October 30
We sat the alarm for 3am. I popped out of bed and hopped in the shower while DH loaded our stuff into the car. By 20 minutes to 4, we were in the car and on the road. We had minimal stops and managed to make it to the beach by about 2:30 or so. We got checked in and up to our room and let me tell you, Sandy Beach hotel was just about the nicest place I have EVER stayed in. The balcony was nice and wide, the room was spacious and just very, very nice. Right after we checked in and got in the room, I made the requisite call to my parents to let them know that we'd made it in, and then called my friend who lives nearby (from here-on-in known as GF) and set up a time for her to come and visit while we were there. She got to our room at about 6:15 PM or so and stayed until about 10PM. By the time she left, I was exhausted so I went to bed.
October 31
Yay! 10th Anniversary day! We got up early and headed out to the Myrtle Beach State Park where DH and I stood on the shore and recommitted to one another. What better place to reaffirm your bond before God than on the seashore? I believe that we'll continue to be blessed as we have been blessed for the past ten years. Of course, after that, I was trying to rinse the sand out of a shell that DH found for me on the beach and I was attacked by a wave...
So, even though my pants were damp, my spirits weren't. We decided to hop back in the car and just drive around the area for a while. We started out looking for a putt-putt golf course to play, and went all the way north to Little River, turned around and went all the way to Pawley's Island in the south. We ended up eating at the Dead Dog Saloon in Murrell's Inlet (which we really, really liked - the Inlet, not the restaurant, but the restaurant was very good). When we left there it was time to go back to the hotel and get dressed for the evening's festivities.We dressed in our Halloween costumes for our Halloween evening out. DH was dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow and I was...well....I intended to be a gypsy girl, but everyone thought I was a pirate, too. That's okay, though, because I really wanted to be a pirate anyway. We went out to Barefoot Landing and first did the Ghost Show in the Ghosts and Legends Theater there. It was really neat, but DH and I enjoyed it a lot. It only primed us for what was to come, though, because the Ghost Walk was absolutely spectacular...
Our Storyteller, who is in between DH and I in the picture, was really fantastic. She told the stories in a way that held your attention and gave them a sense of wonder and mystery. At the half-way point of the walking tour at the House of Blues the REAL high-point of the walk happened for me. I went to the restroom, and when I caught up with the rest of the group I found out that DH had volunteered me to tell a ghost story. He didn't think I'd actually do it, and when I agreed, he was just shocked. All this is second hand, because I was so nervous talking to that group of strangers I didn't notice anything. DH said that while I told my story, a local legend from here in WV, that the crowd got quiet and moved in closer to hear me speak (even though I was trying hard to speak up so people could hear). DH said that the Storyteller was very impressed with my story and with my ability to tell it. When the walk was over, DH said that the Storyteller was bragging about my story to the other "pirates" at the Ghosts and Legends Theater. One of the ladies in the walking group with us asked me how she could find out more information about my story, as well. It was exciting for me. Also during the walk I took a picture of just...nothing...hoping to get pictures of something "paranormal" - an orb or something. I never dreamed that I'd actually get anything, but...
Yep! Not one, but FOUR orbs in one photo! Pretty exciting!After we left Barefoot Landing, we headed over to Broadway at the Beach to check out their annual Halloween Party. Let me tell you, it was an experience. I don't have any pictures from there because I was silly and left my camera in the car, but I'm here to tell you, never have I seen so many (almost) exposed breasts in one place at one time. It was cold out that night, too, and even with all my clothes I had on (a girdle and a long-line bra, plus two layers of dress) and I was still shivering - I can't imagine being dressed in what is essentially a string bikini and being comfortable. I suppose that after you get so drunk, though, temperature doesn't really matter. There were some other really good costumes, too. I'm kicking myself about not bringing my camera now.
November 1
DH and I decided to go down to Charleston Harbor and take a tour of the USS Yorktown, a decommissioned aircraft carrier. It's located at Patriot's Point there in Charleston, and they also have a Coast Guard Cutter (the Ingham) a Destroyer (the Laffey) and a Submarine (the Clamagore). The Yorktown was just amazing; they had really nifty displays for all aspects of the ship's service, and they had airplanes in the hangar deck and on the flight deck that chronicled the ship's history from World War II until it was decommissioned in (I think) the '70's.
We also toured the Submarine and the Destroyer, then we went back "on shore" and bought some nifty stuff in the "Ship Store". We bought Conman a t-shirt and hat at the Yorktown because we thought that since he's got a million Myrtle Beach t-shirts that he might like something different this time. We really liked visiting the ships and my only regret was that Conman wasn't there to see it, too. He would have really, really liked that part of our trip.We drove back to Myrtle Beach from Charleston but we weren't ready to go back to the hotel quite yet, so we visited Broadway at the Beach again for dinner. We ate at Key West, and the food was good but VERY expensive. We then finally played putt-putt there at Broadway and walked around a little bit before finally heading back to the hotel. On the way in, we couldn't pass up getting fresh, hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts. ;)
November 2
We woke up early, and DH took some pictures of dawn over the sea...
After we packed everything up and got it into the car, we checked out and prepared to leave the beach. Both DH and I were kind of reticent to actually leave...it felt a little bit like even though we had everything packed up and ready to go home that we were leaving something behind. I think it was that little piece of my heart that I was leaving. You know, that little piece that believes it belongs there on a permanent basis. I think we finally left town at around 9AM. We got back home here in WV at about 8PM (after a few stops along the way), and our vacation was officially over.All in all, we had a fantastic time, and I wouldn't change a thing about what we did or saw.
