Our Last Day? Already?

Friday, Sept. 13, 2013

Friday the 13th, huh?  No bad luck here!  We topped off an amazing week with another amazing day!  It really flew by.

Usual haps: sleep in, lounge around, eat breakfast late.  Today I have to start using up the rest of our food.  We don't have a cooler so it's eat it or throw it out!  I don't like to throw food out.  So we finished off the eggs and bread and most of the potatoes with breakfast.

Then, of course, to the beach!

Got our kites going today!

Yes this is me, in the ocean!  What a blast!

As long as I had that boogie board thing, I felt safe out there!  It was a gift left to us by our trash cans from the previous renters.  We are leaving it hidden from the maid in the outdoor shower for the next folks.

Paying it forward

Tough day at the office :)

Home later for lunch then we took a drive.  We drove to the southern end of the island, which is actually the west end?  It curves.  I don't know where we were.  But it was "down there."  LOL!  We ended up in Hatteras, the town.  We went in a little shipwreck museum and found Blackbeard.

We enjoyed the little museum, it was interesting.  There have been so many shipwrecks over the years just off the coast here, it's wild.  

We came back for a rest (from what?) and then Brad, Lainie and I wanted one last look at our beach.  We saw our beach neighbors heading back from their last hurrah so we said goodbye.  Here are our chairs....they will miss sitting out there all day, I'm sure.

My feet will miss sitting out there.  That is for SURE.

That little speck in the clouds is our kite

Yes, it's a selfie!  Hey, I am always the one with the camera!

Our kite again

A passing doggy decided to sprint over to see Brad!

We are so cute!

We got some Chinese food for dinner and cleaned up and packed.  Still have the last minute stuff to do in the morning.  Then the LONG drive home.  It is so worth it, though!

We love you, Outer Banks!!

Interesting and Cool Day!

Thursday Sept. 12, 2013

Guess what?  We slept in.  Again.  By the time we made it to the beach, our beach neighbors had been there for hours with their little girls!  I told them to hang in there because in a few years, they will be arriving at 11 am, too!  It's nice to not have to rush off to do anything.  100% our own agenda.

I was smarter today in the waves.  I stayed near the shore.  Which in no way means I didn't get pummeled by waves!  I was just in control of where I was, which felt much safer.

The waves were kind of violent today!  Maybe it was because they weren't pretty aqua but gray.  It was really, really awesome to sit and have them crash into me.  We all had a super fun time!

My heart....times two

Lea felt braver with Daddy to hang on to!

Interesting fact: you can drive on the beach in the Outer Banks.  Yup.

We chose to keep our Chevy Equinox on pavement.  So we can actually have it to drive home.

Found some mermaids.  I always knew they were real.

Now you see it....

Wooosh...

Now you don't!

After lunch, we headed here!

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

It's really beautiful.  Lainie and Brad went up inside while us lazy chickens went to the musuem instead!

Just your average "monkey at a lighthouse" kind of event.

Yeah. That was weird.

We came home and (you guessed it!) relaxed for a bit.  Then Brad and I went to read on the beach for awhile before dinner.  I could sit there all day.

We played a game then Brad and the girls sang some Taylor Swift songs.

Only one more day here.  I'm already sad!

2 Beaches Today!

Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013

Had another late start...all this relaxation takes time!  We decided to go swim on the sound side at a place known as the Canadian Hole.  Apparently lots of Canadians like it there or something.  In May we have seen many kiteboarders there.  It's very popular.  Must not be kiteboarding season now because there were none.

It was h-h-h-hot today.  And unfortunately the sound side of the island doesn't get the wonderful ocean breezes.  It was just...stagnant.  Small beach that was very crowded.  Our ocean spot only has a few people scattered around.  It's a great place for Lea, though, because there are no waves.  And it is very shallow even out far.  Perfect for her to swim without the scary giant waves!

No waves!

Brad says he was pretty uncomfortable sitting on that beach.  The parents were either not watching their kids, or screaming nastiness at them all the time.  That's just not how we roll.

