Aloha From Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Finally! The long awaited pictures from our 2010 Thanksgiving in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina!

This very random and for the most part spontaneous trip was SO MUCH FUN! I have never been to South Carolina before, and even in the Fall the beach is a beautiful destination. The weather was near perfect; chilly but comfortable by day and brisk by night...clear blue skies, star filled nights every day except for one--which was A-OK since there was nothing planned aside from football :)

We stayed at the Marriott Grand Dunes which was ocean front..and a very beautiful hotel!

Lobby Lounge

This is the bar we toasted to with the Auburn Tigers HUGE comeback & win at the Iron Bowl. ..War Eagle :)

The Bar

Every where I turned there was beautiful art decor. ..Local art, too. ...Simply beautiful!

Beautiful Blown Glass Pieces

One of the MANY views from our room. We left the slider door open every night to feel the brisk ocean air and to listen to the crashing of the waves as I drifted off to sleep in a huge Cal-King comfy bed with tons of pillows...

Gorgeous View from Room!

The Marriott offered a full Thanksgiving Buffet from 11-3 which we gladly participated in... Hereʻs my first plate

Nom Nom Nom!

This hotel has TONS of pools, and most likely appropriate come summertime when the place is bumpinʻ

Pool View

Such a gorgeous escape over a hustle bustle holiday like Thanksgiving. ..

The entire trip was r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g!

Pool & Ocean View

The pool waterfall captivated my attention and I ended up taking quite a few shots...I picked this one to share because I love the movement of the water and the bubbles... I have other angles where the water literally looks bent or like shaped glass, too.

Captivating Waterfall

Nothing like vibrant flowers to add a splash of color around fall landscape. ..these dainty lil things were everywhere

Splashes of Color

This is one of my favorite pictures. ..we were busy doing nothing, just ʻhanginʻ around:)

HanginʻRound

I really liked what I saw in my lens while walking to the beach. .. This photo has tons of potential to be better; however it is completely raw--no editing etc. If I ever take the time to fuss with it in Photoshop or Lightroom, Iʻll share my results.. :)

Bridge to No Where

These guys were all over the beach & very photogenic! I took over a dozen photos since they were clearly comfortable around people. I favored this shot though, since he was coming in for landing ;)

Jonathan Seagull

One of the things we REALLY wanted to do while in MB was take a glass blowing class--which we did, at Conway Glass. It was absolutely amazing and we recommend everyone try it! We made Christmas Ornaments, and canʻt hardly wait until we get them in the mail. (We took the class on our last day & the pieces need to cool for 24-48 hours, so they are shipping them to us:)

Conway Glass ~ Popʻs Glass Station

Doesnʻt that look amazing?! Twisted glass! ...All this beautiful ornament needs now is some Auburn Orange ribbon!

Twisted Glass ~ So Cool!

If a piece comes out less than perfect, they recycle all of their glass and either make other things, like pendants out of them, or reuse the pieces all together. There were piles of glass buckets all over the studio--very cool!

Broken Glass

This is Ed Streeter; Owner/Artist of Conway Glass, and according to him they were chosen by the state of South Carolina to represent "Something Blue" for the White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room; which is the Official White House Christmas Tree. How cool is that? Congratulations!! Replicas are being made if you like and are interested; check them out! Conway Glass

Ed Streeter ~ Owner & Artist

This isnʻt the best panorama, but it was one of the very last photoʻs I took while in MB.

Gʻmorning Myrtle Beach!

I opened my eyes from a restful sleep, and this was my unobstructed view as I inched my way off of the huge, warm, and comfy bed. It was so early in the morning, light had just made it through as the sun was beginning to rise...

My love affair with Myrtle was over..

I stood still for a moment before gathering my belongings, wanting to take in my surroundings one last time.. .I embraced the brisk morning breeze on my skin, I breathed in the smell of Atlantic Ocean air circling around me with slow deep breaths, and marveled at the surreal Blue sky and Orange horizon all around me. The beauty captured my thoughts making it at that very moment, crystal clear that, duh, God really is an Auburn Fan! . ..It was as if He was saying to me; "Good Morning Sweet, Jenn! War Eagle!"

I reached for my steaming hot cup of coffee and thought about the weekend...Myrtle Beach, Thanksgiving, Iron Bowl; all cherished and unforgettable memories now with a feeling of thanks and solidarity between me and my Maker.