You would think this was a rather unfortunate thing....but as it turns out the sporadic showers were a lovely reprieve from the heat and didn't diminish our experience one bit. We still had plenty of lovely weather while we were there. And the first night relaxing on our balcony overlooking the ocean from our hotel suite and watching the rain pour down on the beach as the waves came in was unforgettable.
We went out early the next morning to explore the beach and then we played in the Pirate Cove at our hotel. For a while we had the place mostly to ourselves and we played pirates with the girls. That was so much fun and we couldn't stop laughing as we snuck around the ship and tried to splash or capture one another. Then, in the deeper pool Jeremy would get the girls to stand on his hands and he would raise them up out of the water with their arms stretched out like the girl on Titanic before they would lose balance and splash in the water or he would throw them up into a flip. They couldn't get enough of that and I had to get in on it too......although I would NOT let Jeremy lift me in the air like that, no way, no matter how much he tried. The lazy river and hot tubs were great too. They were indoors and we tried them out the night we arrived.
No sand castles this time, but I did make a mermaid for the girls. I love these candid pics of my mom. She was so adorable the way her anticipation grew and excitement lit up her eyes the first time we took off our shoes and our feet dug into the soft sand. My favorite was when she walked out into the surf and a wave came in a little higher than she expected and she couldn't jump or run quick enough before getting splashed pretty good.
We had planned to take family photos on the beach, even packed outfits, but this is as close as we came to an actual family photo. Never even wore the outfits. Oh well, we were having too much fun. Candid shots are some of my favorites anyway. Love how they capture the moments we don't pose for.
One morning when it was raining we took a little trip to the local Krispy Kreme and totally knocked of a whole dozen assorted doughnuts together, and took some goofy pictures.
Harbour Lights Resort Villas was the second place we stayed while in Myrtle Beach. It was like having our own apartment in a gated community and our balcony overlooked the Intracoastal Waterway.
From the balcony and the windows in the master suite we could watch the boats pass by.
And we couldn't stay at Myrtle Beach without spending some time on the famous Boardwalk. I remember mom taking me and my sister to all of these wonderful places including the Fun Plaza game arcade and the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove (one of the biggest and oldest gift shops in the area) and the Ripley's Believe it or Not when we were kids.
Now they have the new gigantic Sky Wheel so we had to try it out. You could see forever down the beach from the top. It was beautiful.
Another "must do" was the all you can eat seafood meal at the original Benjamin's Calabash restaurant. The food in this place is outta this world! Wow! We practically rolled out of there. No better seafood than what you get right on the coast. And the place itself is incredible with all of the decor and interactive games and play stuff to do with the kids while you wait for your table, what a treat!
The kids loved all the mega beach gift shops with the entrances like this one.
We spent some time out on one of the fishing piers and I got this lovely shot of my mom.
Carley found the perfect souvenir for herself. It was a silver mermaid necklace that came with a clam shell that you would open yourself to find a pearl that would fit inside the necklace (like the mermaid was holding it up in a metal cage). Each one guaranteed a special colored pearl. It was fun for her to get to open it and have the surprise. Carley's pearl was pink.
We had so much fun at the beach it was hard to leave.
We gathered shells, walked in the surf, jumped in the waves, played in the sand and enjoyed the ocean breeze on our faces.
We went back one last time to breathe it all in, to revel in the feel of it and commit one final glimpse to memory before we drove out of town to make our journey down the coast.
I love it all! And I love how much we think alike!
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