Every year we take a trip to Myrtle Beach with the same three families. Other couples have come and gone, but there are four of us who have stuck it out and continue to go every year. We started going in 2001, when we were all newly married and didn't have any kids. At that point it was a three day weekend that was filled with late nights of cards and drinking, sleeping in, lounging at the pool or beach and lots of sports. It was one of those trips that you actually needed a vacation after you got back because you were so tired.
The second year two of us were pregnant. It was exciting, but not quite as much fun. The third year we had two infants and another was pregnant. You see how it goes on from there. It turned into a week long trip because there was too much stuff to shlep with the kids and we are now, eleven trips later, eight children and eight adults.
We call it our Myrtle Beach trip, because that's where it all started. The plan was to go there every year for, well forever, but four years ago we went to Destin because one of the girls was pregnant and it was a little closer for her. A year later we went to West Palm for other reasons, and then last year we decided that we were kind of done with Myrtle Beach. So, this year after a small search (I would love to say exhaustive search but if you knew the people we go with we are all too lazy, except Charlie, to search that hard for anything) we decided to return to Destin. We will always call it the Myrtle trip, even if we never go there again.
For the first year of many, I actually felt relaxed last week. Maybe it was because the guys only golfed twice instead of three times, or because the girls got two days away from the kids instead of one, but it just didn't seem as difficult as it has in the past. It's more likely because the kids are getting bigger and more independent. We had a five bedroom house, one for each couple and then one was the kids' room. The five oldest kids slept on the third floor bedroom, the three girls on the bed and the two boys on the floor. The kids got along really well, there were very few times that an adult had to step in to referee, and they took care of themselves more than in the past.
One morning I was the first adult downstairs and all five kids were in the living room playing Wii. As I came in the room they said, "there aren't any bowls so you'll have to use a plastic cup, and there aren't any spoons so you'll have to use a fork." They had gotten themselves cereal and since they couldn't find any bowls they used the plastic cups that they had used all week with their names written on them in Sharpie, and eaten it with a fork. Definitely not as good, but they didn't wake anybody up to fix the problem, they solved it themselves. Of course there were clean bowls in one cabinet that they weren't aware of and there were tons of clean bowls and spoons in the dishwasher, but now they know to look there next year.
The only problem we had with independence was Amanda's. She has no fear whatsoever of the water. I have never seen a kid that little so confident in the ocean (ok, technically it's the gulf). The waves didn't bother her, she kept trying to wiggle out of our arms when the water was way over her head, and all she wanted to do was run back and forth in and out of the water and dive at our feet. She never complained about the salt water and could have stayed in there all day. The only thing that brought her out was a snack. She ate more food on the beach than the rest of us combined.
I've never really been a beach person, I hate the sand, but Destin is different. The beach is a made of white sand so it doesn't get that hot on your feet and it doesn't stick like crazy like the beaches on the Atlantic side. The water isn't as cold and it is so much clearer. I liked everything about it. Usually I find it such a beating to go to the beach, but this year I really enjoyed it.
Overall the trip was a blast. All of us look forward to it every year, and I know as the kids get older it's only going to get better. I am so glad that we started this tradition and can't imagine why we would ever stop. Especially if we can come home from a vacation and actually feel like we got a break.
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