Same Time Next Year…

We just returned from vacation 2008, and already vacation 2009 has been booked and planned but its a little bitter sweet.  See, my mom wanted to have one FULL family vacation before she passes.  Not that its imminent, nor that we expect it to be.  No, she simply wants the family to get together for certain “just once”  Of course its going to be fun.  But, its going to be sad too.  My sisters and their husbands will be there, and that means the children will be there.

We however will not be the only infertile couple there however.  No, my cousins or I guess they are second cousins will be there as well.  They went through several IVF’s, and a failed foster placement.  They fostered a pre-teen into her teens.  Dad was in jail, and mom ran off.  So of course there many abandonment issues in place.  Once she started doing drugs, and ended up pregnant things took a downward turn.  They wanted  to help her, and her child but she just put them through too much so they had to protect their own interests and she unfortunately went back into the system.  Of course when we all get together the comparisons start.  “Oh well you know Susan and Jacob can’t have children either”  Like its some badge of honor that we wear under our lapel.  Of course they know, my mother called them the moment I told you I was pregnant again.  I can only imagine how that knife twisted in Laura’s heart.

I really want to go.  I mean heck, Mom is paying for the cottage!  Almost $3000 for 8 days!  All we have to do is pay for our food, and any souveneirs we may want.  Heck, we never have to leave the house if we don’t want too.  There are 2 patios, one with a fire pit.  Plus a private beach, and a big screen television in the great room.  Of course there will be no topless photos in the hot tub next year, but its all good.  Then there is the other part of me. That part wants to curl up in a ball and stay away.  After all, Aaron would have been 8 months old.  The perfect age to take on a first trip to the bay.  But the other part of me says…you can’t dwell on that.  The dream for children is over…but that doesn’t mean you stop living your life, it simply means that life changes the way its lived.  That  change doesn’t mean that you won’t encounter others who have had the same house dropped on them, nor will you stop hurting when you see belly’s are due around the time you would have been, nor will you stop seeing children that will age even though Aaron never will.  What I hope it does  mean is that  people won’t always  look at you with sad and empty eyes because they don’t know what to say.

I know, I am worrying for nothing.  Its going to be a great trip.  Its going to be relaxing, and fun, and the best part…I won’t have sticky little fingers grabbing for me after dinner who need baths, and then to be put to bed by 8…lest they get too cranky and ruin everyone’s evening.  Well I might, but I can look at them and say “Go find your parents!”  No, instead Jacob and I will be walking the shores of the private beach.  We will come back to the patio and light a fire in the pit.  We will sit in anarondak chairs, me with a Shmirnoff’s Ice in hand, him with a diet soda (he can’t drink due to his ulcers).

Oh yes, Aug 8-15th are going to be great….same time, different location next year…

Day 5…1 More Sleep…Home Again…

It was Monday, and it was slated to be our last day at the beach.  Since we had run from here to there to every where we decided that Monday would be our day of rest.  We planned to stay on the beach and in the pools for as much of the day as it would allow.  Of course we did go and have breakfast, but we brought that back to the hotel.  I wanted to go to a Krispy Kreme where you could watch the Doughnuts being made, but as luck would have it the one we went to was an “express”  They didn’t even have the HOT DOUGHNUTS sign.  Talk about a bummer, but boy were they good! 

We got some good weather out of Monday morning, and as a result some great photos.  See, I finally got smart and put my hair in a pony tail.  The photo of Jacob, and the one of me will replace our original photos from Myrtle I am pleased to say!  The next photo I have to say is one of my most favorite senic ones.  I just love the colors, and love the composition.  Yes, I know EGO WILL ROBINSON EGO… Of course no walk on the beach would be complete without a walk on the pier.  For $1 each we were able to walk out to the end.  Once again we got a wonderful photo of us again.  This was the last of the nice weather we had.  As quickly as the sun had risen on a beautiful day the rain was just as rapid as it began to fall.  We didn’t mind.  The rain was warm, and there was no wind.  So we walked back to the hotel, put on our bathing suits and swam for as long as we could.  Then it started pouring.

It was lunch time anyway so we headed over to Thorny’s.   where I posed with a smoking hot shark  Unlike the worlds tallest man, he did not make me look any thinner standing next to him.  While I stood with Sharky, Jacob decided to get himself a hat  I told him NO WAY.  But looking at it now, he is kind of cute in an uber geek kind of way.

The remainder of the day proceeded much like the begining did.  We strolled on the beach some more, and held hands like newlyweds.  Then we dozed to the sound of the ocean crashing on the surf below, and I actually finished a book.  However I do not recommend Gump & Co by Winston Groom to anyone.  If I hadn’t seen the movie, but had only written the book I would have written Forrest off as a bottle head looser based on the words that jumped from the pages.

