North Myrtle Beach, Part 5! - Final wrap up.

From extreme, competitive go-karting to the dolphin cruise, to playing on the beach, or hanging out in the pool, the location doesn't matter. It's all about being together with family that counts. North Myrtle Beach did not disappoint. It was a great destination for some serious Mazer vacation fun!
 
Being there after the height of the season had ended, had many, many perks. Wherever we went, we dominated and took over.  If not by the sheer number of us, then by the loud, boisterous laughing that we proudly wear as an accessory.

Obviously, the restaurants did not have any wait for a table.  And, the cooler weather made it bearable to be outdoors.  The one thing that would've made this trip the absolute best it could've been, was a friend for Ian and Sam their own age to play with.  I got very spoiled hanging out with Jen and her boys this Summer.  ;)

We had a theme during our week together.  Rita had found this plaque with the words, "Don't be crabby, your at the beach."  Whenever any one of us said something even remotely grumpy, we all were quick to come back with, "Don't be crabby, your at the beach."  It was very funny.

 

 

 

One of the funnier billboards we encountered in Myrtle Beach was a sign advertising for the "Golden Corral" restaurant.  Apparently they offer catering too.  Now, there's a scary thought. 

 

 

Another particularly funny moment came (more for me, than anyone else) was when I was on the sidelines for one of the go-kart races.  I asked the ride operator to play a prank.  I requested that when the ride was over, he make a general announcement to the family to tell them they weren't being nice out on the track and they weren't allowed to ride anymore.  You should've seen their faces!  It was pretty hilarious.  The operator kept this joke going a little too long and they all started getting out of their go-karts to leave the track.  Ha!!  I had to tell him it was ok to let them know it was just a joke.  

I need to give a quick kudos to Jeff.  Anyone who knows him, knows he hates the beach.  Absolutely despises it.  I am very happy to report that he kept his disdain for the beach quietly to himself and the kids still have no idea.   I am trying very hard for Ian and Sam to grow up loving the beach and all it has to offer as much as I do.  Meanwhile, Jeff is counting down the years until the kids are old enough and I won't need another pair of hands to help out.

We did a great job of estimating how much food we would eat in the condo and how much we would go out to eat.  With having a washer and dryer at our disposal, it was so nice to bring back every item of our clothing clean and ready to go back in our closets.  Got to love not having to deal with dirty clothes upon our return.

One of the best surprises about our trip was how amazingly well Sam slept each night.  At home she averages 9.5 to 10 hours.  Each night at the beach, she slept for 12 to 13 hours.  Wowee!!  That alone was enough to make me want to live there permanently. 

I can't possibly end this trip wrap-up without a quick summary of how connected the Mazers were. 

Between the 9 of us, we had the following:

2 iPads
2 Netbooks (mini computers)
7 Smartphones
3 Laptops
1 Portable printer
1 Desktop computer (affectionately referred to as a mainframe by my dad).

Yes, Ben brought his whole entire system!  Here is a picture for your viewing pleasure.

 Ben even brought his guitar!

 

 

I joked that next year, we don't have to actually go anywhere.  Just as long as we are all in a room connected to our devices we can be happy and be together.  :)

 

Inevitably, at some point, we always discuss ideas for next year's trip.  Dad makes it a point of saying that it will be Gatlinburg, Tennessee as it has been a few years since he's been to visit the land they own on top of the mountain.  However, until the road is actually built that goes all the way to their property line, I'll just hang out in the car and take their word for it that it really exists.

 

Ian has finally spoken up this time around and said where he'd like to go.  Where is that, you are curious to know?  Brooklyn.  As in Brooklyn, New York.  Why?  No idea. But he thinks he'd like to visit there.

Like I said before, it doesn't matter the location, it's being with family that counts.  And mine rocks!

Lori and Ben recreating the "Titanic" ship scene.

Dad and his 3 girls.  It should be noted, I am the favorite.  :)

Nana with Ian and Sam -- just 2 of the reasons I am the favorite. 

There is a seriously funny story behind this picture. 
Unfortunately I can't write about it.

North Myrtle Beach, Part 4! - Hanging out.

Our week at the beach was winding down.  On Thursday morning, Jeff took Ian to the arcade, and I took Sam to the activities room to make a few crafts.  We found that mornings are not best weather-wise.  It definitely takes a few hours before the sun comes out and the temps get a bit warmer.  Sam enjoyed making a tie-dye shirt and paint a bird house. 

