Picture it, waking up in paradise. Now, that might sound like an exaggeration, but it’s not. You really can wake up in paradise on the Gulf Coast. While the snow might still fall in the mountains, the beach is beckoning you to come out of hibernation. You throw off your blankets, pop the kink out of your neck, and start to live your life to the fullest. You decide that the best way to celebrate your new found freedom is to treat yourself by going on a shopping spree. You’ve been shut off from the world for too long, consuming media, focusing on your work, and avoiding social interaction. The result? You’re bloated, unhappy, and a little bit bored. Not anymore. Now, you’re going to spend your vacation doing what you’ve always wanted to do: shopping, socialising, and getting yourself some well-deserved rewards. That’s the setup for the story of how and why we became a viral hit on the GuLf CoaST. We’ll walk you through the steps it took to reach this point. Enjoy!

Our Viral Hit

The best part of waking up in paradise is that you didn’t have to dream or imagine it. We’re not going to lie: when the sun starts to shine, the beach doesn’t get any more gorgeous, the drinks start to flow, and the shopping mall gets even more inviting. It’s paradise, and we’re not going to shut up about it. It’s impossible to ignore the call of the beach and the allure of the mall. Even now, when we look back on our travels, we can’t help but smile at the memory of how perfect this trip was. Although it wasn’t our first time travelling to the US or exploring the South, we’d never really been there before. It was like a dream come true. We were overwhelmed with excitement as we made our way to the airport. We knew that this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and we were determined to make the most of it.

From the moment we stepped foot on the plane, we knew that something was different. The moment you step off a plane in paradise, you know that you’re somewhere special. The flight was delayed a few hours due to bad weather. When we arrived, we made a beeline for the beach. It didn’t look like much at first. The sun was shining, and the beach was deserted. It was early morning, so most people were asleep. There was a light drizzle, which added to the ethereal atmosphere. It didn’t take long for us to realise why this was going to be such a special place. There were no crowds, no rush, and no stress. It was like stepping into a different world. The beach was exactly as we had imagined it. It was beautiful! We were in paradise, and we wanted to make the most of it. After taking a walk along the beach, we decided that the best thing to do is to go inside and get a drink. We asked a stranger for directions, and after some initial confusion, we found our way to a large mall.

It was packed. There were people everywhere, and it took us a while to find a place at a corner table. Once we did, we ordered a drink and started to look around. It was a little noisy, but what town isn’t when you’re in the middle of a mall on a Saturday afternoon in April? We made our way to a nearby food court and grabbed some lunch. While we were eating, we noticed several people leaving the food court area and heading towards the beach. We got up and followed the crowd. It didn’t take long to find out what was going on. A sea of people had gathered outside the Aquarium, a large water park on the beach. The people were there to celebrate Earth Day. It was a holiday that we’d never heard of before but quickly became obsessed with. We looked at each other and realised that it was going to be fun to explore this new place that we’d stumbled upon.

We made our way to the beachfront and found a huge red balloon. We took a selfie in front of it, wrote “Happy Earth Day” on it, and then popped it. As the sun began to descend, we headed back towards the aqua park. The air was getting chilly, and we realised that it was time to find a place to spend the night. We walked towards the edge of the mall, where there was a large cinema complex. It had recently re-opened after a major remodel, and it was showing a film that we’d never heard of before called Neighbors. It was the perfect film. We were laughing at all the right places and had the perfect night of popcorn and cinema laughter in front of a massive screen.

The Journey Home

The next morning, we decided to get an early start. We had a lot planned for the day, and we wanted to make the most of it. After an invigorating night’s sleep, we got up and made ourselves some coffee. It was still dark outside, which meant that it was just after sunrise. We were starving, so we decided to head to the food court for some lunch. It was there that we ran into a couple from South Africa. They were heading back home after spending a few years in the US teaching English as a second language. It was a sunny day, and they suggested that we visit the local bistro. It was there that we had one of the most exciting meals of our lives. We shared a pizza with the couple from South Africa, and we felt that we could already be back home. All of a sudden, the whole concept of home didn’t seem so bad. It was like a dream come true. We couldn’t help but wonder: how did we get here, and what is life going to be like when we come back?

We made our way to the airport and boarded the return flight. When we arrived back in Ireland, we felt exhausted but satisfied. It was an unforgettable trip, one that we will never forget. It’s funny how things work out. We didn’t want to leave paradise, but now that we’re back, we can’t wait to go to work and be amongst the bustle of the outside world once more.