Several days ago, Matt, Ava and I were eating breakfast... Out of no where, Ava said, "I want to go to the beach." Matt and I looked at each other, agreed with Ava, made a few phone calls and 36 hours later we were on our way to Garden City Beach, SC. Thank you, Brian and Jennifer, for letting us stay at your piece of paradise... And thank you Ava, for comping up with the idea!
We spent 4 wonderful days soaking up the sun, splashing in the waves, playing in the sand and spending time together as a family. One of Ava's favorite things at the beach is the Garden City Pier. Within 5 minutes of unpacking our beach towels and toys, Ava spotted the pier a mile to the south and she immediately wanted to go.
Ava loved playing hide and seek behind the beams of the pier.
She also loved running under the length of the pier. From the water, to the dry sand... over and over again.
When we weren't walking to or from the pier, we spent a lot of time digging holes in the sand, building sand castles, splashing in the water and collecting sea shells.
One particular evening, we changed the scenery a bit... Instead of running around underneath the pier, Ava ran around on top of the pier. More specifically, Ava danced on the stage on top of the pier.
When Ava's feet were tired of dancing, she reluctantly posed for a picture with Matt....
And me.
If you remember my last post, I mentioned that AVA IS POTTY TRAINED! That is exciting news all by itself, but it is even more exciting when you factor in that 1) I will no longer have to buy ridiculously expensive swimming diapers for Ava 2) I will no longer have to change nasty, sandy, aqua dump diapers on the beach! With all of that said, going pee was a breeze.... When Ava had to go, we would walk down to the ocean and, you know. Don't judge. You know you do it too. Going #2 however was another story.... There was a port-a-potty for public use, but... EEW! So Matt and I fashioned together a port-a-potty of our own and whenever Ava had to go, she went in the comfort of our van. Again, don't judge. :)
On our last night in Garden City, we went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, The Gulfstream. The food is fantastic, and the view is unbelievable.
My heart over flows each time I look at these two!
God has blessed me beyond measure.
After dinner, we spent a while out on the beach breathing the salty air and playing in the sand. We probably would have slept out on the sand had it not been for... the sand.
Monday morning we woke up, Ava drove the golf cart (with Matt's help) and took us to the beach for a few more hours of vacation before heading home.
Ava hopped in the wagon for one last afternoon stroll to the pier...
Only, she didn't quite make it. Every other day we had been on the beach, Ava never napped, not even for one second. I guess by day #4, the lack of naps caught up to her and before we reached the pier, Ava was sound asleep. Don't you just love those adorable sandy toes?
On the way home, our back right tire exploded. And when I say exploded, that is exactly what I mean!...
Without getting into all of the details, just know we were on a very dark, very isolated highway when the tire blew. Thankfully, the Lord kept us safe and returned us back home to Greensboro.
No blown tire is going to scare us away from future beach trips! We are already so excited for the trips we have planned in June, July and September!
