Wrap Up

We have been visiting Myrtle Beach now for 9 consecutive years.  Although we've done pretty much everything the city has to offer, we continue to return year after year.  This year I asked both Tyler and Samantha privately if they even wanted to come back in 2016... maybe they'd like to try someplace new.  But almost immediately both of them responded YES!

So these last few days, I asked myself why Myrtle Beach continues to draw us back.  And although I'm not sure how the kids would respond, I've come up with a pretty solid answer for myself.

Coming to Myrtle Beach reminds me of the FUN we've had.   I see snapshots of some exciting things we've done through out the years.  We have experienced so many of our FIRSTS there...first time crab hunting, first time body surfing, first time using a potty... the list goes on and on.

In those snapshots, I see the faces of my husband, my children, Rog & Gretchen, Dean & Jenny,  JC and Mary.  I remember the laughter heard with Katie, our parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews.  It reminds me of so many MEMORIES we've shared with each other and with FAMILY and with FRIENDS.

But its not only the happy memories that I remember.  I remember taking Tyler to the emergency room and the exact location where Sammy had a tantrum.  Each time we visit the aquarium, I think back to all our previous trips and I watch, in my minds' eye, as my kids grow up and mature.  I remember how nervous I was the first time we went on the jet skis and how much we prepared the kids for our first visit to the Pirate show.  Although not all the memories were happy, they each bring joy.  These memories show me how far we've come.  They remind me of God's provision and love.

I will treasure these times spent in Myrtle Beach forever in my heart... and this trip, I realized that my darling children will too!  Love you guys!

The Trip Home - Day 23

 Its our last day of the trip!  There was a certain peace about everyone as we woke up this morning ... A peace that proved we had indeed found relaxation and were content to head home.

The morning ran like many others... breakfast, TV, and jammies.  The weather started out rather overcast so we got busy with chores hoping the sun would decide to pop out when we were ready.  Mary was a big help with the dishes and leftover food.  The kids packed their carry-ons and made trips to the trash chute. (Honestly, who doesn't love listening to those bags fall over 170 ft to the dumpster below!)  I emptied closets and drawers, attempting to find a month's worth of stuff and fit it into our three bags.  Even after shipping home a tote of toys yesterday, we still had so much to fit in that luggage.  We made it, but my bag was 20 lbs over the airline limit... oops!

After chores were done, we headed out to the pool for one last dip!  The water was really refreshing!

Tyler ran into his friend again so he had one last good-bye as we headed up for lunch.  Since the dishes were clean and the fridge was empty, we picked up pizza for lunch.  The water had flooded the intersection by the Embassy Suites again and the police were lit up outside our resort to shut down the road there as well.  I cannot believe how saturated the ground must be to flood again so easily!

The pizza was great... followed by leftover ice cream and cheese & crackers.  We brought some borrowed items up to the Adema's condo on the 27th floor and then returned to our condo to start saying our good-byes.  "good-bye sand dune, good-bye ocean, good-bye tide pools, good-bye pier..."

Then it was off to the airport.  We literally had no wait at security and breezed right through.  The kids once again found their "designated" spot on the light up bench to play while we waited.

I grabbed some food for everyone from Steak & Shake as the flight crew began boarding.  I checked the clock as we took off and noticed we had left ahead of schedule... that doesn't happen every day!

The flight was supposed to take about an hour and 40 minutes... but within an hour and 20, DTW was in sight.  I was so glad that we were still ahead of schedule.  If you remember our last flight home, we had to sit on the runway for an hour after we landed waiting for a gate.  It caused us to get home pretty late.  Tyler had even prayed that God would help us NOT have a long wait at the airport so he could get home early enough to spend time with Dad.  It was very sweet and we recognized that God must have heard his prayers because we slid right into our gate and were deplaning LONG before we should have been.

We had a bit of a wait for our bags, so Mary sat down with our carry-ons and Sammy while Tyler and I waited for the carousal.  Much to her surprise, JC walked up to surprise her.  And a little bit later Scott did too!  We were all SO excited to see them!  (God is so good - He cares for us in so many ways).  

