Vacation Day Five: Photographing Strangers

Mom and I spent our last day of vacation in Myrtle Beach.
We had amazing crab salads at the pier.





I wrote a bunch of postcards (and then actually sent them which is sort of a vacation miracle for me).




We rode the Sky Wheel. Apparently, its very fancy name constitutes a very fancy ticket price but I’m a sucker for a ferris wheel. 







I was walking down to Ripley’s Believe It or Not and these guys offered to pose for a picture. This is the kind of thing that makes me want to be a photo journalist who can walk up to strangers and ask to take their picture all the time.





The Gay Dolphin is supposedly the largest gift shop on the East Coast and it’s been a landmark spot on Ocean Boulevard since 1946. It was seriously enormous and had absolutely everything you could possibly imagine buying in Myrtle Beach.



Mom indulged my curiosity about the other big draw in Myrtle Beach, the never-ending seafood buffets. This place, The Original Benjamin’s Kalabash Seafood, had 170 buffet items. 170. I can’t even think of that many different kinds of dishes. We both tried to be adventurous and I can now tell you that Oysters Rockefeller is as awesome as its name. Really awesome.




Also, I had fresh crab legs for the first time. I love crab but I’ve never been brave enough to order it in the shell. It’s a lot of work to eat but it makes an excellent moustache.

Thanks for letting me share all these pictures with you. And now back to regularly scheduled programming…

love, elizabeth

Vacation Day Four: Things I’m embarrassed to admit

We left Cape Hatteras really early on Sunday and drove down to Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach makes me feel like I’m in Every Spring Break Movie Ever Made. Along the boardwalk, which is pretty much where we spent all of our time this trip, there are endless hotels and ice cream shops and souvenir shops selling basically anything and everything with MYRTLE BEACH stamped on it. One of my favorite signs said, “We have everything for your spring break needs: sunscreen, beach towels, glow sticks, shot glasses, henna tattoos, body glitter, stun guns, and swords.” You know…because when I get to my hotel and realize that I have forgotten to pack my sword…well, spring break is pretty much ruined!

We got a pretty cool bonus this trip because our friend Andy was able to meet us in M.B. for the afternoon. For full disclosure’s sake, almost ten years ago…Andy had the great distinction of being my first boyfriend (and first kiss, ahem). He’s got a very cool, very G.I. Joe job in the Army now and is very busy with that so I really, really doubt he’ll ever read this but…just in case…Andy, thanks for being such a great guy and such a gentleman. You have always treated me with respect and kindness and I am so thankful for you. Ughhhh…I really hope he doesn’t see this post. Because now I’m embarrassed for admitting that.

It was so fun to see Andy and Ben together! They hadn’t hung out since before Benjamin enlisted a couple years ago. I have pictures somewhere of the two of them when Ben was like…11 or 12. It’s amazing to get such a visual reminder of the passage of time.

My mom continued to insist that we do everything she wanted to do all weekend because “it was her birthday.” In case you were wondering, it was her birthday for about five days.

Myrtle Beach is the miniature golf capitol of the world. So who is seriously going to pass THAT up?  Also, Mom’s adorable red sneakers.

 

The boys both had to drive back to their respective duty stations so we said good-bye after mini-golf and Mom and I went to our hotel. We stayed at The Breakers which I highly, highly recommend to anyone visiting. I can take zero credit for finding it because it was all Mom. She just let me stay there. Which was very nice of her.

This was the view from our balcony. I could not stop staring at the ocean the entire time we were there.

And then, like true spring breakers, we walked to a mini-mart and bought a $7 bottle of wine. We drank it on the balcony and listened to the waves. Mom told me about the first time she met my dad. It was a pretty wonderful night.

love, elizabeth

Making My Own Sunshine

Source: Uploaded by user via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Yesterday, I talked about suffering from seasonal affective disorder (you can read that post here).

I want to talk about fighting it. I have to consistently remind myself that while the weather is out

of my control, I can exert control over some pretty important things. I call it my battle plan.

Eating right. Part of my effort to fight SAD this winter is to make a conscious effort to eat good,

high-nutrition food instead of blowing through empty carbohydrates in an effort to control my

mood (especially in the evening). I started Weight Watchers just before the new year and so

far, I’ve felt really successful at managing my mood swings and cravings. WW is great for me

because I don’t feel like I have to deny myself when I’m hungry but it’s great for helping me

determine portions.

Creating safe refuge space. Keeping the apartment neat and the clutter to a minimum keeps

me from feeling overwhelmed at night (when I’m more likely to be depressed and anxious).

Comforting scents. Along with some woodsy, cozy candles, I’ve been using more scented

lotion this winter. I’ve noticed that smell has a lot to do with my mood. And though I tend to

stay away from fruitier or more tropical smells, I’ve been using lotion with coconut in it because

it reminds me of sunscreen (and inevitably, the beach).

Strategic lighting. I avoid fluorescent or harsh lighting at night and instead opt for softer lamps

and candles after dark. I’m also trying a combination of grow/sun lamps for short intervals in lieu

of actual sunshine. Eventually, I may have to try professional light treatment through my doctor

but I’m going to try this for a little while first.       

Not leaving important decisions/difficult work for late at night. As a grad student, this is difficult

but I’m trying to change my study habits to manage my depression.  

Making fun plans with people. It gets easy to isolate myself in the winter but I’m working hard to stay

involved with friends and make time for fun outings with Kyle and other couples.

And if all else fails…fantasize about how amazing spring break is going to be in Myrtle Beach.

If I close my eyes tight enough, I can almost feel the rays. March can’t come fast enough.

Source: imgfave.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

love, elizabeth

Adventures on the Road: Sunshine In My Shoes

		Topsail Island & Myrtle Beach VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

As promised, here are some of the photos from our trip last week to the Carolinas!
There were so many I decided to break them up, thematically. So here are the best shots from our two afternoons on the beach with my brother, Ben, who ships out with his platoon this week.
It was wonderful to spend the day with two of my favorite guys in the whole world.
Oh, and I would like to point out, cough, that I myself did not take a sea shell and write “I LOVE ELIZABETH” in the sand. Okay? That wasn’t me.
Side note, it was Madigan’s first trip to the ocean. Not sure she’s sold on the shore line but she liked the sand (a little too much – we found her trying to eat a few mouthfuls early in the day)!

“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.”  - Isak Dinesen

“He that will learn to pray, let him go to sea.”  - George Herbert

“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It's always our self we find in the sea.” - e.e. cummings