Thursday afternoon, we hung out at the pool (specifically the Lazy River).  I think I can make this bold statement and state that our family excels at floating in inner tubes, letting the current take us around in circles.  We do this extremely well.

We found an excellent Aisan restuarant for us to have dinner on Thursday night.  It was a huge hit and pleased this vegetarian (Lori) - 'non-designer food' (Dad) - gluten-free eating (Me) - kid friendly (Ian and Sam) - foodie (Ben) family very much.  In fact, Jeff said it was the best lo mein he has ever had.  I could totally see us being regulars at this place if we lived close by.  It was that good.  Hard to believe Aisan food was done this well in a place like Myrtle Beach.   After dinner, Dad and Rita took Ian & Sam back to the condo.   Me/Jeff and Lori/Ben headed to the movies.  We saw "Argo".  Excellent movie and makes me reminded again, how much I miss having family nearby who can babysit.

Incidentally, it should be noted that on Wednesday evening I had some of the best gluten-free pizza I've ever had.  It was from a place called, "Benitos", which was also just up the street from where we were staying. 

Friday was our last full day and night.  I was determined for us to make the most of it.  We woke up to rain and very cloudy skies, but by 9:30am, the sun was shining bright.  If we weren't such early risers we'd never know how dreary it had been.  The beach was calling our names.

By this time in our trip, we had said good-bye to Meghan on Wednesday night.  She flew back home so she wouldn't miss class on Thursday.  Dad and Rita left on Friday morning to head back home.  It was just my Toppall team and BenLo (we affectionately call Ben and Lori this nickname) to finish out the week. 

Stay tuned for North Myrtle Beach, Part 4! - Final wrap up.

North Myrtle Beach, Part 3! - Dolphins

Each year we get together, Rita has a shirt made for us all to wear.  These shirts run the gamut from only-a-little-embarrassing to I'm-not-sure-what-she-was-thinking!

So far, my most favorite was the year that we all had written where we'd rather be.  My shirt said, "I'd rather be in Australia."   Jeff's shirt said, "I'd rather be in Vegas."  My sister, Lori's shirt said, "I'd rather be in Thailand." and so forth.  My dad's shirt said, "Well I am paying, so we will go where I want."  And that was the year we did the cruise. 

Our 2007 T-shirt and my personal fave.

Then there was the year Rita tried to get creative and had these little cartoon characters that was supposed to be representational of us, printed on the upper right hand corner of the shirt.  Jeff's was a business man carrying a brief case, mine was a woman holding shopping bags, etc.  The main problem with this idea was that it was printed on a black t-shirt and we all looked like we were black (or African American, if I am going to be politically correct).  I still laugh every time I see Jeff wearing his shirt around the house.

This year, the idea was "We put the fun in dysfunctional".  The green color shirt could not be any louder, unless it glowed-in-the-dark.  Actually, it probably does.  This makes our group of 9 even easier to spot and take notice.  But the shirt also serves as a warning to all those we are about to encounter.  :)

We are only required to wear the shirt once during our trip. Usually, its the first opportunity when we were all together, out in public. It should be noted that we get paid handsomely by Rita to wear the shirt.  And the theme of the shirt is kept top-secret until the big reveal, which happens when we come together.   This shirt alone has become a bit of an 'event' in itself.  I must admit, I am most impressed that even Sam has been trained to not question wearing the shirt, no matter what it looks like.  This is one area she goes with the flow.   

On Wednesday, we signed up to do a dolphin cruise, wearing our shirts.  The boat can hold 130 passengers, but on the day we went, only about 35 came aboard.  Considering we were 9 of those passengers, it was perfect for us.  I am really enjoying going to all the hot-spots and not having to deal with the typical peak-season crowds.

The Sea Thunder guarantees you get to see The Dolphin.  And if you don't see The Dolphin, then you can ride again for free.  Yes, the website actually calls it The Dolphin.  This got me very suspicious and made me think they keep a dolphin caged up, ready to release when we are sailing by.  Fortunately, it was just bad Website copy and it wasn't one specific dolphin they were referring to. 

The ride out to the ocean was scenic and the sea was calm.  We passed two bald eagles hanging out in a tree.  Definitely not something you see every day. 

