Let it rain, let it rain

Today was great. I got to sleep in. Of course, sleeping in meant 7:30, but I went to bed around 11:00 last night, so I got more sleep than I had in nearly a week. When I went to bed last night, I actually cuddled with Ellie for a few minutes before getting ready for bed. Next thing I knew it was about 4:00 in the morning. I was too tired to move, so I just stayed in bed with her, until 7:30. Anyway, I woke up showered, loaded the car, said goodbye to Kim, got Ellie and we were on our way to Columbia.

Ellie slept quite a bit last night, so she was up from the beginning. We had a good time singing and talking. I love the fact that I can have conversations with this 2 year old little girl. About halfway to Columbia we stopped at a McDonalds for breakfast. Ellie ate her breakfast and then she played on the playground for about 20 minutes, before we got back in the car to finish the drive to Columbia.

We got to Columbia and stopped by the Columbia Temple. It looks like most of the ones we had seen on this trip. However it is on a larger piece of property than most. Even though the gates were closed, we were able to walk all around it, and we got some good photos. I am so mad that I decided, or should I say waited, to get a tripod until Saturday. For the last three temples of the trip I was able to get pictures of me and Ellie together. What was I thinking?

Then we went to the University of South Carolina. We did our postcards and then wandered around campus for awhile. It is a pretty campus, but I much preferred the West Virginia. "The Real USC," as they like to calls themselves, has this weird yellow color that is kind of ugly. Sorry to any of my friends that are fans of the University of South Carolina.


After we were done with USC, we got into the car for the 3+ hour drive to Raleigh. Ellie fell right asleep, and I drove to Raleigh with only my thoughts to keep me entertained. Well that and the Scott Van Pelt show. The highlight of the drive was the two rainstorms I drove through. I have been here a week, and I had not seen any rain until today. I was hoping to get some thunderstorms while I was here. I didn't want them while I was driving. Instead I was hoping for some after we stopped driving for the day. No such luck. Anyway... As we were pulling into Raleigh, Ellie woke-up, we stopped and got a snack, and then drove to the Raleigh Temple.


We were at the Raleigh Temple for a few minutes, getting some pictures and then we went UNC-Chapel Hill. The campus in Chapel Hill is beautiful. I love all the trees and the brick buildings. However there is a cemetery in the middle of it, which is a little creepy. While we were there, all we did at UNC was get a couple souvenirs and then we went and got some pictures before heading into our hotel for the night. Now it is time to get some dinner, and relax for the rest of the evening. For Ellie this means jumping on the bed. :) As for me, I am looking forward to sleeping in before heading into Washington D.C. via Richmond.

Today's stats - 487 miles, 2 temples, 2 new states, 2 universities and a nice king sized bed for Ellie to jump on!