Myrtle Beach vacation
No sooner did school end than we set off on our family summer vacation, a trip to Myrtle Beach, just the four of us. As much of a relief as was the end of the academic year, I needed this trip, y'all. Out of the house, fewer screens, a break from work, and time together at one of my favorite spots on the planet.
The last time the boys were in Myrtle was 2013. Trey remembered a little bit, mostly about riding the elevators at the condo where we had been staying. Aden couldn't remember anything. Brandon and I looked very much forward to this reintroduction, and showing our guys why we love this place so much.
Riding down on Memorial Day, we noticed that there was heavy traffic on the opposite side of the road. Like, sometimes crawling for miles and miles. Poor folks trekking back home after a nice long weekend. They would walk in their stuffy houses, upend the suitcase over the washer, and drag themselves out of bed the next morning to go to work. My spirit tingled with gratitude and hopes that maybe the crowds wouldn't be too bad. Turns out "not too bad" was an estimate on the high side. There was hardly anyone, anywhere until the end of the week rolled around. Amazed and pleased we were.
Our condo a few blocks from the shore was wonderful, perfectly sized for us and minutes from practically everything. So nice it got the boys, and maybe even their parents, talking about how nice it would be to have a vacation home like this to come to whenever the mood struck. Way, way in the future of course. Maybe. But truly, next time we come down, I can only hope this condo will be available to rent again.
What wasn't so pleasing was the weather. In the humid hundreds every day. Few, if any, clouds. Except for the one stormy afternoon with trees bent sideways, lightning streaking over the ocean, and hail banging on the shuttered front door. Other than that, miserable heat. And so it was that we decided the ocean would be an evening endeavor, and spent the gruelingly hot days in some super-fun, mostly new-to-us, climate-controlled attractions.
In Dave and Busters, the boys stood in open-mouthed awe looking at the games while their dad stood in open-mouthed awe looking at the floor-to-ceiling televisions.
At Top Golf, we were pampered and impressed. Most impressive: Mama can hit a golf ball. The games were really neat, but of course Brandon won them all.
Evening putt putt was as competitive as you might imagine, from whose turn it was to go first, to who had holes-in-one and who didn't, to who was having a worse attitude than the other, to who ended up winning. Sigh. Nothing large amounts of ice cream and gummy worms couldn't fix.
The aquarium was a welcome, though expensive, relief from one of the hottest days, but didn't do much to fascinate the boys. Brandon took his time at the Pearl Harbor exhibit. Trey remembered walking underneath the shark tank from when we visited years before. Aden wanted to stand closer to the donut stand so it didn't smell so much like sea life. Me? I just don't understand jellyfish, y'all.
Brandon took the last few days to go to the Nike basketball coaches' clinic, so the boys and I struck out on our own. The bowling scores were quite impressive all around, and we can just ignore the fact that the gutter guards were firmly in place. We went to a wild west-themed escape room, and had a blast. We were terrible at it and needed hints all the way through, but we did make it out with about two minutes to spare.
We all got our shopping in, from Brandon's new driver at the PGA store, to desperately-needed new shoes for the boys from the Nike outlet, to a new T-shirt for Mama at Broadway. And we ate some amazing meals at our favorite places - Hot Stacks, Sam's Corner, and Benitos.
But the main act and the mostest fun of all was the water. Beach and pool were where the boys wanted to be, as much as possible. As the sun dropped behind us, the evening shore was wide and sparsely populated, leaving plenty of room for some boogie boarding on the rough waves. The pool for our condo was often ours alone, and we happily claimed every inch of it. Unending entertainment for sure.
So thankful we could have this time together, to be blessed enough to make such a trip. To set aside the screens and to-dos, to not need to know what time it was. To breathe the warm salt air and let the ocean remind us of how small we are. A fantastic vacation, one we won't forget.
