After Trek you can imagine there was a lot of stinky laundry that needed to be done as well as making sure that all the clothes we wanted to take to the beach were ready to pack. That is exactly when the hot water valve to the washer would decide to start leaking. I kept doing laundry while we made phone calls to various plumbers. Later in the day we had to turn off the water to the house because the leak was getting worse. Lane Smith (the best plumber in the world) came to our rescue. After working a full day redoing the plumbing for a new bathroom he came to our house and fixed our leak. Steve and I had tried to do it ourselves since the guys at Lowes told us it was an easy fix. Turns out that we needed some special tools to get the old faucet off and the new faucet on. We were back in business. Miraculously, we got everything done and even got to bed at a decent hour.
The Outer Banks
Day 1
July 19th we were all up early getting the rest of the stuff put in the truck. We wanted to get an early start in an attempt to avoid the horrendous traffic on Highway 12 heading into Corolla. We did it - out the door by 6:30. We made several stops along the way to refuel the truck and us. We even stopped at our favorite rest stop on the Scuppernog River in Alligator Basin. The dragonflies were out in huge numbers this year and stopped to check it out.
We had to watch where we were walking because the dragonflies were all over the boardwalk sunning themselves.
This one would have filled my whole hand and he was bright green. Gorgeous!
We got to Highway 12 by 1:30 but we were not early enough. It still took us two hours to get to the rental office. That is okay, because we were still several hours ahead of our usual schedule. We got the house opened up and all the beds made so that when Bradden, Sunny and the kids arrived they could all go straight to bed. Jeremy and Steve went down to the beach to hunt for ghost crabs. Nick, Naomi and I stayed at the house waiting for the other half of our crew. They finally arrived at 10 p.m. and were exhausted from their full day in the car. No one had a problem falling asleep that night.
Day 2
July 20th we were up early and ready to hit the waves. Bradden and Sunny were still recovering from their drive and the girls were still asleep so we took Hyrum with us and got our spot all set for the day. We played in the waves, made sandcastles, dug holes, buried Hyrum, and boogie boarded. Olivia was afraid of the water at first but we turned it into a game of jumping the waves. I held her hands and lifted her while she jumped the waves. After about 30 waves she was no longer scared and I had tired but tone arm and back muscles. It was a win/win. We played until about 3:00 and then headed back to the house to clean up and eat dinner. The big boogie boards were in demand so we headed to the beach shop to buy our souvenir Outer Banks boogie board. We plan on it every time we come and we didn't want to break tradition. Afterwards we took the truck to the top of Corolla where there was a beach access for 4-wheel drive vehicles. I forgot my camera for this part of the day - dang it. There was a barrier of uneven height poles separating the regular beach from the drive-on beach. Each one of the poles had a pelican on it. Classic beach scene. It was really cool. We drove up into Virginia and then turned around and came back. It was fun but I was sure we were going to get stuck.
Back at the house the kids were restless so we broke out the sidewalk chalk and let the kids turn the driveway into a speed track for their Hot Wheels cars. That kept them busy until it started to get dark. We baked some cookies to kill more time and then it was finally dark enough to go ghost crab hunting. Armed with our flashlights we headed for the beach. There were at least a hundred ghost crabs out hunting for the night. You had to be careful where you were stepping. Just as we were heading back to the house, one ran across Sunny's foot and she screamed which scared Madi who also started to howl. An adventurous end to an adventurous day.
Race tracks for Lightening McQueen and Speed Racer.
Watch where you step!
Day 3
We spent the whole day at the beach! Naomi and Olivia took a break to go shopping with Aunt Sunny and got "Best Cousins" necklaces. Jeremy broke his boogie board on the absolutely incredible surf. The waves were awesome!
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| A little sibling rivalry |
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| The funniest thing about this picture is that Jeremy had not idea his board was broken. He had a spectacular wipe out and eagerly jumped up to go back out and do it again. The top part of his board dropped and fell on his head and he realized it was broken. Funny stuff. |
Day 4
We were all a little beached out by the 4th day and decided to do a little sight seeing. We have never been to Jockeys Ridge and heard that it was really fun so we packed everyone into the cars and took off. Think one giant sand box with a view of the Sound and Ocean. It was gorgeous. The kids took turns rolling down the hills. We only lasted for a short time before the heat got to us. Slurpees taste extra good when you are hot and covered with sand! On the way back to the house we stopped at a flip flop shop since my
favorites were wearing out quickly (that's what happens when you only wear flip flops most of the year). Charlotte's selection of flip flops was abysmal so I waited until we got to the beach to find the perfect pair. This shop was great!! I found my new favorite pair which is saying something because I am a flip flop snob. Back at the house we decided to get rid of the sand from Jockey's Ridge by playing in the ocean for a couple of hours and then have watermelon and pizza for dinner. We were all so tired from the day we crashed early.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture!
