It happened.  I turned 35 on Sunday.  And since I’m pregnant, I’m now officially of “advanced maternal age”.  You’d think with this day and our culture (and the fact that it’s 2014), they’d come up with something a little more flattering… I’m not really sure what, but I’m open to suggestions!  The best part about 35 though is that I don’t really feel like I’m 35…. not that I feel like I’m 25 (I fall asleep way too early to feel like I’m 25), but most days I still don’t feel like I’m in my 30s.  I’m definitely stronger and more in shape that I’ve ever been.  I’m more grounded in my relationship with Christ which in turn makes me more confident in most things he’s allowing me to do (not that doubt doesn’t creep in, but it’s more of a peace with where my life has come).  And I think overall, I’ve just really enjoyed my 30s!  It was intimidating to enter them because it felt like I had to have life figured out, but it’s slowly landing where God wanted it to all along and I love it :-)

We spent the weekend in Charleston to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary a little early (I can’t believe it’s been almost 3 years since our wedding!) and it couldn’t have been a better trip!  The weather was amazing, a weekend with Ben is always super fun, and the people we hung out with and the things we were able to do and see were incredible!  So, here’s a brief recap with lots of iPhone pictures to follow:

• You may have seen on Facebook and Instagram that Ben surprised me on Friday with a birthday cake… made to look like my Nikon D800!  It was so amazing I almost didn’t want to eat it!  But it was red velvet (my favorite!) and I just couldn’t let it keep sitting there.
• Friday evening, we met up with my friend Caroline in downtown Charleston for a photo session.  We try to get in front of the camera every year around our anniversary and since we love Charleston so much, we thought it would be the perfect time and backdrop for this year’s photos!  I seriously can’t wait to see what all she got… especially since it’s the first official photos that baby Catherine will be in!
• We took our photos in downtown, but a little more in the neighborhood part of downtown… and for the first time ever, we (I, specifically) saw people driving golf carts through the streets.  But not just that, but THREE different times, we saw women drive past us with their dogs in the seat beside them.  Quite possibly the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen in that city.
• Saturday, we took our time going to our favorite places (Christophe’s and wandering the Market), visiting new places (The Glass Onion and the USS Yorktown), and eating at one of the most amazing restaurants in downtown Charleston (Pogan’s Porch).  I ate SO much on Saturday, but I also think we walked enough to make it worth it.
• We use Google Maps as our GPS of choice on our phones and have named the voice that gives the directions Gigi.  Well, with one of the turns we were taking into or out of town, she became British!  It was completely out of the blue… she’s never done it before and hasn’t done it since and we weren’t able to figure out why.  Or how to make her talk like that ALL the time!
• Sunday, we wandered again in downtown and then met one of our November couples for brunch at Eli’s Table.  I generally meet with my brides a couple of weeks before the wedding and since they live in Charleston, it’s where the wedding will be, and it’s a few weeks before their big day, we thought brunch (instead of a Skype meeting) would be way more fun.  Plus, Ben was able to meet them before their wedding day!

I’d contemplated taking my DSLR for the weekend, but decided to just take a few photos with my phone instead.  There’s a lot less pressure to pull it out and document things if I don’t have my “real camera” with me and I feel like I can be more in the moment without that big camera in my hand.  So, here are the iPhone snapshots of our weekend away!

Love this talented girl!  Check out Caroline Ro when you have a chance!

We met Caroline at Kudu, a local coffee shop, before the session and ended up going BACK there for more coffee and chai after we had dinner that night.
When a place is good, it’s worth going back to!

And, as always, we had to stop at Christophe’s for some pastries and a macaron!

If there’s one thing I love about Charleston homes, it’s the porches.  This one was great because it was a little more tucked away and just amazing!

I’ve been looking at this ship from afar for way too long, so I asked Ben if we could go check it out this trip.  I have Navy in my family history so this was amazing to walk around on… I kept picturing my granddad in those bunks and in the mess hall as we wandered through the tight quarters :-)

If there was a wheel to turn or a button to push, Ben was on it!

They have planes that you can actually CLIMB INTO.  I couldn’t believe it!

For whatever reason, I’ve always wanted to be on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.  And Saturday, that dream came true!  At sunset no less…  It was beautiful!

I love the old submarine docked with all the other boats.

The next morning, on my birthday, we patiently waited outside of Eli’s Table…

But it was SO WORTH IT for this praline French Toast.  I seriously could have eaten an entire extra plate…

I just have to laugh at this picture because you never know what will happen when you hand your camera over to someone else!
Every technical aspect that could be wrong is wrong, but I love it because of the people and the day and the meal we shared!

 Happy Tuesday!