There's nothing like going home.
This past weekend I got to travel back to South Carolina for the first time since August! It was such a wonderful trip and I got to see my family and my friends! I can't wait to get back there for Thanksgiving.. but until then.. this is how it went!
Friday night after work, I caught a flight home to Charlotte. Mom and Jessica came and picked me up and we made the trek back to Lexington! It was so good to be back at home. I spent time with the family and then hit the sack!
Saturday morning we all woke up and went out to eat at O'Charley's. They have a great brunch there! (Who knew?) My dad and I both had the prime rib omelette. It was so yummy and full of bacon, asparagus and mushrooms and smothered in Swiss cheese. It came with crispy potato wedges on the side and two slices of Texas toast. Not to mention the yummy Mimosas that Mom and I ordered too! It was definitely a great choice.*
After brunch, I traveled downtown to Columbia to The Gates to Samantha, Andrea and Amber's apartment. What lucky girls to live in such a beautiful apartment so close to Williams-Brice stadium! And they can have their pets Nala (Andrea's dog) and Billie Jean (Amber's cat) there with them.** After everyone got ready, we went over to the Memorial Lot to reunite with everyone!! That was soooo fun! It was so wonderful to see all of my friends again. It's always good to know that you can go for months without seeing the ones dearest to you, and it's like time never passed. I am so lucky to have such good friends. :)
After a few hours of tailgating (and more than a few beers were consumed) we headed to the stadium to watch the game. I can't tell you how much I missed Gamecock football! It's so great to come back to Williams-Brice and watch a game in person. It just isn't the same on TV. Although I love Crystal City Sports Pub game-watching parties, there is nothing like watching my Gamecocks play with 80,000 of my best friends.*** Here are a few shots from the game..
Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC
Watching the game with Andrea and Cady Nell
If you look closely, that's my ZTA little sister Maya on field as Homecoming Queen!! Maya was the second ZTA in a row to win Homecoming Queen! My good friend (and old roommate) Heather won last year. My sorority also won Homecoming school-wide! We were so excited!!!
After the game, we headed downtown to 5 Points to eat at Salty Nut and hang out for the night. My fried chicken wrap was everything I remembered and more. Yum! I really can't describe how exciting it was to be back in Columbia after so many months away! I'm glad I got to go downtown to my old stomping ground with all of my best friends! And a big thank you to Sammy, Andrea and Amber for letting me stay with them this weekend. It was definitely a blast!
On Sunday morning, my sister Jessica picked me up and we headed right across the street the the South Carolina State Fair. Now.. if you know anything about the Marshall family, then you know how OBSESSED we are with the SC State Fair. It's an annual tradition to go to the fair when it comes to town in October and take advantage of all the amaaaaazing varieties of fried goodies!! My sister and I got there just as the gates were opening and we headed straight for the food. Don't worry.. we got around to other parts too. Here are some pictures from the fun that was had!
Eating my favorite food at the fair!
We have been going to the same Pronto Pups stand for 13 years!
Jess with her Pronto Pup!
The best lemonade at the Fair!
Making our lemony concoction. Jessica was so excited she could hardly stand it.
So excited to be at the fair! (And to be holding her lemonade. Ha!)
Of course, pizza was next!
She loves her cheese pizza!
Yes.. we did visit the indoor exhibits. What a huge tree!
After all the excitement of the indoor exhibits, we were hungry again. (Imagine that.) So, we decided to conduct a little fair experiment. We wanted to try some fried candy. The SC State Fair, in the last few years, has been experimenting with different types of fried candy bars. Over the last few fair cycles, they have managed to fry (and sell) fried Snickers, fried Reese's and even fried cookie dough. Well this year, they outdid themselves: they managed to fry Pepsi. Yes, my friends, Pepsi-Cola. Now, as you know, the Marshall family has strong ties to this lovely drink, so Jess and I were more than willing to try it in a different form. I mean, we have tasted almost every Pepsi product flavor. (They even make Dr. Pepper flavored BBQ sauce, believe it or not.) So here we were, getting ready to try the weirdest food yet. Here is the proof:
Oh yes.. your eyes are not playing tricks on you.
Yep.. they did it.
They look like donuts.. but don't be surprised..
Here is Jess' first bite.. Ha!
Had to get our Fiske fries.. Don't worry, we covered them in salt and vinegar!
Here was our final loot: popcorn for Mom, caramel apples, a Greek gyro, and Fiske fries.
Was it a success? Absolutely!
After all was said and done, and we were home from the fair, I really was so happy how the weekend turned out. It was so great to see my family and my friends. I miss them all so much, but I know I will see them again soon. I just keep telling myself how grateful I am to be surrounded my so many wonderful people in my life. I am truly blessed.
Stay tuned for more posts this week. I have a great grilled chicken dish I want to share with you all! And after I go back and buy the pie crust I forgot at the grocery store today, I am making my famous PUMPKIN PIE!! Have a good week and happy eating!
* Thanks to Mom and Dad for routinely trying this restaurant out. I can say.. it is a great brunch place for being in downtown Lexington.
**Nala was rescued by Andrea, Cady Nell and Peters last year after a sorority sister found her on the side of the road. She is such a good dog. She looks like she is part wolf and part hyena with a gray snout. She even slept snuggled in between Andrea and I on Saturday night. She is so sweet and they are so lucky to have such a lovable dog! Can't wait to see her again!
***And by 80,000 of my best friends I mean it, y'all. Everyone in that stadium loves each other like family when we watch our Gamecocks play!!
**** After I read through this post, I realized that me and my sister's tour of the fair was a walking Pepsi ad. Ha! We are Marshalls!! Take a look back through the photos and see if you can see it!
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