In February, we celebrated our five year anniversary at 3302 Wild Rose.

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That is Zach on the driveway, me and mom by the garage. Adam is riding his bike near the front door. This is the longest place (by three years) we have ever lived. So it got me thinking about all the moves/jobs/adventures we have had through the years. Since we have lived in five different states and moved eight times, it's too much to write in post. So I’m going to make a little series out of it, and go in chronological order.

Charleston, SC
First residence: 7930 St. Ives Rd, #M
March 1997-September 1997

Second residence: 1441 Cobb, Charleston, AFB
September 1997-September 1998

There is no street view available for our house on Charleston Air Force Base, for security reasons I’m sure. It's probably the one and only time we will live in a gated community on the 9th hole of a golf course. There was a walking path in our backyard that went around the base and I remember hearing a drill sergeant in the early morning “inspiring” his crew to keep exercising.

This is us in 1997:Scott worked criminal investigations so it was not unusual for him to be “on surveillance” during the night. If I remember correctly, there were several times where he would work all night and sleep during the day and we wouldn’t see each other for a couple of days.

I was working at an advertising agency (if you click here and look to the left you'll see a Banana Republic store...our office was on the second floor) where I used my four year degree to take care of the owner’s dog (walking, taking the dog to weekly grooming appts, fedexing dog food to Italy, etc), pick up the owner’s friends at the airport, fetch him lunch at a nearby bistro, find an original signature of Thomas Jefferson (or someone similar), let the rug cleaners into his house and field calls from New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s office. At the time, I had never heard of Rudy Giuliani and could never seem to pronounce his name correctly, much to the dismay of my boss. I did have more duties than that, but those are the ones I seem to remember.

Aside from some job issues, Charleston had a lot to offer. My favorite, which is no surprise to anyone, was the close proximity of the ocean. I probably went down there at least once a week the whole time we lived there.

I’m sure Scott would say his favorite attraction was Patriot’s Point, where you could tour an aircraft carrier and submarine. After about nine times, I refused to accompany him anymore, so he had to con others to go with him.

I also remember eating numerous times at a world class restaurant… the Wreck of the Richard and Charlene, or just The Wreck. As you can see from this menu, I spent a lot of time eating salad, boiled peanuts and once (only once) did I try the pork loin. Rice used to be on the menu, but I don’t see it listed anymore. As I was browsing their website, the funniest thing I found was this statement…which pretty much sums it up:

“Remember, we don't have a sign and we don't look like a restaurant. If you find that you are still uncertain, please call us at…”

And a picture is worth a thousand words:
Some of you may have had the privilege of eating there…with the concrete floors that often had standing water, the “cash only” requirement, and the lovely smell of seafood that came from everywhere. No wonder I was so skinny.

One thing I could not get used to was the lack of seasonal change. In Charleston, the average high in July is 90 degrees…the average LOW in January is 42 degrees. Coming from Kansas where it could fluctuate 50 degrees in one day, this was quite a change. I basically wore the same clothes all year. And 60 degrees on Christmas Day is just not right. But the mild weather DID allow us to buy this...
This is where the infamous Brittany and Samantha joined our family and the much heard antics of their turkey-stealing, skeleton-scaring, palmetto-bug eating, and the ever popular plastic bag around the neck story.

Next: Birmingham, AL