Back and Ahead

July came and went with a blur. We slowed down one week to enjoy a nice relaxing vacation at Sunset Beach. Man we love that place. The weather was great, the waves were great (from the reclined position of my chair) and the company was great. We even had a vacation visitor that we all love. Thanks Miss Stacie for hanging with us. I like our beach chats.

I finally broke down and started using Google calendar. Life changing. Love love love it. I love the reminders, I love the color coding. I love how nothing has to be scratched out and it all lines up beautifully. As Martha would say, "it's a good thing." Having it on my new phone is an even better thing. We ordered Five Guys on Saturday just because "I have an app for that!"

The kids have had a million things on the calendar this summer too. Swim, drums, music, sewing, appointments, and always a bazillion extra kids at the house have made it go by even faster.  But now it is August...the month of many changes. I am sooooo looking forward to the Disney trip (that'll get its own post soon) in a couple weeks but I am sooooo not looking forward to going back to school the following week. It'll be ok once we get back into the groove but man I love summer. I love the late nights. I love the grilling. I love the sun shining at 8pm. I just love the sun. School means that fall and those 6pm sunsets are around the corner. Blah. Is it too early to countdown to summer 2012?

Creatures of Habit

Thanksgiving 07 above and Summer 08 below

Summer 2010 above and Summer 2008 below

Is it just me or has Maci changed the most?

Summer at Sunset

See. That was a teensy tiny little break. We are home already. I dusted the sand off the camera. Literally. Here are a few pictures from Sunset. As I looked through the pictures I realized they look just like last year...and the year before that...then I realized that is kinda a cool because it highlights our traditions. We did have some firsts this summer though...

Maci had her first try of sushi. She liked it...now Brad will have a full time sushi eating buddy. Great.

We skipped Margaritaville for Yamatos and it was a good swap.

Brad and I biked to the beach early one morning. 40th Street Access doesn't have stairs but it does have some hills. Holy crap I am out of shape.

Maci and I trekked all the way around the island. We survived some treacherous landscaping to get it done but we made it!

We went to the Planetarium!

We found a fabulous deli that will be a new tradition.

Happy Summer!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Teensy Tiny Little Break

My July blog run has been good! So good I felt I could harass some other bloggers on their recent slackedness. (like that word? I don't know if it is a word but I'm calling it one)

However, this is the last of my pre blogs so I must admit...I'm actually not even at home right now. Yes, this is a previously recorded blog. We are beaching it for a few days so I'll be back to live blogs in a few with a much better tan and few pictures to share.  See you then.

Beach Trips 09

Another Favorite Pic

Taken at the beach house before the tea. I am still in the "photo collection process" but I want to post a slide show of both beach trips...maybe this week...unless the sun comes out...if the sun comes out, we are headed to the pool!

Wedding Weekend

Here are a few zillion pictures from Stacie and Scott's Wedding weekend.

My Favorite Pic

The above is my favorite picture from the beach last weekend. Who wouldn't love the sight of sand dunes? Below is my 2nd favorite picture. Why? Because Ashley didn't want to pose in front of those...whatever they are...but she did anyway because she is that kind of friend. The "this is so stupid but I'll stand here and smile if that makes you happy (and shut up) kind of friend." Thanks buddy. And you were right. It is a dumb picture. ;) PS-It was taken at Broadway at the Beach if you'd also like your pic taken in front of...what was this again?

Trip Report

Here is a mini trip report for the mini beach trip. (please ignore the fact that I look like a tin soldier in that picture...)

We headed down on Friday afternoon to the Lazy Daisy beach house on Sunset Beach. Friday night was highlighted by a trip to Broadway at the Beach. The best line of the night was Ashley reading the sign "pavement ends %$*&!" almost simultaneously as we hit dirt. The sign didn't say %$*&! but Ashley added that part herself. I don't cuss but if ever there was an appropriate cussing moment, this was it. Apparently Joe's intuition was correct and we weren't going the right way.

