It was a tough question. As I sat around the dinner table with my brother, his fiancée, Sidney, and Sloan, we tried to identify our top highlight from the five days we spent together. We had so much fun doing so much, that I really wasn’t prepared to identify one specific moment. But since then, I have been able to reflect on the epic Fourth of July weekend.

We had a wonderful time spending the holiday weekend with Glen and Carrie.

In an effort to answer the question and to provide a respectable recap of my brother and Carrie’s visit to Myrtle Beach, I decided to rank our many experiences in a top 10 countdown form (Note: because it would be an automatic #1 and because I have already written about it, I am not including my brother asking me to be his best man in the countdown). Like I did with our Florida Keys wrap up post, I hope to use more photos than words.

Although we had many more than 10 great moments, how about we start there?

10. Playing Hard (Dave & Buster’s, Bowling, and Putt Putt) – We satisfied our competitive natures by playing a variety of different games. Dave & Buster’s at Broadway at the Beach, 810 Bowling by CCU, and Captain Hook’s Putt Putt on King’s Highway were all locations we converged on to have some fun. In the end, we all won at something.

We competed in putt putt, bowling, and video games!

9. Nightlife – Speaking of Broadway at the Beach, we spent an evening under the lights at Celebrity Square. It was Carrie’s first time at the nightlife destination so it was exciting to take her to the various themed bars and show her a good time.

It was stimuli overload at Celebrity Square.

8. Hibachi Dinner – On Saturday night, we went to Nakatos, a Japanese steakhouse in Myrtle Beach. The best part was that Sidney’s parents ate dinner with us, allowing them to reconnect with Glen and meet Carrie. Sloan was a challenge but the chef put on a good show and our out-of-town visitors were very impressed by the food!

Sloan tested our patience during dinner but the food sure was good!

7. Fourth of July – We did a few different things on the Fourth of July but the highlight took place in Murrells Inlet. My co-worker and friend, David Russell, invited us out to his family’s Independence Day celebration. With numerous red, white, and blue decorations surrounding us and the Inlet serving as a backdrop, we sat around in a circle and chatted with David, his wife (the famous Robin Russell), their young adult children, and their friends. It was relaxing and entertaining!

David invited us to his family’s Fourth of July celebration and we sure had fun!

6. Pelicans Baseball Game – With Sidney’s parents taking care of Sloan, the four of us went to a Myrtle Beach Pelicans game. Just like with our time at David’s celebration, it was very relaxing. The weather was perfect, the ballpark food delicious, and the on-field promotions engaging. To top it all off, there was a fireworks show at the end of the game.

We had an easy going time at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans game.

5. Homemade Dinner by Carrie and Glen – The whole trip, Carrie and Glen spoiled us. But they really outdid themselves when they cooked us dinner the night before they left. Chicken parmesan, pasta, salad, and bread comprised the menu as we feasted like kings and queens. The only thing better than the food was the conversation we enjoyed.

Glen and Carrie made us a delicious chicken parmesan dinner!

4. Our Own Firework Show – The evening of July 4 was dampened by a thunder and lightning storm. However, that didn’t mean we were going to let our fireworks go to waste. The night of July 5 we lit off the contents of a “toddler friendly” fireworks package I purchased a couple days before. We all enjoyed ourselves as Sloan shrieked with glee as we lit off fountains, strobes, and sparklers.

Glen, Carrie, Sid, and Sloan look on as we lit off “little guy” fireworks.

3. TopGolf – There is no mistaking how much fun TopGolf is. In fact, it is such a good experience that a four-hour wait did not deter us from playing. Once we finally got to our bay, we had an absolute blast! Carrie outplayed us all as we shared plenty of laughs (and drinks).

As usual, TopGolf was a blast!

2. Bonding Time at Home – Out of all the things we did around town, nothing beat the time we spent together on the couch. Whether we were watching Family Feud, Jeopardy, the Home Run Derby, the women’s World Cup final, or the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, hanging out in the living room was the best. It was there that we shared laughs, stories, opinions, and outrage. We were completely ourselves and it was so much fun.

Hanging out on the couch while talking and watching TV was actually one of my top highlights of the visit!

1. Playing With Sloan – I loved watching Carrie and Glen interact with Sloan. To see how much they cared for her and how much Sloan genuinely loved them was heartwarming. I couldn’t have asked for anything more than to see them all get along in such a loving way.

Watching Glen and Carrie spend time with Sloan was really special!

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As always, the time went by too fast. But we had so much fun and will have experiences to reminisce on for the rest of our lives. Thank you, Glen and Carrie, for visiting us. We (especially Sloan) love you! Don’t Blink.