#55 of My 101 in 1001

#55 - Go to a festival

While I was on vacation, I went to a wine festival.

We just happened to be walking down Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, SC, and we saw a festival.

Now, of course, as my luck would have it, I did not have my camera, or if I did, I did not think to take pictures.

So, I took pictures of the wrist bands they made us wear to show we were 21 years of age or older.

Coastal Uncorked

 While we didn't do much at the festival, we did walk around, listen to the live band, and dance some.

It was good fun with family, and it was free!

You can't beat that!

#40 & #51 of My 101 in 1001

#40 - Visit another state

I went to South Carolina on vacation.

#51 - Go to the beach

I spent 5 days in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with some of my wonderful family members.

Sarah, Kay, Nancy, Momma, & Me

TK & Mel

And, it was fabulous.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

I went swimming in the hotel pool and the ocean (the pool was warmer, but the ocean was great as well).  I went shopping, and I played mini-golf.  I got a sunburn.


I also ended up with three huge bruises, a pair of broke sunglasses, and a broke camera, which led to me getting some ibuprofen, a bottle of wine, two {2} new pair of sunglasses and a new camera.


With the sunburn and the three bruises {one on each elbow & one on my right knee}, I had to have some ibuprofen & a bottle of wine is always good.  Take ibuprofen during the day, and drink wine at night - sounded like a good prescription for pain relief!


As I am in Wal-Mart, my sunglasses fell off of my head, and at first, I thought that the lenses had just popped out, but after picking them up, I figured out they were no good anymore!  The frames had cracked, so when we went to Tanger Outlets, I found two cute & inexpensive pairs {one black & one brown - only $3.80 each} at Forever 21.


Now to the broken camera.  My camera was already broke {I had to tape the little door shut that hold the batteries and memory card in place}!  But, this time it was not fixable, no matter how much tape I had.  

My old camera had a timer on it {as most cameras do}, so that I could set the timer, and it would take the picture in 10 seconds {giving me just enough time to run back and get in the picture}!  I set the timer, placed the camera on a railing {first idiot mistake}, the pressed the shutter button so it would begin the 10 second countdown to when the picture would be taken {second idiot mistake}!  The railing was curved, so the camera was not very stable to begin with, and when I pressed the shutter button, the camera tipped and fell down to the concrete sidewalk.

Now the came lens won't even go in all the way!

Also, when I turn the camera on, all it will say is "System Error!"

My new camera!  Awesome!  It is just as good as my old camera, and I don't need tape! :)

So, my time at the beach was great.  Although there were some times that I just wanted to scream, I had a blast.  And, I ended up with a nice base tan, two new pair of sunglasses, a new camera, some new shirts and tanks, and a new pair of flip-flops!


And best of all, I got to spend some great quality time with my family!

Picture taken at Broadway at the Beach.

Vacation

[So, I was supposed to finish this post last night and publish it, but I couldn't.  If you read it, you will understand why!]

I have been missing from the blogging world, and it feels a little weird even though I am on vacation.

I have technically been on vacation since noon on Friday, but I didn't actually get to the beach until around 6 PM Friday.

So, I have been relaxing as much as possible, while I can.

And, I have horrible internet access in my hotel room {actually, it's not even in the hotel room - ha ha}.

You see, I am actually on the balcony, overlooking the ocean!

This is what it looks like during the day....

And, at night! [I can actually see it better, but I couldn't get a good pic on the camera!]

But, even on the balcony my internet connection speed is only 12.0 Mbps.  For those of you that don't understand what that means, I will explain it as simply as possible:  It S.U.C.K.S.  It takes a couple of minutes for the websites to load, then to log on, etc., etc.

So, since my internet connection sucks, I am cheering myself up with some wine, but we don't have wine glasses, so here is how I am drinking it:

My blackberry wine in a Dixie cup!

 I am so tired now though (and hurting - notice the pic below), and I can't upload my pics because the internet connection sucks, and I have already written 6 posts tonight, so I am going to bed!  I will upload the pics tomorrow and publish this post then.

Notice the Rudolph nose?!  Yea, I got some sunburn, and it hurts a little!

Spring has sprung....

But, it feels like Summer!

{& has for two weeks now!}

So, the official first day of Spring was Tuesday, March 20th, but here in NC, we have had temps in the high 70's and low 80's for about two weeks.

It has felt a.m.a.z.i.n.g.!

And, it is so pretty outside, with the trees and flowers blooming.

But, I have serious b.e.a.c.h. fever.  I really just want to hop in the car and drive the four {only 4} hours to get down on the coast, with my feet in the sand!

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Isn't it gorgeous?  I don't think I am going to be able to wait until Summer!

Anyone else having beach withdrawals? :)

Update: This post was supposed to be published Wednesday, but for some reason I have had problems with Blogger, so I was not able to publish this until today.

So, today at lunch, my mom asks me to look up some hotels at the beach to see what prices will be like for the end of April.  Yes, I said the end of April!  I am so ecstatic!  Yay!  I might not have to wait until Summer after all! :)

Busiest & Best Time of My Life

I am super excited about everything that is going on in my life right now, but this will be one of the busiest times of my life.  It will also be one of the BEST!

I am currently in my Bachelor's Degree program in Elementary Education.  I just graduated with my Associates Degree, which was super exciting, since I am the first person on either side of my family to graduate from college with a degree!

Well, my Bachelor's Degree program is in full swing, which means I am super busy.  Not only do I have school work, but I also have to go take the Praxis I exam, get a TB skin test (which I had done today, but do not get my results 'til Monday), get fingerprinted, and start classroom observations.  Whew!

It is extremely hard work, but I know it will all pay off in the long run when I am teaching my own class of students.  I have always loved children, and I enjoy helping them achieve their goals and dreams.  It will be a great pleasure of mine when I can teach and watch students learn, grow, develop, and excel!

So, not only am I going to school, but I am actively looking for work, exercising, and trying to plan a vacation, which is needed and well-deserved.  I am still trying to find a job while in school because my education is not paying for itself, yet!

On the note about exercising, I am trying to get back in my groove, so that I can start losing weight again.  I really want to get down to my goal weight by Thanksgiving or Christmas.  I know it is much harder to lose weight in the winter because many times our lives become sedentary, so I want to lose weight before full winter kicks in.

And, I need a vacation.  At least a mini-vacay.  After going to school for so long and accomplishing what I have so far, I believe a vacation is well-deserved and hopefully, in the near future.  I would like to go to the beach for a weekend.  But, with everything else that I am doing, it is hard to look up hotels and plan a trip.

Hopefully, I can accomplish this one task for myself though!