And so it was that we trekked back home and walked into our stuffy house. I upended the suitcase over the washer, and then drug myself out of bed the next morning to go to work. With a refreshed spirit and tons of new memories.
Here's to you, Myrtle Beach.
The last time the boys were in Myrtle was 2013. Trey remembered a little bit, mostly about riding the elevators at the condo where we had been staying. Aden couldn't remember anything. Brandon and I looked very much forward to this reintroduction, and showing our guys why we love this place so much.
Riding down on Memorial Day, we noticed that there was heavy traffic on the opposite side of the road. Like, sometimes crawling for miles and miles. Poor folks trekking back home after a nice long weekend. They would walk in their stuffy houses, upend the suitcase over the washer, and drag themselves out of bed the next morning to go to work. My spirit tingled with gratitude and hopes that maybe the crowds wouldn't be too bad. Turns out "not too bad" was an estimate on the high side. There was hardly anyone, anywhere until the end of the week rolled around. Amazed and pleased we were.
Our condo a few blocks from the shore was wonderful, perfectly sized for us and minutes from practically everything. So nice it got the boys, and maybe even their parents, talking about how nice it would be to have a vacation home like this to come to whenever the mood struck. Way, way in the future of course. Maybe. But truly, next time we come down, I can only hope this condo will be available to rent again.
What wasn't so pleasing was the weather. In the humid hundreds every day. Few, if any, clouds. Except for the one stormy afternoon with trees bent sideways, lightning streaking over the ocean, and hail banging on the shuttered front door. Other than that, miserable heat. And so it was that we decided the ocean would be an evening endeavor, and spent the gruelingly hot days in some super-fun, mostly new-to-us, climate-controlled attractions.
In Dave and Busters, the boys stood in open-mouthed awe looking at the games while their dad stood in open-mouthed awe looking at the floor-to-ceiling televisions.
At Top Golf, we were pampered and impressed. Most impressive: Mama can hit a golf ball. The games were really neat, but of course Brandon won them all.
Evening putt putt was as competitive as you might imagine, from whose turn it was to go first, to who had holes-in-one and who didn't, to who was having a worse attitude than the other, to who ended up winning. Sigh. Nothing large amounts of ice cream and gummy worms couldn't fix.
The aquarium was a welcome, though expensive, relief from one of the hottest days, but didn't do much to fascinate the boys. Brandon took his time at the Pearl Harbor exhibit. Trey remembered walking underneath the shark tank from when we visited years before. Aden wanted to stand closer to the donut stand so it didn't smell so much like sea life. Me? I just don't understand jellyfish, y'all.
Brandon took the last few days to go to the Nike basketball coaches' clinic, so the boys and I struck out on our own. The bowling scores were quite impressive all around, and we can just ignore the fact that the gutter guards were firmly in place. We went to a wild west-themed escape room, and had a blast. We were terrible at it and needed hints all the way through, but we did make it out with about two minutes to spare.
We all got our shopping in, from Brandon's new driver at the PGA store, to desperately-needed new shoes for the boys from the Nike outlet, to a new T-shirt for Mama at Broadway. And we ate some amazing meals at our favorite places - Hot Stacks, Sam's Corner, and Benitos.
But the main act and the mostest fun of all was the water. Beach and pool were where the boys wanted to be, as much as possible. As the sun dropped behind us, the evening shore was wide and sparsely populated, leaving plenty of room for some boogie boarding on the rough waves. The pool for our condo was often ours alone, and we happily claimed every inch of it. Unending entertainment for sure.
So thankful we could have this time together, to be blessed enough to make such a trip. To set aside the screens and to-dos, to not need to know what time it was. To breathe the warm salt air and let the ocean remind us of how small we are. A fantastic vacation, one we won't forget.
And so it was that we trekked back home and walked into our stuffy house. I upended the suitcase over the washer, and then drug myself out of bed the next morning to go to work. With a refreshed spirit and tons of new memories.
Here's to you, Myrtle Beach.
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