Hello Summertime....celebrating in style

With Halle's big graduation from High School, her grandparents gave her a trip 

to Myrtle Beach...so of course, we, her parents, HAD to TAG along. It was somewhere 

I had never thought about going, really didn't know much about the area, and most

likely never would have gone had it not been for this trip.

We packed up and headed out on the RED EYE (12:15am) flight to North Carolina.....

We landed at 5:45am in North Carolina. OUR plan was to rent a car and take

a few days driving to Myrtle beach....looking at the nice countryside as we leisurely drove

through the fields of tobacco...BUT our red eye flight was NOT filled with sleep as we had hoped that it would be, so we ended up driving for 1 1/2 hours before we found a park, parked the car, left the AC running and took a VERY LONG NAP! Afterwards, Halle and I got out and walked around a very small trail, but got a much needed stretch for our legs.  

 Halle had never been to the ocean. No sooner had we checked into our resort and 

unloaded the car we headed straight for the water. It was gorgeous!! I had never been to the Atlantic Ocean. I was surprised how quiet it was. The waves didn't CRASH as loud as they do on the Pacific Ocean. It was also MUCH warmer....BUT it still had that oceany smell and beautiful sand...all the beauties of the ocean. Halle fell in love instantly!! 

 One of the nice things about the ocean is that it offers so many fun places to take 

pictures! I could have sat in a lounge chair and taken pictures all day...although it was AWFULLY hot and HUMID so it wasn't really practical, BUT it was a fun thought!

 Besides spending time on the ocean we lollygagged over to Charleston NC, visited

the city as well as a plantation. The countryside there is GORGEOUS and made every shade of 

green in UTAH look dull and unappealing. The colors there are so rich and the countryside

is amazing!

 

One afternoon we headed out for a drive...we stopped at a church and were just 

looking around when we spotted a toad. I LOVE frogs and toads, I love their long legs, the noises

they make, and their ability to jump SO FAR and SO HIGH....so it only seemed natural

for me to chase the little guy down, catch him and say "Hello". The best part was Halle

CAN'T STAND the likes of these guys....soooooooooooo I thought I would show here how lovable they really were...Up CLOSE and PERSONAL with Mr. Toad!!

I think one of the highlights of the trip for me was the morning Halle and I got up at 4:45 

to watch the sunrise. It was magnificent. NO ONE should EVER sleep through a sunrise over the ocean! We watched as it slowly peeked over the horizon until it came up in all its glory! It was a spectacular sight and one that I am so glad I got to experience!! 

I loved our trip and the time that we got to spend as a little family....one last big "Hoorah" before Halle left for college. We had so much fun!! I worked out on the gorgeous beach every morning, we played in the ocean, we drove and saw things we'd never seen , we saw amazing country, we relaxed and read (which is RARE for me to do), we road a ferry, we experienced the VERY KIND and gracious people of the south, we saw sunsets that gave the sunrises a run for their money....we had 10 days of BLISS! It was a much needed vacation with some great memories made!! I'm so glad we got to go!!