griswold family vacation: virginia beach addition

as i write this blog, i sit sunburnt and sand-covered in our hotel room with my brother and parental units, waiting to engorge myself on yet another meal. this particular vacation has me nostalgic and considering mccarty vacations past. now that we are all adults (my brother just turned 21), our vacations look a lot different (and probably cost a lot more), and yet contain some of the same old traditions that have existed for years.

sunbathing rituals

mom and i love laying in the sun for hours and hours. we lather up in sunscreen, grab our beach chairs and a trashy novel, and plant our booties in that really magical place where the ocean meets the sand and trickles in a soothing way on your feet. it's one of those "words cannot capture my personal bliss" kind of moments. (followed quickly by some bratty child who kicked water and sand in my face...i am never having children). the only thing that's changed over time is my mom's and my choice in literature. my mom has graduated from the lord of the rings to the sookie stackhouse series to some nora roberts trash from the supermarket. i have evolved from the bible and charlottes web (for the 5 millionth time) to harry potter to, embarrassingly, sookie stackhouse...

ants in my pants...

as mom and i "glisten" in the heat of this fiery chariot and read supermarket novel after supermarket novel, dad and brother make it their personal goal to use every amenity the hotel offers. this includes:
*the ice machine
*the fitness room
*every machine in the fitness room
*as many towels as possible
*the hot tub
*the indoor pool
*the microwave and toaster
*shower caps
*ironing board
*cable...

the men-folk of my family simply cannot sit still.

sand in the netherlands...


when we were little, my mom used to say that after a day at the beach, we have a "sand poop." bc as children, my brother and i would literally sit directly in the sand and soon our bathing suits looked like diapers carrying a load. you'd rush to the bathroom and dump the pound of sand you've obtained into the toilet bowl. absolutely delicious. and by delicious i mean gross. now adays, it's like a goal every day to have minimal sand inside my bathing suit.

evening activities


as small children, my brother and i were picky eaters. so evening meals meant every burger and pizza place within 5 blocks. now, our family spends time hunting out steeler bars and interesting signs and t-shirts.

{22nd street bar and grill: a steeler bar at virginia beach with heinz ketchup and some of the best fried shrimp ever!!! literally felt like we were at home.}

{except we thought they weren't going to play the game. however, the 3 employees there looked around at the literal mob of steelers fans, and decided they could not go up against such large humans who feel it is attractive to wear yellow shirts}

{anyone who knows me knows this is soooo true of me!!!}

...

{this also reminds me of the aladdin moment when al says, "i even have servants who go to the marketplace for my servants."}

that moment...

when your family becomes more than people you share genetics with. that moment when you know you are with 3 people who know you better than anyone, who you can laugh and drink and eat with, who you can do nothing with. that moment when your parents become more than rule-makers but become friends. this is probably the biggest difference, and it makes vacations all that more special.

{my brother absolutely refused to smile in every picture}

{how cute are my rents??}

life is good today