Where We've Lived: Charleston

Our second home as a couple was in Charleston, South Carolina. I was absolutely thrilled when I found out that we were moving to Charleston. I had never been there but knew that it was a beautiful city and I couldn't wait to get to explore it.

Due to the nature of my husband's job, we ended up living in a Residence Inn for the first month we were in Charleston. That was not exactly how I pictured living in an old southern town but that's what we had. So the month of October was spent at the Residence Inn in North Charleston. The one good thing about that is that it's close to the mall and lots of other shopping so I found plenty to do during the day.

We moved to an apartment on Daniel Island on November 1. Two days later, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. I told my husband by buying him a baby name book, giving it to him when he came home from work that night. He didn't get it. He said, "Sure, we might need this at some point in the future." I told him that I thought we might need it soon. He said, "Yeah, you know if in four or five months we find out we need then that's great." I replied, "I think we're going to need it in the next nine months. I took a pregnancy test this morning and I'm pregnant." He was giddy with excitement and if you know my husband, you know he doesn't get giddy.

We did our fair share of exploring the Charleston area as well as downtown. Of course, we found some fabulous places to eat. One of our favorites is Hank's. They have wonderful seafood, of course, and my favorite was a low country staple, shrimp and grits. It truly is the best and if you've never tried shrimp and grits, you're in for a real treat.

Downtown Charleston is absolutely beautiful with all the old homes and architecture. I could have wandered around for hours just looking at old houses and the waterfront. It's truly a beautiful city.

Another treat was the South Carolina Aquarium. I remember standing in line with a bunch of children and seeing the aquarium through their eyes, thinking about bringing my own child there someday. There are a lot of animals to see there. My favorite, of course, was the North American River Otter. So cute, lots of fun to watch. I knew we were at the otter exhibit because there were lots of kids crowded around it. They are just fun animals to watch; very playful.

For our anniversary, we spent the weekend in Myrtle Beach which isn't too far from Charleston. It was a lovely weekend although we didn't spend too much time on the beach because it was too cold. It was February, after all!

Right after we got back from our anniversary weekend, we found out we were being sent to New Orleans. This was a mere four months after we had moved to Charleston. Needless to say, I didn't want to go but knew that it was what God had planned for us. We had to pack our things very quickly and be out of the apartment within the week. I was quite sad to leave Charleston as I felt I was just getting to know the city. I would love to go back!

Next Stop: New Orleans