Myrtle Beach

So, I have to play catch up since this is the first time I have had a chance to blog. Prepare for a long post! Friday June 19 - So, things never go the way you plan, even if you plan well. We were supposed to have gotten on the road by 4am. Life lesson #1 - we are never on the road when we say we will be. We headed out the door at 5am and learned life lesson #2 - just because you pull your kids out of bed in the early morning, they do not go back to sleep. We started our journey and my plan was to drive until 8am when we would stop for breakfast. Life lesson #3 - I am not an out-the-door-on-the-road type of person. I need to eat within 30 minutes of waking, so I was very sick and on the verge of puking, so we had to stop earlier for breakfast. That started the non-stop potty breaks that Jenna required. Needless to say, it was a long day spent traveling. We all had a great time going through the mountains. We went through two tunnels, through the mountains, and Alex and Jenna thought that was just the coolest thing ever. The kids, for the most part, traveled well. Our last minute decision to buy a dual screen DVD player really paid off! We finally stopped for the night at 7pm (eastern time) and ended up in a less than stellar hotel. It looked great from the outside, the lobby was nice, the room horrible! Owen found a pot pipe and glass jar in the drawer and his feet were filthy from walking on the floor. It was late, the kids were tired, against our better judgement we stay but I made sure discounts were given. Saturday June 20- It was another full day of traveling. As we got closer we ran into Myrtle Beach tourist traffic and spent a long time going a short distance. But we arrived at our condo around 5pm. And it is so worth the long drive!! This place is beautiful!! Our balcony looks out right onto the ocean. We hear the waves from our bedroom. It is a short walk to the beach - like down the elevator and a minute to the sand. The condo is beautifully decorated and has the comforts of home. As much as we wanted to hit the beach, we had to get some dinner and do our grocery shopping. We ate at a great deli and then headed to Walmart. Wow! What an experience that was! I don't even want to know what that place would look like if a hurricane were on the way, but I think we got a glimpse of what if could be like. I have never been to a store that packed before and so picked over. It was all tourists stocking up for the week. Grapes were gone, cheese was gone, small containers of ketchup and mustard gone. The shelves were empty! We gathered what we could and headed back to the condo. It was a late night and we just all headed to bed. Sunday June 21 - Our first beach day!!! We were up early, had breakfast on the balcony, changed into our swimsuits, lotioned up and headed to the beach. Alex and Jenna charged right in and took to jumping the waves like pros. They had two boogie boards here at the condo - the way Jenna was on it, she looked like she belonged on the other ocean!! Owen, well, it took my baby some time to come around. He didn't like the feel of the sand on his feet. He hated the water. But he loved watching the waves. After some time, he was willing to put his feet down but if a wave got to close we had to pick him up. After he got braver, he started exploring more. However, as he was walking back up the beach to me he stepped on a shell and cut his foot. It isn't bad, it doesn't hurt him, but it bothered me all the same. I kept him out of the sand for the rest of the day. We headed back up to the condo for a snack and decided to just stay in until lunch. Well, Alex and Jenna don't really spend much time indoors. They love the balconies and spend all their time out on them. We had lunch on the balcony, had some quiet time and then went down to the pool. We didn't stay too long because the ocean was calling the kids! Back to the beach for some more wave jumping and shell collecting. Back up to the condo for baths, dinner and a movie - we watched E.T. and then to bed. Joe and I like to spent some time on the balcony watching the waves and listening to the ocean after we put the kids down. Monday June 22 - Today I woke up sick, very sick. I was in bed all day with a severe headache and nasty stomach. I don't even remember how many times I threw up. It sucks being sick and listening to the waves and wanting so badly to go to the beach! Joe was a huge help and took all three kids down to the beach for the morning so I could rest. They had a great time and saw lots of wild life. In the early morning they saw dolphins swimming in the ocean from the balcony as well as a school fish and larger fish, maybe even small sharks, eating the school! They saw crabs and little bugs of some sort when they went down to the beach and of course, they came back with lots of shells. Lunch on the balcony with Dad, quiet time on the balcony while Owen napped with me in bed. Then the older two and Joe headed down to the beach again. I was feeling much better and planned on bringing Owen down to meet them, but discovered we were out of formula so back to the dreaded Walmart to get some. It wasn't as bad today and we made it back in time to head to the beach. This place is great because it is next to a preserve so the beach is less crowded and a bit of a further walk down and you feel like you have your own private beach. Today I got into the ocean and jumped the waves, first by myself and then with Jenna. Alex and Jenna built castles and we stayed to watch them be destroyed by the high tide. Owen is loving the water now and is getting into the shell collecting thing too. Of course, he loves to pick them up and put them straight into his mouth! Dinner on the balcony, baths and then to bed. I love being able to type while sitting on the balcony and listening to the waves. It's too dark to see them now, but the sound is so relaxing. Time to go to bed.