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!

Switching Guests and the Rising Floods - Day 16

Bev was up and headed down for her cab at 5:00 am!  I know she is eager to get home to see Dad but we sure will miss her!

I headed back to bed to catch a little more sleep.  The kids came into snuggle for a bit and then we relaxed all morning in our PJs.  We had a pretty good storm blow in mid-morning... the furniture on the balcony was rattling around and the rains pelted the windows.

The emergency service alarms went off twice to warn of a flash flood along the coast.  The police issued a swimming ban for all of Myrtle Beach and asked travelers to stay indoors for the remainder of the day.  Across the county there are several cities under curfew.  The news was clear that high tide would be at 1:30 pm and that the two hours prior and after would be the most dangerous for flooding. Mary's flight was coming in at 2:15... so we really didn't have a choice.

We were out yesterday... and although the water did cover the road in several places, I didn't think it was as bad as they were now saying.

We enjoyed some frozen pizza for lunch and headed out a little after 1:30 pm.  As we headed out, the lobby clerk gave me some advice on the best route to take.

The rain was incredible!   I'm glad - the trip was such an adventure!  We couldn't even leave the resort without short-cutting through some parking lots.  Several times we got turned around because the roads were impassible and had to find a new route to get around the flooding.  As we drove down 17, the traffic moved in a single file line, at 35 mph, shifting from lane to lane to escape the growing puddles.  Traffic lights were out... Cones marked some areas of high water... and police directed traffic in others.  I've never seen so many public works employees working at the same time.

Turning left out of the resort, a HUGE puddle blocks the way.

We took Business 17 on the way home until we ran into this roadblock

The pond by the fitness center has flooded and is now running over the road

The sand dune was washed away and is now at least half the size of normal

Flooding by the dunes in front of the condo

I made two stops on the way but we arrived as Mary texted she had landed.  Then I realized the main entrance to the airport was closed... so Tyler helped me navigate as we wiggled our way through back roads to the other entrance.  I was so relieved when I pulled up and Mary walked out with a smile on her face.  She said her landing was "fun" even though some other passengers explained it less optimistically!

I needed a few groceries and wanted to get home before the rains came up much more so we headed right back.

We gave Mary a chance to unpack and then quickly got her "settled" with a few rounds of hide and seek.

We ordered pizza so we didn't have to get out again and then decided to walk on the beach.  The mist in the air and the lower temps were pretty chilly!  But the kids didn't seem to mind as we played in the sand.  Some kids were sledding down the sand dune so we stopped their to play instead of taking our walk.

Then it was back to the condo for a relaxing night at home.  Bev made it home and Mary arrived safely... it was a great day!

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up - Day 15

We woke up this morning to a hint of sunshine.  Bev and I both ended up on the balcony to soak up what little rays we could... but it didn't last long.  The housekeeper was coming at 9:30 this morning so I told the kids we would head out for donuts for breakfast.

I wasn't expecting this...  

After donuts and a stop for coffee, we grabbed some groceries and then decided to pick up some entertainment for the kids at Wal-Mart.  We got a bunch of movies, some Jurassic World dinosaurs for Tyler and some Inside Out toys for Sammy.  We also needed to pick up some warmer clothes.  Even the WalMart parking lot was covered with water.

When we got back to the condo, we warmed up some leftover tacos for lunch and then settled in for a fun-filled afternoon of play.  At one point, the emergency broadcast system issued an alert and the alarms on our phones went off.  Luckily it was just to announce a flash flood warning again.  Phew!

Sammy watched movies and played with her new toys.  Tyler and Grandma watched Jurassic Park 2.  In between play, we took several stops to check out the ocean, waves and weather.

... and said hello to Locust again.  Later this afternoon Bev forgot and slid her hand down the railing.  Locust jumped off and flew to the far side of our building.

Bev requested we go back to Jimmyz for Hibachi tonight.  Tyler wanted to go with me but Sammy wanted to play in the hot tub so we split up.  After enjoying a quick dip in the pool, Sammy moved over to the hot tub... surprised to find out it was ONLY 80* (normally 102*)!  It just wasn't the same. She spent more time in the pool and then announced she wanted to go back to the "cold tub".  Lol.  I love that kid.

Tyler enjoyed our ride... asking me to go faster through the HUGE puddles.  At one point, we passed a car where the water came up to the floor boards.  Oh boy, I hope we don't get too much more!

After dinner Tyler wanted to watch Jurassic Park 3 with Grandma.  Sammy asked if I would go to the hot tub with her again so we went out on the balcony to check on the weather.  We watched a big storm rolling in.  It got really windy so we headed back inside.  When I tried to close the big glass sliding door, I couldn't.  It took me a few tries to realize that the wind was bending it out of square so it couldn't close.  I needed to ask Bev to help push it out as we pushed it close.  Wow!

The rain was coming down hard so I told Sammy we wouldn't be going back to the hot tub.  Instead we suggested a bath in my jacuzzi tub.  Sammy got cleaned up and then headed to her room to watch some Annie & Moby and play quietly.  I joined Tyler and Grandma as we watched their movie.

