This summer instead of taking our usual trek West to visit family, we went on our own family vacation where we didn't have to travel so far. Also, since Brian only had a two week break from school, fitting in a drive and visiting to Utah and Washington would have been too difficult. We drove down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Brian's brother Darin and his family were kind enough to put us up for the night at their home in Richmond, KY to help break up the full days drive on our way there.
We got a groupon to stay three nights at the Springmaid Resort. It was right on the water, we had access to a really long fishing pier and a private beach only for resort guests. There were also six swimming pools on site. It was overcast and rainy for a lot of our stay... but that didn't stop us from playing at the beach and having a blast! It was our first time stepping into the Atlantic Ocean. Our main reaction to the water... It is so warm! It was Ezra's first time walking on sand, and at first he wanted nothing to do with it. But then slowly he reached our for the sand toys and eventually inched his way in and had a blast just digging away! He didn't like touching the water either. Whenever he would walk out to daddy and his siblings playing in the waves he would hurry and run back just as he saw the tide coming toward him! It was pretty funny. Ezra did love swimming with us in the pools though.
Maybrie and Thomas loved everything about the whole trip! They were little fish who didn't mind being waterlogged for days. Maybrie loved collecting shells and Thomas loved knocking down our sand castles. They both bravely tried the boogie board we bought on the second day. They had a blast once they figured out how to do it. Brian and I also went out on our own for a bit... it was really fun! I don't know that I've ever used a boogie board in the water, though I do remember sliding down the stairs on one as a young girl in CA! The kids were excited to eat out three times and have a pizza picnic on the pier. We also introduced the kids to miniature golf, which was free at our resort. They had fun. (Man, do they have a million min golf places in that town!) We all just had so much fun being away together. It was a beautiful place and it was great to just relax, swim, play.
On our way home we stopped in Greensboro, NC and stayed the night with Brian's old college roommate Scott Olsen and his family. It was fun to introduce our kids to each other and catch up. The kids got along so well, it was fun! The last stretch of our drive home was the hardest... Ezra picked up a new high pitched scream and we unfortunately had to listen to it for about half the drive. Amazing that a few days driving straight across the country last year could be more pleasant than that eight hour stretch of road! haha It was definitely a trip we will remember and cherish.
