a little vacation.

We took our first ever vacation as a family of six this week. We discovered this hotel on our trip to Myrtle Beach with the Gentino’s last month and enjoyed it so much that we decided to head back for three nights. David and I love our Columbia life, but we were tired and in need of a break. I’m so thankful for a chance to leave town and just focus on each other and our kiddos.

We chose a smaller suite with an ocean-side view, and it was absolutely worth it. Neither of us have done much vacationing in hotels, and I was surprised at how much I loved it. Our hotel was booked solid while we were there this week, so it was crowded. We chose it for its water slide and lazy rivers, which made it a great family environment. The pool was open until midnight and people were swimming and shouting and laughing until then.

Both of us loved sitting out on our balcony watching others enjoy themselves, the big groups with their beach chairs and coolers and flashlights on on the sand, and inter-generational families gathering, arms loaded with take-out, at tables around the pool. I didn’t even mind drifting asleep to the noise and it always quieted down before too long.

The best part of our trip was the hours and hours of family time. The kids enjoyed the water slide and lazy rivers, but ended up wanting to spend most of their time in the big pool or on the beach. They played so hard that once Gabe said, “Mommy, I need to go rest in my bed please.”

We spent the first evening hanging out just the two of us; the second David took the big kids for a nighttime beach stroll with flashlights, and the third I cuddled up and watched Paddington with them.

We went to bed early and woke up early so we could enjoy a quiet cup of coffee with our Bibles before the kids woke up. We ate in every meal (ordered pizza for one of them), walked across the street to Ben and Jerry’s yesterday afternoon, and ended our trip in the blazing hot sun at Broadway at the Beach this afternoon (and understood why it’s a little more popular in the evenings).

And we returned home today rested, with happy new memories, and ready to face another month!