Myrtle Beach Vacation 2006 Part 1: The Trip & Arrival

Hey Y'all!! I am back. What a great vacation in South Carolina! Beautiful sun, sand and surf as well as some good food (I tried Raw Sushi for the first time!) was had by all. There will be many parts to this story, so heed my warning! Let's begin at the very beginning...it'a a very good place to start!

Firstly we were supposed to get a grocery getter (Minivan), but when Kathy went to pick up her reservation, there were none left. Why reserve one ahead of time right? What did they have? A big honkin’ Ford Excursion!!! He gave her a deal on the mileage but gassing up would be a mint. The good think about driving the monster was that we had room to breath which is good when you are making a 14 hour drive!!!

We began our adventure in the afternoon Friday and stayed overnight in Virginia, just past Richmond. The next morning we got up, got some Krispy Crèmes and coffee and headed out. We arrived around 2pm in Myrtle, picked up the keys to the condo, did some grocery shopping and were at the place by 2:30pm.

It was a two bedroom condo overlooking the ocean from the 12th floor with a kitchen, living room and dining room and a great balcony. Once we got settled (Kathy in the king size, the girls in the twin beds and I would sleep on the pull out couch in the living room which was very comfortable by the way!) got our suits on and were on the beach by 3:15!!! Here are some pics of the place and the view!!

The red mark points to the balcony that was ours(to the right of the mark)


Front door, and kitchen in back of dining room:


The living room:


From the living room a shot of the balcony:


The view from the balcony of the ocean.


The bedrooms were big and comfy as well. The King Bedroom had a vanity and a seperate full bath and shower, the second bath was in the hall next to the other bedroom with the twin beds. We also had a small washer/dryer unit as well! We were set for a great vacation!

Stop by tomorrow for Part 2!!!

Vacation, All I ever wanted, Vacation, Had to get away!

Ahh The Go-Go's. They were so cool. That is a great song too. And that is where I am headed today!! VACATION!!!! I am leaving here today at 12 noon to head to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Yeah we are driving, but it will be so worth it to get away! I am going with my sister Kathy and her two daughters Erin (16) and Alysa (18). We have a condo on the beach on the 12th floor overlooking the ocean and I cannot wait to get there! It's going to be great!!



So... obviously I will not be blogging until July 31st when I return to reality. I am sure you will all miss my manic-depressive posts but you will be rewarded for your patience with stories and pictures from my adventures in the south. :) Hopefully Ari and Redhead will be willing participants since we will all be in the same neck of the woods starting tomorrow!!! I should have done a photo treasure hunt meme where you could give me random things to find and take pics of whilst on vacation. Crap. No use instituting it now really, huh? I'll get creative, don't worry!!:) Blog ya later!!

"Guard the boat, mind the tide...don't touch my dirt."

Thursday Thoughts

Boy has this been a crazy week. Between work and getting ready for my vacation, I have had a full one and a mentally draining one at that. I thought I would take a few minutes to recount a few situations that really make me glad I am getting out of Dodge for a week. Things that make my blood boil and pound into me again and again that I need to GET OFF MY ASS!!

