Had a Blast in NC!

Tommy and I got back from our big North Carolina trip yesterday and we had SO much fun while we are there! My grandparents are pretty awesome, so it's always a good time when they're around.

On Friday we hit some traffic coming out of DC, plus some severe weather down in North Carolina, so we didn't get in until nearly 9pm. The weather was pretty scary, emergency announcements kept coming over the radio warning us of tornados in the area. The closest one seemed to be about 45 miles to our west and heading our way, but we managed to slip south of that storm before it made it to our path. Some of the clouds were just amazing, though - I've never seen clouds so high and dark before. It was very impressive and scary, especially since that stretch of I-95 has literally no buildings and few exits, so if a tornado had touched down nearby, we'd be in serious trouble. When we arrived, we went out for a late dinner with Grandpa and Joyce and got some yummy fried food - oysters and clams for Tom and shrimp for me.

On Saturday we slept in for a bit, then drove down to the Myrtle Beach area to walk the boardwalk for a bit. We ate some footlong hot dogs for lunch, then played games in an arcade for a few hours. Joyce hit the jackpot on one of the games and we won enough tickets for a mug, two packs of cards, and two lollipops :) Then we headed over to this area called Barefoot at the Beach and did a little shopping. They had this one store called "Purple, etc." where EVERYTHING was purple! Really, everything, from the rug on the floor, to some golf clubs, to aprons and hats, it was crazy. We ended up walking out with the softest blanket EVER and a hippo that folds out into a pillow for Eleanor - thanks, Joyce!

After we finished shopping, we headed to Broadway at the Beach, which is basically this huge tourist complex with the Ripley's aquarium, an Imax theater, mini golf, and pretty much every other fun thing you could want. Even some carnival rides! We decided to go catch an Imax movie since we were all getting hot and tired at that point, and I definitely needed a rest. The movie was a 3D show about undersea life. It was narrated by Jim Carrey and was really cool - my favorite scenes were the landscape ones, it really looked like you were there. I also liked watching the sea turtle eating the jelly fish, I didn't know they could do that! Once the movie was over, we ate dinner at a steak place with really good food and service. Then we headed over to the Alabama Theater for their One show. It's a variety show with singers, dancers, and a comedian. The comedian was hysterical - he cracked a few jokes about global warming and Obama and the crowd was pretty sympathetic hahaha

On Sunday, we woke up a little earlier and headed out to the beach. We went to Sunset Beach and it was just amazing - the sand was so soft it felt like baby powder, and the water was the perfect temperature. We had fun playing in it for a few hours, until a rogue wave managed to knock me off my feet and get stingy salt water in my nose and mouth. Then I was done! So we dried off and went home for a few hours to shower and get dressed, then we headed out for a game of bowling. I was pretty easily the worst, Grandpa beat me by 100 points on the first game. But, I did get better through the 3 games we bowled and, in my defense, I'm kind of pregnant and was never that great at bowling to begin with. After bowling we ate dinner (more fried seafood, yum!), then headed over to this great store called Callahan's. They have pretty much everything you could ever want there. I had to seriously restrain myself from buying a $50 Jim Shore Thanksgiving figurine. Then we got some delicious ice cream at the Back Porch and while we ate it, Grandpa and Joyce's friends showed up and we visited with them for a while. Joe and Linda are a riot!

On Monday, Joyce made us a delicious breakfast and we headed out for Virginia. It was sad to leave, especially after such a short visit, but it was good to see our puppy again and to sleep in our own bed. It was really hard getting out of bed this morning to come to work. But, we'll be with family again in just under two weeks and I can't wait!

When we finally got to our house yesterday, we found a few packages waiting for us! Here's what we had:

Tom's Aunt Tami and Uncle Jeff sent us this great little tub for Ellie! On the right is another sleep sack I bought for her - this one is a bit thicker and fleece-lined, so it should keep her warm during those chilly winter nights.

Here's some of the stuff Grandpa and Joyce so generously bought for Ellie. The hippo to the top left folds and velcros so he can stand up and looks more like a regular stuffed animal. The blanket is the softest thing I've ever felt in my whole life. The bib says "Buttercup" and the onesie says "Dolphins are a girl's best friend - Myrtle Beach". To the top right is a First Christmas ornament and the little outfit she'll be wearing to Christmas services!
Thank you so much, Grandpa and Joyce!