Hello, Vacation

It was pretty much the perfect day. Finally. The weather hasn't been as fabulous as one would like on a beach vacation, which is fine because that gave us time to shop without feeling like we were squandering sunny days indoors. Also, Micah hasn't exactly been on his best behavior this week. The first few days of vacation for him were horrific to say the least. I'm not sure if he was disillusioned with where we were, if he thought rules were out the window when we were out of state or what the heck he had in mind, but that thing where parents say something and kids listen wasn't happening. He has been exemplary the last day or so, and that has been just as wonderful as the weather.

It has taken us a bit of hunting and searching to find the very best beaches, too. Our condo is located just south of Myrtle proper, and we head further south still to the tiny communities of Lichtfield and Pawleys Island. These beaches are nearly deserted, pristine, wide and perfect for a large family to spread out and play. So we did. The weather was gorgeous for Yankees, too. Cool enough to keep the locals at home, and plenty warm enough to play in the water if 80 degrees and windy is ridiculously warm to you.

I woke early this morning to capture the sunrise over the ocean, but the cloud cover hid the sun. Just like the rest of our vacation, that certainly didn't hinder me in any way from enjoying myself immensely. Or getting some lovely photos.

We lunched at an all-you-can-eat southern buffet with some great fried food, and free clogged arteries on the side. While dining, we met a couple who lived a half hour from our house. In Pennsylvania. The world is so small, for as big as it is. After lunch, we spent the entire afternoon at the beach. The deserted beach.

The kids played in the surf, explored a sand bar, found hermit crabs and watched them fight with each other in a bucket before releasing them, shelled, did some body boarding (and rescued Micah from getting washed out to sea with his), and played frisbee and bocce. Really, it was a perfect afternoon, because we were a family, together, enjoying each other's company immensely. And we laughed together, which is always a win. Always.