1. It seems that everyone is taking the same week off I am so the work load will be left to a chosen few who will be no doubt overwhelmed. I will do as much as I can to make the week as easy as possible, by getting ahead and helping out where I can extra. Otherwise, it's my vacation time, I earned it and I am taking it. And don't think I will be giving this place a second thought after I pull out of the parking lot tomorrow afternoon either!
2. It has been brought to my attention that I have misbehaved here at work recently. I have been pitching in and learning new things so as to basically keep the purchasing department running whilst they are in meetings all day every day for the past 3 weeks. Placing orders, assigning product, tracking shipping and receiving, troubleshooting and general running around trying to push tru rushes etc. I have gladly taken on the responsibility and run with it and was getting great feedback from the powers that be on my performance. (of course) Yesterday I was told that my coworker/trainer/whatever person said she caught me emailing a few times during the day and if it kept up she would tell my supervisor. REALLY? Emailing? Am I completing all my work during the day? (yes) Am I doing everything correctly and in a timely fashion? (yes) Do I take on more work with a good attitude and ask questions when I am not sure how to proceed? (yes) THEN WHAT'S THE BLOODY PROBLEM THEN??? I will email and blog my little arse off any damn time I want b/c I can do that AND get all my work done AND ask for more and help someone else out with theirs!!! I don't smoke so I never get as many breaks as they do, I have gone without lunches to get her work done AND this is how she repays my work ethic?? She just made a fatal mistake, especially to someone like me who prides myself on my work ethic and level of responsibility even when I hate the job and it bores me to death. She is lucky to have me and since I am looking elsewhere for employment as it is I shall thank her for her nit-picking b/c it might just be the push I need to really get the job done and LEAVE.
3. Remember when I posted about ordering lunches and never getting offered any? Well I have been ordering lunched every day this week for meetings...but this time I got offered some...well sort of. One day they just wanted pizza. I ordered it, set it out for them and they ate like good little piggies. An hour later I was offered a peice of pizza and it went something like this "CC. There is one little piece left if you want it." Gee, thanks for the leftover cold piece that noone wanted, but I'll pass.:)
4. Last week on Friday in my rage and beginning of my mental breakdown I took down all of my "wall of weird" I had up...The Mr and Mrs. poster and cartoons made by Mr Smith, my other pics and saying speople have left me etc. emptied pretty much all but a few cubes that are mine and I will take with me. My desk looks pretty empty now and undecorated...I wonder if anyone noticed? It's just easier that way. I just have to throw a couple paper cubes in my bag and walk out if the mood strikes. Not that I would without a backup job, but it's fun to think about!
5. Arrgh, this time tomorrow I will be on the road to Myrtle Beach South Carolina for my vacation. Yes, we are driving 13 -14 hours or whatever, but I will take whatever gets me away from here and to sand and sun and surf!!
6. Hot guy in the office today giving a presentation to one of the meetings. He is older I think, but what a body on him!!! Good Lord!!! "The Heat!!! It's the Heat!!" (CC yells, then faints, and opens her eyes slightly to see if he's coming to tend to her).
7. Got a couple of good reads for vacation out at the library while I was working last night. Both Archaeology based fiction. Once set in Scotland and One set in the Caribbean (of course). Plus I am bringing with me my "A General History of Pirates" (short stories of famous pirates) and "Surfing the Himalayas" a story of a man's journey to the himalayas and learning about Buddhist Enlightenment and applying it to his own life. My Mom gave me a while back b/c she enjoyed reading it and b/c she thought I would appreciate the wisdom of Master Fwap...as I have learned so much from Master Po thru the years:)

OK enough of this ranting and raving for today! I best get back to work before the Nazi's find out I have been blogging for longer than my allotted time during the day! Tally ho my good friends! Come back tomorrow to see my farewell post as I send myself off on a week long vacation!!!:)

A Quiz!!! A Quiz!!!

Ok, let's hope this quiz works better than the last one I tried to do a few months back! This one I designed with all my own questions. Click on the link, fill out your name and email and try your luck. I am sure I will be addicted and do others! Yipee!!!

Take My Quiz - on - QuizYourFriends.com!

ONE WORD MEME

Since I was in a rotten psycho mood yesterday, I filled out this meme. Today I put a second set for most of words that reflect the calmness I feel today with regards to issues I was having yesterday. I thought it would be funny to see them side by side. So the first set of words is from Monday (in red) and the second partial list of words (in blue) is from Tuesday.

I swiped this from Amy and this looked pretty cool and challenging. Since...

Y O U … C A N … O N L Y … T Y P E … O N E … W O R D !
N O … E X P L A N A T I O N S !