Finally, dinner was upon us and we were hungry.  Though Jacob said “Not so much”  Yet the fact that he devoured almost 3 lbs of crab legs, and a couple more plates of seafood that does tell me otherwise.  Four our last meal we went to Crabby Mike’s.  A place I can say with certainty does not exist in Pennsylvania.   I can also say with certainty should we ever get one, I will be the first person at their door on opening day!

Their food was amazing, and this is coming from someone who isn’t a huge sea food fan.  Of course now that I have tried them I love crab legs, and I have always been partial to fried clambs.  The jury is still out on Lobster Claws however.  Though Jacob says that I just didn’t get a good one, I say it was because I din’t know how to open it properly.  Jacob however had no trouble with his crab claw and even asked me to take a photo for posterity sake.    With dinner complete, and our bellys full I took one last look around.    Eat N Park has got nothing on the decor here either 

Once again it was time to head back to the hotel.  Only this time we were a little more sad than before.  For there would be no more dinners after a long walk on the beach and no more pulling into the driveway of our resort. 

 Despite the meloncholy it didn’t stop us for taking just one last dip in the pool, or spending one more hour in the hot tub.  Only this time it was only about 20 minutes because this particular tub was more like a lobster pot instead… and I was already red enough as it was…

The next morning we both rose early.  Having already done the laundry and packed the night before it made our departure easy.  However no trip would have been complete without capturing at least one Carolina Sunrise before we left…

 and then it was time to go home…

Day 4…2 More Sleeps…

This very long (I am sure it will be) post covers our adventures on Sunday.

We had decided that since we were leaving on Tuesday that we would jam pack our Sunday, and pack it we did. 

Our first stop, after the coursery walk on the beach was to the car wash.  Thanks to the high winds and rain our car which is used to seeing salt only in the dead of winter was covered in a layer that surely would have corroded the paint far sooner than Chevy or we inteneded.  

 Next, we headed over to Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum.  While there we discovered how short we look next to the worlds (at the time) tallest man.  He was over 7 1/2 feet tall.  Jacob is 6 ft 3 inches, and he is dwarfed.  I am 5 ft 6 inches, and I look like a small child next to this model of the man.    I think he makes me look thinner too.  After the museum we walked down the street to Ripley’s Moving Theater.  What a disappointment that was.  The film was grainy and spotty, and the moving made you feel like you were sitting in the back of a truck that was being driven over Pittsburgh potholes.  Certianly not what we expected, and an experience we will not induldge in again. 

After the movie “experience” we hopped back in the car and headed back to Broadway At The Beach.  We had pre planned to see a baseball game, so we figured we would kill some time before the first pitch at 6:05.  We walked around for a little bit and were drawn into Jimmy Buffet’s Margaretaville.  Our timing was excellent.  “Its 5 O’Clock Somewhere” started playing and the huricaine above our heads started spinning, and  the blender below started blending.  It was quite the floor show.  What struck me even more amused was when the father says to his two young daughters “come on girls pose in front of the blender”  Then it was time to relax for a minute before heading to the IMax and then on to the game. 

At the IMax we watched a 3D movie on the conservation of the Colorado River.  We were disappointed in the story line as the “preview” presented it as a “rafting trip” but instead we were treated to Bobby Kennedy Jr. touting the importance of water conservation.  The picture however was outstanding.  You could reach out and almost grab the water droplets as they seemingly sprung off the screen towards you.  They were offering a $5 special for a second feature, but sadly we never did make it back, and there isn’t a 3D IMax in Pittsburgh so the memory alone will have to sustain us.

Finally it was baseball time.  Across the street from Broadway sits the BB&T Coastal Field.  Home to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans who are the single A team for the Atlanta Braves.  We got $9 tickets at the box office that afforded us the opportunity to sit 10 rows back from the 3rd base line.   Jacob watched the game intently  and ultimately the Pelicans  Though I won’t expect to be seeing any of the players on the Atlanta Braves Roster any time soon.  You see, you are supposed to CATCH the ball, you are NOT to let the ball roll through your legs and then run after it in an attempt to get the out.  Which lucky for us despite the Zigfried Folleys, they did which ultimately gave the Pelican’s Pitcher a 1 hit game, but in reality that too should have been an error for a no hitter…

After the game we headed over to Joe’s Crab Shack  As we were being seated the wait staff and the patrons were involved in a rousing rendition of YMCA by the Villiage People.  We knew at that moment that we were going to have fun, and fun we had.  Joe was kind enough to pose for a photo with me.  Don’t you just LOVE the hair?  Again, my Yankee roots don’t take to the heat and humidity well.  Even so, we had another delicious meal, and the atmosphere was amazing.  I just wish we had a Joe’s Crab Shack in Pittsburgh!  Oh wait, after people started looking through my digital camera they exclaimed “Oh Joes, we have one at Station Square and one in Robinson”  So much for originality.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel.  This being the latest I had been awake for all of our vacation.  We had two more sleeps and one more full day  to go in paradise, and boy did we make the best of it!