Saturday we slept in and laid out on the beach. Oh wait, we also took a 4 mile trek to spend a little quality time at the Kindred Spirit mailbox. Great concept. Great views. Don't walk past the mailbox though. Seriously. Don't. Don't ask me how I know.

Saturday night the guys planned a special dinner for us complete with expensive seafood and cheap wine. They prepped. They grilled. They even lit candles. Actually it was candle. But it was very thoughtful and very sweet and I liked the cheap wine. I know they say wine is good for you but I wonder if they mean the kind that comes from Food Lion?

Sunday we slept in and laid out on the beach again. No walk this day. The guys got some body boarding in though. We went to Broadway at the Beach again and stayed on the pavement the entire way. We also ate dinner at a fabulous place called Carolina Roadhouse. It was awesome even though it wasn't in "the plan." I think I went with the flow rather nicely!

Today we slept in a little and did a little shopping and a little eating before heading back to the land of responsibility. Oh! I almost forgot, I brought home a perfect sand dollar. In fact it was so perfect, Joe and Ashley even removed the 59 cent price tag from the back. Thanks guys! And next summer I really will get up at sunrise to go find one myself. Seriously. For real this time.

Sunset Beach 08

Things I Learned on Summer Vacation

In Random Order

*I still love being at the beach. Truly love it.

*Sea gulls have this incredible food sensor. Then they call their friends. Then they attack. Then children cry. Then picnicing on the beach loses a little something.

*Low tide is the best time to go shelling.

*Low tide is quickly followed by a rising tide. Keep that in mind while venturing out for shells.

*Never squat when tinkling in the ocean.

*Crabs attack. And leave marks.

*Too much laughing in the waves will cause choking.

*It is 1.25 miles from the last beach access to the house. Long walk when you need the bathroom.

*1.25 miles is a relatively short bike ride. No one steals an ugly bike.

*Swimsuits aren't made for bike riding.

*Everyone has the same video access code so it IS ok to share it with the person in front of you. (whew)
*Ashley makes good gravy. Really good gravy.

*Good news- Brad and Joe make a winning grilling team.

*Good news- Brad and Joe make a losing SkipBo team. Oh wait, I already knew that one.

*Ashley gets sentimental late at night and just randomly on the beach.

*Sand dunes get hot. Very hot.

*Spray on sunscreen rocks. Solarcaine is great for the spots you miss.

*Those living things in shells stink to high heaven when they die.

*Never use regular sunscreen on your face. Never.

*Roasting marshmallows must become a vacation tradition.

*A family of 9 will go through 50 bags of chips, 3 loaves of bread, 2 cases of water, and countless rolls of toilet paper.

*One week isn't near long enough when you are vacationing with your best friends.

Back Too Soon

We are back from the beach. There are many pictures to post and adventures to share. But not tonight folks...tonight is for rest and recovery. Those Brownies are a fun family to hang with.

This and That

Today is my sweet Aaron's birthday and a video montage will be coming soon. I'm having a little trouble getting pictures of him from ages 6-9 because they are all on our computer- the sick computer. Note to self: you really should back up those files on a disk like the experts say.

The pile of "stuff" pictured above is the beginnings of beach packing. We made the Sams trip today with the Brownies to buy items for breakfast, lunch, and the ever important snacks. We have the remainder of our grocery list printed out and ready to go- printed from the Lowes Foods site so it is organized by aisle. Yes, we are THAT put together. This is what happens when you combine one shouldhavebeen travel agent (me) with one wemusthaveaplan vacationer (Joe). If it can be planned- it has been. This is the most organized trip this side of DisneyWorld. However, we are also leaving things open for some last minute decisions- as clearly stated on the bottom of our itinerary- "plans subject to change based on weather or female whims."

