Stella's Georgia Visit Comes to An End...

Stella is flat out pooped from visiting with me! I've tried to show her a really good time, so I hope she's enjoyed her stay.

Here she is on Christmas morning...Santa sure can't wrap very well...the print is upside down!!! On Christmas, after we opened our presents, we decided to go for a walk at Little Mulberry Park, which is very close to where we live. The scenery is always so pretty and it was almost a summertime day...lots of people were walking in shorts and tank tops! Isn't that unreal???

Stella hopped onto these steps by a small stream and I snapped her picture. Doesn't she look just lovely?Here she is posing by the lake at the park. I had to hold her back from taking a leap right into the water...it was sure warm enough for a quick dip. The day after Christmas, we headed to Chapin, South Carolina where my mother-in-law and brother-in-law live. It's about a 3 hour drive from our house. I tried to get Stella's picture as we were passing by the "Welcome to South Carolina" sign, but I didn't snap it quick enough, so this was the next best thing. Stella's traveling down foggy Little Mountain, just outside of Newberry, South Carolina.Finally, we arrived at my mother-in-law's house! Stella couldn't wait to get out of the car and meet everyone!Stella, Chris, and I stayed in my mother-in-law's moms' wing of the house. Whew, that's a mouthful! We called her Grandma Vining and she passed away several years ago at the ripe old age of 87. She was a wonderful person and a lot of fun to be around! Stella is posing by Grandma Vining's picture that was taken when she was a little girl. Check out the size of that hair bow! I get so tickled every time I see it! My father-in-law was always a huge train buff. He collected Lionel trains for a number of years. When they moved to this house in South Carolina, he built a train room, along with the help of my mother-in-law's artistic abilities. This shows you just a portion of his display. I often said they could have charged admission for people to come in and see it. Here's some of his train collection that hangs on the wall of his train room. Stella had to get right in the mix of things. See her peeking out from behind the train?Here she is by the train depot...And by a farmhouse.Before I knew what happened, Stella decided to make like Superman and fly over the big metropolis. She's much more daring than I am!She insisted on doing a little hiking up the side of a mountain. I was beginning to think she'd never run out of energy! Shortly before we left, I took Stella out in the backyard for a little fresh air and a look of the lake. Yesterday, it was foggy all day long, so I didn't get the chance to take her out and show her around.

When she saw the swing, she just had to try it out!

Here she is in front of the dock that my father-in-law and brother-in-law built together several years back.
This is the view my mother-in-law gets to see everyday. She lives right on Lake Murray, which is a huge lake in South Carolina. We have so much fun in the summer going boating and tubing! The sunsets are breathtaking!
Stella, being the adventurous girl that she is, just had to climb a tree! Talk about some skill! She didn't fall off one time!
This is the back view of my mother-in-law's house, the side that faces Lake Murray.Stella posing on a little bridge my mother-in-law set out to cross a little stream they constructed.

When Stella saw this alligator, she tried to run for the hills...UNTIL I told her that it wasn't real! She really can be a big ol' chicken sometimes.
We returned from South Carolina about an hour and a half ago. So, as you can see, Stella has been one busy girl, especially these past few days. She's pooped, but as they say, "There's no rest for the weary." Tomorrow, I will bid Stella a fond farewell and send her on her way to my buddy, Daphine, in Texas. There is no doubt that Daphine and her family will show Stella a rootin' tootin' good time in the Lonestar state. Be sure to check out her blog from time to time and see what new adventures await!

I will be posting about our Christmas in a few days, once I recuperate from our trip and get caught up. I have much to share! I've missed you all and I'll be back soon! By the way, when I was creating this post, I accidentally deleted my signature, hence my handmade one! Guess I'm a little rusty!

April