Tag Archives: Iron Legacy Myrtle Beach

Thanksgiving 2023

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I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving weekend! Speaking of Thanksgiving weekend, it is usually my custom to write a recap of ours. However, as many of you know, I am currently in Myrtle Beach. I will eventually write a recap of our time in South Carolina and that summary will include the Thanksgiving weekend. So in order to not duplicate efforts, tonight’s post will just focus on our awesome Thanksgiving day. With all that said, let’s begin…

The four of us, Sidney’s sister, her husband, their son, and my in-laws pose for a photo outside the barn on Thanksgiving Day.

My Thanksgiving started with a workout at Iron Legacy Gym. It was my feeble attempt to justify the exorbitant overeating that would take place later in the day but I don’t even think running a marathon would cover the calories I would consume. Nonetheless, it was a packed gym as other like-minded people (but probably with more self-control) gathered to exercise and get the endorphins flowing.

My Thanksgiving started at Iron Legacy Gym.

When I returned to my in-laws’ home, it was all about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Our family tradition continued as we watched the floats, Broadway acts, and musical performances. There was something for all four of us although I think we all scratched our heads at the Broadway skit devoted entirely to corn.

Our family enjoying the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

By the time Santa was about to make his parade entrance, we were off to our Thanksgiving gathering. We drove to Conway to the property of my brother-in-law’s (the husband of Sidney’s sister) parents. John Henry’s mom and dad always host a large Thanksgiving feast for extended family and friends in the barn! The menu included fried turkey, chicken bog, mac and cheese, and a barbecue pig! It was a true Southern Thanksgiving and every bite was delicious.

The scene of our Thanksgiving gathering. Thanks to John Henry’s parents for hosting us…it was such a good time!

After dessert, Sloan and Beau hopped on a tractor operated by John Henry’s dad for an exciting joyride. Sid and I then joined the kids on a flatbed trailer pulled by an ATV driven by—you guessed it—John Henry’s dad 😂. The journey took us through the wooded areas of the property. The sun decided to shine on Thanksgiving as the rays shooting through the trees added to the beautiful scenery.

Sloan, their cousin, Jack, and Beau, enjoy an ATV ride on Thanksgiving Day.

We returned to my in-law’s home and had the most perfect afternoon/evening. The four of us Resers and Sid’s parents hung out in the living room and watched football, read our books, and visited. It was such a relaxing end to a very nice day.

A peek at the pig that was part of our Thanksgiving spread.

Thanks be to God for so many blessings. Don’t Blink.

Our Christmas 2021 Trip to Myrtle Beach

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Sidney, Sloan, Beau, and I were blessed to visit my wife’s family (and our old home) this past month. Myrtle Beach treated us well as we celebrated the holidays and spent time with loved ones who hold special spots in our hearts. To summarize our trip, I thought it would be wise to briefly describe 10 happenings/themes from our time in South Carolina.

Staycation – Sid’s parents rented a condo right on the beach for our family and the families of Sid’s two sisters. We spent several days playing at the resort’s water park, creating Christmas crafts, eating family dinners, and enjoying the beautiful ocean scenery. It was a great opportunity to for everyone to come together, catch up, and get into the Christmas spirit.

Beau and Sloan look out at the ocean from one of our condo windows.

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day – Ah yes, the reason for the season! We attended the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve mass at St. Andrew. After that we went over to my sister-in-law’s house to hang out and eat baked ziti. We came back to my mother-in-law’s house and I stayed up until midnight until it was officially Christmas. On Christmas morning we all gathered to open gifts and later that day we went back over to my sister-in-law’s house for a prime rib Christmas dinner.

Sloan and I after Christmas Eve mass.

Gorgeous Weather – The previous two times we traveled back to Myrtle Beach we had no shortage of rain and cold. Not this time. We basked in numerous 75 degree and sunny days over the course of the two weeks we were there. The conditions allowed me to take Sloan to the park, play basketball outside with my nephew, and go for a run through my in-laws’ neighborhood. While Spokane was being pounded with snow, I made sure the savor the sunshine and warm temperatures.

The weather was beautiful and plenty of Otter Pops were consumed.

Old Friends – In addition to spending time with Sid’s family, we also got to re-connect with some of our dearest Myrtle Beach friends. One particular day Sloan got to visit the trampoline park and go out to lunch with Jacqueline, the BFF she was inseparable with when we lived in South Carolina. The day before we traveled back home, we went over to the home of our spiritual mentors, Tim and Kathy McCormick, for breakfast. I even got to see my former Knights of Columbus brothers when they invited me to drop by before one of their meetings.

Jacqueline and Sloan were re-united again and did lunch together.

Old Places – Over the course of our trip I worked out at the gym I used to exercise at on a daily basis, Iron Legacy. It is still old school and it still has the nicest owners. Best of all, we returned to St. Andrew a few different times for mass. So many good things happened to our family within those walls and it is always special to return to worship God.

A photo I took of Iron Legacy in Dec. 2021. This was taken from inside the class studio and it spans the main workout floor.

Baby Jack – We had plenty of time to see the newest addition to the Mathis family, Jack. When we visited Myrtle in June, he was only a couple weeks old. Now past the 7-month mark, he had grown considerably but was still as sweet as could be. It was fun and hilarious to watch Beau interact with his new cousin. Sid and I each made sure to get our snuggles with our handsome nephew over the time we were there.

Sidney holding Jack and Beau.