Overdue

I'd be ashamed to admit how long it had been since Brad and I had gone away for a weekend. Let's just say that last time we left behind 2 kids instead of 3. But last weekend we got the heck outta dodge and headed south. It was long overdue. Our destination- Sunset Beach. Where else is there? We had a fabulous time. Yes, fabulous. We spent a good little amount of time on the beach--but not in the water. Purple lips was not the fashion statement I was aiming for. Apparently air temperature heats up way faster than water temperature. Another apparent thing, Harleys aren't just for the youngins. This happened to be Biker weekend in Myrtle so when we ventured down there to shop we were quickly introduced to Biker culture. While they very well may all be tattooed, they are not all young. Or thin. Enough said.

Back at home the kids were wined and dined by "Osborn." Osborn is our favorite education professional. She is also one of our favorite people in general. She just rocks. They swam, skipped rocks, took walks, ate out, slumbered in the living room, and probably did some other way cool stuff that I shouldn't know about. I hope Osborn has recovered because we'd like to pencil in some more dates. Is it too soon to bring that up???

Rockin Theme Park

I guess I better brush up on my music trivia- Hard Rock Park opens in Myrtle Beach this spring. There is quite a bit of good info and pics here. This was a surprise to me...apparently I should watch a little more news or something. These are usually the kind of projects you know about years in advance. Waiting. Hoping. Wondering. I assume many of you have known about this for years. Not sure how I missed it but it was an exciting discovery today! Combine this news with the fact that no one threw up tonight (so far) and it only took 40 minutes to convince the boys to take their yucky flu medicine. Today was a pretty decent improvement!

Trying to Cheer Myself

I meant to post this pic at the beginning of the year. It was on the Sunset Beach website. I love it for many reasons. Beach pics are always great. Daydreaming about the beach is especially nice when the weekend has been crap. Not that this weekend has been crap but...let's be honest. It hasn't been pleasant. Enjoy the picture.

Summer in Review

I slacked on the picture taking this summer so I don't have any pics of Summer Blast, Erin & David's new house, birthdays, or Presby's ER. Slacker mom here. However, I do have a few pics to share. Here is a mini version of our summer in review-

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A few pics from Sunset

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Back just over 24 hours and...

I already miss it...No committments, no mail, no news, and no major decisions- besides where we would eat dinner- that is the life. I suppose it would get relatively boring after enough time but seven days is not enough time. I still have a list of things I didn't get done...didn't make it to the Kindered Spirit mailbox at the end of the island, didn't get to Wilmington, and didn't spend a whole day inside just watching movies and playing games. Could we have gotten all that in? Sure, but then we would have missed out on the task at the top of the list- RELAX! Bonus points this week for all the laughs and hanging out with great great friends. Every couple needs that "couple friendship" that you can travel with and eat with and laugh with and just sit and be content with. And if you feel comfortable enough to do no makeup & beach hair days with them -even better! The way I cope with "postvacationdepressionsyndrome" is to plan the next one. We've got a mini trip coming up at the end of the month and then I think it's time to look into something for fall...anyone have a cabin in the mountains they'd like to donate for the cause???

Chick Lit for the Beach Trip

We just got back from the library. Tuesday morning is preschool story time and today was PACKED!~ Just as I was about to say, "sorry kids- no parking places," a man walked to his car to leave. Darn. I admit the library isn't my favorite place to go but I am trying to fake it with the kids...and it seems to be working. They actually like to go. After we served our time in the story room, I browsed for my beach books. I just finished PS- I Love You (this blog won't underline) by Cecelia Ahern. It was good...the basic premise is Holly, a young woman in her late 20s, is widowed when her husband dies of cancer. (The book picks up after his death) Holly finds a package he prepared for her before his death and inside are envelopes for each reaminaing month in the year. Each month Holly opens a new letter from her husband and reads what he wants her to accomplish that month. Some are silly. Some are thoughtful and some are life changing. Although it really wasn't written to be sad, there were parts that made you just ache for this character. I've heard it is being made into a movie. There is some bad language in it but no worse than you'd hear on cable televison. All in all, I enjoyed it and I am not easily entertained by books.

Scan my picture up there and let me know if you have read any of those books. I am basically one of those that DOES judge a book by the cover and I liked these covers. I also got another one of Cecelia's books...and the Sharon Osbourne autobiography because I expect it to be VERY interesting...