3 Days…Two Nights…

Saturday and Sunday

After turning into lobstersicles in the lazy river we decided that it would be the perfect day to head to Ripley’s Aquarium. We had been there once before in 2005 when the “special exhibition” was Titanic. This time it was Pirates , which to be honest I had little interest in, but got some fun photos despite it. This photo happened to be Jacob’s favorite. It seems that the Pirates would hang their victims within these cages after their deaths and would hang them on bridges to warn anyone who came upon them that the pirates were not to be messed with. I wonder if this doesn’t contain a hidden message on my husbands part?

The aquarium its self was fabulous. We have the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium here at home, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Ripley’s. It was amazing to enter the Rainbow Room , and to be immersed in this Oh and of course my favorite–when I do my scrap book of this vacation (Yes Gail I am taking your advice) I am going to title it “Fish Are Friends Not FOOD” (a Finding Nemo Reference folks)

This was the last photo that we took at the Aquarium. Jake says I look “goofy” and couldn’t believe that I climbed into this, but I couldn’t resist. I am just such a kid when it comes to hokey, good fun and photos.

Dinner after the Aquarium was just up the beach, before the pier at Damon’s. Once again we had a coupon, 10% off. The hostess asked if we wanted to eat inside or out? I would have suspected we would eat out by the ocean, but Jacob wanted to eat inside. His reasoning? He was ordering the prime rib, Damon cut and he didn’t want to risk getting sand on it. He also reasoned that the more he spent on dinner the more he could save. So for the first and only night he got and devoured desert to go along with his over sized meal. Me, I had the pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw. Grand total for my portion–$10, which “upset” Jacob. He only saved a $1 on my meal. This from the man who bought $16 candy…

The rest of the night we spent on the beach or in the hot tube. Once again we talked, and walked, and just enjoyed being together. Even seeing the bride who was a mother to be being photographed on the beach wasn’t capable of wiping the grin off my face. Once again, it was the perfect night.

5 Days…4 Nights…

This is Friday night and Saturday vacation:

Friday afternoon with the weather seemingly having dissipated we decided to troll around the ocean. I wish I had purchased a disposable water proof camera prior to leaving Pittsburgh, but alas I listened to Jacob and waited till we got to the beach. This was a big mistake as in Pittsburgh at Wal-Mart the cost was $7.99, the cost at Rite Aid in Myrtle Beach $16.99. Sorry but $11 more for a camera I will use once and then throw away was not an investment I was willing to make. Despite the lack of a photo record we had a good time.

A good time that is until giant waves knocked me over and drug me along the bottom of the Atlantic. Once I righted myself and began spitting the salt water out of my mouth Jacob began laughing hysterically at my seeming amusing plight. Until that is he saw that my right hip and thigh were cut up. I didn’t notice it until the burning began. Needless to say that was the first and last dip we had in the ocean. We instead decided to hang in the in door pool, which was far less dangerous as the only waves were the ones we created ourselves.

That evening we decided on dinner at Senor Frogs . Having no idea what they were, but having a free coupon for them we got the Chefs Nacho’s . For dinner we shared the Taco Wheel. They say it’s enough for 2, but they should really say it’s enough for 3 or 4. It was huge. You got chicken, beef, shrimp, rice, beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, pico, and 8 tortillas. We were stuffed by the time we left. As for the atmosphere, well I will let the photos speak for themselves on this one.

After dinner we went and played some golf. I got 2 hole in ones, though Jacob had thrown away our original score card after the 3^rd hole. Jacob wasn’t impressed by the course. His idea of golf is hitting the ball through the shark’s mouth, or under the windmills paddles. Regardless of disappointment in the aesthetics the view from above was just beautiful. Plus we got a nice photo of the two of us together.

19 holes later and it was once again time to head back to the hotel.

You know you are getting old when you have no interest in going out for drinks at the Hard Rock , but would rather go home and go to bed by 10 or so. Even so, despite my exhaustion we made our nightly trek on the beach, and of course found an empty hot tub and spent yet another hour discussing the plans for “tomorrow” and our even bigger plans for the future. I enjoyed those portions of my day so much that I asked Jacob if we could invest in a spa at home. It seems that in the spa togetherness was abashed.

Saturday morning arrived with another beautiful sun rise…that I missed. Instead I woke to blue sky’s and fluffy white clouds. You would think that we would have lounged on the beach all day. Well, you would be partially correct. We did spend the morning on the beach. We took a walk, and collected a small sampling of sea shells. Then we tried to go swimming. I say tried because due to the wind and rain from the day before the pool water was near freezing, or so it seemed. You would think that the Yankee blood in us would have made us less susceptible to such temperature changes, but it didn’t. So we spent the morning between the Lazy River in which only tooshies, and toes scathed the water while riding on a raft and of course in one of the many hot tubs that the hotel provided.