We finally did it, we finally went on a family vacation! Don’t get me wrong, we’ve gone places before. But it’s always been on a business trip or to see family, not that that’s not a vacation but we always worked so it’s not a destination vacation. Usually we would go to the smoky mountains or travel to California to visit family. And while I love me some California, it was time to break out of our comfort zone.
We went on vacation to North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Matt also surprised us and booked us a room at the Marriott (do NOT recommend, our room was dirty!) in Atlanta Georgia, along with tickets to the Georgia Aquarium. The aquarium was AMAZING! Balooga whales, whale sharks, hammer heads, huge sting rays! It was so much fun! We also went to IKEA cuz…I love me some IKEA!
Day three we were off to North Myrtle Beach South Carolina. The boys were so excited they could barely contain themselves. They were expecting a grand vacation full of scuba diving, beaches, pools, and treats galore. I guess they were kind of right minus the scuba diving part. We arrived and checked into our Airbnb, hauled everything up to the condo and started to unpack and get ready for our fun field week. Every single day we were there we went to the pool and it was great! Small lazy River, two jacuzzis, one outdoor pool, two indoor (one was a huge kiddie pool with a water fall) not to mention A TIKI BAR!!! Peach Daddy was my go to drink and was so delicious!!! Like a pina colada only with peach! 🤤
From ATL we headed to Columbia South Carolina which was nice. Stayed at the for you Hilton, ventured out to Outback for dinner. Then an early night and woke up to the continental breakfast which was kinda a bust because of Covid, it was all prepackaged items. Still had breakfast and coffee though!
The beach was literally right outside our balcony, only the pool and sand between us. The boys really enjoyed the beach but not too long after getting there and going into the water did the sand start to chafe their thighs. Then they soon became not so happy about sand in their swim trunks. Ryan decided to opt out of the ocean and stay up close on the sand, while Matthew decided he was fearless and jumped right into the waves. Let me tell you I had a mini heart attack on a couple occasions. Matthew found himself a boogie board and decided he was going to become an expert and in the back of my mind I knew it was only a matter of time until a riptide Came in and ruined his plans. He sure did stand his ground and bounce back though.
The nights were great, relaxing and spending time with family is one of the best things you could ever do for your soul, it kind of lets you reflect on where you’ve been and how far you’ve come and how blessed you truly are to have family. We also played mini golf twice and if it were up to Matthew and Ryan we would have played about a dozen times more, went to an arcade, with ode a huge Farris wheel and we also went to alligator Landing which was like a huge reptile zoo. While there Matt and the boys got to pet a Galapagos tortoise, as well as seeing one of the biggest crocodiles and alligators we have ever seen. I’m so glad that Kelly and Anthony were there too, if it had not been for them we wouldn’t have had any idea of where to go or what to do. We would’ve been a hot mess express. Matt and Anthony also took the boys deep-sea fishing, which To be honest, I was very very nervous about. However we stocked up on Dramamine as well as nausea wristbands, and thankfully Matthew was fine as well as Anthony but Matt and Ryan got a little bit Seasick. The guys brought home four different fish, which Anthony gutted , filet and cooked.
Going out to dinner, walking down the seaside, different shops, all new experiences. It really was wonderful. One of the best parts is that Matt actually stuck to his word and tried not to work. He did such a great job and the boys loved having his full attention, not to mention I did too. As long as the week was it was also super short before we knew it it was time to go home. Spending the week with Matt and the boys as well as Kelly, Anthony and baby Daniel is some thing I’ll never forget. It really was rest and relaxation for the mind,body and soul. Time to start planning our next Vacation!
