Driving down I-20 to South Carolina

This past weekend was my first trip with Stephen.  It went perfectly!  I've had more stress and awkward moments traveling with some of my girlfriends, with Stephen there was none of that.  AND we even took Mabel with us.

I know Mabel isn't officially my dog.  She'll always be Stephen's dog.  But I love her like she was my own.  (Except for 4am bathroom breaks - then she's all Stephen's.)  I never thought I'd be one of those dog owners who loves to talk about his or her dog.  Well I am, so here we go.  This post is dedicated to Sweet Mabel.  Traveling with Stephen for my first trip only seemed natural to have Mabel in the back seat.  Off we went to South Carolina - the 3 of us.

We had to bring Mabel's crate with us and it spend the first 90 min in the back seat with Mabes.  She wasn't happy.  She couldn't do her full circle before laying down so there was a lot of whining and trying to get into the front seat to my lap.  When we stopped for lunch we moved it to the trunk and Mabel could finally get some rest.

Our first stop of the weekend was Columbia, SC to visit a friend who had recently moved.  We went out to watch the USC in their game against UGA in Athens followed by the UF game.  It was a nice quiet evening with friends.  We didn't spend much time in Columbia, but I will say, I heard and read the word "cocks" more than I have in my lifetime up to that point - and we were there less than 24 hours.  They really take the word Gamecocks to a new level.

USC's stadium.  Stephen said it was big.  Looks pretty small to me :)

After breakfast we were back on the road to Charleston, SC to visit Stephen's cousin, Chrissy.  Mabel slept the entire way there.  What a good girl!  When we arrived Mabel met Chrissy's dog, Molly.  Let's just say they don't get a long.  There was a little blood, some loud yelling from one dog to another and some stressed out dog owners.  Molly is fine.  Mabel will never meet another small, female dog again.  

Once we were sure Molly was okay, the three of us adults headed to Folly Beach for some lunch at The Crab Shack (the best seafood in SC!).  If you've ever driven to Folly Beach, there is one road from the main land.  Off to the side of the road is a beached boat that has become somewhat of a landmark.  Anyone is welcome to paint the boat at any time.  I can't even imagine how much paint is on this boat.  Sunday was the 10 year anniversary of 9/11/01.  

That pretty much speaks for itself.  It's a day I'll never forget.  

After lunch/dinner we headed home, said our goodbyes and drove back to the beach with Mabel.  If we were in Folly Beach, we were going to let Mabel play in the ocean for the first time.  

She LOVED it.  She wasn't too sure of the waves coming at her, she probably thought they were solid, but once the wave passed she was back to leaping through the water.  What a happy puppy.  I wish I had a video of her jumping over the waves. 

Stephen and I were both clothed so we couldn't go deep into the water but Mabel had a blast.  The water wasn't cold and the weather was perfect.  One wave went over her head and she got salt water in her eyes for the first time.  She wasn't too happy about that but got over it quickly.  I can't wait to take her back to the beach for a longer trip.

Our wet little puppy, happy as can be.