JC and Mary drove the convertible home while Scott went with the kids and I to get our SUV from the lot.  We all met up at AppleBees in New Hudson.  It was fun spending time with our guys and we enjoyed sharing the highlights of the trip.

We pulled in around 10:30 pm and brought the kids up for bed.  It was a long day... but still so good.  Its great to be home!

Pool, More Rain, and Packing - Day 22

We started off with a pretty typical morning, watching shows in our pajamas.  I spent a little time packing up some of our extra toys that I want to ship home separately.  Mary made us cinnamon rolls for breakfast and they were amazing!  Even Sammy liked them!

After breakfast, we headed down to the pool.  It was cooler this morning but we all managed to get in at one point!  Tyler found his friend from the hot tub yesterday and had a follow up conversation regarding the things the man had told us about.  It was very sweet as they shook hands and said their good-byes.

We headed upstairs for lunch but soon realized we didn't have enough groceries for lunch.  Its the end of the week and we are trying to finish everything up.  So, we decided on Red Robin and headed out for lunch.  Just as we were pulling in, it started to pour!

We left the restaurant around 3:00 pm.  I made a quick stop to send out the box of toys I packed earlier and then hit Steak and Shake for some shakes.  We made it home around 5:00 pm and couldn't believe how long it had taken.

The rain continued off and on this afternoon and already after just a few hours, the water some covering some roadways.  Its amazing how fragile the area is after the floods last week.

When we got home, I spent some time doing laundry and starting to pack.  There is so much to do after a month-long stay.  Mary rested in her room and caught a movie on Lifetime.  We made a pasta meal for supper and talked most of the evening.  How can you still have things to talk about after 7 days???  It was fabulous!

The kids called Daddy one last time and said their sweet good-nights!  Its been an amazing trip with only a few hours left.  Tomorrow we will be home!

Beach and Barefoot - Day 21

This morning after devotions, Tyler and I ran some errands.  We stopped to vac all the sand out of the van from yesterday, got some groceries, stopped for coffee and then picked up a package that was waiting for us in the lobby.

We had a frozen pizza for lunch and then got ready for a day at the beach.  The waves were great and we had lots of fun jumping as they came in.

After a while, we headed in to take a break.  Sammy played in the tide pools while Tyler played in the shallow surf.  It wasn't long before Sammy came over and explained that there was  a little girl that wanted to be her friend.  No kidding, she was wiggly and giggly with excitement.  So she and Payton played together in the sand... hiding and finding treasure, making sand castles, and splashing in the puddles.  It was very sweet.  

Mary and Tyler ended up heading back into the water to play while I watched Sammy play in the sand.  But soon Payton's parents were ready to head up to the pool so she invited us to join them.  We did.  Sammy had a great time playing in the pool, hot tub and even played a few round of hide-and-seek.  When it was time to head upstairs, Sammy asked to take a photo to remember her friend by.  I gladly obliged!

While Sammy and Payton played, Mary and Tyler joined us from the beach.  Tyler and I spent some time in the hot tub with some fabulous couples from Boston.  They were very kind and willing to chat so Tyler loved it.  One man was quick to find out about Tyler's interests and then shared cool stories on those topics.  Tyler ate up every word.  We left with a list of things to look up online:  The pirate ship Whydah that his friend Arne discovered off the Massachusetts coast (one of the greatest finds in maritime history), Lionel and HO trains, a 2016 race on the streets of Boston.  It was very interesting and we so appreciated the time he spent to share with Tyler!

It was almost 6:30 pm when we arrived at dinner.  Tyler picked Logan's again (the peanut place) so I once again had to eat quickly to keep up with his shelling skills.

After a great meal, we headed to Barefoot Landing to walk through the stores and window shop.  It was a nice night that ended in the "rock store".    The kids posed for photos and had lots of fun.  Sammy of course stopped for some chocolate ice cream.

We didn't make it home til almost 9:00 pm so we had the kids quick settle in for TV in bed.  It was a really fun day yet again!

