Hello, bungalow! (Week 10/birthday edition)

I had to say two very difficult goodbyes yesterday. The first was to our beloved Folly Beach—that quirky, laid-back, all-embracing island that in very short order became one of my favorite places on Earth. We’re going to have to go back and buy a beach vacation rental there, because there’s still restaurants we haven’t tried, more sunsets to watch and I know there’s more shark teeth to collect from the shore.

The second (and much harder) goodbye was to a group of traveling crazies from Cadott! Yep, my mom, my sister and her family hopped on a plane to come visit so we could spend our last few days in Folly together. We hit all our Charleston area favorites: the Angel Oak, the pineapple fountain, Rainbow Row and Charleston City Market. We took a spooky horse-drawn carriage tour of some of the most haunted places in the city, and of course the girls had a blast flying around the island on the golf cart and hitting the beach with their cousins. I wish they all could have stayed longer, but then I would need to buy larger clothes because we put down some serious food during their stay! Seafood, of course, and our Southern favorites (hushpuppies, shrimp & grits, bourbon old-fashioneds), but also Texas-style brisket from Lewis Barbecue, pumpkin curry soup from Jack of Cups and chicken and waffles from Vicious Biscuit. Maybe a third goodbye will need to be to my waistline!

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So sweet: After my mom and the Blanchettes left for the airport, we took the girls on a quick tour of the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point in Charleston. (Super cool.) Then we made the short drive down to Beaufort, South Carolina, and settled in to the charming bungalow that will be our home until we fly back to Wisconsin for the holidays. I’m going to miss waking up to our views of the Folly River every morning, and this is the first rental we’ve had since Delaware that isn’t on the water. Beyond that, it couldn’t be more perfect.

Charming and comfortable, we’ve already made ourselves at home. The renovated kitchen and dining room are connected to a cozy living room where we’re going to have lots of popcorn and movie nights, and there’s a front family room where Tony can set up shop during the day and we can play games together in the evening. Perhaps my favorite feature, besides the huge back deck and perfectly manicured garden lawn, is the oversized farm table where we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving dinner with Zac and Tammy in a few weeks. The girls are already helping me put together a traditional menu with a slightly Southern twist.

The weather was a little dreary when we pulled into town, so we didn’t get to see many of the sights of Beaufort yet or really any of Port Royal Island. But to get to the bungalow, we got to drive down one of those streets that is flocked by rows of moss-draped live oaks on both sides. It looked like something out of a movie—which is accurate because many movies have been filmed here, including parts of “Forrest Gump.” I’ll take a bunch of photos for next week.

Surreal: When my sister and her crew were packing for the airport, I kind of felt like we should be getting ready to get on a plane as well. Tony said it, too, that it was surreal to be driving to yet another house where we’ll be staying for yet another month instead of starting to head for home. I can’t say that I’m homesick per se; more that spending time with family from Wisconsin made me think more about familiar faces and places than new adventures. But if our previous experiences are any indication, in a matter of days we’ll be settling in to our new routine here and becoming too busy exploring this area to give much thought to what life would be like/what’s going on back at home. PS—you guys can keep your weather. I know temperatures were unseasonably warm in Wisconsin recently, but we were at a humid 80-plus degrees yesterday and sweating with the AC on. Yes, in November! On the flip side, my mom sent a picture of my brother-in-law scraping the windshield on their car as they braved the sleet and snow outside the Minneapolis airport. Not looking forward to that. At all.

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Gratitude: Today marks the start of my 44^th trip around the sun. Talk about surreal! (Ladies, weren’t we just in Vegas, celebrating the #YearOf40 but partying like we were 20?!?) Of all the places I’ve been lucky enough to celebrate birthdays over the years, I never imagined I’d wind up here in coastal Carolina. But perhaps that’s the secret to staying young at heart: embracing the journey, saying “yes” to life and to God and never taking yourself too seriously. I certainly have some wonderful role models in these areas! Grateful to them and to all of you who reached out with birthday wishes. Thank you thank you.

I’m looking forward to a birthday dinner at a local seafood restaurant tonight with Tony and the kids. (Broullire party of 6 = never gets old!) I’m also planning to get back on track with some of my favorite hobbies and healthy habits that have fallen by the wayside during our travels … running, writing, practicing yoga, etc. In the meantime, I’d better finish my coffee because Tony and I are going for a walk around Beaufort. Lots of sights to see!

I need ideas for future blog posts! What do you want to know about in our travels? How to choose a vacation rental? How to navigate new cities during COVID? Tell me in the comments!