The Resers are back on the west coast after nine days in Myrtle Beach. It was such a blessing to return to South Carolina to visit Sidney’s family. Even though we are still fresh from the sadness of leaving family and have just started the battle of adjusting back to pacific time (and from rainy/cloudy days to crisp/cool days), I feel like I can still write about the many happy moments from our trip. So, in no particular order, here are ten themes from our Thanksgiving visit to Myrtle Beach.

Cousin Time – For the first time in two years, the six cousins derived from the Mathis family were together again. Russell, Harrison, Henry, and Jack were waiting for Sloan and Beau at the airport when we landed and the gang hung out with each other for the duration of our time on South Carolina soil. When you are dealing with kids and nearly 24 months pass, it is crazy how big everyone gets. But no matter how much you grow physically, you never “grow out” of family.

The six cousins started their time together from the get-go at the Myrtle Beach Airport.

Thanksgiving – I devoted a whole blog post to Thanksgiving 2023, but just to recap: We drove to Conway, South Carolina, to attend the Thanksgiving gathering of the Henry family. Our connection was my brother-and-law and husband to Sid’s sister, John Henry. Everyone welcomed us with supreme Southern hospitality as we ate fried turkey, chicken bog, mac and cheese, and barbecue pig. After cruising on tractors and ATVs through the family’s wooded property, we returned to Sid’s parents for an afternoon of football, books, and relaxation. It was awesome.

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.

Feliz Navidad – After Thanksgiving was adequately celebrated, we had Christmas in November. On Black Friday, the cousins slipped on their new Christmas pajamas and were treated to a gift exchange. The following day we took them to the Christmas tree farm where they had their picture taken with Santa. After not doing any Christmas activities together last year, it was nice for them to have these moments this year.

The cousins had their picture taken with Santa.

Games – Creativity, humor, and brain power were all used at different times depending on the game we happened to be playing. Selections such as Stir the Pot, Chameleon, Banana, and Rummikub were all played during the days and nights we were in Myrtle Beach. But the undisputed favorite? That would be the kids’ version of Charades that the cousins loved to play! There is no doubt that we will have to get Beau his own Charades game when we make it back to Spokane because he loved it so much.

We played games such as Stir the Pot, Chameleon, Banana, and Charades.

Re-Connecting With Co-Workers – It was work that originally brought me to Myrtle Beach and paved the way for me meeting Sidney and the many blessings that followed. Because of this, Coastal Carolina University will always have a special place in my heart and I will always hold the people dear. During this recent trip, I had the pleasure of hanging out with a few of my “work besties.” On Thanksgiving Eve I sat down with Kim Harper and Martha Hunn for a long overdue catch-up session. Then, a couple days later, I shot the breeze with Geoff Insch. It was awesome to see these outstanding individuals again.

Thanks to Kim Harper (left) and Martha Hunn (right) for taking the time to hang with me on Thanksgiving Eve at Tavern in the Forest in Myrtle Beach.

Murder Mystery – On the Saturday evening of our trip, the opportunity arose for Sidney and me to take our eldest niece and eldest nephew on a night out. Russell, Harrison, Sid, and I went to the Christmas edition of the Riga Tony Murder Mystery Dinner Show. The venue was beautifully decorated and the acting top notch as we watched an entertaining mystery unfold before our eyes. We truly brought our detective hats with us as Sidney cracked the case and was declared the overall winner of the evening!

We had such a fun time with Russell and Harrison at the Riga Tony Murder Mystery Dinner Show.

Mass At St. Andrew – What a special Sunday morning it was when we attended mass at St. Andrew Catholic Church. It happened to be the very last mass in the parish gym before the congregation moves back into the newly renovated church this upcoming weekend but we weren’t disappointed. You see, gym or not, it was still the same beautiful and reverent form of worship that we grew accustomed to when we were parishioners there. After mass we had the blessing of chatting with Fr. Morgan, the priest who baptized Beau and welcomed Sid into the Catholic Church.

What a blessing it was to attend mass at St. Andrew Catholic Church with Fr. Roger Morgan presiding. We took advantage of the opportunity to chat with him afterwards.

Afternoon With the McCormicks – After mass on that Sunday, we went over to the home of Tim and Kathy McCormick. I have mentioned them many times throughout Don’t Blink but just as a refresher they were our marriage mentor couple, they babysat Sloan when Sid went through RCIA, and they are Beau’s godparents. Aside from Sid’s family, when we come to Myrtle Beach they are the two people we desperately want to see. Kathy made a delightful lunch and we had so much fun catching up and swapping stories about our involvement in our respective parishes.

Beau and Sloan sit with Kathy and Tim McCormick during our most recent visit to Myrtle Beach. Kathy and Tim mean so much to our family.

Time At The Gym – While in Myrtle Beach I tried to slightly balance all the wonderful food I was eating with a little bit of exercise. I was able to return to Iron Legacy Gym, the place where I trained for 3-4 years before moving to Washington. When it comes to Iron Legacy, all I can say is this: If you know, you know. It truly is a one-of-a-kind old school spot with fabulous owners. It was pretty sweet to get in a sweat just like the old times and see some great people.

I got six workout in at Iron Legacy Gym during our visit to Myrtle Beach.

Cherry On Top – The last night of a family visit is always tough as the reality of departure starts to set in. On this particular trip, we tried to make the “eve of return” a little sweeter than what it usually is. The four of us and most of Sid’s family went to the Crazy Mason, one of those fancy milkshake bars. Sid and I shared the “Dashing Through the Dough” shake and the kids shared a “Crazy Pop of Color” shake. The treats were delicious and it was really nice to do one final thing with the Mathis family.

It was a real treat to drink milkshakes at the Crazy Mason.

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Our family returned to Spokane filled with joy after having such a special time in Myrtle Beach. We are already missing Sid’s family but so thankful for the memories made. Don’t Blink.