Outer Banks

 My sister, Jos,i and I had a wonderful week in Outer Banks with our sons! How blessed we are to have each other (semi) close as we both endure this adventure on the East Coast. Our husbands could not take time away from school/work so we put our big girl pants on and made the trip on our own! I was SOOOOO nervous to make the drive from Pennsylvania to Washington DC all by myself but I DID IT! And there were no hiccups along the way. It was actually a really nice, enjoyable drive. Tender mercies...

We left on Tuesday morning and made the 4 hour drive down to North Carolina. There was a super cool tunnel that went UNDER the water which would have totally freaked our Mom out and another long bridge over the ocean which would have REALLY freaked her out! :-) We we blown away by the beauty of the Outer Banks when we got there and were completely stoked to see the beach house. We were so lucky to be able to stay in Dr. Mitchell's beach house for free! He and his wife have no idea how much their generousity meant to us and we are so thankful to them for providing us with such a magical place to stay!

 We MADE it! We were so proud of ourselves for finding it without a hitch! After looking inside the amazing house we jetted straight down to the beach which was about a 35 second walk from the beach house's front door.

 When we got there it was a little chilly and cloudy but that didn't stop Parker from jumping into the water. It was crazy to feel how warm the water was! Welcome to the Atlantic!

 That night after we got all settled down and cozy in our beds I noticed that Parker had arranged 2 of the 3 dolphin pictures next to him on the top bunk. He loves dolphins. :-)

The next morning we ate breakfast in the sunroom and Parker worked on his homework- he missed 4 days of school so his teacher sent some work for him to do so he didn't fall behind. We also did lots of crafts and things at the table.

James got a kick out of Parker's craziness

The beach house was seriously so fun! So colorful and comfortable! Perfect beach house! It reminded us of the beach house my Grandparents used to rent in 3 Arch Bay.

Dr. Mitchell gave us lots of good advice for things to see and do while we were there. We cruised down to Jennette's Pier and walked down to the end. There were a ton of people fishing and the aquarium was super cool!

I thought it was nice that they put windmills on the pier- way to go green!

James is such a happy, cute baby!

Parker HATES having his picture taken lately so I let him snap a couple of Josi and me.

That afternoon the sun came out and the beach was calling our names!

Parker and I built a castle and truth be told we certainly felt like royalty down in Outer Banks!

Baby James is a walker now and LOVES to push chair around! ha ha This kid is going to be buff for sure!

Yay!!! We LOVE Southern Shores!!!

The sand was incridble- so soft! It totally reminded me of Hawaiian sand!

That evening (as the sun set BEHIND us) it got a little chilly so Parker and I cuddled up in a beach towel and had a snack. Parker had a blast sharing wheat thins with the seagulls!

We ate so well and made sure we never went hungry. I made this giant cookie before we raced off to watch the sunset one night- the cookie was good but we missed the sunset. :-(

The next day we travled to see this awesome lighthouse in Corolla. There was a wedding going on and we enjoyed walking through the quaint shops and feeling the vibe. I seriously fell in love with Outer Banks. My heart will always ache to go back! Lighthouses, beautiful beaches, and cute shops- does it get any better?

We drove over to the beach where you can take your car (if it has 4 wheel drive) and drive on the sand along the shore and see all the wild horses! I started to drive but totally chickened out! Next time we'll bring Tanner and see the wild horses!!!

The next morning I made sure to haul my butt out of bed in time to watch the sunrise over the ocean.  I've seen the sun SET into the ocean countless times but the sunRISE was a first for me. It was breathtaking. It was a very neat experience sitting on the beach all by myself watching the most beautiful scene occur before me.

You can see a teeny tiny white moon at the top of this picture....

The beach house- Aloha on the Atlantic!

Later that day Josi and I took the boys to the Wright Flight Memorial!

I can fly!

It was cool to climb to the spot where the brothers flew the first airplane. The view was splendid!!

They had a replica of the original plane that the kids could climb on and play around. We'd seen the original at the Air and Space Museum this summer in DC!

Me and Wilbur...

That evening we hit the beach again but it was a little chilly.

Parker loved digging tunnels...

The wind picked up again and we saw some wind surfers doing their thing! Looked like fun!

Love this Baby James! Can't wait to meet his little brother in February!

Isn't my sister completely gorgeous!??

We don't want to leave!!!!!

We RACED to see the sunset again but missed it! We were so bummed! But we stopped by this beautiful boat harbor and snapped a picture anyway.

I had the BEST time in Outer Banks with my sister! I would have NEVER gone without her and I'll treasure forever the memories we made there. Nothing beats sister time at the beach! I finished one book, read The Choice, and started another. We ate such yummy food and enjoyed every day to its fullest. The beach was incredible and I could not have imagined a more beautiful stretch of land. I truly am so lucky to be blessed with such wonderful friends and family! Dr. Mitchell is not only the most talented heart surgeon in the world but a dear and generous friend. My heart is full!!