The Flip Flop Shop had something for everyone!
Madi teaching us her lip trick after dinner.
Day 5
We spent all day at the beach! It was a perfect day. The water was clear. The waves were perfect for boogie boarding. There were a couple pairs of dolphins playing in the water not too far out. .We ate popcicles and did some tie dye. PERFECT DAY!!
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| We got to the beach early and stayed all day long |
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| Plotting. Should we be nervous? |
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| My view from my beach chair. This is relaxing! |
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| The water was so clear we could see the kids in the waves while they were body surfing. Really cool. |
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| Popcicles on the back porch. |
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| Doing a little tie dye. |
Day 6
The Steve Cannon family slept in on Day 6 while the Bradden Cannon family got up and went to breakfast. They called us and told us they found a miniature golf place and wanted us to join them for a round. We hurried out the door. We had a blast doing trick shots and watching the kids have fun together. Sunny and I both commented on how fun it was to have family so close. We have both been living so far from family for so long we had forgotten how nice it is for the kids to be able to hang out with their cousins. It is also fun to watch Steve and Bradden together. They are like two little kids. Right as we were finishing up it started to sprinkle rain and by the time we got home it was raining rather hard. It rained off and on all day long. We didn't get bored though. We finished up our tie dye shirts. The kids loved watching me rinse out all the extra dye and discover what their shirts really looked like. We also had a Honeycomb beauty contest. My sisters and I used to do this every year at Bear Lake. You get a box of Honeycomb cereal and you pour half of the box on the table. Each person takes a turn eating one they think is not the prettiest. The last one on the table is the winner. The rain let up late in the day. The kids were content just hanging at the house and playing with each other. We even got some naps in. Steve and Bradden took advantage of this time to go the beach and boogie board by themselves. When they got back Sunny and I took off to do some retail therapy. It was great to explore the shops without having to worry about who was touching what and where all the little people were.
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| The finished product. They turned out really cool. |
Day 7
The next morning we all took our time getting out of bed and down to the beach. I stayed back at the house and got a cake baked for Steve's birthday celebration later that day. Olivia was my helper. After the cakes came out of the oven we joined everyone at the beach for another full day of fun. We chilled, played in the sand, got pushed around in the waves and spent our last day at the beach doing whatever we wanted. Olivia wanted to "marry" me (translation - bury me) so I let her dig a hole and cover me with sand. She then made me a sand pizza while singing "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam." It was the best meal with entertainment I have had in a long time. After a full day at the beach we reluctantly headed back to the house to clean up. One of our Christmas traditions is to let the kids pick out an ornament for our tree from one of our trips. While looking for the flip flop shop we passed a store called the Christmas Mouse. The kids wanted to go there and pick out their ornaments. WOW! We had so much fun looking through everything and making our final selections to help us remember this trip. Back at the house we fixed enchiladas for dinner and celebrated Steve's birthday in style.
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| Me when Olivia "married" me and fed me pizza. |
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| I think this picture tells it all. They LOVED hanging out with their cousins. |
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| The boys loved playing with Maddie |
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| Enchiladas for dinner. |
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| Singing "Happy Birthday" to Steve. He was extra silly for the kids. They loved it. |
Day 8 - Heading Home
The next morning we were up and packed by 9:00. We said good bye to Bradden, Sunny, Hyrum, Olivia and Maddie and started on our way home. A trip to the beach is not over until you have visited a light house. Since the Cape Hatteras lighthouse was an hour and half out of our way we stopped at it's sister light house on Bodie Island. It was really pretty and the grounds were gorgeous. About an hour into the drive I started to feel really nauseated. I told Steve it was because we were leaving the beach and if we could just go back I would feel all better. Unfortunately that was not an option. We stopped a few times on the way home to get food and stretch our legs. By the time we got home and unloaded the truck I had full body aches and was really nauseated. I continued to joke that it was "beach withdrawal" and eventually went to bed to hopefully sleep it off. This trip was amazing and to have been able to spend the whole week with Bradden, Sunny and the kids made it all that much better. Everytime we go to the beach we think it was the best trip ever, but when we go the next time that trip is the best trip ever. All the more reason to visit the ocean more often I say!
