Funday Sunday

I'm hardwired to plan and organize. Some people call it anal retentive. Almost every morning I ask Ben for the run down of his day. Why? I need to know the plan. What are we eating for lunch? And while we're at it, what about dinner? And three months from now do you think we can plan a short trip to visit our friends who we never get to see? Do you think it'll be possible eight months from now for us to spend a long weekend at Isle of Palms?

If that doesn't prove my case - last year, in between sessions at Catalyst (a dynamic conference held in Atlanta every year), I was already crunching the numbers to see how much money we needed to put aside to make Catalyst happen in 2010.

Maybe there's a small control freak monster hiding inside of me. Or maybe she's running rampantly loose.

But the good news is that this side of me knows how to turn that superbly organized and highly efficient planning mechanism into FUN. If you're looking for short day trip ideas, here's a quick run down of one of our most favorite day adventures. (and more to come in future posts)

To surprise Ben I orchestrated a Low Country escapade. But no escapade should be started without a favorite breakfast, so we munched down on heart-shaped (I know, how corny!) blueberry muffins and OJ.

With bellies full, we ejoyed the very scenic route down to Edisto Island. We attempted to ride bikes (which would have been very fun!), but I am not geographically gifted (and one of the major snafus in my whole scheme to surprise Ben). We never found the bike rental shop, but we did enjoy a very lovely stroll down the shell pebbled beaches of Edisto Island. Being an early spring day, slightly less than warm temps, scattered gray clouds, and a light wind accompanied us most of the walk. But it was nice enough to walk barefoot and squish the sand beneath our toes! Since the bikes were a no go and we still had time to spend (and because every good planner has a backup!), we drove on to Charleston. The drive between those two towns is one of the most beautiful that South Carolina has to offer.

In Charleston we visited Blue Bicycle Books (a bookstore that even my mom hadn't hear of - and trust me - that's a feat!) - home to "used, rare & local" books. Ben has a big time crush on books...especially old ones...so he fell in love. The narrow but filled-to-capacity shop is well worth a visit the next time you mosey down to Charleston. Before going back to Columbia, we ate a lovely meal at AW Shucks right in the heart of downtown Charleston.

We did all this for the cost of one tank of gas (gotta love those efficient Hondas), road trip snacks (we never leave home without them), a quick to-go lunch, and dinner at AW Shucks. Quite a good deal for all the fun memories we made!