Quick but Memorable Beach Trip

I'm back from yet another vacation! On Monday, we headed down to North Myrtle Beach (Cherry Grove) to spend a few days with my Aunt Lin and cousins Lindsay and Karleigh. Because we didn't get down Monday night until around 9, we didn't have much time to do anything. But boy, were the kids excited to see us! I've got to admit, it's one of the best feelings in the world to know they're thrilled to spend time with me!

Tuesday afternoon, we headed out to run some errands as it was raining pretty hard and we couldn't go out on the beach. Afterward, we enjoyed a seafood lunch at Ella's restaurant in Calabash, NC. When we got back to the condo, we attempted to go out on the beach. Everything started out fairly well - even though it was cloudy, the girls were having a blast. Actually, my sister, Logan, and Lindsay were in for quite a surprise. While they were out playing in the ocean, a man who was surfing kindly came up and asked them if they would like to take a ride on his surfboard. Obviously, they couldn't turn that offer down! Logan and Lindsay had a blast riding it in to the shore a few times. Almost immediately after they got done playing, the wind picked up and began blowing like crazy. Then within seconds, the sky majorly darkened and thunder rolled. I swear, it was like a hurricane just sprouted up out of nowhere! We grabbed our things and made a mad dash for the room. Once we got there, we were out of breath and soaked! At the time it sucked, but looking back on it, it was hilarious.
After we cleaned up, my mom, Lin and I went to the mall to pick up a few things (such as a new dress for Saturday night! Score!) We then ate supper in the room and relaxed for the rest of the night.

The next morning, we headed back out on the beach where we saw several jellyfish - yuck! But once again, the kids had a blast playing in the ocean and many small cess pools along the shore. I love Cherry Grove for that reason - it's honestly a beautiful beach with things to do that are safe for all ages. The trip seemed to fly by as we left for home that afternoon. I had a great time with my family, Lin and the girls! They're a handful sometimes, but as sweet as can be. I can't count on my fingers how many times Karleigh randomly came up to me and said, "Yaya, you're beautiful!" Too cute!

Here's some pictures from our trip: 

 Logan and I got bored on the ride!

 Lindsay and Karleigh with their new kites.

 Logan: "SMILE, Lindsay!"

 Why are you taking my picture Lauren?

 Too sweet :)

 First surfboarding experience!

  Tired out after a long day of playing.. they look so innocent when they're sleeping!

 Thumbs up!

  Haha Karleigh's attempt at a "thumbs up"

So that's about it for this blog. Sorry, I know it wasn't very interesting, but it was a fun vacation for me! Tomorrow I'm going to get my hair done (YES!) and then Saturday night I'll be attending the Rascal Flatts concert with some of my best friends. I'll write later! :)

First Post, First Pennslyvania Trip, First Time Hitting the Lottery

Hi guys! I'm Lauren, though you probably already knew that. Anyway, this is my first post EVER on my first blog ever (ahh, so exciting!) This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but I've never gotten around to it. I've always loved writing (as a kid I always dreamed of being a famous author like Jane Austen), and the other night I got the strongest urge to start writing again. Once I had the idea, it wrapped itself in my head and wouldn't let go. Anyone else ever had that feeling? No? Just me? *shrugs* Anyway, here I am!

They say to write what you know, right? So I guess a good place to start would be with what's been going on in my life here lately. On Sunday, my mom, sister, granny and I packed our suitcases and headed spontaneously to Lancaster, PA. When I say spontaneously, I mean very spontaneously. While on the way home from dinner Saturday night at 9 pm, my mom called me and said, "Hey, your granny wants to go see the Amish country. Want to go?" "HECK yes, I'll go!" I love traveling to new places, and I wasn't that surprised - most of our trips are super last minute (and they always turn out lovely). We enjoy flying by the seat of our pants.

So, off we went Sunday morning. The ride up was simply awful as traffic had us going a rushing 25 mph all the way thru Virginia (though it gave us a chance to take pics at every state sign like the tourists we are!) Then, once we arrived in Pennsylvania, I was in for a bit of a shock. I'll admit, I expected all of Lancaster to be rolling pastures and livestock. Instead, it was very urban - yet all of the roads were extremely confusing. Finally, around 9 pm, we checked into our room at the Hawthorn hotel, which was very nice and a warm and cozy 62 degrees. 