1. Yourself: Lost Exhausted
2. Your boyfriend: Nonexistant
3. Your hair? soft
4. Your mother? Beautiful
5. Your Father?Strong
6. Your Favorite item? Watch
7. Your dream last night: Annoying Strange
8. Your Favorite drink: Margarita
9. Your Dream Car: Land Rover
10. The Room You Are In: Pergatory Temporary
11. Your Ex: Indifferent
12. Your fear: Failure Emptiness
13. Where do you want to be in 10 years: Complete
14. Who you hung out with yesterday? Family:) Myself
15. What You’re Not: Driven Crazy
16. Your Best Friend: Sisters
17. One of Your Wish List Items: Career
18. What makes you happy: Dogs Chocolate
19. The Last Thing You Did: Write Medicine
20. What You Are Wearing: Dress PiratePants:)
21. Your Favorite Weather: Fall
22. Your Favorite book: Timeline
23. The Last Thing You Ate: Poptart Coffee
24. Your Life: Wasting Possibilities
25. Your Mood: Depressed Hopeful
27. What are you thinking about right now: Crying VACATION!
28. Your Crush: None Where?
29. What are you doing at the moment: Typing!
30. Your summer schedule: Work


That is hard to only keep it to one word...I did cheat on Land Rover, but you can't ahve one word without the other...

I had a minor breakdown yeaterday and needed to go home, cry it out and have some alone time to reflect. I ate some chips and chocolate, finished my book and when I woke up this am I was seeing more clearly tho I am exhausted from the stress of the day yesterday. Thank God for family and friends! My friend Ari gave me some great reminders last night and they really helped. Basically they were:

1. Don't lose sight of your goals/plans
2. Stay focused, Rome wasn't built in a day
3. Push yourself to achieve and get what you want (IE: "GET OFF YOUR ASS!!!")
4. Realize that everything is temporary and don't get bogged down in the little things
5. You are not alone, you have friends who are willing to help and support you and know you can accomplish anything.

As if this post isn't long enough, here is a song by U2 that I have always loved and seems very appropriate for me over the last few days:

ACROBAT

"Don't believe what you hear, don't believe what you see

If you just close your eyes you can feel the enemy.

When I first met you girl, you had fire in your soul.

What happened t'your face of melting snow

Now it looks like this!

And you can swallow or you can spit

You can throw it up, or choke on it

And you can dream, so dream out loud

You know that your time is coming round

So don't let the bastards grind you down.

No, nothing makes sense, nothing seems to fit.

I know you'd hit out if you only knew who to hit.

And I'd join the movement If there was one I could believe in

Yeah, I'd break bread and wine If there was a church I could receive in.

'Cause I need it now.

To take the cup To fill it up, to drink it slow.

I can't let you go.

And I must be an acrobat

To talk like this and act like that.

And you can dream, so dream out loud

And don't let the bastards grind you down.

What are we going to do now it's all been said?

No new ideas in the house, and every book's been read.

And I must be an acrobat

To talk like this and act like that.

And you can dream, so dream out loud

And you can find your own way out.

And you can build, and I can will

And you can call, I can't wait until

You can stash and you can seize

In dreams begin responsibilities

And I can love, and I can love

And I know that the tide is turning 'round

So don't let the bastards grind you down."

And I won't...

Photo Meme Part 3

"Anonymous said:

hmmm.

let's see your car and where you hang out at night"

Ok, this is my REAL car. A Silver Ford Focus (2002). His name is Lancelot...get it, silver armour? HAHA. Yeah, I name my cars. He is a great little car and will be lasting me a long time I hope. We have been on many adventures together and I am sure there are more to come.


Next is where I hang out most Thursday nights. There is this bar on Tipperary Hill called Coleman's where we hang out for a block party on Thursday nights to hear a band. Not my favorite of places but Thursdays aren't so bad and it's something to do. It is an Irish pub in the Irish neighborhood and they have two phone booths, one for humans and one for Leprechauns. They also have two entrances...one large for humans and one for the wee-Leprechauns that visit on occaision. Right up the road Tip Hill is also home to the only upside-down traffic light. A nearby "Stonethrowers" monument tells the story of young Irish immigrants who continued to throw stones at the red light, encouraging the city to reverse the light, thus making it emulate the Irish Flag (Green on top, Red on bottom).


Let's see, Friday night I hung out with my neices after Erin's 16th birthday. We had a surprise guest and we decided to get a little wacky and take some pictures.
You can never get too crazy when Jack Sparrow comes to town!
Erin was happy to get this carboard standee of Captain Jack and it was nigh impossible to steal him out of the house and into my car without her noticing! hahah. Just kidding Erin!!! I remember when I had a crdboard standee of Michael J Fox in Teen Wolf. That was cool...

