Myrtle Beach 2014 - On The Way To The Beach

South of the Border - It's a lot of things: It's a rest stop, motor inn (another word for motel?), souvenir shops, amusement parks and attractions, and they sell fireworks. I'm always glad to see the big sombrero tower because I tell myself I'm half way to Myrtle Beach.

 
                                                           The tower with the sombrero on top.

I loved  this t shirt with the glitter accent on the sandals. This picture does not do it any justice because it looks so much better in person. But twenty-one dollars for a regular t shirt - no way. Maybe ten dollars.

This gorgeous tree was located in the South Carolina Visitors Center. I gathered a lot of brochures not just for Myrtle Beach but other cool places to visit in the state.

Driving into downtown Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I love the feeling of driving down this street and knowing I am finally back in the city and beach I love so much.

                                   Close up shot of the South Carolina Visitor Center's Christmas tree.

LOL! This is a mechanical mermaid in a miniature golf amusement park across from the McDonald's. She was the first mermaid I saw on my trip. Her tail moved up and down. 

One of my first pictures of the beach. I grabbed some McDonalds and headed to the beach to eat with an ocean side view. 

I was at Myrtle Beach only for two days and this day had sun and the next day was gloomy (but still beautiful in it's own way). Thankfully I took a lot of pics on the day with the most sun. It was perfect temperatures for both days. Comfortably cool or outright warm temperatures in December? Strange but wonderful.

A walkway to the beach. I love peaceful pictures like this. Crowded beaches are not fun for me at all. Very few people were at the beach. It was mostly me and lots of cute old people. 

McDonald's in Myrtle Beach. I loved the beach themed decor. Surfboard tables and water reflection picture tables. This actually reminded me of a scene in Veronica Mars where Veronica and her dad are having breakfast in a really tacky super decorated beach themed restaurant.

More pictures from my trip are on the way. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanks for reading!

Myrtle Beach I Will See You Very Soon

Myrtle Beach November 2013

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving.  The end of 2014 is also almost here. Time seems to speed up more and more every year.

Work has been very hectic and I hope to be back posting blogs more regularly soon.

Tomorrow I am am going to go on a mini vacation to Myrtle Beach. Finally I am going to see the ocean again. It has been too long. I was not able to go when the weather was warm but I don't care. Looking at those ocean waves is like balm for my soul.

This time of year the beach is  not crowded so this is a big plus for me. I don't like visiting the beach during the busiest times of the year.

I am  really excited to see the Christmas decorations. Christmas as the beach is so cool.

Lots of pictures are on the way. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading!

Peace At The Ocean

Last year about this time I was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I have such a peaceful spirit when I am at a beach. The first time I ever went to Myrtle Beach was during a vacation bible school trip with my church many years ago. Nothing can describe the feeling I felt when I first saw that huge expanse of blue water for the first time.

Myrtle Beach has changed so much over the years. I remember the small but busy beach town of my youth. Today Myrtle Beach is a city with many high rise hotels and lots of things to do and places to eat. After years of being away from MB and going back after it had been built up, shock is the only word to describe looking at how densely packed the buildings are.

But the ocean is my solitude, my peace, my calm, and my creative inspiration. No matter how touristy or frustrating the traffic is, my mind will always slow down and zen out when I walk out onto that beautiful sand.

Off season is my favorite time to visit the beach. I really don't like crowds and I don't like crowded beaches at all. I've never understood how people can go to the beach and not actually ever go on the beach.

I wish I could figure out a way to duplicate the peace I feel at the beach at home. The closest I ever get is when I visit the rivers and lakes near my home. I guess it is the mermaid side of my spirit that craves being near water.

Very soon I will be visiting Myrtle Beach and Wrightsville Beach, NC. I will be taking lots of photos to share with you on this blog.

Thanks for reading!

Fall Is About Change - Like It Or Not

To be very honest, I do not like Fall and Winter at all.

My time of year is definitely Spring and Summer. Warm temperatures, green leaves and flowers make me happy, calm, creative and full of energy all at once. I thrive in bright sunshine.

Cold weather chills me to the bone. I have always hated being cold. Not a fan of the dark either. Fall back to the dark and cold is what turning back the clocks is to me. It gets dark way too early in the evenings.

 But I decided to do things a lot different this year.

For the first time in my life, I decided the only way to get through these coming cold and dreary months is to completely NOT CARE. Yes, I have decided that the only way to deal with the half of the year that can make me depressed, is to just ignore the chilly temperatures. Warm mind over cold temperatures.

I will not allow myself to focus on the discomfort and the lack of sunshine but I will make sure I am constantly busy and productive. The cold seasons make me want to just hid in my house under the covers in my bed in my room and watch DVDs or videos on my computer. But I would get mad and guilty at myself for not getting anything down to get closer to reaching my goals.


This year I am determined to have a happy positive holiday season. I also am going to get back on track with healthy eating and exercising too.

No more head under the covers wishing for Spring to hurry up and get here this year. Dreading the cold months made me waste precious time and caused me a lot of stress. This lifelong bad habit will now come to an end.

Time is too valuable to waste. I will appreciate every cold day and have as much fun as I can. Life is too short to not be lived fully.

Thank you for reading!