Sunday, July 27th, I woke up feeling worse than I did when I went to bed. I was supposed to teach Sunbeams that day, but knew I would never make it so I called my teaching buddy, Barbara Cobb, and told her I didn't feel well at all. That wonderful woman told me to stay in bed and not worry about a thing since she had prepared the lesson anyway. This is one time I was really grateful for a miscommunication. I thought I was supposed to teach and she thought she was teaching since I would just be getting back from the beach the day before. I love working with Barbara. She always has my back. I was so relieved I started to cry and told her she was the best and I owed her big. She told me to work on getting better and even called me after church (and the next several days) to make sure I was taking it easy and getting better.
Monday, July 28th, I was still sick when I woke up. I drove Naomi to drama camp and came home to crash again. The boys mowed the lawn and played with friends. Jeremy drove back over (with me in the passengers seat) to get Naomi from camp. Back at home the kids were great. They played with friends and kept me informed of all that was going on while I stayed in bed trying to feel better. I have the best kids ever. By that evening I was tired of being sick and remembered I had some Digestzen in the closet. I took a dose of that and by bedtime I was feeling a little bit better.
Tuesday, July 29th, I AM GOING TO LIVE!!! I woke up feeling much better. The kids were excited because it meant we could go grocery shopping and get some real food in the house. I let them pick out a treat for being such troopers and helping me out while I was sick. We also started planning our next trip to the beach and dreaming about someday owning a house at the beach. We went to the pool that afternoon with the Tufts. Jeremy and Nicholas immediately went for the water slide. Naomi, Haylie and Paige started playing their various water games (the rules of which are confusing to an adult but completely logical to an eight year old - you know those games). Since I was feeling much better but not sure if I wanted to brave the pool quite yet, I offered to hold Tessa. She let me hold her without crying. In fact, she even fell asleep. This is worth mentioning because up until this time Tessa would not go to anyone else (she is 10 months old). I got to enjoy the time holding a sleeping baby while Tabitha and Callie got to play in the water. It was a win for all of us. Later that afternoon Naomi and I went in search of the perfect backpack for the coming school year. She hadn't found "the" one yet, but she was hopeful this would be the time. That is when we stumbled across a zebra patterned backpack with bright pink zippers. This was it. She had found her backpack. I would say it was a productive day!
Wednesday, July 30th, Naomi had drama camp again. The boys and I got talking while we were driving and they asked if they could redecorate their bathroom. I cautiously asked what they had in mind and was relieved to hear all about how they wanted a University of Utah bathroom. I had been bracing for some really out there idea. Minecraft. Dr. Who. My Little Pony. After drama camp we went to IKEA to look for red things and then went to Lowes to collect some paint samples. We found some great Ute decorations online. This will be amazing. We have some great ideas now we just have to find the time to get it done. While we were planning everything Naomi asked what Utah was like in the summer. In all of her 8 years and all the times we have gone to Utah to visit, we have not ever gone during the summer. So, we called mom and asked if it was okay for us to crash the Weenig family summer vacation the following July. She was thrilled that we would be there. Naomi can't wait to experience a warm Utah vacation.
Thursday, July 31st was the day I almost died. I let Jeremy drive us to his orthodontist appointment. We were just about there when Jeremy swung a right turn really wide and almost hit a semi truck head on. Thank goodness the semi was going really slowly since it was making a left hand turn and was watching for a break in traffic. The driver was surprised at first and then started to chuckle when he realized that it was a young kid who was obviously driving with a learner's permit. I am sure that the look of shear terror on my face was quite amusing as well. Jeremy handled it really well and got us all straightened out. In his defense, it is one of those turns that is less than 90 degrees and was going from a flat surface to a pretty steep incline. (I should also mention that on our next trip to the orthodontist he nailed the turn perfectly.) We went school clothes shopping in the afternoon and I had a great time watching what each of them picked out. Their sense of style is so different from each other. We had pizza for dinner and went to bed exhausted from such a fun and adventure-filled day.
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