As my parents make more trips to Myrtle Beach to see their grandchild (soon to be grandchildren), these recap blog posts of their visits might seem redundant. However, to be honest, these posts are selfishly more for Sloan than my readers. I want her to have a written record of what she did with her grandparents when they visited.

With that said, Sloan’s papa returned to Spokane early Tuesday morning. After arriving in Myrtle Beach last Wednesday, I dropped him off at the airport during Monday’s lunch hour so he could begin the long journey home that would span two days.

I want to organize this recap in a Thursday Rundown type style. I have five items, some themes and some events, that summarize my dad’s October 2019 visit perfectly. Without further ado, it is time to let the good times roll…

It was great to have my dad in town last week!

Papa Daycare – There are a million different things you can do when you visit Myrtle Beach, but my dad just wanted to hang with Sloan. On Thursday and Friday, we could have dropped Sloan off at daycare so my dad could enjoy some peace and quiet, but he would have none of that. My dad spent the days entertaining her in the play room, going on walks, feeding the turtles, climbing on the jungle gym, and preparing her meals. The whole trip, besides Wednesday afternoon, he never had a moment to himself. But like he told me, that was just the way he wanted it.

Papa and Sloan had plenty of time to goof around together.

SEC Football – My dad has always wanted to attend a big time Southern football game and this trip we finally made it a reality! We took him to Columbia, S.C., to watch the South Carolina Gamecocks host the Florida Gators. Sure, it rained (the whole time) but we had a lot of fun. It was a special day because our group consisted of Sidney, her dad, my dad, and myself. For Sid and I to be able to enjoy this experience together with our dads was pretty cool. Besides watching the game inside Williams-Brice Stadium, we got plenty of time in the car together and we also had our own little tailgate pregame.

Despite the rain, we had a great time at the Gamecocks game in Carolina.

Pumpkin Tradition – Sloan has “carved” a pumpkin every Halloween she has been alive and each time she has done it with papa. For the third year in a row, my dad made a jack-o-lantern for his granddaughter. Sloan was understandably much more engaged this time around and even helped scoop out the innards. Although papa might now be gone, the pumpkin remains! The past two nights, we have lit the candle for Sloan and let her blow it out before heading to bed.

Sloan and papa carved a pumpkin for the third consecutive year.

Food – My dad was all about taking us out to eat! He treated us at three different restaurants and thankfully Sloan, for the most part, behaved herself. For those Myrtle Beach locals, we ate at Grumpy Monk, Coastal Ale House, and Sam Snead’s. But it wasn’t all about dining at restaurants. On Thursday night, my dad made one of his specialties…pineapple chicken! He had it prepared right when Sidney and I arrived home from work and it was delicious!

My dad treated us to dinner at three different restaurants while he was here.

Lunch with Papa and Sloan – Because I leave early for work and tend not to arrive home until well after 5 p.m., I wanted to find a way to still see my dad during the long day. On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Monday I managed to come home for the lunch hour. Although I only got like 25 minutes inside my house, it was so nice to see my dad and Sloan during the middle of the day. I would bring my dad Cook Out (a Southern fast food chain not available where he lives) and we would chat before I got back in my car and returned to work. It was short but sweet.

When my dad was here, I ate lunch with him and Sloan every day.

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Our little family feels so honored that my dad makes it a priority to take time off work and make these annual solo trips. We miss him already but it was another incredible October visit. Love you, papa! Don’t Blink.