Our Family Is Still Running - SAS 5k 2013

We are still the Family that Runs together.  Mostly.  We do enjoy it.  We love staying active and healthy.  Earlier this month, we all ran in the SAS 5k Blue Cross Blue Shield Race.  This is such a fun race.

We had a great time. Here we are at the Start Line.  Eager to go on this beautiful and 

cool, October morn. 

Team Terrell at the Start.  

Mom on the Course.  Hey, look, people are actually behind me on the race course. :)  And I really 

worked on my time so hard, I was snapping pictures and fanagling with my iPod the majority of the race.  Let's not discuss my poor play list and how I kept fast forwarding to a song with 

hopes of catching a quick tune to help me zip to the Finish Line. :) 

So fun after the Finish to reunite with my Sweet Boulder Mountain Man.  See our Race glow. :)

Our boys came in 3rd and 4th Place in their Age Division!  This was big fun for our guy who told me the last time I ran it, "Mom, I'm going to win it next time!" :)  So proud of him.  He actually works on his speed work. :)  I should take a que.  Yes, we are so proud of brother who one 4th place, except there is one little thing, there is not a medal for 4th place.  Yes, his twin brother.

Oh, boy.  Brother was pretty busy with his post-race activity.... thankfully. :)  It was a challenge for him but he handled it well.  Carolina Hurricane bounce houses can do that for a lad. :)

It was really a fabulous race for everyone.  We loved doing this together and I LOVE running with all three of my guys.  Then it was time for the reward!

 Yes, young boys who run super fast can eat like this! :)

 The ladies enjoy the Skinny Omeletes....

And real food like eggs, cheese, ham, bacon, potatoes .... our favorite, Another Broken Egg totally hit the spot after the race.  Protein speaks.

Here, I was LOVING sharing the LOVE and delight to represent Skirt Sports again in my 5k!! 

Just so you know, Skirt Sports is designed by female owner, Nicole, who works out and 

totally gets women's fitness needs.   The comfort and details of this outfit from SkirtSports is 

unmatched!  I have fallen in LOVE with this Gemini Jacket!  Lightweight, every detail, 

and soft and warm.  The Skirt with Pant is AMAZING! 

SkirtSports 

I LOVE the iPhone 

port for my earbuds!  And LOOK at the cool colors. :)  Love it. 

And I wore my fabulous Hanes Bandidi Sports Bras. They are awesome. 

Just right for me.  Check them out and they are half the price of other sports bras. :) 

Hanes Bandini Bras 2/$10.49 :)  Great for Running

 So how is your fitness journey?  We are loving ours.  And thanks to my Dad, I still love my running.

Warmly, Carolina Mama

A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet - Book Review

My fun reading really got kicked up a notch this Summer with Boo Mama's new book Salty to Cut the Sweet.  From this Southern Girl, I have to tell you Boo Mama truly inspired and entertains in her book just like she does on her famous blog, Boo Mama!  I love reading her blog.  Boo Mama is so real, light hearted and fun!  She has been an inspiration since my early days of blogging.  I began blogging in August 2006.  Wahoo!  What a fun journey it has been particularly with such delightful bloggers along the way.

So here I was beachside and poolside in Hilton Head Island this Summer! :)

Beachside, too!  I LOVED the book!  

Just reading the story of her Dad learning the make Biscuits had me in stitches!  My Dad and my 

Husband both cook well.  So I was dying at the Newspaper picking up the story of him 

being taught to make biscuits and well, it gets even better.... but you HAVE to hear it 

through Sophie's eyes!  Boo Mama will have you out of commission over this and 

you cannot even predict it. 

Boo Mama's book, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet

Throughout the book, you get such a sense of Family and Love and Great Food and Fun.  All things Southern, if you don't mind.  I love the joy she shares about living in the South.  She has you laughing and crying and turning page after page of great reading.

Somehow after reading, Sophie's "A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet" I felt like, even I, a Southern Girl, understood my roots even better.  I knew I loved my heritage but to understand family and faith and food in such a simple way spoke to me.

Here's another shot of my frolicking at the beach with my book!  Yes, we had too much fun! :)  Anyway, back to Sophie's story and her writing style ...

