My family has vacationed at North Myrtle Beach for as long as I can remember, really since before my time on this earth it's been a Williams family tradition. With my family being so large now (Michelle's family has grown to 10 with Sarah's husband and new baby, and there are 5 in both my brother and my family, and Janet's 4, plus my parents equals 26 people), we haven't had a full family reunion in nine years when I was pregnant with Ella. And maybe that's for the best. Our family, like most, has some distinctive personality clashes, so it might take a small miracle to bring us back together again. That or a funeral. I don't look forward to the thought of that in the least. I really would love it if all of us could reunite at the beach. It's neutral territory so to speak, but whether or not that dream ever comes to pass, I try to keep the tradition alive going with whatever family members can join. Actually, my parents invited us, but I NEVER turn down an invitation to the beach. And I'm so glad we went this year. This trip was definitely one of the major highlights of our summer. We stayed in a second row house with plenty of room for my family and my parents.
And the moment we arrived, we couldn't wait to head to the ocean. Within the hour we were dressed, lotioned up, and ready to go.
So there began day 1 of what I wish could have been an endless summer vacation. The next day we celebrated the 4th of July at the beach. We had dinner at a fun little crab shack on the beach, and got home in time for fireworks on the beach.
We LOVED our dinner out. Mostly because Shaun and I are on a diet so we let the evening be a cheat evening and food had never tasted so good. But nothing like sporting your swim suit daily to keep you motivated.but I digress. We spent most every day just chillin' at the beach and I even read TWO whole books. Poor Shaun was our pack mule as daily he carried down chairs, beach toys, tents, and the stroller. As always he was a great sport about it. The girls really enjoyed playing with their boogie boards and Alex enjoyed playing with any ball he could find.
We enjoyed many nights just having dinner in, but we went out a couple of nights. The kids really enjoyed an amusement park where they got to safely free fall from 100 feet (they were bungeed in).
I couldn't even watch. Bug they loved it! They did it twice. We also treated my parents to a dinner out. It was the least we could do for a free week at the beach.
And there was always room for ice cream!
We took one morning and walked to breakfast near the pier.
The walk to breakfast was wonderful! It was low tide and there was a nice breeze. The walk back... Not as nice. It was HOT and my kids were not happy about the 1.5 miles back to the house. But we survived, barely!
Our cute family, NMB 2016
And then, before we knew it, it was our last day at the beach.
It's always hard to say goodbye to the beautiful, soul renewing beach, but we have great memories to take home with us, and hopefully it won't be long before we are back again. So that's a wrap.
