Vacation Recap!

     Hello again, dear friends,
We are back from an amazing vacation to the Outer Banks, North Carolina! We had such an fun time, and now, to the details:

      

     First of all, our ever so dear friend Joy came with us!!! (Our parents conspired together if an effort to surprise us, but unfortunately Katherine and I are professional snoops and got very suspicious!)  We drove out to the Outer Banks, and let me tell you from experience that you get lots of bonding time when 5 people are trapped together in a mini van for 18 hours! With it being Joy's first time out of the state and to the beach, she was very excited and that made me all the more excited to share the experience with her!

 

   

     For most of our "vacation life", we have been blessed with being able to rent a beach house in the Outer Banks with our family. This year our brother, Richard, and one of his daughters, Cossette, who we haven't seen in 2 years since they live in England, were able to come for the week, along with our grandparents on Dad's side. It was awesome to see everyone again and enjoy the house and the beach together!

 

     The Beach......it was wonderful! The first day the waves were just perfect for body surfing and Joy, Katherine and I were having the time of our lives, getting slashed and pummeled by the waves, tasting the salt water (having it burn our eyes) and swimming between waves! Joy, a very good swimmer, encouraged me and Katherine to go out farther than we ever would have on our own and I am very glad of it. When the waves got really big and we swam over them like little ducks, it was sooooooooo much fun!!!!!

 

   One of our traditions when we go to Duck, NC is to visit all the thrift stores. On our second day there, we ventured out and revisited our favorites, finding all sorts of goodies! Joy found a book that had been recommended to me by my Grandmother and proceeded to read and ignore us all for the rest of the week... not really! She did finish it by the end of the week, and I don't blame her for reading it... well... maybe a little!

     On our last day, we drove down to Hatteras, and took the ferry to Okracoke Island. There was some rough water that really made the boat rock, which was awesome! Joy kept saying that if she could, she would dive into the waves! We had lunch at a restaurant and walked around the small town and got some of the best ice cream I have ever had! Coffee and Chocolate peanut butter Mmm Mmm!!! On the way back to the ferry Joy, Katherine, Cosette and I rode with Richard, who blasted a very interesting mix of 80's and country music in his neon blue rental car (so Richard)! We waited about an hour for the ferry and nearly didn't make it on with the rest of the family, who were in our mini van, a few cars ahead!  'When all hope seemed lost', and we thought we were facing another hour wait for the next ferry, they squeezed us on at the last minute!  As Richard said, 'the fender was hanging off the boat'!  For the rest of the ride home, Richard sang and did BeeGee impressions, I laughed my head off in the front seat, and Joy and Cosette pulled a full on Disco in the back seat before they fell asleep! It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

   

      Our dear niece, Cosette was so much fun! It wasn't her first time to the beach, but I think it was her first time riding waves! She is a daredevil, half mermaid! Since she lives in England, she has the most adorable accent that just melts your heart and makes you want to squeal when ever she talks....which we did more than once!!! We all got to sleep on two bunk beds in the same room and Cossette woke up at 5 or 6 every morning and then tickled our feet to wake us up. She is a precious girl!

     

     But of course, all good things must come to an end......so we made the journey home at the end of the week.  It was so wonderful to be reunited with the sea, to feel the sand in between our toes once again, to spend time with Richard, Cosette, and our grandparents!

So.....did any of you go on vacation this summer?  Where did you go?