Myrtle Beach + Manns = Magnificent

Last weekend we drove down to Myrtle Beach and had an absolutely fabulous time. With the exception of a couple of gloomy days out of 5, the weather was fantastic considering it's the middle of October. Who would've thought you could get sunburned in the fall?

We learned a few things while we were there...

1. We were 100% meant to live by the beach. The salt, the sand, the waves, the shells, the beautiful umbrellas everywhere- WE LOVED IT!



2. We are HUGE fans of anything water-related. It's around 70 degrees (a little chilly for swimming); the lazy river at the resort is nearly empty; there are dark rain clouds looming overhead; people are leaving the pool shivering. But we come ready to tube down the river and throw our kids under the tipping water bucket...and LOVE it!



3. Our daughter loves fish...even dead ones. Sunday morning we walked through downtown, looking through all the beach shops and then out onto the pier. While we were out there, we saw a pack/school/gang(?) of dolphins putting on a show for everyone out in the ocean. Beautiful! Then an old man took a liking to Makenna and proceeded to show her all the dead fish in his cooler...hmmm. She was enthralled. Then a homeless looking fisherman caught a flounder and laid the bloody thing on the pier for all to admire. We couldn't drag Makenna away. She just kept saying, "Fish, nap?"



4. The bike trailer we bought off Craigslist earlier this year was totally worth the money. We love family bike rides and Makenna loves riding in the back behind us. This time she loved it even more because she had her little friend, Gavin, to keep her company on the ride. We even looked back a few times and they were holding hands. Adorable!



5. There's no two ways around it- we are ADDICTED to good barbecue. Which is one reason we miss Richmond so much. However, when we were down in Charleston a few years ago we discovered a delicious place called Sticky Fingers. We were ecstatic there was one in Myrtle Beach and devoured some delicious pork ribs while we were there. We even got a free bottle of their signature BBQ sauce!



6. We LOVE vacation! And clearly we're raising a daughter who does as well. Thank heaven for good friends and great memories.