Well, seeing as tho this Monday has turned into a crazy day already, that's all I have time for. Not sure how much posting I will do this week since I have a lot to catch up on here at work, seeing as tho I am getting ready to leave early Friday, head to Myrtle Beach SC. I will be MIA all next week, well, I will most likely be sitting on the beach drinking rum or something of the sort, but you get my drift. If I do return from my vacation, I will be sure to post again!

Mondays suck, but don't let them take you down without a fight!!!

Photo Meme Part 2

Here's Lamby's request for the photo meme. What kind of pets would I like to have? Well a few or a lot and here are my favorites, the ones that are my ideal pets.

Firstly I love dogs. Labs especially. I have always wanted to have one of each color: Chocolate, Yellow and Black. Awwww!! Dem D-O-Gs are sooo cute!!! I wuv dem! I wouldn't mind having a Golden Retreiver or even an Irish Wolfhound. I love larger breed dogs. Small breed dogs are definately not my cup of tea (especially if you can fit it into a teacup!)haha! Cats are OK but only if they act like a dog! Big breed dogs rule for me. Here is a pic of what I would love to have:
As silly as it sounds I have also come up with possible names for them, even tho a name comes from seeing the particular animal so planning doesn't normally work out. These have been on my list just as silly ideas, but cute all the same. For the dogs one female named Guinevere and the other two males named Lancelot and Arthur. How about three boy dogs named Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas? I have always loved the name Max for a dog as well. I know whatever dog or dogs I have will pick their names for me, but it's funny to think of names that could be!


If I could I would also have horses (or Horseys as I like to call them) They are such a beautiful animal. I have riden as a small child a few times, but never as an adult. I would love to take riding lessons and learn how to work with these majestic animals. If I were to have any these 4 types/colors would be my picks: Black, Paint, Blonde Paint and Chestnut. What will my horses be named? Well when I worked in the horse racing industry I thought Exacta, Trifecta, and Quinella (all types of bets) would be good for 3 horses. Mikey, Data, Mouth and Chunk would be funny too. Yeah, I know I need to turn off my brain!!! haha

FYI, the rash is lessening so the drugs must be working! Just in time for a heat wave this weekend here in my area! 90-95 5 days straight starting tomorrow. I will be careful, but let's hope there isn't a relapse!

Tomorrow, pics of my car and where I hang out at night...well, thursday nights at least! Still working on the sexy Wicca! tee-hee

Photo Meme Part 1

Hello all! Well, I would have posted this yesterday but I was plagued by a lovely sun-rash and had to go to the Dr and get some percriptions to make it go away. Never had a sun rash (or any rash) before. Here is a close up pic of the side of my abdomin where you can see (aren't you glad!). This was taken last night when the redness was actually down a bit from previously. I am taking Zyrtec and Prednizone to help clear it up. Dr. said it most likely was the sun mixed wtih tanning oil etc etc that made the more sensitive parts of me break out. (underside of my arms and abdomin) It itches like crazy and stings at the same time and it is driving me crazy, but in order to try and ignore it I took some pics to post for the photo meme.
My rash...how lovely. Headed to Myrtle beach for a week in about 10 days...let's hope we don't see a relapse. I threw out the bottle of tanning oil...it was probably the culprit since it was about 3 or 4 years old. I know, stupid on my part right? I didn't realize it until I started thinking about it. Yikes! On with the meme now!

Firstly, Bad Girl asked about a mug collection. I have a bunch of mugs that I thought I would post which are my favorites.
At the top of the pyramid is Skully or "Barbossa" as I began calling him after POTC1. I got him at a seafood restaurant where you get the mug for free when you order the drink. A rum cocoction of course! Arrgh! On the next row is my Carol Mug: Tells that Carol means melody or song and has a little rhyme about it. Next to that is my Rennaisance Faire Mug from the Sterling Ren Faire in Sterling NY. I go almost every year and it is so much fun! On the bottom row starting from left is a mug I got Senior Year from my voice/theatre teacher Mr. Reynolds. It's a bunch of sheep in a jazz group and it says "Let's play some Bee-Bah" haha. Batman Returns is next and finally Mickey thru the years starting with Steamboat Willie and ending with Fantasia Micky.


