Mimi Mine

There is always something to see and do at Disney's Kidani Village. The following short video is of some of the Cast Members from Africa who work at the resort. The staff is always friendly, helpful and courteous at the resort. These guys seem to really enjoy being a part of the resort experience. Just one more thing that makes for a memorable stay. Thank you very much for coming by my blog! I truly appreciate the time you spend here and hope you will drop by again real soon.

I have mentioned on my blog before on more than a few occasions that we adore planning trips that involve our family and extended family. This past month, we were able to get together and take one of those cherished trips to Walt Disney World. There were fourteen of us this time and we were all able to stay at Disney's Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Kidani Village is one of Disney Vacation Club's member resorts and is one of our favorite resorts in which to stay. Many of you have heard of Disney's Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom Resort and Kidani Village is just a very short distance away from the park. The resort is the same theme as the Animal Kingdom Park and has a very authentic African vibe. Most of the cast members (otherwise known as staff) are of very authentic African origins. Most speak at least some English and they are all very friendly and helpful and lend so much authenticity to any stay there. This makes way for an "out of Africa" amb

This is my final post about our family's recent day excursion to Hunting Island State Park and other interesting and inviting places around the Beaufort, South Carolina low country area. This will be a short post. We had a full day of exploring. We were constantly on the move, from early morning as we began our journey from our home in Aiken, S.C., until our safe arrival back at home late that evening. We are very grateful to Jason, our son-in-law, for being our driver for the entire day. Daughter Angela followed in her van with her children and friend of the family. After we visited the ruins of Prince William's Parish Church, we made a stop at a table set up in front of the home of a very talented artisan basket maker. The low country is noted for the beautiful coiled sweet grass baskets produced there. These baskets are truly pieces of art and the grass used to create them has a sweet aroma. The art of Coiled Sweet grass basket making is considered historically signif

There are so many amazing and wonderful things in life to experience and see if we but take a few moments to stop and look around.. Beauty can be found in some out of the way places. This post is about one such beautiful place. At least, it is beautiful to me, because I happen to really enjoy rambling through old churches and graveyards. The ruins of the Prince William's Parish Church and graves is such a place. The church was built between 1745 and 1753 and was named Prince William's Parish Church but was also called Sheldon Church. As the sign indicates, the church is also called Sheldon Church. Building of the church was primarily paid for by Lt. Gov. William Bull and was sometimes referred to as Sheldon Church after Bull's plantation, which was also called Sheldon. The church was constructed in the Greek Revival style. It was burned by the British in 1779 during the Revolutionary War. It was rebuilt in 1826. The church was alleged to have been burned again in 1865

Hello and welcome to Mimi Mine, my blog! As far back as I can remember, I have loved lighthouses. Everything about them is incredibly intriguing. The manner in which each is constructed, from the height, colors and shapes of paint patterns, is so diverse around the world. The location and history of each one is of interest to me. One of the boards on my Pinterest accounts is all about lighthouses from different locations around the world, including a few of my own pictures taken from personal visits and tours. If you care to visit my Lighthouses  board on Pinterest, I am providing the link  here . On a recent day trip to  Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina , we had the privilege of visiting the Hunting Island Light. Though we had visited the beach on the island some years ago, we didn't make it to the lighthouse. Like many of these wonderful old structures, this one is no longer used as a functioning lighthouse, but remains open to the public. For a minimal fee vis

When our youngest daughter and her family invited us to ride down toward Beaufort, South Carolina for a day trip to beautiful Hunting Island State Park, we didn't have to think before saying yes. My husband and I have been thinking for months how much we would enjoy a trip to the beach for some relaxation and fun in the sun and so this trip would be perfect. One of the things in life we love most is spending time with our family. We have been very busy lately, so this day trip would be just the thing. By the time all was said and done, our other daughter and her family were in on the plans, as well. That made the trip sound even better. One of our grandsons invited a friend along, as well. Eleven of us, in all, made the trip to Hunting Island. We all left for our trip early that morning and it could not have been more beautiful when we arrived at the park. The skies were a gorgeous blue and the weather was absolutely perfect for beach combing and playing in the sun and oce

This is a very short post. I wanted mention a couple of things that have happened in her life in the month of May. Sophie works hard in school. She started middle school this year and is doing very well. She was awarded the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award at Aiken Middle School. Go Sophie Girl!! Sophie Received an Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement In my book, our Sophie is outstanding in every good way and, as her grandparents, we could not be more proud of her! Another very big event happened this month. Sophie celebrated her twelfth birthday! She is growing up much too fast. We celebrated at one of her favorite restaurants in town, Mi Rancho. Sophie is an avid reader and The Hunger Games series of books are some of her best loved, so far. She adores The Hunger Games: Mocking jay, both one and two. She chose the theme of The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay for her birthday cake this year. Our neighbor and dear friend, Julie makes some of the most tasty and beaut

My husband checked the nesting box of our baby Blue Birds this afternoon. I posted here about our five sweet little Blue Birds here  and I expressed my concern that they might be attacked by predators before they were ready to fly. I noticed when I discovered them in their nest this past weekend that they looked to be about ready, judging from the looks of their feathers and when my husband looked in the nesting box this afternoon they were not there. As can be seen in the picture below, the nest does not appear to have been disturbed or torn up in any way. Better still, the pine needles the Blue Bird parents placed at the entrance to the entrance hole was still in place and undisturbed. Baby Blue Bird Intact and Empty Nest We are very relieved to see that the Baby Blues must have flown from the nest. There were no feathers on the ground near the nest. That was a good sign too, we thought. There were, however, a few feathers out near the woods where my husband's main b

My husband and I have often exchanged these words: Me: "I am going to be optimistic about this." Him: "I'm going to be realistic." Me: "You sound like Mariah Popham from Summer Magic."  Him: "You are too hopeful. You need to be more realistic, so you don't get dissapointed." Of course, we are usually just kidding around and, just for the record, I know we all must sometimes be realistic. However, I think it is just part of my being.  Eternal optimism must be in my DNA. Mind you, I don't wear rose colored glasses all the time and I understand that things will not always be "La Vie en Rose"around here. I am not blind to the fact that some things are not going to always go according to plan. Still, I choose hope over no hope most every time! Gardening is one of those things--for me anyway, as my thumbs are less than green. I plant with high hopes that pests will not invade and destroy. I hope that weather c