We went to Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach and they had this cool water tunnel full of sharks. It made me think of my friend, Sheila,who’s greatest fear is getting eaten by sharks. She and I and another friend, Stephanie, went to the beach together a month ago. Stephanie and I were in the ocean boogie boarding, when something bumped my leg. It felt like some sort of fish. I jumped up on my board real fast and said, “Something just hit my leg.” Stephanie said, “Don’t tell Sheila or she won’t get in the water.” Good idea, so I didn’t. I let her know after we were safe in the car. So Sheila, this blog is for you…Da Da, Da Da, Da Da….ok, that’s supposed to be the JAWS theme song.
After the Aquarium trip Rob and I were talking in the car . He saw that the terrorist alert was high for the area. Wouldn’t it be scary, being trapped in the Aquarium if a bomb went off. Sharks and people everywhere. Nice thought, eh?

So Ethan likes to make sandwiches now by himself. As he was making this one he told me,
“Once I put ketchup on my sandwich.”
“Really?” I said
“Yeah, and I loved it!”
Then he told me, “I have to brush my teeth after I eat this.”
I was thinking because his teeth would be dirty; sure why not.
Then he said, “Cuz this has pickles and Gordon doesn’t like pickles.”
I got it…”Oh, that’s right, you’ll have pickle breath.”

If you ask what my kids “Where is your favorite place?”, they would tell you it’s Magiquest; a magical place in Myrtle beach where you pick a wand and take on quests and adventures. It’s all they talked about on the way there and all they wanted to do once they tried it. I have to say I had fun too. I even got myself a wand and named it Rocia. Well, it’s really Rob and mine, hence the name Ro(Rob) and cia(Alicia). We took turns with it and helped the kids with their quests. Your wand opens chests of gold and makes items talk and gives you clues.
It’s like Disneyland that you can control. So we ended up going there two days in a row. I wouldn’t have minded more times, but it’s pretty spendy. When we left Myrtle beach the boys kept asking when the next time we could go to Magiquest would be. I’m thinking in the winter, when hotels are cheaper.

Oh yeah, and you can take the wands outside and have a quest all around the boardwalk. It’s a good way to go window shopping with your kids and they don’t mind.

For our vacation this year, we chose Myrtle Beach. I think we spent five hours on the beach the first day. The kids loved it! Beaches in the East are so much different than the beaches I grew up within the Northwest. For one thing, the water isn’t freezing cold here and you can Boogie board and swim in the ocean. You also don’t have to bring a jacket (cuz you’re probably going to need it), and worry if it might rain or not. I do miss being the only family on the beach, and climbing the beach rocks and finding secret caves. I miss the beach house on the beach and it being cheap to rent…dang, it’s expensive here. I miss walking to the little ice cream shop and it not being a tourist trap. I miss the quaint shops and getting good homemade fudge..not retail chain fudge. And I miss driving down the coast and seeing the actual coast, not high rise hotels, amusement parks, and billboards. I especially miss being the only car on the highway. It took us two extra hours to get to the beach because of all the traffic. So we did Myrtle Beach and it was touristy and busy and our kids loved it. For myself, I need a vacation now.

Lake Norman. We went. It was fun. My parents came. They brought lunch. Here’s some pictures. I don’t feel like writing a book about it. Ta-Da!

For a cub scout activity, we went to the North Carolina Transportation museum. It was a great part of history that the kids got to see. There were only four families that went which I was upset with at first because I had spent a lot of time organizing the activity and trying to have the leaders get the boys to come, but it made it easier to keep everyone together. We saw lots of exhibits, rode the train, the turn table, watched a movie, and got to go into some old trains. By the end though we were hot and tired. I kept thinking about the women long ago with all their layers of clothing in those hot trains. I’m so glad I get to wear shorts and more importantly–there’s air conditioning.

Last Friday we went out to dinner with some friends. We each picked a slip of paper the Sunday before and found out our assignment. Rob and I picked appetizers. The Houses picked the main course, the Vlazny’s got desserts, and the Schmids were in charge of the activity. Rob and I were excited to introduce our friends to our favorite food…sushi. So we picked a local Asian restaurant that has a great Nirvana roll. When we got there though, the wait time was an hour, so we walked across the street to a bar and grill. Same old same old American food, but I think our friends were relieved they didn’t have to eat raw fish. I’m just happy anytime I don’t have to cook and the company was great. We walked to an Italian restaurant for dinner and played Celestial Companions (like the dating game for Mormon couples) for our activity while we waited for our food. Then we walked over to Wendy’s for frostys at the end. It was good to walk in between courses, but not for one of us who got bitten by a colony of fire ants on the sidewalk. I think next time we need to all go dancing. Who wants to go get their funk on?

We all went bowling for a family activity. I love the new bowling lanes in Mooresville. I like how you just push a button and the bumpers come up, and for every ‘A’ on their report card , the kids get a free game of bowling. I also love how it doesn’t smell like smoke and moldy carpet. Rob and I are not bowlers, neither of us got a strike. And in the end, Rob was beaten by our five year old. Ethan is a pretty good bowler. I think it’s all that Wii practice. Gordon has a under the legs granny toss, then he turns around and looks behind him like this to see his results.

When we were deciding where to move years ago, one of the boys ‘criteria was that the state must be able to have fireworks. And if you could get the illegal ones, all the better. Well, we mooch off the neighbors when it comes to the South Carolina fireworks, because I just hate to see money blow up in smoke or flames or sparks. We do patron the local fireworks stand and let the boys pick out $10 worth each. Our favorites are Purple Rain, Ground Blooms and some fountain with the name Liberty.
Our friends, The Schmids, and the Missionaries came over on the 4th. We made tinfoil dinners in the firepit out back, roasted marshmallows and lite fireworks. As I handed one of the missionaries a sparkler he said, “It feels weird doing normal things.” Once we got the fireworks going and all those boys got together, you could just feel the testosterone. Blowing up things and boys…they just go together.

For the city Fireworks show this year, we found a great spot right next to the Best Buy parking lot. We parked our car in the lot, set up chairs on the little patch of grass by the building, and the fireworks were right in front of us. Best Buy blocked off that side street, so Rob and the boys and some other kids played frisbee until the show started. My mom and dad came too. Which was great, because while we were waiting Rob and I walked over to the Old Navy and did some shopping. The best part about Best Buy is that we didn’t have to fight the traffic after the show.