Stays in the Same House Together!

The Looks and Leaps family recently traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina for a week. The weather was fantastic and the ocean was beautiful – but part of the fun was living together in an awesome beach house! We’d like to share some of our favorite things and recommendations as you plan your summer getaways!

Joe – I am a beach guy. I love the desert, the mountains, and big cities but typically these trips are much more active and schedule oriented. The beach and ocean give me the atmosphere to relax and enjoy the the wonder of thoughts that encompass me. A lot of people probably think I’m on vacation everyday but getting away into a new environment is so much different than the fun enjoyed at home. And nothing is better than a beach vacation with the whole family. For those of you who have not tried a family vacation where everyone stays together in one big house, I highly recommend it. We’ve done this several times and it has always been great fun watching the children interact with all of the adults and getting plenty of time for adults to catch-up on each other. Having plenty of time to have great conversations about a variety of topics is a great way to continue to bond the family together. This year was one of the best. We decided to prepare most of our meals together in the house. This was a super success as it gave all of us cooks a chance to see others prepare various dishes and learn new tricks we can try at home. It also provided the catalyst to have good conversations and to enjoy the very thing that has made family time so important to a fun and fulfilling life together. I think it’s one of the things that this country has lost culturally over the years, to our detriment. Look for more about this subject in my next “travel epistle” coming soon.

The play time with the kids was especially fun to watch as they enjoyed the ocean waves much more and are becoming good swimmers in the pool. The food was superb, the fishing from the beach was quite good (caught a shark and a ray), and Sea Pines was as pretty as ever. Biking is an easy way to get out and see the area as all of the island is covered with bikes paths that are not part of the roads. Safe for all ages. Loved getting out in the forest preserve again and saw some remarkable waterfowl and a couple of gators. The lowlands of South Carolina are so beautiful and relaxing. This spot is one of my favorite places in the USA.

Cindy – ok, what mom out there wouldn’t love this situation? Imagine a week in a beautiful beach location, in a great house, surrounded by her husband, three grown children, son-in-laws and grandchildren, where everyone had a relaxing, playful, entertaining, all around amazing wonderful time (and most of it being done together). The first amazing get together was at Holy Family Catholic Church. Seven of the nine of us arrived at the house a few hours before our Washington DC group. They said they would arrive in time to meet us at the five o’clock Mass. Well, after a long trip for all to reach our destination, we all came together at church. I don’t know how many times that I looked up and down that bench and thanked God for this family and the opportunity we were given to share this week together. Believe me this is a wonderful way to start a trip! Of course, lots of these “God Moments” happened during the week. We definitely have much to be thankful for. Thanks family for a wonderful trip with lots of great memories!

April– ah, the beach vacation! May be my favorite type of getaway. Don’t get me wrong, I love an opportunity to check out a new destination and pack the days with sightseeing, shopping and new restaurants but there is something special about having a week where no day’s agenda is more complicated than hanging at the beach, the pool, bike riding, reading and eating. And, in my opinion, the only thing that can make that beach vacation even better is sharing it with family. And if you are up for that sort of togetherness, then a beach house is the way to go. We’ve all seen our fair share of rental houses through years of travel and I think it’s safe to say this year’s was one of our favorites for a couple of reasons – the location in the quiet Sea Pines plantation was a short walk (down a designated beach path, no roads to cross) to the wide beach and the private pool at the house was fantastic for kids. Somehow the kids never wear out as fast as the adults and even after dinner it was nice for the kids to burn off remaining energy with an evening swim. The house had a large, well-equipped kitchen with plenty of seating – perfect for us since we ate the majority of our meals at the house, taking turns preparing dinner and keeping the kitchen well stocked with breakfast and snack items. The common areas of the house were comfortable (the kids even claimed the enclosed porch as the “clubhouse” and had a good time spreading out toys, games and stuffed animals and entertaining themselves in the few hours they weren’t playing outdoors), the laundry room made life (and packing) a lot easier and to top it all off each of the 4 bedrooms had its own bathroom attached. The accommodations allowed us more time to hang out together and really relax.

J.A. – My favorite part of the vacation was the pool. I got cool toys specially designed for the pool. For example, the shark torpedo that swims under water, snorkel set from Uncle Jimmy, and diving toys from Aunt Wendy. Swimming is good exercise and fun. My cousin MJ was fun to play with. My favorite pool side snack is an Outshine fruit bar.

