Another Fantastic Week at the Outer Banks!

The morning that we were leaving for the Outer Banks, our alarm clock malfunctioned and I woke up at 6:30 with a start, two hours after we were planning on leaving. After a few minutes of frustration, we decided that if that was going to be the one bad thing that happened that week, we would take it! After all, we were on our way to the beach no matter what time we left. The kids traveled beautifully! Aside from two short pit stops for food, gas and bathroom breaks, we drove straight through. We unpacked then I headed to the grocery store while Duane took the girls to the pool. It felt great to settle in to C3 at the Golden Strand that evening. Most mornings the girls ate breakfast on the balcony. What a great view! One morning we went to Stack Um Up High, our favorite breakfast place. We made it to beach around 10:30 each day. It was wonderful not having to deal with swim diapers this year and we loved that Mallory could manage the three flights of stairs on her own. Another blessing was that now that Mallory is a little older, we didn't have to spend most of our time chasing her all over the place. Duane and I could actually sit back and relax a little! And we certainly did! We really maximized our time on the beach. We made sand castles and flew our kite a few times. Mallory loved the sand. She would sit there with her shovels, buckets and mermaid Barbies forever. She would even run up to the water and let the waves touch her toes. It was a precious sight. Duane took her out in the water a few times. She tolerated it, but she wasn't crazy about the salt water in her eyes. Last year Molly was more interested in the pool, but this year she really took to the waves. She learned how to tub and how to use the boogie board. We were so proud of her! She is really showing that she is willing to try anything and doesn't give up easily. We are blessed to have three girls who are go getter's. Madison spent most of her time in the waves as well. It is thrilling that we all share such a love for the beach. I even put in my fair share of time riding the waves. Uncle Brian let us use the kayak he rented so Duane took each of the girls out for a ride. They all loved it! We spent lots of time at the pool as well, but had the most fun there during a few night swims. Mallory was not only jumping in and going under water, but was making an attempt to actually swim under water. We went on a few night walks on the beach with flash lights and buckets hunting for crabs. The kids were hysterical! Duane got lots of miles logged on the beach too. He ran up to the Wright Memorial one morning. On Monday we ate dinner at a place called Millers and on Friday we ate at Big Al's Dinner. Both were good, but Big Al's is a favorite for the girls. We took turns cooking and shared meals with Dale, Janet, Logan, Ashley and Ashley's friend Mimi. On the last night we put all of our left overs together and had a feast. I think we started a new last night at the beach tradition. It worked out great! No one went hunger that week, that's for sure! Grandma and Grandpa Scott and Uncle Brian's crew were in a beach house about a mile away. We spent the entire day there on our last day. The weather started out rainy and dreary, but it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day! We spent the entire day on the beach. The kids loved their outdoor shower. Our last day at the beach and they spent most of it playing with the outdoor shower. Go figure! Duane got to play horse shoes with his dad and brothers. I finally got a rare chance to improve my corn hole game when Duane and I played Dale and Janet. Duane and I ended our last day at the beach in a big way. We took the kayak out and saw two dolphins less than 30 feet away. It was an amazing sight! I was a honestly a little nervous to be so close to them. But I knew that it was probably a once in a lifetime thing! They are such beautiful animals. It seemed like they were hanging around us for quite awhile. It was truly breathtaking! I am so glad Duane and I shared that wonderful experience together. Another beach came to a close all too quickly. We all had the blahs for days after we got home. It was truly the best family vacation yet. We are already booked for next summer. The count down begins! We love you OBX!