Rose Hill Plantation

By Laurie Bower Epps

My middle daughter is getting married next spring, so naturally we did start shopping for wedding venues right away. Since Rose Hill Plantation is voted the fifth most beautiful spot in South Carolina, we had to check it out for ourselves. With her fiance in tow, the four of us headed to the midlands to check out this stunning location.

Peter Rabbit Festival

By Laurie Bower Epps

Since nearby Clemson University has a large agricultural department, their free botanical gardens are simply stunning. I've used them for blogs before, but I'd never attended one of their events. Somehow, this Peter Rabbit Festival just spoke to me. Not just for the books, movie, and old school melamine sets, but because the entire series just speaks of Spring. We've been dodging rain storms for months down south, and this event was no exception. Thankfully, just like the Spring Jubilee, the rain held off for a day longer.

Agent of Change Journey in a Day

By Laurie Bower Epps

Many of you know that my Chloe is really into Girl Scouts. I was so surprised when we moved that she took the changing of her troop year so well. Since it was more than a 35 minute move away, we were simply getting home too late from our Tuesday meetings, as well as, since she's a rising middle schooler we're now tied up with the new school very often on the same night.

I learned after the transfer to the new troop, that she didn't have any of her journeys and she's always gotten her summit pin for each level of Girl Scouts. In about a week and a half, we managed to get all three journeys completed. Mostly, we used her Spring Break, and we reached out to our community to get them done.

Spring Jubilee, Part II

By Laurie Bower Epps

Now that I've joined ranks with the historic society, as well as, I'm a regular to their events. The event I'm going to share with you today, is definitely a favorite. I loved the casual elegance vibe of this first ever, Jazz Brunch at Woodburn Plantation. Woodburn is a much bigger location than Astabula. This partly played into why I chose to serve at Astabula Historic Home instead. Woodburn has a total of 4 floors, and that doesn't include the basement! Plus, it has much more extensive outlying areas. However, this paired with the photogenic quality of Woodburn is why it's the most used venue for weddings.

South Carolina State Museum

By Laurie Bower Epps

To continue the fun of our Girls Weekend, we decided to find an activity to do on the way out of town. Originally, I'd wanted to go to Congaree National Park, but all ranger led activities are on Saturday's. To add to this last minute change of venue, the tremendous amount of rainfall has left Congaree a bit flooded. As mom, I decided to wait on going to Congaree until later in the season. The only major museum in Columbia that I hadn't been to was the State Museum (SCSM). Plus, they had presentation on the National Parks in the Planetarium. The rain did come back this day, but we missed it by being safely inside the museum.

Spring Jubilee in Pendleton, Part 1

By Laurie Bower Epps

My fascination for the history of this region is in many way the genesis of this blog. I get to combine two things I love in one coherent piece. History has always been an important part of life. Growing up, my beloved grandmother E taught history in the local middle school, as well as, acted as the school librarian. In fourth grade, my elementary school had a history competition, and I was the first to call in almost every week. Although I didn't major in it, I'm sure it contributed to my love of history and historical fiction. To nurture this natural curiosity, I've volunteered to be a docent for this beauty with the local historical society.

High Tea, Ballet, & Cowboys

Sleeping Beauty Boutique

By Laurie Bower Epps

Every summer, I get out the ballet schedules and have my youngest pick one for us to attend the next school year. Generally, Chloe has an aversion to exercise, so imagine my surprise when she asked to take classes herself over the holidays. Most studios do offer a free trial class, so if you're thinking of letting your son or daughter try it, keep that in mind. For this season, Chloe wanted to go to either Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. Since Sleeping Beauty was closer to my birthday, it seemed to be the better choice. Also, Sleeping Beauty also had an accompanying tea, and that was my favorite event of the year when my middle child danced for the Santa Clarita Ballet Company out in California.