I loved the way Sophie can weave a story about her sisters and mother and mother-in-law.  Since I have three sisters - we were five ladies in our home with my Dad and brother - I totally understand the fun, the shopping, the eating out, the cooking and more.

Boo Mama keeps you laughing and loving the South because "A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet" is exactly how we love Southern living.

Sophie reminds us over again that "Family is Worth Celebrating!"  No matter, the quirks or weaknesses of your family, Family is Worth Celebrating.  This is next to Biblical.  Because Family is Everything.

Speaking of family, I LOVE how Sophie shares about her son and that she is so positive about parenting and being a Mom.  Even in those hilarious or nerve racking moments, Boo Mama shares the joy of mothering and being a wife and friend.

You can follow Boo Mama on Twitter @BooMama. 


A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet  gets my Five Star Rating.  Read and enjoy!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure:  This book is a Book Review.  All opinions are my own. 

Holiday Inn Club Vacations South Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Review

Our family loves the Carolinas and we love family travel.  We were so thrilled to recently be asked to visit Holiday Inn Club Vacations at South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC.  This one was located at South Beach, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  The beautiful property is located on a pretty gold course and across from the beach.  What's not to love! 

Holiday Inn Club Vacations at South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC.   

                               

"Holiday Inn Club Vacations® provides exceptional resort-style vacation experiences in top leisure destinations across the country. Settle in with spacious villa accommodations and family-friendly amenities, and then venture out to explore world-class attractions, mountain adventure, championship golf, beachside serenity-whatever a great getaway means to you. 

For a fun and relaxing environment where memorable vacations are created and shared among family and friends, time and again, Holiday Inn Club Vacations is your ideal choice."

We were delighted to arrived on a beautiful and sunny afternoon to such a accessible and yet quiet and peaceful beach resort! 

Since I am a USC Gamecock Alumni and we have family in the South Carolina, we were overjoyed to make the visit.  As a Boogie Boarding family, we were so fortunate to be blessed with a nice, warm, Southern Weekend.  

We had never stayed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  So this was a perfect introduction for us.  Coming from North Carolina, we had heard a lot about North Myrtle Beach.  However, we want to fill you in on a hidden gem, the South Beach.   The  Holiday Inn Club Vacations at South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC is a private property.  It was so peaceful and beautiful from the moment we arrived. 

The property is bright and cheerful and well updated!  The Welcome Staff was wonderful. 

Amanda and her colleagues made us feel so cared for at every turn. 

The Suites at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations at South Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC are so spacious and relaxing!  

Our boys LOVED their King Sized Bed with their own large, flat screen for their cartoons! 

Boulder Mountain Man and I LOVED the Master Suite with a screened in porch overlooking the Water Fall Pool and Lagoon.  So beautiful. 

Oh, the boys found their way into our room as well.  We read even at the beach.  There was plenty 

of room to make ourselves at home.  So I made my way to the kitchen....

Our Kitchen was fully equipped with a full-sized Refrigerator, Freezer and yes, Thank you, an 

Ice Maker!  What beach trip doesn't need an Ice Maker on hand!  ALL of our Sweet Tea

was Iced just like we Southerners like it. 

Also, I LOVED the bright and open space of the kitchen.  We made Coffee every morning. 

We made popcorn in the Microwave and I even loaded the Dishwasher.  

Now, later that night I just wanted to relax in the Jacuzzi Garden Tub in our Master Suite. 

This was so relaxing.  You know, after a long day at the beach, there is nothing like a nice 

jacuzzi hot bath.   Here you can see the Master Shower Room next to the Jacuzzi Tub. 

The Parents have a lot of space.  

The Amenities at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations are nice.  The Shampoo and Conditioner

along with PLENTY of Towels and Coffee with Supplies made like simple. 

I love to drink ice cold water in the jacuzzi while I read my favorite book. My new 

favorite book is from my Bible Study, Gospel-Powered Parenting.  It is life changing. 

So it made the vacation and beach reading. 

Our family had SO Much fun at Myrtle Beach!  This is a fabulous 

reminder and recap of our fun!  

This Beach is directly across from the Holiday Inn Club Vacations at South Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC.  I LOVE that they 

have Beach Access with a Swimming Pool and Showers, and everything you need. 

