have anything worth stealing. I would have my computer and camera with me - the most expensive things we own. I try to live a minimalist lifestyle with my wardrobe, so i honestly had 75% of my clothes with me too. 
But I have major anxiety leaving my house. EVERY time i get into my car. I have to stop and go back inside the house to make sure everything is off.  Just today, I made pancakes for the kiddos for breakfast. Two hours later, we all get into the car and we are about to leave to the park and I think, "Did I leave the stove on after breakfast." We had been in the house for TWO hours. Deep down, I know it's off. But i can't leave. I have to go inside the house and touch every burner myself (even the ones I didn't use.) Before we leave for vacations. I go to EVERY outlet in the house and make sure everything is unplugged. Before church, I check my hair tools multiple times to make sure they are off. Even if I checked it before, right before I leave I HAVE to check everything again. Or else I fret and worry the entire time I'm gone - no matter the amount of time. I have a huge phobia of my house burning.  Or someone breaking into my house. Lots of phobias.
So between the anxiety of my house being vacant for a week, the kids being with family (also hesitant - what if some freak accident occurs), and hoping I didn't build up this trip too much -- I was a mess. If you asked me, "Are you excited about the trip." My response was less than enthusiastic. And it shouldn't have been. But although I act nonchalant about things, inside there is usually a storm raging that I am just not ready to admit yet. Hence this post trip confession about my pre-trip anxiety. Now that it's over, I can say that my house did not get damaged, the kids are alive and happy, and our trip was amazing. 
It's like that quote, "I got 99 problems and 86 of them are completely made up scenarios in my head that I am stressing about for no apparent logical reason."