Monday, we began our day with brunch at the Good n' Plenty restaurant. It featured homemade dishes prepared in true Amish fashion. I was completely blown away with how delicious the meal was. Our menu consisted of fresh-squeezed lemonade, bread and butter, applesauce, chicken salad, roast beef, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, chow chow, fried chicken, sausage, noodles, cheesecake, apple cobbler, and ice cream. Everything was fresh and made by hand. If I ate that way everyday, I'd be bigger than the side of a barn. But it was so worth it! Afterward, we decided to drive around Lancaster to see what we could find. We had driven maybe five minutes when we passed a horse and buggy on the road. Squealing with excitement, we slowed down to get a better look. The Amish woman inside ducked her head, obviously trying hard to avoid our gaze. This made me think - how would it feel to have your day-to-day life scrutinized by dozens of outsiders? From that point on, I tried to be much more nonchalant about observing the Amish people. 

The Amish countryside is absolutely, amazingly beauitful. When at the top of a hill, you could see for miles and miles - rolling farmland, gorgeous barns, and TONS of corn. I'm a country girl (JoCo, represent!), but even I was blown away at the picturesque land. Another thing I was shocked at was the size of the Amish houses. I was picturing small, quaint country houses. Instead, we saw, for lack of a better word, mansions. I mean, these houses were GORGEOUS - three story brick and stone houses, perfectly landscaped. I get that they would need bigger houses as most Amish families birth at least 7 children during their lifetime, but they supposedly want a simple life. Doesn't it seem somewhat hypocritical to have such magnificent houses when it isn't all necessary? Needless to say, I left PA somewhat confused about Amish morals. Anyway, after driving around for several hours, we headed back to the room and called in a pizza.

The next day, we headed out once again to tour our surroundings (we had barely made a dent in touring the day before.) We visited a wonderful little bakery where we got lots of delicious goodies, and ate lunch at Miller's Smorgasbord (not as good as Good n' Plenty, but not bad.) We went to several quilt shops, which isn't really my cup of tea, but I couldn't help staring in awe at the handiwork in each quilt. I wanted one so bad - until I saw the pricetag. $1500... Ouch!

Now, my favorite part of the trip just may have been Intercourse. No, not that kind (get your mind out the gutter!) I mean the town of Intercourse, PA - which just so happens to be a few miles down the road from Fertility, PA. I wish I was making this up. Several small jam and jelly shops proved to have a great selection. We definitely loaded up on snacks, but how often can you buy Amish goodies? 

Tuesday night, we went to the Sight and Sound theatre to see a musical production of the Biblical story of Joseph and the coat of many colors. To say that it was spectacular would be an understatement. The acting and singing was phenomenal, as well as some of the most beautiful sets and stage props I've ever seen. Most importantly, the message driven home was priceless. I don't normally cry during that type of thing, but by the end when Jacob was reunited with his son, I may as well have had the Nile river flowing down my face. So powerful!

We had several other stops throughout the trip, but those were the main points. On the way home, we went through Baltimore, Maryland, which made me feel as if I was in one of my favorite movies, Hairspray. Good morning Baltimore! We also went through Washington DC where my sister was able to see the Capitol building for the first time (well, from a distance.) The most exciting part of the ride home was a quick stop at a Virginia gas station. On these girl vacations, we always buy scratch-offs as sort of a tradition. So, as I got out to stretch my back, we walked in and bought a few $2 tickets. We won 42 bucks! Woo! That may not seem like much (and probably doesn't deserve the term 'hitting the lottery'), but it made us all feel like winners. By the time we crossed over the Johnston County line, we all felt melancholy that our trip had ended so soon.

I've probably bored you all with my endless rambling, so wake up sleepyhead! I know you've dozed off. But I can honestly say, it was one of the best vacations I've ever taken. While it wasn't necessarily relaxing as we were on the go alot, I got to see new things and learn so much more. Beyond that, the memories made were priceless. My sister and I had a blast teasing my granny - "How's that Armish Resterenttt look?" As a whole, we bonded even more (if that's even possible!) and made plans to go back as soon as possible.

So, I guess that's about it for my first post. It was really therapeutic to be able to spill words out the way I have done the past hour and a half; just writing from the heart and mind without thinking too much about it. I hope it was as interesting to read as it was to write! Well, we're heading to the beach on Monday (yes, yet another vacation!) so I'm sure I'll be back blogging about our latest adventures. Ciao!