Vacation Photo Reel

Mark and I have finally returned from our vacation in South Carolina. While we had more than our fair share of fun in that salty-aired state, I've never been happier to smell the familiar vanilla-musty scent of our little house. We spent a week at the beach with both our families and planned to return on a Monday. However, Mark received sudden word to travel north for a business trip. Not wanting to be left home alone all week, I jumped at the opportunity to spend time with some North Carolina friend we rarely see. So my one week vacation turned into two weeks--lucky for me, not quite as lucky for poor Amp.

Here are a few snippets of our favorite vacation moments.

Some yearly beach favorites: palm fronds blowing lazily in the breeze; colorful umbrellas as far as the eye can see; some hardcore football, brother-against-brother; and flip-flops baking in the sunshine. You know that foot-soles burn when you leave your flip-flops exposed. By the end of the week, it was like a small victory every time I remembered to put them under the umbrella. Yay for comfy toes!

One of my favorite spots in all of South Carolina is Murrels Inlet. About 10 miles south of Myrtle Beach, Murrels Inlet has avoided the flashing-neon commercialism of its neighbor. Tucked among the grassy marshes and smelling of brine, the inlet maintains its fishing-village persona. While tourists do flock its seafood houses, the inlet is quieter, untouchable, and still teeming with salt-marsh life: birds, crabs, shellfish, and the occasional curious dolphin. As a little girl, my parents would bring us here for seafood. I remember how boring the inlet seemed to me then: no beach, no where to build a sand castle or to hunt for shells. Now, I'd give anything to sit on one of the rickety grey docks all day, watching the tides flood and drain the landscape. It's funny how your priorities and wants change as you get older. 

My favorite part of the whole trip: no obligations and no routine. If you want two cups of coffee in the morning, have two cups of coffee. If you want to go to the beach at 9 and stay until 3, grab your towel and get thyself down there. If you want to play put-put until 11, do so. After all, there's no getting up early for work or hurrying to avoid rush-hour traffic. The days blur together into one long sandy-toed lazy line...until before you know it, the slow hours have ticked away and its time to travel back home. And although I was glad to be back home--to unpack, sort, ,and tidy--I would do it all again in a heart-beat.

What's your favorite vacation spot?