There’s so much I love about my hometown, Aiken – the people, the memories, the lunch spots and the way that time slows down just a little bit the second you take Exit 22. After spending 18 years of my life there, I can’t help but feel nostalgic each time I go back. During all of those years, my family lived in the same house, on the same street, with the same next door neighbors. These neighbors became our family. We would always know that two rings on the doorbell meant “It’s the Murdaughs” or that if it was a Saturday and Mr. Ed didn’t have to work, he would be doing yard work. The Murdaughs were the best kind of neighbors you could have asked for.

Melissa Murdaugh, now Melissa Viola, was one of those neighbors. She is now married to Mike and they have been blessed with 2 amazing twin boys, Jackson and Connor. The brief time I got to spend with them at the Aiken County Historical Museum was such a unique experience seeing someone that helped raise me, raise her two children alongside her husband. The only hard part was remembering to take pictures whenever all I wanted to do was smile at how cute these two boys were. Take a look for yourself and enjoy!