I was so hot that I bought...wait for it...a BATHING SUIT.  But Lainie and I left to buy one, and when we came back, Lea was ready to be done.  So we came home for lunch and a rest (because beach life is tiring) and went to the ocean later.  Lea decided she had enough swimming for the day and stayed behind to watch a movie.

I was excited to swim with Brad and Lainie because they have so much fun body surfing.  Well...things didn't go too well for me!  First off, here is a lesson for ya.  If you have not been swimming in YEARS, it is best to not go off into the ocean with huge, violent waves.  My advice is to stay near the shore.  So yeah, here I go.  In deep with my peeps who have much experience in the ocean.  A huge wave was coming and I was already floundering a bit trying to keep my balance.  I was yelling, "I'm scared!"  Lainie yelled back, because it's so loud we had to yell, "Go THROUGH the wave!!"  I'm all, "Huh?"  Then crash, glub glub bubbly glub.  I was inside a ginormous wave and it was pushing me towards the shore then pulling me back out.  All while I swallowed yummy salt water.  And sniffed it up my nose.  Hey, free Neti pot!!  I slowly struggled my way out of the water, being knocked down a few more times.  I was panting, unable to catch my breath for about 10 minutes!  Can you say WIMP?

I did not even want to get my hair wet.  It was not an option, said the wave.

I watched them dive like porpoises with no trouble at all!  Just like all the other days.

They make it look so easy!

This never gets old.  And look...a ship!

Back home for more resting and eventually some dinner.  Then a musical extravaganza took place on our lower balcony, Lea's own private stage.

Singing and dancing!

Brad and I decided to go catch the sunset.  We went back to the Canadian Hole since the sun sets on the sound side of the island.  This time, the crowd was more our speed.  Mostly couples, everyone with their cameras clicking away.  I can only imagine the pics I could get with a decent camera!  The sunset was amazing.

It was so much prettier in real life!

We came home and Brad took the girls to Dairy Queen.  Then surprise!  More relaxing.  Thankful to God for this beautiful day!

Quote from Lea: "Mommy, I'm glad we can afford this place."

Me, too, Lea.  Me, too!

Same old stuff! (thank God!)

Tuesday Sept. 10, 2013

I feel like a broken record.  Another great day!  The beach, the ocean...so incredibly awesome!  This morning the waves were exceptionally huge and crashy.

Brad and Lainie are IN there somewhere!

This tiny camera I have takes pics so slowly!  It's hard to get any good ones.

Brad bought us a beach umbrella because of my sun hatred.  I got a really bad burn our first day without even feeling it.  It's so windy.

You can see I am a bit back from the shore.  Sat there for at least an hour with just some foam lapping my feet a few times.  Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a humongous wave crashed in on me and Lea as we sat here!  It was sitting in my lap.  The whole wave.  My pants were soaked!  It was really funny!  It went far beyond me to our other chairs and towels behind us.  The best thing was meeting a nice family who saw the attack.  The lady helped me move the stuff back further.  They are really nice with 2 little, little girls.  Made me all nostalgic!  Remembering the days when ours were babes.  But honestly, this is so much easier!  Yes, you heard it here first.  Teenage girls are easier than little ones.

Blurry, I know.  But I love these action shots!

My beautiful girl!

We went back home to change and go get some lunch.  We really like a restaurant a bit south of here called Frisco Sandwich Co.

It is really good!  We planned to visit the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse after.  We ate some delicious gourmet sandwiches/salad and homemade potato chips, hot out of the fryer.  Very good!

We all decided we were tired so we opted for napping instead of the lighthouse today!  There's always tomorrow.  Rest is an important part of vacation.  Yeah, that's my story.

After resting, Brad, Lainie and I went back to the beach.  Lea was too tired so she stayed home.

More body surfing!  Lainie and Brad both got some sand rash from this.  But it was worth it!

We had a quiet dinner at home and everyone is enjoying relaxing for the evening.