They even have Shuttle Bus Service to take you beach side!  That's my idea of beach vacation. 

We had gorgeous sunny and warm weather so we took the five minute walk over.  It was fun 

to grab our boogie boards and take off to the beach! 

My Boys and I love to capture the moments! 

And so does Dad!  Here are the cutest and most handsome guys on the planet!!  Oh, yes, making their goofy faces! :)  I LOVE them!  Look how fun this beach shot is!

It was so nice to have easy Beach Access from the Holiday Inn South Beach! 

We took in this Sunset!  It was breathtaking! 

Boulder Mountain Man and I love a little romantic picture on the beach, too! :) 

Brothers infatuated with the Ocean! 

We are family! :) Oh, the memories! 

Here we are driving down Ocean Boulevard Myrtle Beach!  It was quite a busy night! 

We are such home bodies and have LOVED our Holiday Inn Club Vacations so much, we

got 'take out' and headed back to our Suite to enjoy a little LSU Football!  Just keeping it real! 

What a Win! 

One night we visited Fuddrucker's World's Greatest Hamburgers!  Oh, the boys loved this one! 

I did, too.  I remember this grill from my Hilton Head Island Nannying days. 

It was fun to experience it with my men.  The Hamburgers and Fries were perfect 

after a day in the Surf! 

Fuddrucker's World's Greatest Hamburgers
South Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

 We LOVED checking out all of the Swimming Pools at the Resort!  The boys had fun swimming here and checking out the Lazy River!  We swam in the Ocean by day and the Pools by night. :)

Holiday Inn Club Vacations South Beach Myrtle Beach, SC

The Lazy River was a lot of fun!  Our boys loved it!

We had a lot of fun relaxing and enjoying our Suite that had everything we needed.  After getting up early to venture out to Starbucks before Boogie Boarding and Jogging on the beach, I was ready to relax.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations at South Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC maintains such a beautiful property!  Here is the infinity Pool! 

The grounds are maintained in such a beautiful way.  The flowers were blooming everywhere! 

The property had Shuffle Board, Volleyball, Ping Pong, and so many options.  We could have 

stayed a week.  We felt the pull of the Ocean so we spent most of our time there and 

at the Pools like this, beautiful Water Fall Lagoon. 

it was so pretty and fun to swim in for sure.  The Suites 

overlook the pool and have their own Screened in Porches. 

We loved having the pool to ourselves just before the Tiki Grill opened!  

Here we go.  We swam and took in the atmosphere of luxury resort. 

At the beach, we found amazing Jelly Fish.  A first for all of us, we touched a Jelly Fish. 

By choice!  When I was a child, they would sting me - ouch - touching them 

was uneventful in comparison. :)  However, I have never seen such large jelly fish. 

Then the parents found ourselves in the Kids room checking out the Storm brewing out 

in the Atlantic! 

We also met our Cousins at Pier 14 on the Boardwalk for Lunch!  This was a highlight.  

We had fabulous weather, wonderful family and a delicious seafood lunch over the Ocean!

We had a fabulous day! 

We loved sitting right on the edge of the Boardwalk and enjoying the fresh seafood and 

family!  Sweet memories.  South Myrtle Beach is a wonderful getaway for family or 

couples or girlfriends, friends, you name it.  There is something for everyone! 

There is also something for everyone at the Mall.  We visited the outdoor Tanger Outlets.  And enough shopping to pick up matching family, Duck Dynasty, Sunglasses! 

"Now, we're cooking with Peanut Oil!"   We had so much fun! 

Family Duck Dynasty Sunglasses

And, I'll admit it,  Starbucks.  

It was a wonderful weekend with lots of fun and more to return to one day soon. Make your way to Myrtle Beach, SC Holiday Inn Club Vacation South Beach Resort! 

Your family will thank you for a long time! 

These faces tell it all! 

Thank you Holiday Inn Club Vacations for hosting our family for this wonderful vacation. 

                                           

For more information on Myrtle Beach check out Visit Myrtle Beach Convention and Visitor's Bureau for more information.

Have you visited the beautiful Palmetto State of South Carolina?  Myrtle Beach?  Visit soon for a vacation to remember.

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by the Holiday Inn Club Vacations.  All opinions are our own.