not the same...

So this week, I had hoped to blog A LOT.  However, I haven't done much of anything except relax.  Our family takes an annual vacation every August.  For many years, we have traveled to Destin, FL, staying in the same condo every year.  We love it there, for obvious reasons.  This year, we wanted to try something different.  After fretting over the whole "oil" situation in the gulf, July crept up on us and we had to make a decision: should we stick with our original plan or jump ship and find another destination?  We decided it was too big of a risk to take a chance on Destin.  No one wanted to breathe or swim in oil.  

After a lot of searching, we chose Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  

Saturday, August 7th, we made the LONG road trip.  It actually wasn't as bad as I had anticipated.  We only stopped once and made it here in about 7 hours.  When we made it here, I was pleasantly surprised.  I could tell at first sight, this was gonna be my kind of place.  Luckily, we're staying in a "busier" area where there are shops, restaurants and music just a short walk from our condo.  The Coligny Plaza is a neat little shopping center outside our place that is full of fun.  And at night, it comes alive with music and dancing (which Jase really enjoys).

The neatest thing about being here is the chosen mode of transportation - bicycles.  Of course there are places that you have to drive to, but most people here ride bikes.  We rented 2 bikes, one with a baby seat, and have had so much fun riding the trails.  And Jase LOVES it!

Another thing, the people here are so nice.  Don't worry about having to deal with teenagers or drunk folks at the beach... it doesn't exist here.  It's so family oriented.  It feels so safe... there are no worries.

The first full day we were here, we spent some time at the beach.  Jason, Mother and I got in waist deep.  The beach is different.  The sand is much more compact and grayish in color.  But it's actually much easier to walk on.... no burning calf muscles.  So anyway, we got into the ocean and began to feel something strange beneath our feet.  Jason reached down in the sand to pull up a sand dollar.  They were EVERYWHERE!  I'm not kidding.. everywhere you stepped, you were stepping on sand dollars.  It is actually against the law to gather them when they are alive in the ocean.  However, I made Jason stuff his pockets full of them.  Now we have enough to pass out when we get home.  We've also made a nice little collection of seashells.

Last night, we went to dinner in HarbourTown.  This is where the famous lighthouse stands.  We plan to go back tonight... supposed to be lots of things going on, bands and such, on Wednesday nights.  After seeing the lighthouse, we drove over to the Shelter Cove bay-type area (not sure what it's called, but it's a place with lots of boats) to watch the final Tuesday night firework show of the summer.  It was fun, but I was a tad disappointed.  It wasn't quite as "spectacular" as I expected, and there were LOTS AND LOTS of people.... I don't really care to much for crowds.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that we had to park in Timbuktu and walk to the fireworks... not fun in flipflops.

Other than that, it was a great night.

The wildlife here is amazing.  There's a family of bunny rabbits that live outside our condo underneath the sidewalk that stretches to the beach and they'll let you just walk right up to them.  Yesterday, Jason, Jase and I took a bike ride down the road to a little marshy area.  We sat on the bridge and looked down to see an alligator staring up at us with his little turtle friends.  So neat.

So yes, this is much different than Destin, but I'm having a wonderful time.  So peaceful and relaxing.  Just what I needed.