Road Trip to SC

It is rare that Matt takes time off work, so when we had to head to the Carolina's for John and Lindsay's wedding we decided we would take a MUCH needed vacation.  Our first family vacation alone,  Austin's first visit to the beach, our first major road trip as a family of 4, and my first time back to Clemson in almost 6 years.

We decided to spend our week in Myrtle Beach, making our way back across the state and ending in Asheville, NC for the wedding. The kids did awesome on the trek down, being extremely easy travelers. We lucked out, since we went a week after "high" season ended, and got a GREAT deal on a 2 bedroom suite a mile from the beach.  Not only was our suite gorgeous, but the resort had huge pools, a lazy river, shuffle board, ponds, playgrounds, mini golf, and much more. We were spoiled with activities, without even having to leave the resort.

Ashlyn loved the beach and the water. The waves were really rough, even I could barely stand, so we had to be cautious of the kids by the edge. Matt certainly got his exercise taking the kids in one at a time to jump the waves. Austin was really into it the water the first day, but quickly became a towel bum and preferred just laying....or sleeping on the beach. No complaints from me on that one!  We made lots of sand creatures, and everyone got buried in the sand. The beach, fun for all ages!

We'd hit the beach late morning, pack a lunch, Austin would snooze on the beach, then we'd go back and swim at the pool then shower and hit the town for dinner.

We did a little bit of everything, walked around the boardwalk, did broadway on the beach (which had restaurants and carnival rides), ate on the water, and had pizza in.  Vacationing alone was nice, we only had ourselves to report to, could plan our day around what worked best for us, and go with the flow of the kids and our mood. It was truly relaxing, fun, and great memories for all of us.

We were sad to leave the beach, but had to move on to more fun.  Our first stop was an overnight visit with my BFF Stephanie. We got to be their first house guests, as in they moved into their house a week before.....now that's a true friend. Ashlyn and Addie were in heaven having a fun sleepover, doing more talking then sleeping. It was 24 hours that passed too quickly- wished we lived closer to do it more often.

Our next stop was a few hours at Clemson.  Drove around campus to check out all the changes, ran around Bowmen Field, had lunch downtown, then followed the tiger paws on to Greenville. Proud mama moment, as I was super excited to show off my alma mater to my kids.....even if they'll never remember it! Maybe i'll have a future Tiger....hint, hint kids!

Our last stop before Asheville was a visit with Nicola and Rhys. I hadn't seen Nicola since we were both pregnant with our little guys, so it was an overdue and fun catch up. I think I need to move to SC, beaches, mountains, warm weather, and the most amazing people in my life. Oh how I miss my friends!   Austin loved his playtime with Rhys, and it was another 24 hours that passed too quickly. 

Is it vacation time again?!?!?! Way too much fun that passed by way too quickly!