XC x 2 - Greensboro, NC

The next stop on our Summer of Gypsiness was Greensboro, NC.  We spent several busy days with my sister and her family as they showed us some of the great things Greensboro has to offer.  They were trying to sell us on the city, and they did a great job!  Ben and I would love to live there and were still hoping at this point that we'd be able to live somewhere nearby.... or at least in the same region, haha.  But at least we know for the future that Greensboro would be a great place to live.  :-)

Sorry for the onslaught of pictures.  Like I said, it was a busy week, and Suz was lovely to take a bunch of pictures of our family while we visited, so she gets the credit for many of the pictures below.

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

We spent a fun evening at this cool park, which is a Revolutionary War

battle site.  A bluegrass band was performing, and we had a great time

hanging out, exploring the park, and chatting with the locals.

(Cat is playing with Suz's phone case, pretending she has a phone...)

Fireflies!

Downtown Greensboro

One evening we just walked around the fun downtown area,

checking out shops and restaurants and taking pictures.

My kids with my nephew, Whit.  Such a cutie!
And the shirts my kids are wearing were made by Suz.  Love them.

Bog Garden

Suz took us to this cool park that has a big boardwalk through a bog,

ending at a pond.  My dear friend Melissa brought her kids over from Durham

to spend a few hours with us and it was such a treat!  We had a picnic lunch, then

walked through the bog garden, enjoying the scenery and wildlife, talking and laughing.

It was a lovely afternoon.

Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden

Next was a nearby park with beautiful landscaping, flowers, and other features.

This is a popular outdoor wedding/photography site and we could definitely understand why.

Aunt Suz's Tea Party

Herbal tea from an actual teapot, homemade blueberry scones, and pretty aprons.

What more could you ask for in a tea party??  Mmmm.  I just remembered that I

still don't have the recipe for those scones.  Must remedy that.

Greensboro Historical Museum

This museum had a cool children's area where the kids could try being switchboard operators (and actually hear voices in the various outlets), an early 1900's school room, and other interactive exhibits.

Pilot Mountain

We took a picnic dinner (provided by Suz.... mmm...) up to Pilot mountain one evening

and enjoyed a short hike and a lovely view, once the clouds cleared!  It was colder up

there than we were expecting, so we all just started putting on things we found in the car,

but we had a great time, and we had the whole place to ourselves.

We LOVED Greensboro, and especially getting to spend so much time with Suz, Ben, and Whit.  I'm so glad we had that time together before we came back west.  What a blessing.

XC x 2 - Columbia, SC

The next stop for us was my Mom's house in South Carolina.  We had a great time there with Grammy, Aunt Megan, and all of the cousins!  The pictures below are actually from two smaller visits to SC - we were there before and after we went to NC.  I decided to consolidate this into one post because, let's face it, at the rate I'm going, I'm NEVER GOING TO CATCH UP.  Anyway, here are some of our adventures.

A trip to Columbia wouldn't be complete without going to our favorite

Japanese hibachi restaurant.  Mmmmmmmm.

The kids were switching around rooms, so my Mom asked us to help with

some painting and such.  Jack and Eliza were eager helpers, but it was hard for

them to remember not to touch the wet paint.

The big kids made a water park in the driveway.

We took a day and went to a state park that's close to my Mom's house.  The kids played on the playground, we ate a picnic lunch, then we took turns going out on the lake in a rented paddle boat and canoe.  It was a fun way to spend the day!

Weston

Dylan & Colin

Courteney

Dylan

To the island!

Exploring the island.

"Hey, y'all."

Walking around with 2/3 of the triplets.

Luke managed to get a nap in the shade.

Canoeing.

Cat, Drew, and Eliza

Digging in the dirt.

Ben & Eliza.  Looks like she's helping.

Feeding the ducks.

Feeding Jack.

On our last night in Columbia, we tried to go to our favorite local BBQ place but

it was ridiculously crowded.  We settled for a pizzeria instead, but it was delicious,

so nobody complained.  Plus, the kids got to play with DOUGH!

Drew, Megan, & Colin

Cat & Grammy

I loved having this time in Columbia.  When we were there, we didn't know that we'd be heading back to Utah, but I feel like we still made the most of our time.  We did a lot of hanging out, which was perfect.  We talked, ate, watched movies, worked on projects, and went to some fun places.  But of course, the talking is always my favorite part.