First Time Kayakers - Day 20

So earlier on the trip I had found a local company that offers kayak trips in the salt marshes of Huntington Beach State Park.  They were eager to provide us a great time and teach us about the ecosystems.  They would even allow each kid to have a boat of their own.  They were aware of our needs and willing to work with us so we were excited (and maybe, if I'm being honest, a little nervous).  

We relaxed most of the morning... reading, tv, playing, devotions, etc.  You know, it takes time!

I planned out the time it would take... 1 hour drive (actually 45 minutes), 30 mins for lunch... so we needed to leave at 11:15 am to make it by the 12:45 pm rendezvous place and time.

So imagine my surprise when we left the restaurant at 12:40 (still 20 minutes from the launch) AND noticed the gas tank was on E.  It was awful.  After we got fueled up, we got stuck in traffic.  Ugh.  I hate being late and this was not even excusable.  We parked 45 minutes later than planned.  I was so embarrassed but our guide Paul was very kind and understanding. 

We got started right away.  Paul found two hermit crabs in the water to show us...

Then he and I used a seining net to collect all sorts of little creatures that we could learn about... crabs, shrimp, and fish.  It was very cool!  Tyler impressed us all his with knowledge of crabs and how to determine if they are male or female.  I'm really proud of him! 

Then, without any instructions or training, we strapped a life jacket on each of them, and pushed them out in the water.

Both kids loved it!  They did so good and figured out naturally how to use the paddles and steer.

After a little while, Sammy got tired so we tied her on to the guide and she floated the rest of the way.  She got my sunglasses, put her feet up and settled right in.  It was so funny to see her lounging while the rest of us paddled away!

The guide showed us some mud on the "shores" and suggested the kids try to walk on it.  It wasn't normal sand though... it was that oozy, slimy, sinking sand that marshes have.  Tyler was willing but wanted the guide to go first, so in he jumped... to his thighs in mud.  Then Tyler took a turn.  Then even Sammy.  It was wonderful to hear their squeals and laughs.  They had the best comments!  After we peeled them out of the mud, they climbed back into their boats... COVERED in thick black mud.  Gross!  Sammy splashed water into her boat and slowly got rinsed off.  Tyler (who had to paddle) had to wait til the end of the tour when we got back to shore to get the mud off.

As we paddled away from the sinking mud, Tyler shouts out "Well, I guess we can check that off the bucket list!"  Yes, Buddy, I guess so... you don't ever have to jump into thigh-deep sticky stinky mud again!

It was a fabulous tour with Black River Outdoors... we would highly recommend them.  At this point, the kids were drenched from rinsing so we headed back to the van dripping wet.

Since we were so close to Huntington State Park, we took a drive through to show Mary what it has to offer and then decided to make a quick detour to the beach to give the kids a chance to better rinse off.... in their underwear.  (Shh!)  

We grabbed take out from Outback on the way home and enjoyed another relaxing night... Everyone going their separate ways to get some quiet time.  

What an adventure today!  So much to see and learn.  It is a great example of why I love to travel with these kids!!

Golf and Beach on a Sunny Day - Day 19

As I woke up this morning and opened my eyes... I knew today was different already.  THE SUN WAS SHINING!  Wow!  There was an extra skip in my step as we got dressed and ready to start the day.  We decided to head out mini-golfing.  Tyler requested the dinosaur course.  The flood waters have receded enough that the main roads are all clear and most businesses have reopened.  

During the game, we saw a very large turtle warming himself in the sun...

It was a great game!  I lost my ball in a water hole (black balls are crazy-hard to find).  Tyler won by 3 strokes!  Afterwards, we decided to hit Red Lobster for lunch.

Right away, Sammy asked to feel a lobster.  Heck, why do we pay admission to the aquarium when we have the friendly staff of our local Red Lobster to help?

During the meal, our waitress accommodated Sammy's request for Elsa to have a meal with us... that's a main dish, side item, and beverage in doll-size containers.  And the kicker is, Elsa ordered something DIFFERENT than Sammy!  Sammy was so excited and Elsa thanked the waitress repeatedly!  I'm sure our waitress knew she was helping a young girl play dolls... but I'm not sure she understood the full impact it has on Sammy when people go out of their way to participate in her inner world of play.  We all left with full tummies and smiles on our faces.

