In late September, GiGi moved to Myrtle Beach. We knew that we wanted to visit her there, so about three weeks ago, we started planning a big surprise.
The first day of Christmas Break, we jumped into the car for a Mom and Z (and Bella!) road trip. It took literally all day and a good part of the night (thanks for nothing, Atlanta Bypass!) to get there, due to a road closure and rerouting and rain.
On the morning of day two, we pulled off the big surprise and stayed to visit with GiGi most of the day. During that time, it poured rain. No thunder, no lighting, but tons of wind and rain. There was even a tornado warning at one point.
In the late afternoon, the rain stopped long enough for me to get a couple of beach pictures. The water was choppy and the wind was beyond ridiculous!
We went to a couple of shops for souvenirs. Our plans for the boardwalk were put on hold and we “vegged” in our hotel the rest of the evening, because it started raining again.
Day three we woke up to sunshine and a beach walk. We walked from 20th all the way to 29th or 30th!
Of course, I had to take off my shoes and have my toes in the sand and water – even in December! Bella got her toes in the water too, and considering how much she hates baths, she wasn’t a fan of the tide, but otherwise loved exploring the beach.
We headed back to GiGi’s for another morning and afternoon of visiting, and then walked from our hotel to the beach for a sunset beach walk.
Pink skies on the beach… even better!
We then went to the boardwalk for a Christmas light walk. We could hear the ocean in the background as we walked through the lights and music. It was a lengthy walk through the lights that covered the distance of multiple beach blocks.
We then headed back to grab GiGi to go through the two-mile drive through lights. They had areas with Disney characters, nativity, salute to America, as well as lights coordinated to music. One of my favorite parts was when Elsa “froze” the light tunnel we were driving through.
Day four was the long drive home. We got to go the original way we planned through beautiful mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee. I would love to see those mountains in spring or fall sometime!
Travel With the Fam 