Litchfield Beach

Long time no talk! I've been soaking up the rays in Litchfield for the past week and am sad to see my vacation end. My grandparents bought the house in Litchfield in the 70's, and after they both passed away, my mom and uncle inherited the house to keep it in the family. I've been going to Litchfield since I was born, and even though it's changed a lot over the years, it still feels like home to me when I cross over that bridge in Georgetown and roll the windows down to smell the ocean air.

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That pretty much sums it up.

Let's rewind to the beginning.

Saturday

I hadn't really had a chance to pack but I knew I'd be waiting on my mom to pick me up on our way to the beach, so I took Saturday morning to run, shower, and pack. It was unbelievably hot on Saturday, even when I went out to run at 8:30. I had the great idea to use the interval function on my Garmin watch so I could take walk breaks and avoid overheating.

Intervals are awesome! I'd run 3/4 of a mile, then walk the remainder. I ended up running 2.25 miles in 22 minutes (~ 9:42 pace). I may or may not have run through a few sprinklers during this run. I'm not ashamed.

Mom came to pick me up around 11 am and we were on the road! The drive was rather uneventful and there was a ton of traffic. It took about 45 minutes longer than usual, but we're just glad the car didn't overheat!

Columbia. Famously Hot.

We made a few stops on our way into town. We went to The Fresh Market, the liquor store, and Bi-Lo (ya know, the essentials), and then picked up a few more of these:

These are the BEST candles. I can't get enough of them. They're made out of recycled wine bottles and are made to smell like your favorite wines. My mom purchased the Sangria one two summers ago and then their Christmas scent last year for me. I burn them all the time and was dying to get my hands on a few more of the scents again. I even bought two as gifts for Ryan's families when we go stay with them in Texas. I picked up the Pinot Grigio, the Riesling, and another Sangria. I'm in love.

Back at the house, we unloaded the car and were ready for dinner. We headed over to Austin's Cabana Bar at the Litchfield Inn for a casual dinner by the ocean. I had the fried oyster basket and a Corona, and scarfed down their homemade peach slaw. I managed to catch a glimpse of the sunset before it disappeared behind the palmetto trees:

Ryan was actually in Murrell's Inlet for the weekend playing golf, so I met him and his golf buddies at Drunken Jack's when they came off the course. I love a table full of guys while they tell stories about their escapades. Day 1 at the beach made me one happy girl.

Sunday

I attempted a beach run, but the humidity was unreal. I headed out around 10 am (first mistake) with a water bottle in hand, just in case. It's so hard to run in that kind of heat.  A mile and a half was all I could manage before I had to walk the rest of the way. Lesson learned: go slow and get outside early.

The rest of the day was spent on the sand, with Summer Beer in hand (mixture of lemonade, vodka, and beer). A huge storm rolled in around dinnertime, so Mom and I decided to make nachos at the house and stay inside. Perfect end to the day.

Monday

Beach. Shopping. Pretty sunset.

Tuesday

More of the same. Run, beach, seafood dinner. I could live off of sauteed shrimp and hushpuppies.

Wednesday

Fourth of July! We've been at the beach on this holiday for several years, and it's one of my favorites. The town has a parade right in front of the house, where the beachgoer's decorate their golfcarts and throw out candy. They had a flyover over the beach from NC to GA and then you can see fireworks down the coast all the way to Pawley's Island. Dad finally made it down to join us. Such a fun day.

Thursday

Mom and I decided to take a break from the beach. I kept breaking out in hives on my chest and arms earlier in the week, something that has never happened to me in the sun. I still have no idea what caused it because I wasn't sunburnt or anything. Anyway, better safe than sorry. We went shopping at the Hammock Shops, a Pawley's Island mainstay, and then had dinner at our favorite restaurant in Murrell's Inlet. They have phenomenal hushpuppies and the place is always packed. It's been open since 1948 and the food hasn't changed one bit! 

We took a walk on the beach after dinner and I plotted ways to move into my dream house. Sigh.

Friday

Run + beach + a delicious dinner at Nosh. Lauren and I had visited the new restaurant back in April, but my parents wanted to try it out. It may have been better the second time around. We tried out several menu items (crab dip, herbed cheese, calamari) and I had the Shrimp and Fried Polenta for dinner. I wanted to finish my whole plate but couldn't make any more room in my stomach. YUM!

Cajun Shrimp, one of my fave Lilly prints

Saturday

We decided to head home a day early to beat the traffic. Mom and I went out for a few hours in the morning, but were glad to get inside as there was no breeze on the beach! I was so sad to leave, knowing it'll probably be another year before I get a whole week at Litchfield again. At least we had another pretty sunset on the drive home.

Sunday

A completely lazy day. Ryan made pancakes. We watched Wimbledon, the Braves game, and the Greenbrier Classic. Excellent day in my book. And now my luggage waits to be unpacked...

Back to the real world! But at least it's my birthday week...only one more day of being 23!!