Here and There...and Toby

We've had a busy couple of weeks!  Kyle has been traveling quite a bit for work, and we added in some fun trips as well. Instead of a few mini-blogs, I slammed them all into one big efficient blog. You're welcome.

Myrtle Beach
Back in early October, Kyle and I took a quick weekend trip out to Myrtle Beach. It technically wasn't "in season" for vacation weather as far as that area is concerned, but it didn't matter to us. We actually stayed in North Myrtle Beach, which is a different town entirely than just north Myrtle Beach - click here for map. The weather was warm but not too hot, and the beach there goes for miles - 60 miles in fact. The hotels are back from the ocean a bit, giving the beach a wide open feel where families can play. I won't say the ocean was warm, but it definitely was not cold, and yes, we stuck our toes in but that's about it. There were many people out playing in the sand, swimming in the water, and fishing is big there too.


This area is nicknamed The Redneck Riviera, and that refers not so much to the beach but the shops and stores that line the main street. As you drive up and down the main frontage road, there are HUGE seafood restaurants with big plastic animals on the roof (think the biggest red plastic crab you have ever seen), strip clubs here and there, shops selling anything and everything you might need for the beach appear every block or so, and the "red-dot" or ABC stores selling alcohol that you can't otherwise purchase at gas stations or grocery stores. It makes you feel like you are walking through a cheesy 80's movie, mixed with a little Miami Vice, a bit of National Lampoon's Vacation, some Jersey Shore, and an Animal House movie all in one.

Walking the Boardwalk

Now that you have the main idea, I must say we had a great time. We walked up and down the beach, we walked the Boardwalk, walked the main shops in the area, and made a specific effort to eat at local Mom and Pop restaurants and avoid the chains. We did eat some delicious lightly fried seafood, but wound up having our tummies mad at us later. The beach was beautiful and I can see why families from miles around make the trip out there. I can also see why it is a huge spring break vacation spot.

View of the beach from the Ferris Wheel on the boardwalk

With all that in mind, would we go back for a vacation? Probably not. There is a local airport, but not one that Southwest flies to. We flew to Charleston, and made the 2 hour drive to Myrtle Beach, which basically kills one day of vacation. I can definitely see however, if you had a family and a minivan and were within an 8 hour driving range, you could easily pack up the van with all your beach stuff and make a week of it at the beach. To see a few more pictures we took, click here.

Our walk on the calming beach

Michigan
What time of year comes to mind as a fantastic time to go to Northport, MI? If you said late October, you're right! I flew to Detroit to see the lovely Amy Owens and her mother.  Amy was kind enough to pick me up at the airport and we all drove north to visit Amy's friend Kallie. They've been friends since the 5th grade!  Kallie lives waaaay up north in Northport, MI. How far north? More north than Green Bay, WI! Click here for the map. Kallie was kind enough to show us the sites and be our tour guide and history buff for the weekend. We ate and shopped in Traverse City and looked at the bay, said hello to Lake Michigan, and had a great time wine tasting. It was a great girls' weekend.

Mandi and Amy, freezing our tushies off on the beach of Lake Michigan. 

Kallie, Mandi and Amy. Don't let the smiles fool you, it was cold and windy, but sooo beautiful.

Vegas
Vegas baby! Kyle and I made a quick trip out to Vegas and did double duty. Kyle was there to speak at a conference (which, of course, he NAILED IT!), and I tagged along. It had been quite some time since either of us went to Vegas. Did we party hard in the clubs like it was 1999? Um, no. We walked the shops of Caesars Palace, had a lovely french dinner at L'Atelier, and saw the KA Cirque du Soleil show at MGM Grand. Kyle has a friend from high school who is actually in the show! She was an awesome host and met us after the show and gave us a tour of backstage. We of course repaid her by taking her out for drinks.  Thanks Summer! We had a great time.

Here's the funniest part of the trip - we got to meet Dick Butkus!! We were in Caesars Palace, and he was sitting in a sports memorabilia store saying hi to fans. At first, we were hesitant to buy into the idea, as you had to purchase something in the shop for him to sign. When we learned the money went to his charity for children, we were all in. Plus, how upset would we be if we got home and then wished we had done it? So we did. He was very nice and happy to chat with Kyle. We took a picture with him, and then he signs it right away. He also had an assistant who took a ton of pictures with my camera as well. After all his years of playing, his body has to be wrecked! I did notice when I put my hand on his chair to kneel down, he had a vibrating chair. It probably helps him feel better for all the hours he sits while fans like us come by and say hi.
























For those of you who didn't know, Kyle is a HUGE Bears fan. Every year, he and a few buddies make it up to Chicago for what is now called the Boys' Ultimate Weekend. They see a Cubs game on a Friday, Notre Dame game Saturday, and a Bears game Sunday. Here is their group shot from this year: Kyle, Eric, Papa Johnson and Ryan. Go Bears!

Toby
While we were on one of our trips, we missed Toby's first birthday! I'm sure he will understand. In fact, I'm pretty sure he didn't miss us one bit. He stayed at his favorite doggy camp/hotel place. When we came to pick him up the afternoon of day 5, it was right after play time and he was so exhausted. I carried him out to the car and he didn't even move. He just put his head on my shoulder and went to sleep. Normally, when we take him to camp, he can tell we are almost there when I sit in the left turn lane to turn into the parking lot. He will start whining and vibrating and dancing all around in his car seat. At least he loves it. It would be so hard to leave him for a few days if he didn't like it. His new trick is dancing all around the car seat and hitting the window button with his foot to roll down the window. I swear he knows what he is doing and tries to roll down the window while we are on the freeway.

Now that Toby is 1, I would love to say that he has grown up and matured, but really, he is still just a pup. He loves to play in the leaves in the backyard, and continually brings in his favorite ones to show us and then eat them on the rug. He makes me laugh because you can see him thinking of ways to get in to trouble when he's bored. You can see him scheming to do something he knows he shouldn't do, and he knows he's going to get caught, but he does it anyway. He at least has the courtesy of acting shocked when we tell him he can't do that. He is our silly fuzzy guy.

What are you talking about? I wasn't eating leaves. 

Toby Sabie, leaf whisperer. 

I'd like to say this stoic figure is guarding the house, or even being a sentry on the trail, but alas, no.  This picture is from our walk this morning, where he abruptly decided that he had no intention of crossing the bridge over the running creek. Sometimes he really doesn't like bridges. I have yet to figure out if it is because most of the time he can see through the boards to the water below, or if it is the sound of the moving water. This bridge today was made of cement, so I'm thinking it was the sound of the creek. After all the coaxing, treats, and encouragement I had didn't work, I did what any loving mother would do. I picked him up and plopped him in the middle of the bridge so he would at least have to walk his way out. He did, and everything was fine after that. Of course, that treat tasted much better on the other side of the bridge.

If you haven't had your fill of Toby yet, here are two recent videos for your viewing pleasure.

Toby vs. Carrot

Toby gets bored (a.k.a. What happened to the toilet paper?)

Thanks for reading! Until next time, keep on smiling, snuggling, and smelling the world around you.

Take care.
Mandi, Kyle and Toby