I Am Not A Zombie Fan But I Loved iZombie Dead To The World

I really do NOT get the whole zombie obsession. The concept of dead rotten bodies being cool is really strange to me. But I really did love reading this graphic novel by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred by DC Comic's Vertigo.

When I saw the cover of the comic in the library, I immediately thought "That looks like Debbie Harry of Blondie". Loved the art and the funny strong writing. This is a new twist on the zombie lore. Gwen Dylan is the main character.

This is the first book in the comic series. I hope to be able to find the other books in this series.

No, this did not make me a zombie fan. Warm Bodies the movie was  just passable to watch and I have never watched The Walking Dead but I really enjoyed this comic. I was even grossed out with all the zombie talk will watching Dylan Dog. Yes it was a lame movie but the lead actor is really cute.

Have you ever heard of or read the iZombie comic series?

Thanks for reading!

My Thoughts And A Review - Finding Me By Michelle Knight

This book will make you definitely count your blessings and appreciate your freedom.

Michelle Knight is the first of the three women kidnapped by Ariel Castro. She underwent horrible torture, abuse and isolation at the hands of that horrible man. But don't let that stop you from reading this thought provoking book.

I was amazed and comforted immediately at how insightful and forgiving this strong young woman is. Her book is a book of hope not of despair. Michelle focused on seeing her child again. She constantly demonstrates a huge amount of inner strength to overcome more than a decade of abuse.

Overall, she describes the abuse in a bit of detail but not in overwhelming graphic detail. You understand the horrors Castro inflicted upon the women but she also talks about the small but important ways she took a positive view of life one day at a time.

I read this book in almost one sitting. It is very easy to read and very interesting. We have all see the news reports about what happened and wondered how the women were doing since their release. Michelle has absolutely decided to move forward in her life and live a full life with healing and determination.

How can any of us complain about the little things in life when we realize how horrible things were for this woman and she came out of this terrible situation stronger and with so much hope. I admire her strength and it inspires me to be thankful for the many things I could take for granted.

Every woman should read this book as a warning of being too trusting with strangers. Michelle had a very troubled childhood and it is sad that this horrible thing happened to her. But I am so happy that she and the other women were found and released. I hope peace, healing and happiness for them all.

Freedom is so precious. The ability to go wherever whenever you choose is a blessing and a privilege. Take a moment every once in a while to realize not everyone has the freedom and is in as safe an environment as we are.

Tell me what you think of this book.

Thanks for reading!

I"m Back! New Posts and Update Coming Soon

Early morning in downtown Raleigh. I love this city. It has changed so much over the years.

I  have been enjoying riding around rediscovering the places I remember from the past and finding new places to enjoy new things.

New job (a blessing and a strong motivation not to settle for being underemployed). Job searching for a much better job. Learning how to manage my time around a new schedule. I've also become a lot more determined and focused to follow my dreams.

I missed blogging. I missed talking to you all. 

It is now or never. Life is so short. Go for it. Do it. Do it NOW!

More to come soon.

Thanks for reading!

You Never Know Where The Path Will Lead You

Wooded area beside the Cape Fear River

Lately I have been challenging myself to take more risks in life. Smart risks of course. Life is too short to be so shy as not to ask a question that might lead to discovering something new and exciting.

I have spent too much of my life not speaking up when I should have. Now I just step out and don't over think things. My world has really started to open up and be a lot more interesting.

Everyday I try to go to new places. Having new adventures is a daily goal. For most of my life, I always found safety and security in proven rituals or routines. But the thing is: when you do the same things, the same way for years, you usually get the same results.

This type of behavior can lead to becoming settled and not growing in confidence or knowledge. The goal is to take a different path everyday. I am making a lot of amazing positive changes in my life right now because I shook things up in my life and stepped out on faith to live a more fulfilled life.

Life is full of paths. Some paths are good decisions. Some paths are clearly bad decisions.

Finding the courage to take that first step down a positive life changing path has been one of the best decisions I've made in a long time.

Thanks for reading!

Jewelry Of The Day - Rhinestones And Rock Crystal

Hi Everyone!

It is so good to be back talking to you all again. Finally my tedious computer issues are over. LOL!

These are the three pieces of simple jewelry I wore today. Earrings: clear beads on silver wire, necklace: a big single rhinestone pendant on a silver chain that I got a New York Company and bracelet: a chunky but smooth polished rock crystal piece from Black Market Minerals in Myrtle Beach, SC.

I love going to Black Market Minerals when I visit the beach. The store is full of jewelry made from all kinds of stones and lots of loose stones for display, jewelry making or collecting. The location I visited was in BareFoot Landing.

Thanks for reading!

Sunset - End Of Great Day

What are you going to let the sunset on in your life today?

I had a small problem that was stressing me out a lot more than I should have let it. Unfortunately, I was still letting that annoying situation bother me as I was about to go to sleep. This is not good for my health and happiness. Of course all of this rehashing the problem without deciding on a definite course of action did nothing to help. 

I should have been confident enough to bring my thought process to a logical stopping place. Let it go. Have faith that things will work out. Acknowledge to myself that I "worked the problem" and move on.

The next day, everything worked out fine. All the stress was for nothing. All of the "worst is going to happen" thinking was completely unnecessary.

At the end of the day, just as the sun is setting, I will remind myself to let go of that day's problems because I know I did my best. Be confident. Have faith. Let it go.

Thanks for reading!