Amy wanted to see my living room or bedroom to see my decorating style...well my living room is decorated and furnished by my roomate so I picked my bedroom. I do have some things on the wall, but as a cohesive decorated area it isn't much. I tend to not decorate if I feel I am not long for a place (which is evry palce so far) So here is a pic of my favorite part of my room, my bookcase (which is overflowing to the floor next to it as you can see) with my Egypt books and nicknacks and pirate and castle books etc. The picture on the wall above the bookcase is from of Great Great Uncle and Aunt who traveled the world. They are seen on camels with their local guides, posing in front of the great pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt circa 1932. My mother gave me the photo album of their adventures after my Grandmother passed away. They traveled all over Europe and Africa and their pictures are amazing.

My bedroom is a mess so I took a quick pic of my bed sorta made so you could see my color scheme. Purple and greens. When I find a place I can truly call home I will decorate in a Morraccan type style using ruby reds, greens, purple and browns. Rich colors and I go all out. I will have room to spread out and not be so cluttered too.



Finally, Beth asked for a pic of the Giant Underpants. To explain this one, my friend Deidre and I in College rented a DVD of Pee-Wee's Playhouse to watch one rainy afternoon. One of the episodes (second season) was "Pee-Wee Catches a Cold" where he has to stay home and rest b.c he is ill. Well, Pee-Wee just wants to play as usual so he looks for things around the playhouse to play and imagine with and finds a pair of GIANT UNDERPANTS! He puts them on his head like a turbin, then like long hair and calls himself Repunzel. He also makes a swing and a suave vest out of the underpants. Then he yells "GIANT UNDERPANTS!! The Possibilities are endless!!!" We died laughing and the joke has survived and grown since then! Deidre sent me a pair for Christmas a few years later and I have sent them as surprise packages to people in the past! Too much fun! The possibilities ARE endless!! There is also a Piehole portion of the story too but I best keep that under wraps until a future post!



Part two coming soon! Car and Hangout for Anonymous, Pets for Lamby, My "Sexy" outfit for Wicca (only not feeling so sexy with this damn sun rash!!!hahah)and me doing the dishes for Henlib...dressed like Rosalita??? Still time for more photo requests!

Let's get this party started...

Well, Since Anonymous asked for a picture of my car...

For solving mysteries of course!


I pity the fool who don't like these wheels!


A car that talks? That would be cool!


Complete with Flux Capacitor!


"Bo Peep to Lost sheep, over!"


Obviously, those are not my vehicles, tho as a kid those were my picks! Now my taste in a mode of transportaion is more easily attained. (If I had the $$)

Perhaps a Land Rover for all my adventures.


I borrow this car on occaision from my friend Bruce. tee-hee!

I will begin the photo meme posts tomorrow! Send in some requests if you haven't done so already!:)

Avast!! Savvy??

Not that I haven't had Pirate posts before, but who can resist this week??! Don't worry I will get it out of my system. (Or until at which point I have viewed the film and if I am still in fact obsessed with it) Well, then, I confess, it is my intention to post more pirate pics, rave, pillage, plunder and otherwise blog my weasely black guts out! So there!

I have heard on good Authority that the new Pirates movie is great! Mr. Smith took in the 12am viewing last night down in 'lanta and loved it. Hearing this made me relieved as we have the same taste in movies and I am sure to enjoy it as well...whenever I get a chance to go see it!!!!

We are all seeing so much about pirates lately that Howard Pyle's works have been widely shown on tv and everywhere. I think I will blog about him next week but I wanted to post one of my favorites of his Pirate paintings called "Marooned". Beautiful and sad isn't it?



Well, don't just sit there!! Go see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and have a great weekend!!!



Oh! I almost forgot! Wiccachicky and Amy are doing a photo meme that I thought would be fun. Here's how it works:

"Use the comments section of this post to request a photograph of anything in my life. By anything**, of course, I mean non-pornographic (sorry stalkers!) non-identity-compromising photos that won’t get me fired from my job. So be reasonable. Think of it as an opportunity for me to go on a treasure hunt with the digital camera, and for you to see things about my daily life that you are curious about."

