Back from the Beach!

It's time for a little Myrtle Beach recap! 


The five days spent with my in-laws were super entertaining and fun - basically, we spent each morning/afternoon laying in the sun, reading, and walking along the beach, then spent each evening eating out at various restaurants, shopping around, and stopping by Krispy Kreme.  


On Monday, we:

Vacation Begins!

* left my in-laws' house in WV at 5am and ventured to Myrtle Beach, 8 hours away. I thought of some of my old Marshall college buds who are living in the Winston-Salem/Greensboro, NC area as we passed through!
* spent a little time on the beach before heading out to Angelo's Italian/Steakhouse, where I tried with all of my might to enjoy a warm, comforting bowl of fettucine alfredo while an annoyingly obnoxious family sitting at the table beside ours forced a little tiny boy with teary eyes and sunburned cheeks to finish his plate before they left. I wanted to steal him and take him away with us! 
* took a stroll on the Springmaid Pier, and saw jelly fish and a huge sea turtle lurking in the ocean - way too close to the shore for me!

I've got mad skillz.

Tuesday, I began my beach reading.  Initially I had planned to read Richard Russo's That Old Cape Magic and Jennifer Weiner's Best Friends Forever, but both were scrapped when my sis-in-law brought along Hello Kitty Must Die and Mennonite in a Little Black Dress! My original beach reads were pushed to the side, and I read the others before our vacation was over.  Hello Kitty was SO fun! Mennonite was a little slower, but enjoyable as well.
Tuesday was Crabby Mike's Seafood night and a crazy long game of putt-putt, too.  I held the lead down until about the 14th hole, then my concentration dwindled and I totally lost control my game! I did manage to make a totally random hole-in-one toward the end. Good times, Good times! We also checked out the new Boardwalk - and I finally got that airbrushed tee I've been wanting!


Wednesday evening we hit up Broadway at the Beach, where we sucked down more italian food, my husband slurped down a beverage from the awesomely fun KISS Coffeehouse, and I chowed on sugary goodness from The Fudgery.  I also hit up Christmas Mouse and Yankee Candle - where I flashed my little coupon for $1 votives and bought a ton in the new fall scents!  Maple Pancakes, Creamy Caramel, and Cinnamon Roll - need I say more? 

Kiss Coffeehouse

Christmas Mouse!

Christmas Mouse finds!

Thursday -

Forget bags - give me Coach shoes!

I scored a pretty serious sunburn on my shoulders - the UV index was about 2300, which was a little more than my SPF 30 could tolerate.  My husband and I also thought it would be a great idea to take the 4-mile hike along the shore, from the Springmaid Pier to the Second Avenue Pier during a heat advisory! In all seriousness, it wasn't that bad.  I'm crediting the Fit-Flops I've worn all year and the Vitamin water we guzzled the entire walk for my endurance. 

In the evening, we ate @ TBonz "Gill and Grill", which was totally my type of restaurant!   We also did a little outlet shopping. I spoiled myself with a new pair of Black Coach Sneakers from the Coach outlet (thanks, Mom!)  My husband and I also played dress up and found some great deals at Banana Republic.  By the end of the day, I was completely beat.  

Our last day on the beach was interrupted by a series of crazy thunderstorms, but I met up with my cousin who lives in SC, so it wasn't a wasted day at all!

  

By Saturday, I was so ready to return home - to my cat, my life in Ohio, and my blog, of course!

I read everyone's comments all week long - I couldn't reply to everyone, and didn't get a chance to check out new blogs/posts, but I'm getting caught up!  I'm glad to be back!

I hope everyone has a good week! Happy Monday... seriously!

Getting to know ME Sunday!

I'm back from vacation!  I kept up with everyone's comments this past week, but didn't get to reply to very many or visit new blogs.  I also lacked in the commenting department - and I'm so sorry! I plan to spend today getting caught up on laundry and the blogs I love to follow - don't worry, I'm still here!  I'll be posting vacation pics and recaps this week, and can't wait to share!

To kick off this week and get back to blogging, I'm participating in Mannland 5's Getting to Know YOU Sunday (of course! what else would I blog about on a Sunday?!) 

1. Do you think mustaches are sexy?
Well... hubby has one, and I've always loved it - so I guess, yes.  :)  But food stuck in a man's mustache=NOT SEXY! 

2. What's the last concert you've been to?
Adam Lambert's Glam Nation Tour!  It was FABULOUS.  I love him - such amazing talent, a perfect voice.

3  What was your favorite 80's sitcom?
Full House - or was that 90's?  

4. Were you named after anyone?
Sort of.  Dad's name was Steve, my older brother's name is Steven, and lo and behold, I became Stephanie the day I was born.

5. When you buy new clothes, do you wash before wearing?
Depends on the items.  I try to buy clothes that are not hanging on the front of the rack.  I wash underwear... don't wash anything else, really.  Ironing it off is enough hassle!

6. If you didn't blog, what would you do with your spare time?
I would read a ton more - when i started blogging a few months ago, it cut into my reading time, but that's ok - i love both!

7. What is your favorite department store?
This is difficult since I live in an area where the only department store I can regularly shop at is flipping Wal-Mart.  But my favorite places to browse online are Macy's and Target.

8. If  you were to get Laser Hair Removal..where would you get it?
Everywhere that I have to shave on a daily basis, plus my eyebrows to lessen the pluckage frequency. I would probably de-fur my arms, too!  




Have a great Sunday, everyone!  I missed blogging while on vacation (even though I pre-scheduled a few posts), but needed to give my brain a little break.  GLAD TO BE BACK! I missed you!

Myrtle Beach Wishlist

Greetings from Myrtle Beach, S.C.!

I'm on vacation with my awesome in-laws this week! 

I haven't been to the beach in half a decade, so of course there are some things on my wishlist of beach-related "to-do's":

*Read.

And I'm talking A LOT.  I want to read both Jennifer Weiner's Best Friends, and Richard Russo's That Old Cape Magic before I leave on Saturday!

* Tan.

Nothing makes me feel as fresh and beautiful as a nice summer glow!

*Walk.

Along the shore, for at least a couple hours each day.  Since this is the first time my husband and I have gone on a week-long vacation with our family, we might need some alone time. I think a long daily walk will be the perfect way to reconnect!

*Quality Time

with my mother and sister-in-law.  They are fabulous, fierce gals with fun personalities - I'm hoping there will be lots of girl-talk while the boys are gone golfing.

*Eat.

But not too much - I've busted my buns this past spring and summer trying to lower my cholesterol with diet and exercise.  I'm going to try not to blow it all away on those melt-in-your-mouth donuts from the Krispy Kreme up the street!  Good luck with that, right? I'm counting on my husband to keep me in check.

*Movie.

I am hoping for a family night out at the movies - there are so many great movies I would love to watch!  I'm hoping for Dinner for Schmucks or The Other Guys.

*Take Photos. 

For some reason, I have problems taking time out for a few good photos.  I am also hesitant about asking others to "pose" for me. I'm crossing my fingers that I remember to take my camera out during those long beach walks, and I'm hoping I get the guts to arrange some family group shots!

*Airbrushed Tee.

It may sound lame, but I really want to get one of those cheesy 80's airbrushed t-shirts made while we're out and about, hitting up the gift shops.  I want one that's Marshall themed - just to wear when I'm chilling out at home :)

Hopefully, I'll get to do all of these things - they seem pretty obtainable, no? 
Happy Monday to all of you - thanks for reading, and have a great week!
Come back tomorrow for my favorite summer songs by male artists!