Sing 2 – The second week we were there a group of us went to see “Sing 2.” It was a super cute film that had us singing and dancing in our seats the whole time. Just having the opportunity to watch a movie in a theater was a special experience by itself.

Sloan and her cousins at the movie theater to watch “Sing 2.”

On the Small Screen – Going to the theater was really nice but watching programming on television wasn’t bad either. I had the pleasure of watching numerous college football games. Laying in bed at night, Sid and I would watch “Fear Factor” re-runs and after she fell asleep I watched poker. Probably best of all was watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve. Believe it or not, I had never watched the movie until that point. I truly was missing out!

I watched “It’s A Wonderful Life” for the first time this Christmas season.

Good Food – We ate and we ate and we ate. The best part? It was all delicious. From the prime rib Christmas dinner to our takeout favorites to the baked ziti we didn’t obsess over calorie counting. All the baked goods available kept us munching the whole trip.

We baked Red Lobster cheddar biscuits to go with our baked ziti on Christmas Eve,

Bananagram – A game we played both at the condo and at Sud’s parents’ house was Bananagram. It is kind of like a more individualistic, faster-paced Scrabble. It was the perfect game to relax and enjoy a snack with. I had a nice time playing it and even won a few rounds.

What one of my rounds of Bananagram looked like.

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What a blessing it was to spend some solid time with Sid’s family. We were sad to leave everyone in South Carolina but thankful for the memories we were able to bring back. We can’t wait for our next visit. Don’t Blink.

Our Summer Vacation to Myrtle Beach

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Yesterday I returned from a nice trip to Myrtle Beach. In our second trip back after our move out west, our schedule wasn’t as packed as our holiday visit last December. This allowed us to both enjoy some more downtime while also connecting with people we had not seen in a year and a half. As I typically do with vacation recaps, I thought it would be best to identify five themes from my* June trip to Myrtle Beach.

We were all smiles as we flew to Myrtle Beach.

Meet the Newest Member of the Family – We were most excited to meet our new nephew/cousin. Sidney’s sister, Court, and her husband welcomed their first child into the world on May 17. FaceTime can only fill the geographic void to a certain extent and we couldn’t wait to hold Jack for the first time. He surely didn’t disappoint! I know Sidney fell in love with Jack the moment she laid her eyes on him and it was a pleasant reminder to me about how little newborns truly are (crazy how you forget so quickly). What joy it brought us to meet Jack!

Meet Baby Jack!

Family – Yes, we were ecstatic to see the newest member of the family but we couldn’t wait to see the non-newborn members as well! The four of us spent majority of our time visiting with Sid’s parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, nephews, and niece. We ate meals, played volleyball, watched baseball, and spent precious time visiting. A couple of my personal highlights included Sidney and I having a sleepover with our niece (Russell, 12) and nephew (Harrison, 8) and also enjoying a birthday celebration for Russell and her youngest brother, Henry (4). I am so blessed to be part of Sid’s family!

Being with Sidney’s family was the reason for the vacation.

Summer Activities – Although we didn’t receive summer-like weather while we were in Myrtle Beach, it didn’t stop us from engaging in summer fun. It may have rained more days than not, but I still wanted Sloan to do things while on vacation. We hit up a Myrtle Beach Pelicans game and despite only getting to see a few innings due to rain, we still ate plenty of ballpark food and were treated to a fireworks show. One day I took Sloan to Myrtle Waves, a huge water park in Myrtle Beach. While it drizzled most of the time we were there and I secretly hoped that the sun would come out, Sloan didn’t know the difference. She loved the lazy river and the kiddie slides. My last full day we were there we headed to the beach. It was Beau’s first time seeing the ocean and Sloan spent the time with her cousin building sandcastles and collecting seashells. Throughout the trip we didn’t let a little rain dampen our fun!

Yes, it rained. However, it couldn’t keep us away from the beach, water park, and ball game.

Nice to See You Again – In addition to spending lots of time with Sid’s family, we also saw some of our closest friends. Sloan played multiple times with her Myrtle best friend, Jacqueline, and I got to visit with her mom, Susannah. We went over to the home of our spiritual mentors, the McCormicks, for pizza and conversation. I also stepped foot on the Coastal Carolina University campus for the first time since February 2020 and had a reunion with my University Marketing and Communication team. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and see how they successfully managed through the pandemic. After I left the offices I went across the street with my CCU bestie, Geoff, to our favorite burrito joint for lunch (Welcome to Moe’s!).

We joined the McCormicks for an evening (top photo), I got to have lunch with Geoff (bottom left), and Sloan and Jacqueline got to see each other a few times and I got to catch up with Susannah (bottom right photo).

Enjoying Our Favorites – Sid and I managed to do some of our favorite Myrtle Beach things. We attended mass at St. Andrew, got dessert at our favorite ice cream spot (Bruster’s), went through the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru countless times, and managed to find Mr. Softee. I also got in several workouts at Iron Legacy, the gym that holds a dedicated spot in my heart. We didn’t take for granted the opportunity to visit and enjoy these places that are so special to us.

From church to ice cream to the gym, we got to enjoy some of our favorite Myrtle Beach things/places.

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Myrtle Beach will always be part of who I am. I met my wife, had two kids, and spent some of the best years of my life there. To have the opportunity to go back and visit is something I am incredibly thankful for. I am happy that Sid, Sloan, and Beau still have several days left to enjoy. Don’t Blink.

* – I say “my” because Sid, Sloan, and Beau are still making memories in Myrtle Beach. They will be returning next Tuesday.