FOOD!!!

     Chad and I have come to the conclusion that we are eating our way through Charleston.  On one hand, we feel like this is a shame because there are so many amazing things to see here.  On the other hand, it makes us very happy.  We are amateur foodies.  We love sitting down and savoring a meal with each other, friends, and family.  We aren't food critics.  We aren't assessing each dish, picking out individual ingredients, pairing it perfectly with our beverage.  Partially because we are not wine or beer connoisseurs either.  We don't freak out over our food pairings, but we love trying new varieties, wineries and breweries.
     In downtown Charleston we have established favorites.  Southend Brewery is our favorite for shrimp and grits, and she-crab soup.  They also have really good brisket, crab cakes, and a seasonal summer wheat beer.  But the best crab cakes are still from the Crab Shack at Folly Beach.  Our favorite happy hour is at the Social in downtown.  Monday through Friday from 4-7pm you can get house wine, bubbles, and draft beer for $3, as well as appetizers.  Now, their appetizers are not skimpy.  A margherita pizza is the size of a dinner plate, and the thick, house made potato chips covered with a creamy blue cheese sauce is quite a serving, or spring rolls, and more.  If we're in the mood for a unique burger we head to Sullivan's Island for Poe's Tavern, where thick hamburgers are topped with things like crab cakes, fried eggs, and pico de gallo.... But as for dessert, Kaminsky's on Market St beats all, hands down.  Their menu constantly changes (except for certain favorites, like their warm berry cobbler with ice cream) and includes pies, cheesecakes, and cakes like a double layer chocolate Reese's, Boston cream, or tuxedo.  Their chai tea is always amazing, and the cocktails are like another dessert.
     Recently, we had the opportunity to attend Taste of Charleston at Boone Hall Plantation.  With somewhere around 40 restaurants in attendance with samples of their food we were in heaven.  After sampling 12 new restaurants, and a couple of favorites, including 2 desserts, we headed home to enjoy our food comas.  Now we are looking forward to trying some of new places we found.

Southend Brewery   Kaminskys   Social   Taste of Charleston

Trying to be a Wife of Noble Character

     It's crazy to me how much marriage can change your life.  Now, I know that a lot of people say that.  That it's a huge commitment, taking two lives and combining them for better or for worse.  Everyone talks about how it's hard and how you have to work on it constantly, blah, blah blah.  Yes, that's true.  We had to prep for this, have long conversations, make sure we knew each other's expectations and what us getting married would entail.  From my end, that mostly meant that I was leaving California, my family, my friends, my church, and job.  It wasn't something to be done lightly, but I did, and I did it with joy and love.  Ever since then I've been amazed by how this has changed my life.  While Chad and I were dating I was in a women's Bible study where we went over Proverbs 31:10-31 A Wife of Noble Character.  I remember thinking "This is what I want to be for my husband...But how do I do that?"
     So, I'll be honest, nothing in me ever wanted to be a housewife before I got married.  All I could think of was that I would be soooo bored.  I mean, really? What would I do? Laundry? Dishes (EWWW!!)?  Cook for him?  In the mean time he gets to go to work and do something really useful while I'm trapped at home, waiting on him.  That's what I thought of it.  I would be free labor to keep the house up instead of part of a team, and that I would resent him for it.  Either that or I would think of the stereotypical idea of the woman who just didn't want to work.  Sitting at home all day watching TV and eating bon bons, not contributing anything to the home, just floating.  What would people think of me?!?  It was something that seriously bothered me.  I swore I would never be that woman.  That I would work.  That I would make my own way and pay for things myself.  I didn't want to depend on anyone else.
     Fast forward to me being a wife, a Navy wife at that.  I couldn't get a full time job in my career field here.  I'm not dependable with our situation.  There's no telling how long we'll be here and when we'll move.  So, I decided to be a sub.  But that meant I still had 2 months to just be a wife.  That's when I made the most amazing discovery.  I love being a housewife!  Now I'm trying to find ways to be the wife in Proverbs.
     I'm certainly not perfect.  I'm a sinner.  I get lazy sometimes and spend the day on the couch playing video games, and then ask if we can just order pizza for dinner.  Sometimes I do get lonely or bored and I get mad when my husband comes home and just wants to rest after work, but I'm full of energy and want to go out.  It is a lot of work, just like everyone says.  But what's making it easier for me right now is that I'm finding  my own joy in it all.  My husband makes that easy for me.  He constantly thanks me for what I do.  When he can, he helps me around the house and with the cooking.  Chad leads me in a way that makes it easy for me to follow him and be happy with this new way of life for me.  I'm changing what I want in life, not because anyone is making me, but because I want to.  I want to be a wife for whom it can be said "Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life."