ACDA Honor Choir and Myrtle Beach

In between Jalen's birthday and ordination, Baylie participated in the ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) Honor Choir in Florence, SC. It was an audition choir and she was one of nine students selected from her school.

We rented a van so we'd have enough room for all of us. Unfortunately, the car we got wasn't a van - it was an SUV. It was hard for Grammy and Grandad to get in and out of. Florence is home to the only Buc-ee's in South Carolina so we decided to introduce Grammy & Grandad to its awesomeness. We headed there for lunch. It's about 1 1/2 from Columbia.

Buc-ee's is amazing. Grammy counted 30+ filling pumps. She couldn't believe it.

Lots of ice!

Buc-ee's pays well! Maybe we should move to Florence!

They were amazed from the minute they walked in. Buc-ee's is pretty impressive!

We knew Grammy would love the bathrooms.

Each stall is like it's own little room. Grammy counted over 30.

Even the urinals offer a bit of privacy.

Buc-ee's is known for it's amazing food selection.

Glazed nuts.

So many choices!

It's from Texas so of course there's Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Patries. 

We learned from our friend Mary Chorey that we had to try a beaver tail. It was amazing! David says it's his new fave. (We actually tried this one on the way home, but I'm inserting it here.)

Dad couldn't believe the meat!

3-meat sandwich: barbecue, brisket, and sausage.

David and Grandad both tried one. That's a mouthful!

Pralines are a fave.

As is the fudge. We got a variety to try.

Seriously??!!

Jerky

Lots and lots of jerkey.

Never tried the Beaver Nuggets.

So much soda! Cool flavors to choose from.

There are also huge sections for clothing and home goods.

We stocked up for lunch and then took Baylie to meet her choir teacher.

After dropping her off, the rest of us headed to Myrtle Beach. It's about 1 1/2 from Florence. We started off at Ripley's Aquarium. They give a good discount to homeschool families. When we first walked in, it looked small and very kiddie-ish. I was worried that it would be lame. I was wrong!

The aquarium is arranged very well with maximum use of space. There was a lot more to see than I expected.

I crawled through a tunnel to pup up in the middle of the penguin enclosure. It was so cool! Until I realized that I had a close up view to two mating penguins. Gross.

Grammy also crawled through the tunnel (not bad for an 80-year-old)!

She and Jalen had a better view than me.

Another close up with a penguin they were getting aclimated to her new home.

Jalen and I made pirate friends.

Other side of the tank.

One of the coolest parts was a moving sidewalk that wound around a massive tank filled with sharks and other sea creatures. I took a million pictures, but they all end up looking alike.

The sawfish was enormous! And his saw was so long.

Sea turtle. So cute.

Amazing tunnel experience.

They had a new sloth exhibit. Look at that cute face!

We got to pet star fish, jelly fish and sea anemone. The jelly fish changed colors! The anemone were so soft, you couldn't even tell you were touching them! It was all very cool.

Jalen finally got to the "The Meg"!

Grammy bonded with a cute fish. (Can't remember what kind it was.) It would follow her finger all around the glass.

Deep sea divers

Octopus

Sea dragons

We got to pet manta rays. So cool! I got so wet, I had to take off my sweat shirt!

There were also enormous manta rays. They always look like they're smiling.

This guy had a broken tail.

Colorful jellyfish

Our next stop was Myrtle Beach. It was freezing! But still so beautiful. It's never too cold for the beach.

Grandad collected seashells for wind chimes.

Jalen took good care of Grammy. He pushed her in wheelchairs and walked beside her all day long.

Someone left a birthday message. Perfect since it was Jalen's birthday!

The boardwalk

Jalen and I got some swag gear. We also bought a sweatshirt for Baylie. Grammy and Grandad got her a cute keychain with sand on the toes.

We had booked adjoining hotel rooms with an accessible room for Grammy. Everything seemed to be okay until we got to the rooms and someone was already in Grammy & Grandad's. Sadly the front desk clerk had made a mistake and double booked their room. So we ended up being on different floors. But it was okay and she was very kind.

While we were off galivanting, Baylie was practicing until 9 p.m. at a local Baptist church. She had a wonderful experience.

The next morning, Baylie was back to practice and we were off adventuring. We started at an antique/craft store called Palmetto Peddlers. It was an interesting place! It had a little bit of everything.

Cool clothes

Sports memorabilia

Signs

Music stuff

Oriental stuff

Lots of whatever this is.

A gigantic chair

Funny

Black Raggedy Ann and Andy

The Best Dang Wax

Next we went to Mars Bluff, site where the U.S. Air Force accidentally dropped an atom bomb off in the middle of a neighborhood. Thankfully, it didn't go off! But did do a lot of damage just because of the height when dropped. You can still see the site of the crater, although it is getting more and more overgrown and the area was filled with water.

Our final pre-concert stop was Lynches River County Park. It was small, but really well done. There were informative displays and the raised boardwalk was really cool. It would be fun to go back when the trees are green.

After that, we had time for a quick Walmart run and then it was time to head to the concert. It was held at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center. It was a beautiful facility.

Can you see Baylie? (Hint: left side, third row)

How about now? (Hint: second row)

There she is!

They sounded amazing.

The boys weren't as good as the girls, but they were very entertaining.

After the concert, I made the family go to the Florence Stockade, site of a Civil War prison camp. There's nothing left of it, but there is a gazebo with information. Grandad got out with me, but everyone else stayed in the car.

Finally, we made one last run to Buc-ee's for dinner and then we headed  home. It was a quick, but very fun trip.