Carolina Beach!

So last week Mom and I took the kids to Carolina beach. We left on Monday at 5am, and had a pretty uneventful trip down. Did not get lost once. We checked in around 5:30pm and I immediately walked down to the beach. I was on my way back, walking along the dry sand beyond the reach of the surf, and I found a large shark tooth. It was ultimately the best find of my trip. I slept well every night. We had a king size bed that I shared with mom, and I think there was a memory foam mattress top, because I was not one bit sore when I woke up. Tuesday started out rainy and cold, but I still beach combed, umbrella in hand. The sun did come out in the afternoon, and we were very happy about that. Wednesday was a nice cool, but windy, day. At that point I had been following the weather report for Thursday religiously, and I was on the fence about staying another day, because we were planning on leaving Thursday morning. I went to bed, planning to leave early and had some luggage already loaded into the car. However, when I woke up on Thursday and spent some time with my coffee and the sunrise, I knew I had to stay another day and enjoy the beautiful weather. I had hated the idea of spending Mom's 60th birthday in a car, so it was an easy choice. We spent a beautiful day on the beach. Lauren played in the surf and sand and had a ball. This trip was a huge turnaround for her. Typically, she enjoys vacation, but really prefers to stay in the hotel room. She got out a lot this time. Even when she was in the room, she sat and watched the ocean while she would eat at the table. Josh loved feeding the birds, he smiled more than I have seen in a while. We ended our day by having a birthday dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Everyone slept well that night...we were worn out! We ended up with some beautiful shells, and 34 fossilized sharks teeth. More than we've ever found before.

The drive home was not so fun. I did manage to get a walk in on the beach before we left, so that added a little sanity to my otherwise blah day. We got lost at one point. My shoulders were sore and I was tired. My nerves were shot and I was just a big grump. The GPS in my car didnt take us back the same way, so I had to really pay attention, as I wanted to take the App into Athens and take 33 to 270. I didnt get to bed until very late that night. I do have to say that the kids were saints on the way home. They were much more well behaved than I was.

I told Seth we would need to go back and get another corner room. If you get the corner, you have a beach view window in the bedroom and in the living room in addition to the full front beach view. If you are looking for a nice, comfy place with gorgeous views in Carolina Beach, go to Atlantic Towers, find a unit on the 6, 7, or 8th floor (they go higher, but that would be too high for me), and make it a corner room. We stayed in 701, and I think I would get the same one again. I was very surprised to see too, how close we were to Kure Beach. The welcome sign was just outside our hotel!