So, thankfully we had the absolute best traffic ever experienced heading to SC down I95! Seriously so great. The kids all did great, watched shows, ate BYU candy and were excited to be going to the BEACH!
Ocean Lakes is the place Dan spent most of his childhood Summers going to. Grandma Branham owned a double wide there and a golf cart. Oh the fun they had and now we totally get it!
Ocean Lakes has a campground, RV site, tiny homes and not so tiny homes. Golf Carts, water park, bingo hall, ceramic painting, ice cream and more...
We stayed a pretty nice place with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and deck. I didn't enjoy having to bring all the linens but for the price difference it was worth it. The beds were so creaky. Dan and I didn't sleep well with noisy beds and Aubree in our room. Most nights ended with Aubree in bed with us. But what family vacation ever ends well rested!
Monday night, after getting unpacked, we went to the water park and then the ocean. The kids were in heaven! The place was pretty much just ours, it was amazing! This week was the week to come. We didn't have crowds until Thursday/Friday because of the Labor Day Weekend holiday. There were two fun big water slides for the older kids, a lazy river, multiple kiddie pools and a fun kids water park. Clara and Aubree squealed with delight all night!
Aubree could do this slide all by herself. We were stopped by a life guard on the second day because she wasn't tall enough but when they weren't looking I let her.
Tuesday we went out to the beach first thing. Unfortunately Dan and the kids were in such a hurry we didn't sunscreen up until on the beach as it rained on un briefly. So, Dan got an awesome sunburn on his front (ode to the Christmas tree) and back. There was a huge tube/tunnel in the middle of the beach area recently put on for dredging which kept us from being allowed to put up our canopy we brought.
Jake and Tess loved boogie-boarding and the littles played in the sand and collected periwinkles.
Wednesday we went to Huntington State Park to have a clear open beach where we could put up our canopy. Dan really wanted to see alligators. We tried but the kids were pretty anxious about it and glad that we didn't I think. We brought the cooler full of food and had a great comfy set up. We spent 4 hours on the beach. Aubree napped for about 45 minutes on Dan. Abby attempted to boogie board but was still to hesitant to go out in the water too far. I made sure to apply sunscreen to everyone every 2 hours so we did pretty well not getting badly burned.
This is the only picture of me on the beach...holding Aubree's hand.
After 4 hours on the beach we packed up and headed to the car. Got everything/one loaded and then the car wouldn't start. I asked some young men walking past if they could jump off our car for us. As they were preparing to do so the owner of the car next to us came. Mary Ellen was a retired kindergarten teacher and a godsend. We tried to jump the car using hers beside us. It wouldn't budge. We call our roadside assistance and was told it would be about an hour before they'd be there with a toe truck. Dan and my phones were about dead. I took the girls to sit under a tree and we decided it was time to pray! Just as I ended our prayer Dan came up and told us that Mary Ellen just couldn't leave us all there. She offered to take as many as she could fit in her car back to our beach house! Jake and Tess stayed with Dan with hopes to fit in the toe truck driver. Mary Ellen saved us from all waiting another couple hours and the expense of getting a cab or Uber to take us home. She was our angel that day. I got home with the girls and worked on dinner. Dan and the older kids got home about 2 hours later. They ended up taking the car to a shop about a mile from our beach house. We spent $400 on a new starter. The crummy part is it would have been a 30 minute quick fix for Dan to do and only costed us about $150 for the part if we 'd been home. Oh well.
I am grateful for this porch to keep Aubree away from the traffic of the street below.
Bingo Night. Clara was tired and sad she wasn't winning, I wasn't sure we'd make it the entire 20 games. But on the last game, game #20 full board, Abby won!!! Oh so exciting! As her board got more and more full she'd look at me with big eyes and excitement, "Mom, I only have 3 left....MOm! only 2....mom!!!!" I helped her holler bingo. She took home a bingo winner shirt, sun glasses, and free hamburger combo and ice cream ticket.
Ceramic painting. Jake did a lighthouse, Tess a dog, Abby painted a crab as well as a fish and elephant biggie bank, and Clara painted a sandal. They turned out so cute.
Hollie and Cris stayed at Ocean Lakes the week before us. They sent Dan coordinates of where to find something they'd stashed for us. We found it! An Altoid container that had bracelets for everyone and the most clever little poem Hollie had written:
Hello cousins, you found the loot! Hiding it for us was such a hoot.
We hope that you are having loads of fun and go home with a smile once you are done. This place has a history of many fun-times, just ask your dad and he will fill your minds.
When times were different and parents more chill, we would ride our bikes till the sun went still. Long before there were waterslides here, we would climb trees, play shuffleboard and walk on the pier. Relaxing times were spent watching MTV and Tom & Jerry as this was the only time we had access to cable TV. Taking showers at the bath house was always a treat, since all the soap from everyone's shower would float by your feet.
We love you guys and hope you come again, but next time lets come together as kin. Neighboring beach shacks would be a blast. so lets do it again before too much time has passed. We hope while your here your dad will take you to see that infamous awesome place that we call t-31!
Finding the treasure left by the Alvarez cousins!
Pool time with Grandma Odum who came for Thursday and Friday.
Aubree is difficult. She loved being outside but just didn't sleep well so was difficult to keep happy for long.
Clara loved this kid play area. There was a huge bucket that dumped every few minutes. She would run over and be there just in time.
We decided to splurge and take the family to The Family Pirate Show and dinner. At first I was going to stay with Aubree but than Grandma Odum offered to stay with her so I was able to go. It was a fun, action packed show! We were served rotisserie chicken, BBQ chicken, a cheesy roll, corn on the cob and dessert. The acrobats were my favorite. There were sea lions, mermaids, ghosts and Davey Jones ect. It was really fun. Pricey. But fun to watch the kids faces throughout the show.
All in all it was a fun trip. No one wanted to leave. I wanted more sleep. And now it's back to school and work. Ugh!
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