Vacation Recap!

We are back from our awesome vacation! Warning: lots of pictures ahead! We had so much fun and I don't want to forget anything. We started out our vacation in Pinehurst, North Carolina. We visited my Great Aunt Judy. She is my Nana's sister and she reminds me so much of her. My Nana passed away in 2007 and I miss her so much.  We also visited with my cousin Louise and her kids. Louise and her friend Betsy own a fabulous women's boutique in Aberdeen called Eloise so I also did some shopping while I was there too. :) This is Kennedy reading with her cousin Will.

 Trying on Louise's shoes.

 Family photo. The only person that's missing is Nick of course and Louise's oldest son, Jack. He is going to Auburn in the fall and he was there for some informal fraternity rush events. We missed seeing him!

 Louise and her husband Wayne are members at a fabulous country club in town so we took advantage of the pool while we were there. Kennedy really enjoyed their sweet potato fries.

 We also ate at a really great barbeque place called "The Flying Pig." They had cornhole and Kennedy had a blast playing with her cousins. I absolutely love any kind of restaurant that has entertainment like this for her while we wait for food, it makes life so much easier!

 After our visit in Pinehurst, we drove down to Myrtle Beach. My all time favorite beach is Isle of Palms, which is an absolutely gorgeous beach but Myrtle Beach comes in a close second because there is so much to do there. We stayed at the Breakers North Tower Resort, which was amazing! We got there around 11 and treated ourselves to some brunch at Flapjacks pancake house.

 

 Absolutely in love with Kennedy's coverup from Eloise! I have a matching one. :)

 We headed for the beach and just like last year, Kennedy loved it! We spent the whole afternoon there!

 That night we headed to the Family Kingdom amusement park. When I was a child, I used to come to Myrtle Beach every summer with my dad, stepmom, half siblings and some family friends. We would always ride rides at the Pavilion but unfortunately it has been torn down. I do remember us going to the Family Kingdom a few times though and riding The Swamp Fox roller coaster, good times! I can't wait until Kennedy is old enough to ride it.  We did ride some other rides though and Kennedy had so much fun! I was terrified to let her go on anything by herself but she did great on the cars! The swings she was not so sure about which surprised us because she loves to swing. She also loved the Merry Go Round and the antique cars.

 The next morning it was raining, booo! We headed over to Ripley's Aquarium but unfortunately, everybody had the same idea as us. It was PACKED. Kennedy really didn't get to see any of the exhibits except this moving shark tunnel because there were so many people there. They did have a play area for toddlers but really the only thing she was able to do was play with the wheels because there were so many older kids there.

 Later that day, the rain cleared up and Grandma, Paw-Paw, Uncle Jon, Aunt Rachael and Tristan came into town, yay! We headed to the beach for a few hours but Mommy forgot the camera.

 That night we attempted to take a family photo on our beautiful balcony but it was very windy. We headed to Planet Hollywood for dinner and then to Broadway at the Beach. Kennedy rode the cars again and loved them all over again. Mommy, Daddy, Paw-Paw and Tristan were also crazy enough to ride these insane rockets that go very high up in the air and spin you upside down, lots of fun!

 The next day we spent the entire day on the beach. Kennedy did go up to the condo from 12-2 to nap but Aunt Rachael had a headache so she stayed up there with her. I parked my chair in the water, put my toes in the sand and read my book for 2 glorious hours. Rachael called me when Kennedy woke up and I went and got her and brought her right back down to the beach. Kennedy loved every minute of it! Perfect beach day!

 

BTW, I was reading The Chaperone by Laura Moriarity and it is a must read! It is set in the 1920's and is about a woman who is a chaperone to a teenage girl trying to make it big in New York City. It is also about this woman's past and some secrets in her own life.

 That night we left Tristan and Kennedy with Grandma and Paw-Paw and had a "parents night out" at Broadway at the Beach. We enjoyed some daquris at Wet Willies and then ended up at a bar called Froggy Bottomz and watched an 80's cover band perform. Tons of fun!

 The next day was our last day. :( We checked out of the condo and headed to take a walk down the pier. We had an absolutely amazing trip. We are so glad that Kennedy loves the beach as much as we do! We can't wait for many more beach trips in the future!