 Then the Captain brought the boat to a stop and said this was where we'd most likely see dolphins.  And, boy did we!  It was unbelievable and such a beautiful site.  There were dozens and dozens of dolphins all around our boat.  They were jumping out of the water and a few did some really cool flips.  It was so incredibly cool.  I am pretty sure almost everyone on the boat was in awe of all of this dolphin action as much as I was.  As the Captain put it, there had to be about 50 to 100 dolphins, all very close to our boat.  It was magical.

The dolphin cruise went beyond our expectations.  We loved it!  And the best part was, no one got sea sick!

Two of the Captain's helpers to get us back to the dock.

Stay tuned for North Myrtle Beach, Part 3! - Hanging out.

North Myrtle Beach, Part 2!

You think the competition is getting fierce between Obama and Romney?  You ain't seen anything until you put a family of Mazers together for go-karting.  On Tuesday, we went to Nascar Speedpark (click link if you want to see their website).  This place was fun!  One of the best go-karting places we've been to.

We had many things going for us.  The weather was phenomenal, a slight breeze in the air and a perfect non-beach day.  Nascar Speedpark was empty!  There were at the most 2 other families visiting while we were there.  Incidentally, we did manage to upset a member of each of those families at various times.  Like I may have mentioned before, we take our go-karting very seriously.  My sister Meghan accurately commented, "It's not called nice-carts."  Hey, if you can't play in the big leagues, you should be sitting on the beach, where that is more your speed.

Being able to stay in our go-karts and ride around and around and around was the coolest.  We all took turns sitting in the 2 seater cars with Ian and Sam.  They had a blast too.  There were 2 tracks we went back and forth on riding as a family.  Additionally, Ian had his own track he was tall enough to drive a car.  And even Sam had a track she was tall enough to drive on her own.  It was awesome!

We were there for 3 hours, left to have dinner and went back again to close the place down.  By then, we were friends with all the operators and they were even getting in on the action telling us which Mazer won the race. 

During our last ride on the bigger track (Family 500), I somehow convinced the guy to let Ian drive his own go-kart.  And he let him!  Ian was a good 6 inches shorter than he needed to be to legally drive the car.  This meant the world to Ian.  I quickly told everyone to NOT BUMP IAN!  When you see the black colored go-kart, go easy approaching it.  Do not scare Ian.  Ian loved it and has a taste for speed now.  Watch-out!  We have another Mazer competing. 

Ian and Rita

My dad

Jeff

Sam and me enjoying the speed!

Ian getting to drive on his own track.

  

Sam driving on her own track.
As soon as she got her seat belt on, she took off!
She didn't wait for the guy to say "Go!"  Love it.



Getting a picture with our go-kart operator.



On your mark, get set, go!!!!!!!!!



Ian, taking his first go-kart experience very seriously.

Pretty stiff competition.

I won the first race!  And that's what counts, right?  Poor Jeff never stood a chance.  We'd fly by him and he'd look like he was barely moving.  I guess he can only be a Mazer by association.  Maybe you have to be born in this family to be a true competing speed demon.

One of the funniest moments was when the guy was showing Sam where her gas and brake were.  Ian hears this and says to all of us standing nearby, "Wow, our cars don't have brakes."   Meghan replies back with, "They do Ian, all the cars have brakes.  We just don't use them."   Spoken like a true Mazer!

Gosh I love my family.  I just don't see how anyone can have as much fun as us when we get together.  What a great day!

Stay tuned for North Myrtle Beach, Part 3! - You want dolphins?  We got dolphins!

North Myrtle Beach, SC

I feel like the Jefferson's.  We are living large in North Myrtle Beach!  We have a gorgeous 3 bedroom condo all to ourselves!  Not only do I have a bedroom to sleep in this for this Mazer family vacation, I scored the MASTER BEDROOM, baby!  Of course, I have Jeff sharing it with me. 

Dad/Rita, Lori/Ben, and Meghan are in the other 3 bedroom condo right next door.  This place is lovely and we have more room than we know what to do with.  I'm loving it! 

The ride down to S.C. took a little more than 6.5 hours.  Other than when Jeff got pulled over for speeding (82 in a 70 mph zone), you couldn't have asked for better conditions (no traffic, kids were great, and the time seem to fly by). 

The weather has been delightful and so far, we've only experienced rain late Monday evening.  It's actually a little on the cool side.

Hard for Sam to cause trouble when she is buried in the sand.

Ian dives for it and catches the ball!

Rita and Sam check out sea shells.

Lazy River!  How fun!!

We're off to a good start!  Stay tuned for North Myrtle Beach, Part 2 - Adventures in Go-Karting!