God Has Set His Love Upon Me: Nov 9, 2008

Durning VBS this year my friend Kim told me about a house in Ocean Lakes that her friend mom owns and I have always wanted to go back there and I knew the boys would love it. So, I got on Ocean Lakes website and checked out all they have to offer and found that in Oct they were having a big halloween weekend. Now, I am not a big halloween person I think the kids going to trunk or treat is about enough but this weekend they were having a scavenger hunt, pumpkin finding contest, trick or treating, dog costume contest, pumpkin craving contest, carvinal, kids and adults costume contest and pumpkin eating contest and a hay ride so it sounded like alot of fun... I have to tell ya, if you have never been or if you like to go camping somewhere for halloween or they even have houses pretty cheap for rent you need to go one year we had a ball...

On Thursday after the kids got out of school my sister in law Susan and her kids Preston and Emily came here and we watch Eric loaded up her Excursion for the 7 of us (Ryan stayed home cause he had a concert to play in, the Dorman and Byrnes game he films for Dorman and then the church had a big musical day through the whole service and he had to play in both the church and the youth band "Ready To Rise" and sing that day... Susan handed the driving over to Eric and she has a GBS in her car and let me just say if get one for Christmas it will not be cause I ask for one.. My husband had a toy and he loved it, it was like a game to him we were kinda of worry if we make it down to the beach or not. We did make it there by 7 and stop and went to eat at TGIF by the way did anybody know they have change their menu??? I don't think I will be going back there the service was good but the food was not great... Anyway, we made it to Ocean Lakes got Susan checked in at the house she was staying at we went on to the one were staying at w/ the Davis and Horns. It was prettier than what Kim had posted on blog in September... They had a big kids room upstairs that had 2 bunk beds and I have to say all the boys 6 in total if you count Tyler and Preston LOVED it...

On Friday we got up with Ree making us all breakfast and then us girls including Emily and Lauren took off and went shopping. Ree took us to this mall like it like the shops on Woodruff road nice to look at but to rich for me and then she took us to a place call Thomason and let me tell ya that store will be a place I will go back over and over every time I go to the beach. It has everything and is in my price range. It is on hwy 17 beside the post office.. LOVED it... It was a chilly and rainy day so all the guys stayed at the house and the kids played in their room w/ the Xbox, Wii and movies and the older guys took their naps and watch TV. They deserve it will all the hard work they had been doing... That night we meet up our friend Ginger and her family and went to a place called Driftwood that is off the beaten path in a strip mall shopping center and let me tell ya they had the BEST devil crab you could tell how fresh it was and the butterfly shimp were just as good and combo dinner was only $12.99 that is cheap for the beach... Another place we will be going to again and again.. We had a great dinner and some fun socializing..

On Saturday we got up rented 2 golf carts so that all 15 of us could do the scavenger hunt. You could tell it was our first time ever doing it we didn't have the golf cart decorated, we had no clue where half the places were but there were TONS of people doing it and we had a blast. The rest of the day we all kinda of did our thing from sleeping, going and catching the dog costume contest, playing down at the beach and in the indoor pool. That night Susan and Eric took the kids that wanted to go trick or treating out and while we cooked out steaks and afterwards we all went back to see the pumpkins, the costume and to the carvinal which we did miss but we had a great time riding around on the golf carts checking out all the campers and let me tell ya this people know how to do it...

On Sunday none of us were in a hurry to leave so we chilled out, packed and loaded up the cars, clean the house, rode around on the golf carts and went back to the beach for some pictures. Then headed out to see what the grand strand looked like now with the rides gone.. All in all it was a great vacation. I was blessed to spend it with my family, Susan and the kids and friends.. Being in the house with 12 and then riding in a car there and back for 4 1/2 hrs w/ 7 was nothing I LOVED every mintue of it...

Yes, we are going back next year I think it will be a one of those family vacations that will happen every year until the kids think we aren't cool anymore.. I have stuff already to decorate the golf cart up next year...

Home away from home for the weekend