We said our good-byes to Bev at bedtime.  Her cab will pick her up at 5:00 am for her 7:00 am flight.

It was another great day.  Its definitely NOT how I would have chosen to end Bev's vacation... but it was a pretty great way to build some sweet memories together.  Thanks for a great week Grandma!

Rainy Day Fun at Children's Museum - Day 14

Another rainy day... forecasts now estimating 8-11" by Sunday!  The Governor has issued a state of emergency for the "historic" rainfalls that are headed our way.

So, we decided to stay home and just relax this morning.  Grandma taught Bible with the kids and then they played hide-and-seek in the condo.  We decided to get out for lunch so I left it up to Tyler and, of course, his first pick was Olive Garden.  I had the kids bring their iPads and practice their math facts while we waited for our meals.  Gotta keep up on our school work when we can!

After dinner we headed over to the Children's Museum.  Its been a while since we visited so it was fun seeing them take interest in different exhibits.

We played some of the giant board games...

Sammy and I went in the hurricane simulator...

The kids pretended to be paleontologists and dug for dinosaur bones...

Sammy spent some time in jail...

We built in a giant Lego home...

Did some crafts...

Panned for gems...

Pretended to be doctors to cure Grandma of numerous ailments...

We had a lot of fun!  But as the afternoon wore on, the museum filled in and we decided to call it a day before it got too crowded.  When we got home, we went outside to find this guy had stopped over for a visit.  (Remember we are a minimum of 170' in the air)  He is at least 3" long and his body is as round as a nickel.  In Bible, we have been learning about the plagues in Egypt, so we named him our Locust and checked on him regularly.

I spent some time working on tasks for Autism Family Network this afternoon while the kids played quietly.  Grandma finished her book and then made us a spaghetti dinner... thank you!

After dinner, the kids and I headed down for another late-night dip in the hot tub.  When we arrived, the gate was padlocked closed...  apparently due to the weather.  So I headed back up with two very disappointed kids.

Instead, Tyler watched TV with Bev and I while Sammy played in her room.   At one point, Tyler and I had to run downstairs to tell the desk clerk that the neighbor's fire alarm kept going off but otherwise it was a pretty quiet night.  The kids talked with Dad a bit and then snuggled in for the night.

The forecast changed to 12-15" of rain now.  We are watching the news for updates but so far the flooding and warnings haven't really effected us.  Just staying in as if it were any other rainy day.  Lots of family and friends have been checking on us though... apparently the news is covering it back home.

Rest and Rain - Day 13

Today we planned an easy and relaxing morning.  We knew that Roger and Dean would be leaving this morning and wanted to be available to say good-bye when they were ready.  So, there was a lot of snuggling, the Disney channel, laundry and a bit of hide-and-seek.  It was wonderful... in a very different way!

We said our good-byes around 11:00 am and then headed down to the pool and hot tub.  Today is much cooler than its been so far this week.  Hurricane Joaquin is in the Caribbean and there is a low pressure system by Florida sending a lot of rain and clouds our way.  The forecast says we are expecting 5-7" rain fall by Sunday!  Grandma stayed in her comfy clothes but brought her book down to enjoy.  Mom spent as much time in the hot tub as she could.  

After that we headed upstairs for lunch... broccoli ham ring.  We decided to head out and run some errands this afternoon.  A trip to the beachwear store, the grocery store, then over to Crumb Buns for some dessert for later.  While we were out, our route brought us right past the bowling alley from yesterday so we stopped in to look for Elsa's shoe (see yesterday's post).  I didn't want to get Sammy's hopes up, so I had the kids stay in the car with Bev. 

I walked in and scoped out our tables from dinner.  Then I went to our bowling lanes which happened to be filled with 6 business men.  I explained and they graciously helped me look under the couches and in the cushions saying "we get it... we all have kids too!"  Unfortunately the search didn't turn up anything.  So, I headed out to the parking lot to have one more look around.  As I stepped out the door, I shared a quick moment with God knowing that although that shoe is small and insignificant, it matters to Sammy (a lot) and she matters to Him (so much more).  No kidding, I finished my prayer and looked down to see a perfect blue high heel shoe perfect for Sammy's Elsa doll... I had found it!  Thank you God.

I climbed in the back seat of the van to explain what had happened to Sammy.  She was excited to have her shoe back!  And we took the time to reflect on how good God is to us!

We let each kid rent a movie tonight and headed home.  Grandma did Bible with the kids again... they all seem to enjoy it!  Then we worked on supper and got started on the movies.  Tyler picked a new movie about two wolves "Alpha and Omega" and Sammy picked "Home" since Grandma hadn't seen it yet.

After we finished, we decided to head down to take a quick dip in the hot tub... I mean, really, who cares if its raining???  Both kids enjoyed filling their swim shirts up with air and floating around the tub.  It was lots of fun.

It was a nice evening... everyone hung out in comfy clothes and just relaxed.  Sammy even let me braid her hair.  I guess sometimes a rainy day on vacation is JUST what you need!

(don't look too closely at the braid... its bumpy.  But hey, its not everyday she lets me do her hair and I wasn't gonna risk missing out completely by going to get a comb or brush)