pawleys island.

David’s three-month sabbatical is winding to a close, and a friend treated us to a last sabbatical gift: a week at her condo on Pawleys Island.

David, Gabe, and Noah drove up last Monday afternoon, and the big kids and I followed on Wednesday after homeschool co-op was finished. It was our first week of classes (my first week teaching three English classes two mornings in a row), and our brains were a little fried from prep and homework and getting back into school mode.

But once we hit the road, it felt good to disconnect one more time. We listened to The Count of Monte Cristo on audiobook, and the kids ate gas station candy bars, while I sipped a Starbucks doubleshot espresso to stay awake as we drove to the coast.

 

We’ve never been to Pawleys Island, and instantly loved it. It has a quiet, laid back, family feel, and the condo community where we stayed has its own private pier.

 

The condo is beach-front, so, while it has a pool too, we never even used it because we could just walk down two flights of stairs and out onto the beach. Or, sit in pj’s and read and sip wine while looking at the beach through the window! It took me a little while to get into The Splendid and the Vile, but now I can hardly put it down.

 

Despite two rainy days before we arrived, David and the boys did lots of exploring and discovered an “island” off our island about a mile up the beach. Really I think it’s part of the marsh that you swim across a little inlet to access. They were full of reports of the unique, wide-grooved “Pawleys shells,” shark teeth, blue crabs, even an octopus sighting. So they were eager to show it to us Tuesday morning, as well as attempt to catch our lunch.

 

They were successful! David read lots of articles on catching and eating blue crabs — we learned that they must be at least 5 inches to keep, and that they’re difficult to keep alive once you catch them.

 

And they also must be kept alive until the moment they’re plunged into boiling water or else they become poisonous to eat. Yikes!

 

A couple crabs had died on the trek back to the condo, but David, Noah, and Amie still got lunch out of the deal. Gabe is allergic to shellfish and Judah and I don’t prefer it so we let the others have at it.

 

Lots of games were played during the week, including makeshift ping pong, Go Fish, and family Guesstures. The kids hadn’t played Guesstures before, and it was fun to introduce them to this hilarious game from David’s and my childhoods. We all laughed until we cried.

 

David brought one of the paddleboards and loved taking it in the ocean at low tide. There were more surfers at Pawleys Island then we’ve ever encountered at the beach before, which was fun. We decided that if we ever come back, we’ll sign up for a family surfing lesson. In the meantime, the kids and I did lots of boogie boarding, and David attempted to surf with his paddleboard. This was a disaster, but provided lots of entertainment for anybody sitting on the beach.

 

Judah started 8th grade and already has a lot of homework. He diligently worked away at it each day, and I had the other kids sit down a couple of times to knock out homework too, much to their chagrin.

 

We mostly ate our meals in, but went out for burgers one night, and David and I took a lunch date. We also discovered donuts and treats at the Pawleys Island Bakery, which were delicious.

 

Another walk to the island turned up not one, but two octopuses. A kayaker got this picture and texted it to David. I’m sorry, but an octopus just creeps me out. My creature-loving kids were enthralled by it though.

 

Gabe and Noah have zero meat on their bones, so they swam and swam, then the moment the emerged from the ocean began shivering uncontrollably! David and I were often treated to these puppy-dog eyes, asking some to please take them up to the condo for a hot bath.

 

We continued our family beach tradition of donuts at sunrise on the last day of vacation. It was too cloudy to actually see the sun rise, but the donuts were delicious and we enjoyed a fun last morning on Monday before packing up and hitting the road for Columbia.

We’re so thankful for that perfect memory!