NC Outer Banks Day Trip

I can't believe it is already the middle to end of August.  In so many ways I am excited for summer to be over, anticipating fall and all the great weather, football, and fun holidays.  At the same time, for so many years (31 prior in fact) my favorite season of the year has been summer.  This year, I just have not been a summer girl.  

It may be due to mosquito-zika season, or the incredibly hot summer it has felt like in VA, or my general displeasure with VA area beaches, but fall in calling my name loud and clear!

We didn't want summer to escape us without some sort of day trip to the Outer Banks. It's been nearly 15 years since I was there and Rich had never been. 

 We woke up one Sunday morning and map quested how close the main attractions we were interested in were from our house.  Surprisingly we could get there in less than two hours.  We packed up the car (left the dogs at home) and hit the road:

 I was really pleased with how pretty the outer banks beaches were.  On this day, the water was almost tropical blue (though its hard to tell in this photo).  There were shells EVERYWHERE!  It was a hot day so we didn't walk too far and we didn't take our bathing suits because this was more of an exploratory trip.

 You can't be married to an Air Force man without visiting the birthplace of aviation!  I had been to the Wright Brothers Museum and memorial in 7th grade, but coming back this time so many years later I had a greater appreciation of what those two brothers went through to give us the gift of flight!

 From atop the monument you can see where they flew their test glider.  I cannot believe they were able to carry it up this hill on hot days.  I could barely walk up just myself-and I had to take a break!

After Kitty Hawk we ventured down to Rodanthe where we stumbled upon the house from Nights in Rodanthe.  It is now an INN and you can spend a week here!  They've mostly restored it to how the movie depicts it and it is under new ownership.  It was moved off the beach within the last few years to protect it.  It really stood out amongst the other places there and was so easy to find. 

Wrightsville Weekend with Friends

At the end of July our bestest friends invited us down to the beach for a weekend of celebrating Kristen's 30th birthday!  Kristen always provides a great time and this weekend was no different!  We had so much fun and I even managed to stay up past 10 pm for nights in a row (of course I paid for it on night three...) but it was so worth it!

I'll never take for granted that we have close friends within a 4 hours drive!  There really is not many other feelings I enjoy more than spending time with my college friends. 

 To celebrate the big birthday we had dinner at the Pilot House and sang Karaoke at our favorite lil hole in the wall in Wilmington, the same place we sang for my bachelorette.  I loved the view from the Pilot House and the food was awesome too! Highly recommend for anyone headed to the Wilmington area. 

 This photo is proof that I was awake past sunset, a rare event for this lady.

The last day we were able to take our friend's family's new boat out for a spin and a boat day.  It was a perfect day!  Rich even got the drive the boat back to the marina since he just got his boating license.   We had such an awesome time with these fabulous friends for the weekend, so glad they all live so close to us that we can make weekend trips like this even possible!

Kiawah Weekend

Ever have those weeks when time stands still?  I feel like a kid at Christmas waiting for our weekend to come!  R and I will be joining my parents at their Kiawah Island rental for the weekend and thoughts of long low country bike rides, the nature center, Night Heron Park, alligators, and that undeniable Kiawah feeling are running rampant in my head. It shows you how truly special a place like Kiawah is that a girl who lives in Charleston can barely contain herself imaging a weekend at the beach.  I cannot wait.

My childhood was made here and getting to spend a weekend here as an adult has all the makings of memory lane central right here.  We've got a few things on the books and we will certainly be tackling our Charleston bucketlist while located in this part of the lowcountry.  But, in the meantime, I will sit and wait for the hours to tick down so we can make our drive to Johns Island and partake in all of this:

Weekend in Review

What a week capped off by a fantastic weekend!  We are soaking up the last moments of Charleston's beautiful summers and taking in all that this city has to offer in summer. It is truly when the city comes alive with activity and fun and when you can muddle through the tourists a bit, you'll find how magical low country summers are.  I heard all about the humidity and heat when I first moved down to Charleston and y'all, they weren't lying.  But, despite that, it is still my favorite place to be hot and gross all summer long. 

My might fine man surprised me with all my favorites when I got home from a rough week on Friday night.  And yes folks, that is a Red Velvet cupcake and flowers from Whole Foods.  Because, if you are going to eat calories galore, let's make sure they are coming from Whole Foods, am I right?

I am not sure this sums up our marriage any better: Saturday morning watching Caesar Milan work magic on some sweet baby dogs.  

 Those last moments of a Charleston summer spent on Sullivan's Island.  The crowds has dissipated a bit before school starts and hello #taxfreeweekend, so we had some peace and quiet, and a ton of horseflies annoying us.  Our beach visit was cut short as a result. 

We checked yet another place off our Charleston Foodie Bucket List on Saturday after the beach.  What more can you say about Obstinate Daughter's decor than this photo? 

I got the shrimp roll which was a slight take on a lobster roll and pretty delicious.  

After volunteering at the Charleston Animal Society for a bit, we had a crew of friends over to entertain Ellie spend some porch time together before the Hootie and the Blowfish Concert.

Sunday was spent catching up on life and hanging with my number one and two girls while Rich was back home for his mom's birthday.  How am I supposed to get anything done with a golden floor mat?

When I couldn't take anymore of the #velcroGolden, I took her over to the local dog park for some running and a general release of her wiggles.  She's my girl and I love how she loves me.  

That's it folks!  A taste of our weekend as healing and therapeutic as it was for us me.   Time to soak up all that we have left of this summertime.