My Favorite Blog Posts Of 2017

Happy New Year!

Wishing You A Beautiful & Prosperous 2018.

https://youtu.be/5CxErH78Tdk

See You All Back Here in February 2018. 

As usual, I'm taking the month of January off.

Hometown Christmas

By Laurie Bower Epps

I confess, when I first moved here, I thought it'd be a temporary move. Born in Atlanta, and raised there till the age of nine, I thought I was merely migrating back home from California. I lived in California for roughly 28 years. Mostly in a town called Santa Clarita about an hour Northwest of Los Angeles. I loved California, and despite some of the negative publicity, I thrived out there. However, I did work on a produce farm and was somewhat protected from "the industry" as show business is called from Angelino's.

That's not to say that being much closer to home doesn't have it's fair share of merits, because it does. To boast, this region is rich in colonial history and draws more of its roots in the Revolutionary War than most realize. Not to mention the rich food, and hospitality that the South is so known for. I confess, I too, now "bless your little heart" and drink my fair share of sweet tea. 

Geographically speaking, this part of the country is splendid for some of the most picturesque hiking trails that I've seen in this country. From mountains (where I live) to midlands and even the low country (coast), there's definitely no shortage of new places to explore. Part of what has kept my posts coming in the infinite amount of new material.

Two Christmas Belle's

By Laurie Bower Epps

PENDLETON, SC-- Sort of an annual tradition for my youngest and I is to head out to nearby Pendleton for their annual open house for their local historical homes. Pendleton is located in the upstate of South Carolina about 45 minutes south of Greenville, and next door to infamous Clemson.

What made this a Christmas to remember is that the Upstate had snow! This far south, we don't see too much of the cold, wet, and white stuff on a regular basis. To my surprise, the Pendleton Historic Foundation held their open houses as planned. So Kudos to my friends in Pendleton.

Barrington Hall

By Laurie Bower-Epps

Every family has it's holiday traditions, and a new one is that on Black Friday, Dad & I go to a historic home in the greater Atlanta area. I practically grew up listening to the Atlanta Symphony, waiting for my brother's practice for the Atlanta Boys Choir, in Girl Scouts, or giving tours of Bullock Hall. Last year, I learned that Bullock Hall is one of three belles in Roswell, Georgia so it's my mission to see the other two.

Anyone that is here in the south can tell you that the weather is completely confused this year. It'll be too hot for fall clothes one day and have us reaching for winter clothes the next. So it's not uncommon for us to be in a short sleeved shirt on Monday, but ready for the arctic tundra the next. The day this adventure took place, it was unusually hot, and today, we have snow in the forecast. 

The Burt-Stark Mansion

By Laurie Bower-Epps

My love affair with the town of Abbeville, SC began as a salesperson a couple of years ago. I deliberately would drive through Abbeville, even if it was out of the way on the way to nearby Greenwood, SC. Right in the middle of a bird's foot shaped intersection sits the stately Burt-Stark Mansion, and I promised myself that I'd see the inside of this historic home if it's the last thing I do.

My last trip to Abbeville, my youngest and I went to the Abbeville Opera House to watch a play. I read in a travel brochure for Michelin employees that I really needed to stop into a place called Yoder's Dutch Oven. There actually is a Mennonite community in this small community, and the food is superb every place that I've eaten. However, this proved to be a very different and wonderful trip. Abbeville didn't disappoint us. I'd recommend a visit to this quaint southern town if you have the leisure of road tripping in the southeast.