Thing I will miss about South Carolina

I have been meaning to do this post for a while.  Given we are 2 weeks away from the house getting packed, this would seem like a good time.

This is a list of things I am going to miss.  Some of them are relevant to just this area or state, and some are relevant to the whole country.  Some are just for me, and some are as a family.

Some will be couple of words, others will be paragraphs.  As we conclude our lives here, this list will be added to.  It is also something for me to look back on fondly (hopefully).

So in no particular order.......

1.   The weather.  It is going to be over 90 degrees this weekend.  Winter lasts about 3 months tops.  Snow dissipates quickly.  The kids live in shorts from March- November.  But it does get too hot.  But I don't mind.

2.  The mountains.  I have never really lived near mountains before.  As you drive up the interstate 385 from Simpsonville into Greenville, just after the mall turning, you get an awesome view of the mountains. 

                                     

    

You can also see them from other places around Simpsonville. Although we don't utilize them much, I shall miss having them near.

3.  The Y.  The gym.  We have had a family membership since the end of 2014.  Should have got one sooner.  I love taking Zumba, Cardio Dance Blast and TRX at the gym. The 2 younger ones had swimming lessons there. Oliver honed his basketball kills. They all love running the indoor track.  I love it, and shall miss it terribly.

4.  My Zumba family.  The Zumba instructor network in this area is awesome.  From the instructors at the Y to the Free community Zumba at the Kroc Centre, to the various churches and individual studios that host Zumba classes.  I have met a LOT of Zumba instructors.  And everyone is so nice!!! I am so glad I got my Zumba licences here, under Loretta Bates, Ali Ramirez and Renee Pickett.  They are brilliant ZES, and have taught me well.  I have even taught my first class here, subbing for a friend.  I love my Zumba buddies!

5.  The craft stores..... Micheals, Jo-Ann Fabric, A.C. Moore and Panda's Crossing.  My introduction to crafting then beading has been in large parts thanks to these stores.  I will particularly miss Panda's Crossing, and the lovely ladies who host the classes.

6.  The wild life.  Turkey vultures, blue tailed skinks, even the snakes....  

7.  The coast.  Ok, we are a good 3 hours from the coast, and are hoping to move nearer the coast in the UK.  But the east coast here is wonderful.  Dolphins, sea turtles, fish.  We love it.  

8.  The darn convenience of the restrooms.  Every store has a restroom for public use.  Every park and outside area has at least one toilet block.  Exceptionally good when you have small children.

9.  Eating out.  We eat out.  A lot.  we look for kids set free / cheap, and use these as much as possible.  I shall miss the variety, and the (generally) good service.

Halloween and other stuff....

I am so sorry I have not blogged in a while.  We have been pretty busy.  I uploaded these photos about a week ago, and never did anything about them.  So here goes.....

We got our pumpkins from Holy Cross Pumpkin Patch here in Simpsonville.  This is set up every year to raise money for charity.  The boys enjoyed it....

They got to pick one each, and we got a big one for the faaamiiiillllyyyy.

Seb and I took a trip to the zoo the week of Halloween.  They had their Boo in the Zoo paraphernalia set up, so he got to see all that.  Funnily enough, he does not like inflatables that move....

                                 

Here are our carved pumpkins.  The boys drew faces, and I carved them.  By the time I got to the big one, I had a good technique and was able to get quite intricate.

Isaac had a party at school for Halloween, and I got to make the cakes.  I think they turned out quite well!

Before his party, they had what is called the Primer Parade, where all the kindergarteners walk around the whole school showing off their costumes.  Here is his whole grade.

                                 

This year they did something different.  The seniors (top end of school) walked with the primers.  Isaac ended up going round with a monkey.  He was infatuated by his tail! Sebastian even got in on the action.....

                                 

And then the night itself, we ALL went trick or treating.  It was Sebastian's first time, and he loved it. To me, it didn't seem as crazy as last year.  By the time we got about half way round the subdivision, Sebastian was shot.  Think he had sensory overload from the lights, sounds, costumes and people.  He was very pleased to get home for his candy

                                 

We awoke on the 1st November to a light dusting of snow.  We had already decided to go up to the mountains to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the Autumn/Fall colors in the trees.  The nearer the mountains we got, the more snow there was.  We got to the parkway, and it was closed due to the inclement weather!  We decided to head into Asheville for some lunch, and it was still snowing, almost blizzard conditions!  We ate at the Outback, and you can see from the sign just how much snow there was!!! The boys were able to have a snowball fight as there was about 4 inches on the grass and benches!!!

                               

We drove back to Greenville, and the sun came out, with no snow anywhere!!!

Last week the boys did their first full week of school in about a month!  They were shattered.  We have had conferences (parent teacher meetings) also.  Oliver is fine.  He is performing above average, but still needs to push himself.  Isaacs.  Well.  Lets just say we have some behavior issues.  He had been in the office on numerous occasions, the director and assistant director of lower school know him well.  We are working on ways to curb his behavior.  I think we are getting somewhere, but it is hard for him to conform.  School has been a big change for him, and I think he has struggled, particularly when he had a lot of time out.  I do remember this happening a lot at this time of year.  Its like school begins, he thinks its great.  Then he realizes he can't at home as much and starts misbehaving.  This has happened the last 2 years, I am sure of it ( I even just checked back through the blog for reference of it, but can't find a specific to link!).  I feel so awful sometimes, like we are the only ones having these issues.  I know we are not, but that doesn't help!  We are working on it, so hopefully his behavior will improve.

This weekend I did something I have been talking about for ages.  I completed Zumba Instructor basic training 1.  I am now licensed to teach Zumba!  I am so proud of myself for this.  If i want to teach here, I will need a work permit.  But I feel like I need to work out some choreography first...

Oh, and we joined the gym. This was partly for me to do regular Zumba, but also to be able to swim during the winter as a family, and for cheaper swimming lessons for the boys next spring.  Because of Paul's work discount, it is cheaper per month to be members of the gym than it is for Sebastian to go Kindermusik or Gymboree.  Madness.....

Think that is all for now.  Next up: Isaacs birthday and Thanksgiving.