Then it was finally time.  6 long days of no sun, no waves, no swimming...  We headed out to the beach!

While Mary and I relaxed in the sun, Tyler gave us lessons on how best to boogey board and Sammy dug holes in the sand and made drip castles.

We did it all - played in the sand, boogey boards, jumped the waves, and even spent some time down at the sand dune again... it sure is fun!  We even saw a little turtle heading into the surf... not much bigger than a ping-pong ball, he was fun to watch!

 

It was 6:00 pm when we walked back into the condo.  I couldn't believe it!  We took showers as quick as we could and then headed out for dinner.  In the end, the kids got McDonalds and the adults picked up some dinner from Mythos to give Mary a chance to try Greek food.  It was delicious again!

On the way home, we stopped by the Kroeger parking lot to admire this gigantic tree all lit up!  We sent a picture to Grandma Bev since she missed it last week because of all the rain.

It was a busy day... it was a beautiful day... we are all pretty tired.  So we decided on a family movie night.  The kids both snuggled in on the couch and we watched the Prince of Egypt.  It was so interesting to me to hear their comments and favorite parts.  We pointed out things that were different and the same as our Bible study these last few weeks.  It warmed my heart. There's no place I'd rather be than snuggled on the couch with these two!

Rest and Relaxation After the Sand Dune - Day 18

We stayed in our jammies until 10:00 am... I LOVE VACATION!

About that time, the kids and I headed out to the beach while Mary stayed inside to keep reading her book.  There is still a ban on swimming so we enjoyed playing in the sand dune again.

Afterwards, we headed up to check on the status of the pools and I was THRILLED to see the hot tub had been refilled.  The water felt wonderful and sitting in the breeze this morning.

After getting cleaned up, we had pigs in a blanket for lunch and rested the afternoon away.  It felt SO good!  I did Bible with the kids and then we ate Italian Chicken that had been cooking in the crockpot all day.

We decided to walk the Apache Pier and go crab hunting since the water seemed lower today but just as we got dressed to go out, I noticed some rain clouds coming in.  We changed plans and decided to watch Mulan instead.  The kids Face-timed with Dad for a bit and then headed to bed.

Another relaxing day... perfect vacation!

Sand Dune and Aquarium - Day 17

Today we had an easy morning.  After several hours of shows, PJs and reading,  we decided to try to go back outside and enjoy the sand dune again.  It was still drizzly and cool but it was worth it to spend time outdoors again.

Probably not the beach vacation she was expecting... but there was a breeze, sand and a good book!

We headed back up to the condo to remove the LAYERS of sand and then headed out for lunch.  It was almost 2:00 when we arrived at Red Robin.  We walked in to a half empty restaurant but a 20 minute wait... I must have looked confused so the host explained that only one waitress could make the trip into work today so we would have to wait.  Wow!  I couldn't believe it.

We decided to go across the parking lot to Logans instead.  Apparently we haven't brought the kids here before because they were super surprised that people throw their peanut shells on the floor.  Tyler even told the waitress that he liked it because it kinda felt naughty.  We all agreed and shared a good laugh.  He insisted on shelling my peanuts so I had all-you-can-eat peanuts without any of the work.  Before our food arrived, Tyler said "I wish I had NOT brought my iPad, this is so fun!"  Cracks me up!

 

Since it was raining, we decided our best option was to stay indoors and check out the aquarium again.  It was a great visit.

After we finished at the Aquarium, we decided to do some window shopping at Broadway on the Beach.  If I had to guess, I'd say probably 80% of the stores were closed.  There wasn't a lot to do but it was still a nice walk.

Sammy decided to share some of her fish food with some ducks.  After they realized she had food, they continued to follow her.  Very sweetly she says, "Can you stop now, duckies? I want some alone time!"  To think we used to wonder about this kids ability to share her needs!!  God is good.

 

We got home after 5:00 pm.  I did Bible with the kids and then prepped their supper.  Mary and I decided to wait to eat our food since we had a late lunch.  Again we decided not to try driving after dark so we just stayed in and watched the Little Rascals with the kids.  

It was a great day!