MJ – I liked the beach and breathing in the sights. And I loved building mud pies with JA and jumping off Daddy’s back in the ocean! Thank you Queen and Joe for the idea of going to Hilton Head!

Sunny – I love to try out new hairstyles, especially braided styles, on my daughter’s waist-length hair. MJ, however, is not always happy to sit still and let me practice on her. Living in a house for a week with three other awesome heads of hair who are more ready and willing for a new braided ‘do was awesome! My sisters and mom let me try out a variety of styles on them, and I think they appreciated not having to do their own hair on vacation. In fact, my mom who is growing her hair out after decades of short styles says that she had never had her hair braided before our HHI trip! Traveling with other family members also allowed for my husband and I to enjoy a rare vacation date night. After putting MJ to bed, we were able to set off on our bikes knowing that my mom and a house full of other family members would keep a watchful eye on her if she needed anything. We took off at twilight; the sky still light enough through the Spanish Moss Trees and Sea Pines for us to follow the bike path. We ended up in Harbour Town where we parked our bikes and meandered around the shops and yacht basin. We enjoyed an ice cream treat while listening to some live music before deciding to head back home – and that’s when the real adventure began. Unlocking our bikes, I turned on my trusty bike light confident that it would light the bike paths. Not so much. Some of the bike paths are dimly lit, but the majority is not. And since Sea Pines plantation does not have street lights, those bike paths can be Dark with a capital D. We biked slowly, trying to warn each other of turns or stop signs ahead, but I lost count of how many times I veered off the path and into the trees! We stayed calm, encouraged each other to keep going, and reached our beach house safe and sound. Our nighttime bike adventure only solidified my theory that Jimmy and I would be stellar contestants on the Amazing Race!

Jimmy – Vacation gives me time to fish, especially saltwater fishing. I surf fish early in the morning for a better chance of catching small sharks when they are in the surf feeding on bait fish. I caught about 10 sharks, 1 whiting, and 1 red fish over the course of the week. Fishing is a great time for peace and quiet early in the morning while watching the sun come up.  When I’m done with peace and quiet I love doing “family cowabunga” jumps into the pool, tossing JA and MJ into the pool, and grilling for the family! One night, Sunny, Joe and I walked down to the beach around 11pm to look at the stars. Joe has a star gazing app called Go Sky Watch where you can point the iPad at the night sky to show you the names of stars and constellations. Even though we didn’t make it this year, watching a Savannah Sand Gnats game has been a fun activity in the past.

Jack –  setting up for a day at the beach is one my favorite summer rituals. The Carolina coast beaches we’ve been to the last few years have been spacious and uncrowded, allowing us to  put our blanket down on a prime spot any time of day. The blanket, however is just the foundation, one also needs a good beach chair, cooler, and something to provide some shade. The chair of preference for me is a folding chair with backpack-like straps and a convenient pouch on the back, perfect for carrying towels, books and the tent I put up for shade. The tent is an inexpensive “Beach Shelter” about size of a two man dome tent. It is very easy to set up and has enough room to put two low chairs inside. It cost about sixty dollars. Add the cooler full of beverages and snacks and the beach house almost seems unnecessary.

Wendy – I LOVE the big family dinners with lots of wine (and sparkling water or apple juice for kids), movie night and poker night. Everyone brings something special to the social mix, but this year I have to give props to my 9 year old nephew and 5 year old niece. I’ve spent many a beach or pool vacation in the past where vanity has kind of trumped fun. For example – hanging out near the water, but not actually swimming in order to maintain my hair/makeup/cover-up that disguises extra pounds. But when I see JA and MJ having so much fun, I have to jump in (literally. I did a great cannonball). They could care less if my hair is frizzy or my eyeliner looks like Alice Cooper. They just want to play! MJ even complimented my retro swimsuits (maybe something a shorter, older Taylor Swift would wear? ha ha). And JA and I always seem to be in sync on pool party music. I felt a little extra confidence from the admiration of these two wonderful friends, and inspiration from their fearlessness. I’m a little wary when it comes to bikes but the kids kept practicing- and so did I. And I really enjoyed riding on the beach this year!