After finishing a week filled with work (and two large cakes!), I headed down south for four days with a group of my childhood best friends. We will all be turning (or have turned) 30 this year, so we wanted to all get together in one place to celebrate. We wanted to go somewhere new that was still in the US (two of the girls are pregnant) and the majority of the girls hadn’t been down south, so we picked Charleston. I’d only spent 36 hours there for a wedding, and had flown straight from Africa (major jetlag!), so I was excited to be able to experience Charleston again (and without the jetlag). Four days in Charleston was certainly not enough, I could photograph all of the colors in that charming city for weeks on end. I’ve included just some of the colors, beautiful sights, and places I saw below. Continue on after the jump for more photos, as well as a few of my favorite experiences.

• We stayed on the Isle of Palms, which I loved because there were so many colorful charming homes along the beach. We stayed at a resort with plenty of pools and friendly beaches to enjoy during the day. Keep in mind we were 8 girls who were born and raised in San Diego together, so obviously the pools and beach in walking distance were a major selling point for us. One night we took a very cool boat tour that was super informative and docked on an uninhabited island for 45 minutes, which was a lot of fun. We stayed on Isle of Palms for dinner one night, which we enjoyed at Morgan Creek Grill. That meal was for sure my favorite during the entire trip. The seafood was so fresh and the panoramic water views didn’t hurt either.
• The first morning I was in Charleston I visited the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where those nine beautiful individuals tragically lost their lives last month. I wanted to pay respect, honor those who were lost, and take it in alone. The sun was rising as I arrived and it was shining the most magnificent light on the church. I was completely overcome with tears as I just stood there by myself reading the messages others had left outside the church and watching the sun slowly illuminate the entire church. My heart breaks for the lives lost that day, for the church members, for Charleston, and for all those who have had to question their safety in their most sacred of places since that awful day. There was a sign that said “Forgive For We Have Been Forgiven” that I have thought of many times since. Love conquers hate, even the deepest and darkest hate.
• I am an early riser, and most of the girls were on California time, so I had a few hours every morning to myself before the others woke up. I ended up driving around Charleston each morning. One morning I took in Rainbow Row and the South of Broad neighborhood. I also explored the northern end of King Street, took a bunch of photos, and then stopped in for coffee at Saint Alban, which was just what I needed after another very early morning. We re-visited Rainbow Row and did some shopping on King Street as a group later.
• For meals downtown we had dinners at Leaf Charleston and Pearlz Oyster Bar, both of which were delicious. We had brunch one morning at The Rarebit – I loved the interior of this place, basically a mid-century diner vibe. We ate lots of sweets and candy (again, two ladies are with child), but nothing to write home about. There were so many adorable ice cream shops I wanted to stop into, but unfortunately they weren’t open at 6 am! ha

Taking a trip with childhood girlfriends was so much fun. I highly recommend everyone do it. So many memories were made on this trip. We vowed to take group trips much more often because getting to explore a new place and lounge around with your bestest of friends – well, there’s nothing better!