All you lurkers – this is your chance to jump in. I know you read my blog. You just never comment. Take a chance. It won’t kill you. You can still remain annonymous by posting as annonymous or a made up name! No sign up necessary!

Let the game begin!


**I do reserve the right to edit, ignore, delete, any requests that violate the basic rules of the game

The Pirates are Coming!!!

Tomorrow Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest opens in theaters everywhere! Some are showing tonight at midnight as well!! Don't worry, it's not rated RRRRRRR!!! I am nervous that I will be disappointed b/c when I get excited to see something it usually doesn't deliver. Then I think, "Come on! This is Johnny Depp we're talkin' about here!" and the panic subsides.



I could post POTC pics all day! I have an arsenal full of 'em! Tomorrow I will post a few more for your enjoyment. I am saddened that I do not know when I will get to go see it. Probably not this weekend since Atlanta is too damn far away! :) I still have a few options in the immediate vacinity, but with the weather being so nice, I would rather hang by the pool than sit in a crowded theater with obnoxious people. Savvy? I am sure I will get to see it next week some time, so until then, if you see it, tell me if you loved it or hated it but don't give me details!

Jack Says "Make no mistake, my movie is phenomenal and you will enjoy it immensely. Miss CC will see my movie if I have my way. Why? Because I'm Captain Jack Sparrow mates!"


Hey now Jack! There will be no "having" of any kind! This is a family blog!

Ooh! and if you can name the reference in bold above you win a prize!! Well, there's not really a prize, just bragging rights I suppose!

Have a great day! ARRGGHH!!!!

4th of July Party 2006!!!

Another great 4th of July Weekend celebration at Mike and Kim's took place this last weekend. Swimming, kickball, boating, bocce tournaments, we did it all! Monday we also were able to go to the beach and also test our strength and fortitude tubing the lake. Here are a few pics of the fun that was had!

Saturday morning the Pirate Brigade (Nathan "My Eye!", and CC "Pirate Girl") was ready to sail. Needing Tikki Torch Fluid and some more cups, these two daring Scallywags hoisted the sails and made way to pick up the last minute supplies. The trip was complete with soundtrack (Pirates of the Caribbean) and some small sloops to overtake. We even made up a Chanty (ala Adam Sandler)of our own whilst driving behind a slow boat to China. It went a little something like this:

"I'm out for a leisurely drive
I'm 92 and my wife's 85!"

AARRGGHHH!! tee-hee. What fun! When we got back, Nate and I helped set up some more then had the first leg of our BB Gun shootout. I lost 11 to 6 BUT, I haven't shot in a few months so I thought that was pretty good. I'll bring it next time Nate! Make no mistake!!!:)



Swimming after the kickball game was a much needed cool down. Here I am with my 3 nieces from Rochester and my nephew Nate.

Every year we take a group picture of everyone who attended on the steps to preserve the memories. Next year we hope to have everyone there. We were missing 5 members due to conflicts and we missed them all!!

Later on after dinner and the Memory Book presentation, we had fireworks. I brought the glowsticks as usual. It rained for a moment but then stopped and we had a campfire. The day was great!

The next morning Captain Mike docked at our motel on the lake and picked a few of us up to take a morning boat ride around the harbor and portions of the lake. It was a beautiful day! Jim and the girls left later in the afternoon after lunch and the rest of us vegged and swam back at Mike and Kim's. Later Sunday night we watched firworks on the lake from our porch at the motel and played games.

Monday began with a huge breakfast out, (YUMMY!) and then we said goodbye to a Mom, Dad, Linny and Evan. Mike, Annie, Nate and Erin and I decided to go to the beach and swim and hang out for the remainder of the morning. We came back for lunch and then took the boat out tubing in the afternoon.

Nate and I hit some turbulence towards the end of our ride. This is a pic of us slowly slipping back. We caught some air a few times and finally decided on the count of 3 to let go before we fell off. What a riot! Erin hit some great waves on her solo run as well. It was a great day on the lake!

As usual, the days go by too fast and much fun was had by all. I am happy to say my endurance is up from last year, and even tho I am a bit sore from tubing (My Arm!!!) I can't wait to do it again! Thankfully it is only a 3 day work week and before I know it the weekend will be here again. :)