My sister and her husband are two of the most generous people that I know. I might not have said the same about her when we were growing up sharing the same bedroom…but fortunately, we have both changed a good bit! Katie and JD planned a fabulous beach vacation for themselves…and then invited us to join them. I was really excited when Katie and JD invited us and have been counting down the days for the past few months.
Last Wednesday, the Strange crew got up early to head to the ATL airport to pick up my Mom so she could ride 10 hours with us to the beautiful beaches of the Outer Banks on the coast of North Carolina. In the car on the way up, Emma decided to make the most of our time together and fix Mimi’s hair. They had a great time playing Beauty Shop.
We arrived Wednesday night just as the sun was setting. What does every normal family do when they arrive at the beach? Yes, we headed to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Once we arrived back at the beach house, we had more than enough stuff to never need to leave until it was time to head home.
Thursday morning we got up early to head out and enjoy the beach. Emma was only about 6 months old the last time she went to the beach, but she was so excited to be back. In fact, the night before we left for vacation, she slept on the futon out in our bonus room upstairs. I guess she saw us laying stuff out that we didn’t want to forget and decided she should be laid out somewhere obvious too!
Emma had a great time playing in the water and digging in the sand. She also gave boogie boarding a shot and it went pretty well.
Thursday evening we checked out a great restaurant called The Black Pelican. I put a note on Twitter/Facebook last week asking for recommendations and several people mentioned The Black Pelican. Great choice…the food was awesome and we got there right before a really long wait. I figure it is always a good sign if people are waiting to eat at the restaurant you have chosen. After dinner we visited Scarborough Lane and Scarborough Fair to do a little shopping before heading back to the house.
Friday was spent reading and relaxing at the beach most of the day. The Strange crew went out for a little shopping late in the afternoon while Katie, JD, and Mom ran some errands. Friday evening was our night to cook and we made grilled chicken, salad, veggies, and blueberry muffins. Emma was a huge help making the muffins…her favorite!
After dinner we tried to play a game of Mexican Train, but all of a sudden the power went out and didn’t come back on until about 2am. We had fun visiting in the dark, but finally called it a night grateful for the cool weather that meant that no air conditioning was really no big deal.
Saturday morning we got up and trekked out to the beach again. 6 people means a lot of stuff for the beach. We must have looked pretty hilarious with our 4 beach chairs, 3 umbrellas, 2 boogie boards, cooler, millions of towels, beach toys….oh yeah, and all of us! Saturday was by far the hottest day on the beach, but we certainly couldn’t complain because the weather was so nice the whole time we were there. Emma enjoyed digging in the sand and having Daddy pick up shells for her. Mom and I went for a long walk down the beach and returned just in time to see Clint and Emma taking a long nap under the umbrella. I guess they were tired from all their hard work!
Saturday evening was JD and Katie’s night to cook and they really went all out! JD grilled amazing steaks and Katie made sliced cheesy potatoes and tomatoes and squash. As if that wasn’t enough…they capped off the awesome dinner with hot apple pie and vanilla ice cream. Good thing we were done having to wear our bathing suits at that point!
Mexican Train finally worked out and we played several games after dinner. It was a really relaxing evening enjoying the breeze on the screened in porch. Sunday morning we loaded up to head back to Georgia. We decided that we would take Clint out to eat at Stack Em High, a famous pancake restaurant in OBX, to celebrate Father’s Day. Again, the place was packed, but the food was awesome. Stack Em High was another recommendation from friends…so thanks…2 for 2!
After breakfast, we jumped in the car and made the trip home just in time to order pizza and eat in our own kitchen. We had a wonderful time at the beach and really appreciate Katie and JD including us for such a special time. This was another in a growing set of treasured adventures with Emma!