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Published: September 5th 2018
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The summer is nearing a close over here in North Carolina, and the kids had their first day back to school today! They are in the two-year-old class and the four-year-old class at the local preschool and they love it! Yet, before we went back to school and officially welcomed in the fall season, we were able to squeeze in one last beach trip as a family!
We are fortunate to have a close family friend who owns a condo at the beach. While we are used to traveling to south Myrtle Beach for our family coastal getaways, we were invited this time to go with them to nearby Litchfield Beach. This is near Pawley’s Island, on the south part of the South Carolina shore. I had been to Pawley’s Island about 20 years ago, when I was 12 years old. Back then, my parents had rented a cottage one block from the ocean. We went with my grandparents and it remains one of my most memorable and special beach trips to date.
Therefore, I knew we would have a fun time at this part of the coast again, and that’s why I didn’t think twice when my friend
called to invite us. The catch? We had to leave the very next day! In fact, she called me Thursday night and asked me to come down as soon as we could get away on Friday. They had some family members who were supposed to come, but had to cancel, so they were by themselves in a big, sprawling condo with five bedrooms left to fill!
We packed up the kids and all of our suitcases, and as soon as my husband got off work, we headed out! On the way, we grabbed a quick meal of roast beef sandwiches, but besides that, we made great time as we didn’t stop anywhere else. Still, we arrived at the condo around 10:00 p.m. It was part of a villa community called Litchfield at the Sea. We encountered a little bit of a glitch trying to get into the villa, as our name wasn’t on the guest list for that property (they had listed the family members who were supposed to come instead of us). I got my friend on the phone and she was able to straighten everything out so we could proceed to the condo!
Everyone was in
bed, so we tiptoed upstairs to our room, took quick baths and got to bed ourselves. As we only had the weekend to spend at Litchfield, we wanted to make sure we made as much of every day as possible. We all got up around 10:00 a.m. the next morning. We made a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits at the condo before setting out for a day on the beach together! My friends have two daughters around the same age as my children, so we had a blast together getting ready and heading out.
Thankfully, they had rented a golf cart for us to all ride around the area in. It was big enough to fit us all, and it was such a thrill, as my crew had never ridden on one before! We took a brief, 20-minute ride around the Litchfield at the Sea property grounds before heading out to the beach. The homes were so beautiful and the grounds were so meticulously maintained, it had me thinking that maybe I was
ready to live at a beachside condo myself! If I could always be chauffeured around like that, it would be the icing on the cake.
Compared to other, nearby beaches, this one was super secluded and felt almost like our own private paradise. We spent about two hours together, playing in the sun and sand. It was unseasonably cool, which was a welcome change from the sweltering heat we’d been experiencing in the Carolinas. We walked along the shore, collected unique seashells, took lots of pictures, and just enjoyed being together outside. The kids especially loved the little wading pools that were spontaneously created when the current came in on the sand! I think they spent more time splashing around in there than actually going into the ocean, which was fine with me, as we had heard this part of the shore can get a large number of jellyfish washed ashore this time of year.
After playing on the beach, we made our way to the villa’s saltwater pool, where we enjoyed a little more water fun before heading back to the condo. The two littlest ones were begging for a nap, everyone was getting hungry, and our sunscreen was beginning to wear thin. We headed inside, made quick sandwiches from deli ingredients our friends had brought from home, changed into dry clothes and everyone quickly went down for a mid-afternoon nap. When we all awoke around 4:00 p.m., we hopped back on the golf cart and drove down to nearby Maddio’s Pizza, which was just across the street from the villas. There was a really neat, fallen tree that was featured at the very front of the property. It has been there for decades and is a popular place for pictures. Of course, we had to stop and snap a few pics before heading to dinner!
The pizza was quick and delicious, and we were able to eat outside, which was a great setup for our crew of restless toddlers! We sprung for ice cream sundaes that evening before heading back and hopping into bed. The next morning, we all packed up, said our goodbyes and headed back home. It was such a refreshing and relaxing trip and I’m grateful for friends who invite us along and share their fellowship with us. We will be back soon, and hopeful,ly we can stay longer this time!
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