I'm Going to the Beach, and I'm bringing Me a Yak

Sunday afternoon pictures after
church at Grandma's house.
Brad seems to have a halo.
I knew he was an angel.

Driving in the van with children who are anticipating the arrival at Grandma and Grandpa's house for vacation can be quite eventful. Kayleigh's and Everett's wildness factor usually increases by several degrees. It's all I can do to calm them down. We usually play games to pass the time and to entertain them. We love playing the ABC game of, "I'm going on vacation and I'm bringing a..."

We usually get bored and quit the game by the time we reach the letter N.

Not this time.

We made it through the alphabet on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's, and we also played it with all of the cousins while driving to the beach.

Here are the ABC highlight's of this years vacation to Columbia, SC and Myrtle Beach:


A: "A good attitude." We started off on a rocky note going to the beach, so Meredith and I wanted to entertain the kids and make them all happy. We agreed that having a good attitude was important for all of us in order to have a good time. We were so sad having to leave the beach, so we agreed that it would be OK to leave our good attitudes at the beach!

B: "Brad's 40th birthday celebration." I was so excited that Brad would be with his family around his birthday. Bill and Shirley planned a wonderful party for him. We all had the opportunity to share why we love him so much. The theme of the night is how congenial, kind, and good he is. I believe Brad is the heart of his family.

Poor Brad had to sit in the rocking chair since he is now so old!

C: "Cousins." Anticipating the next time they get to see their cousins is how Kayleigh and Everett measure time. These children truly love each other, and it broke my heart having to say good bye this time. Our Arizona and DC cousins need to move closer.


D: "Driving to Myrtle Beach." I got lucky this year and was able to drive all of the cousins. Meredith was my navigator. I had to pick my poison. Did I want to drive with the crazy kiddos or ride with a screaming Cozette?

The crazy kiddos won!

I'm really trying hard to not harbor hostilities towards my brother-in-law, Sam, for making us change vans on the way home. He kept saying that baby Kate needed a change of scenery. I quickly figured out that he was the one that needed a break from little Miss Cozette!

E: "Eating." We are a group that appreciates good food. And, we love to eat. Grandma Shirley always treats us so well with her cooking. This year, her key lime cake and cherry nut cake were a big hit. Bill is also a fabulous cook, and he surprised us with a lemon chess pie.

F: "Frankie's Fun Place." It's the ultimate arcade and go cart place. We all enjoyed driving the Go carts. Kayleigh was speed racer and it took forever for me to catch up with her. We also played "Deal or No Deal," and we actually won 202 tickets.


G:"Going to the SC State Museum." It's becoming a tradition to go to the museum. I love it there, because I always learn something new. This year, I spent most of my time chasing Cozette. However, I did manage to learn a little more about the forces of nature at the special exhibit.


H: "Hudson's" is our favorite BBQ restaurant in the world. Even John McCain held a rally there while campaigning for the presidency last year. We managed to stop by for a quick bite on the way home from the beach.

I: "Imagination." It always amazes me how all of the cousins come up with the most creative games. They were everything from orphans to top secret agents during the week. Kayleigh was crazy Agnes trying to adopt the orphans, but no one wanted to live with her because she was so crazy. Everett's nickname is Bobby. He was also the bobby from England. They entertain themselves for hours, and we are the recipients of their creative genius.

J: "Just doing nothing." We did appreciate the quiet moments because there were not very many of them.

K: "Kate." Baby Kate is the easiest and sweetest baby. She rarely makes a peep. Baby Kate is Cozette's baby. I told Kate when we were saying our good bye's that she really needed to try harder at being nicer.

Cousin Kate and her beautiful blue eyes.

L: "Loved Myrtle Beach." It was the highlight of our time together. I need to add it was my first visit there even though I am a Southerner.

M: "Mary's Birthday party." We were also able to celebrate cousin Mary's birthday. She turned five years old. Of course, all the other cousins had to entertain her with song and dance. "Rock the mullet, rock, rock the mullet" became the cousins theme song and dance over our vacation.

The Birthday celebration

N:"Night life at Myrtle Beach." We loved being together at night and walking on the beach. We also went to a beach store and bought souvenirs for the kids. Kayleigh spent her money on a new Myrtle Beach T-shirt and Everett purchased a boogie board, which was a hit at the beach. Meredith said it was a bunch of Chinese junk! Bill and Shirley decided they were going to be a couple on the town and took in a variety show. I think we missed them more than they missed us!

On the town

O: "Onion." Baby Kate actually gnawed on a purple onion at lunch. Meredith was worried that she would not like it, but I assured her it was probably much better than all of the sand she ate at the beach.

P: "Picture taking." I have evolved into a compulsive picture taker. I took about 175 of the week, which is actually a modest number considering all that we did.

Q: "Quitting the five pound club." I started a diet before vacation. Meredith was my support group. I lost my five pounds for the trip. Sadly, I believe I put it back on!

R: "Reading the morning newspaper." Bill and Brad love reading the USA Today each morning. I thought it was quite funny finding this scene in the kitchen:

Cousins keeping up with the daily news.

S: "Snitchell." In the cartoon Hoodwinked, there is a German vendor selling "schnitzles." Caroline calls them "snitchells." This became a joke with us. We love using this word. By the way, I never saw that cartoon. I hear it is very amusing.

T: "Taking turns chasing Cozette." Cozette was a little E-E-E which is code for B-A-D! I believe her B-A-D factor increased by a few degrees. Brad was not with us for a few days because of our Landscaping business. I was very appreciative of all the help I received with Cozette. I like to say, "Just give her to Grandma and Grandpa!" She did become my smoochin' partner at night while Brad was away from us for a few days.

U: "U Rock." Bill and Shirley have a white board on their refrigerator door. The cousins enjoyed writing them love notes. "Grandma and Grandpa are amazing!" Of course, Bill and Shirley kindly responded by telling them they loved them too!

V: "The VIEW from our room." We stayed on the 20th floor at the Carolinian Best Western. We had a majestic view of the beach. I must add that going out on the porch did make me very nervous. I have issues with heights.

W: "We love Grandma and Grandpa," who are...


X: "X-tra special people." Thank you for such a lovely week. We all have cherished memories that will last forever.

Y: "Yak." I'm going to the beach and I'm bringing a Yak." For the life of me, I can''t remember which cousin said this. I think it was Caroline.

Z: "Zee cutest baby ever!" Cozette learned to say "C'mon" while on vacation. She also says, "tanks" and "OK." Kayleigh taught her to ask "What?" And she is finally saying, "yuh you" for I love you. She brings us so much happiness.



And that my friends is the ABC's of our vacation.

The End.



P.S. I really wanted to stop writing this post around the letter N!