Back in 2011, Lindsey and I went to Myrtle Beach. It was a pretty awesome trip. Relaxing on the beach all day, going out all night…it was just so much fun. Seven years later, we decided to go back. This trip was definitely different, but equally amazing. This was Payton’s first trip to the beach and she had a great time.
I am not going to discuss the entire trip and all of the stuff we did. Instead, I just want to talk about Payton, which is honestly all you want to hear about anyways.
One of the things we were worried about for this trip, was how Payton would do in the car for such a long trip. Also, Lindsey wanted to get there so that we did not completely waste all of Saturday. What does that mean? Yep, leaving very early! We both worked first shift, so Thursday night, I stayed up until around midnight, so that I would be super tired all day. I came home and had to take Samson to Jason’s house because the house at Myrtle Beach did not allow dogs. Lindsey wanted to get the rest of the stuff packed, so I took Payton with me, which meant we had to get her food at some point. I made it to Jason’s by 6:00ish (after stopping at Micky Dees for chicken nuggets for Pay), dropped off Samson (I did not cry, I swear!), then went to Wal-Mart for a few things I needed, then made it home by like 7:30. Payton was exhausted, so we put her to bed. Lindsey & I loaded the car, and I went to bed. My goal was to sleep from 8:00 until 2:00, then get up and get on the road. Lindsey still needed to do some things so she was going to sleep on the couch because I am such a light sleeper.
Naturally, things did not go according to plan. I could not fall asleep. Around 9:00, I started to drift off, but I could hear Lindsey clipping her nails in the bathroom, and it woke me up. I tossed and turned until like 10:30, then went downstairs and told my wife she could sleep in bed, since I could hear her snoring in the living room. I finally fell asleep around 11:30. I changed the alarm to 3:00 and when it went off, I was tired, but figured I could give it a shot. We were on the road by 3:30. Payton slept until outside of Washington DC, then she was up and sounded like she was ready for breakfast. We stopped at IHOP. I had a delicious omelet and pancakes.
The drive down sucked. It rained the entire drive. On the turnpike it was raining hard enough that I could barely see (I already hate driving the turnpike, so the rain did not help). Lindsey took over driving duties for a bit to let me sleep. She said that it was absolutely pouring. I ended up taking over when we stopped at McDonald’s for lunch. Payton was really good for the entire drive. She slept a good bit, but when she was awake, she would play with some of her toys. Sometimes she would get a little whiny, but one of us would reach back and give her Puppy (who she now calls Bah) and that would usually get her to stop.
Most of the days went like this: Adam2, Greg, and I went golfing in the morning (we golfed four days straight), while the ladies went to the beach. We would get back, then eat lunch (or join them on the beach depending what time it was), then either head back down or go to the pool. Payton loved the beach. She would play in the sand for hours. At first she was terrified of the ocean, but after a few days, I could take her down and let the water hit her feet without a freak out. I honestly think the sand moving under her was what messed with her the most. She did enjoy going in the pool though. The one day she practically dove in without me or Lindsey.
The hardest thing about the beach is the sand. This is like 1000x more so with a child. The condo we were at had a pool area with a shower/hose, but you had to walk all the way around the building to get to the pool. It would have made more sense to have a gate from the pool to the beach…that way you could come in, rinse off, then head upstairs.
The first few days, we would try to give Payton a bath as soon as we came up, but that was annoying. So we just started going in the pool to rinse all of the sand off of her. Then she would eat and nap. Once she was up, we would give her a bath before we went out for the evening. It was definitely a schedule change and to be honest, not sure if she is actually back to her normal schedule.
We did a ton of awesome stuff: great restaurants, Broadway, Barefoot, mini-golf, the aquarium, a type of zoo (actually I did not go there, Lindsey & Kayla took the girls there while we golfed), but more importantly, we spent time together as family. And that is all that really matters, right? Enjoy some pictures
The aquarium was pretty expensive, but they did have plenty of cool fish and other sea creatures. Plus they have a huge sea turtle, which is exciting because tur-tool is pretty much the first major word Payton started saying.
The forecast called for rain almost the entire week, but when we got there, we saw this rainbow. Carolyn said it was a sign of good luck and even though I am not a believer in signs, omens, or anything like that; it turned out to be right. We did not have any rain (except for a quick shower while driving back from the golf course).
We played two different courses (three days we only played nine holes and one day we played 18). Adam2 was obviously the best of us. I actually had a ton of fun and it made me really want to golf regularly. Lindsey has been a little annoyed the last few weeks because I talk about going out all the time or at least going to the driving range, or things I would like to buy, etc. I used to love golfing. Then something happened and I just hated doing it. I realize now that it has more to do with all of the bad advice I got, which really messed things up. Now I am just basically starting over. And the cool thing? That excitement and love that I used to have is back and I am ready to try and get better.
This made me laugh the one day. I found my ball sitting in this and posted it on FB as “my only hole in one.”
As you can see, I am hitting out of the woods, so clearly I did not have the best rounds ever. I was doing well the last day and after the sixth hole, I looked at the score card and realized that if I shot bogey golf the last three holes, I could shoot a 49 (look, at my level, breaking 50 is always an achievement–for 18 holes, I have broken 100 exactly twice). Naturally, that got in my head and I pretty much fell apart. End up with a 53 (I think I was at 33 with two fours and a tough five on 9…I believe I went 6, 6, 8…yikes). I did get better each day, which was all you can really ask for when you go out. Or maybe not to hit balls into the woods and have to attempt a crazy shot off a tree branch, up over some pine trees.
Once the trip was over, we made it home and Payton was finally reunited with Samson!
