Vacation 2018

“Not all classrooms have four walls.” The storm hit at around 3:00am officially, although we woke up to the giant crack of thunder a little before that. The tent held up- barely, but nothing was too wet. I call that a win. Once the rain slowed we all crashed pretty hard. The twins and I were up first and got ready to head to the beach. Hayden decided to sleep in, not a problem! It was a perfect beach morning.         And Hayden joined us!         Hayden and I went to drop off garbage and officially pay for the tent site. Somehow this happened... We were coming back to make breakfast, but the rain was heading in quickly, so we did the fastest clean-up EVER. On the plus side: we found the stakes. They were unde the tent.  Rain? Ok- time to shop then! We took care of some souvenir shopping then headed to the grocery store to plan for the next couple of days. The weather combined with not wanting...

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things- air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky- all things tending toward the eternal, or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese Today was a great example of Murphy’s law... We started off great- on the road at 7am, didn’t leave anything behind (that we have figured out yet), and able to fill up on gas and go. We stopped in Raleigh, NC to see the capital building. That’s about all that went great. Today was an exercise in patience. Tempers were up. My vertigo apparently did NOT go away, but it only impacted me when I was walking, so I could at least drive. I had to pull over to nap. Kids were snippy and tired, and I was not much better. We got into Outer Banks late, but found a restaurant from ‘Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives’: Black Pelican. I assure you it was not priced like a din...

“Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” Day 5: I woke up to this adorable sight: (Salem is on the left- buried in blankets) Instead of a full day at the island- we decided to stick around and go tubing instead! It was a full afternoon of trying to flip the kids. I cooked up the catfish that Miles caught- which was slightly larger than the one that was caught earlier- very tasty! Kevin did a great job of filleting the fish. Quality bonding with Grandpa Ken over a puzzle - 750 pieces in an evening - not too bad! We had a little birthday celebration for Grandpa as well.  Recap: 0 miles $0 Today’s lessons: 1: “I’m not ticklish, it’s just awkward” - Hayden to Brad, who was trying to tickle his armpit. 2: Sunscreen needs to be applied multiple hundred times- the kids were all a little crisp... (you would think I would have this down by now). Today’s song: “Big Rock Candy Mountain” I decided to hold off on the Day 5 and ...

“Spend time with those you love. One of these days you will say either, ‘I wish I had’, or ‘I’m glad I did.” - Zig Zigler We were able to start the day with a boat ride: girls only. And Preston. Actually, the day started with “Shut up and let me take my Midol” - Brad Faustmann 😂 And now that everyone is here, I can reveal the surprise: Salem (kids’ cousin) is here! While this may not be the big reveal for readers- this was HUGE for us- especially for Hayden, who has been glued to her side since we got here.      So much fun! Lots of lake time- travel long back and forth to the island, and after dinner, we made s’mores- one of the girls had NEVER had one. She’s been ruined. The kids had Jello-shots (alcohol free, but I saw visions of the future...)      L       And Grandpa Ken and Grandma Cindy came today!! Recap: 12 Miles (grocery run) $17 (just some s’mores s...