September 2016

Labor Day was a fun day.  We got new shelves for the living room down stairs.  Steve wanted to update the look of the entertainment center.  He and the boys picked out a really nice setup from IKEA.  They got it set up and I must admit it did look a ton better than the shelves we got when we were newly married.  We then went to the pool with our friends, the Tufts, and then chilled the rest of the day.  

September 6th was Naomi's first practice with her new AYSO team, The Intimidators.  She is really liking AYSO better than Striker's. 

September 10th our combined Young Men/Young Women activity was helping Hunter finish his Eagle Project.  We helped put together hygiene kits and we made blankets for the men in the homeless shelter.  When everything was ready we put everything into backpacks that the men could use to carry everything.  It was a great project and the kids really enjoyed helping out.  

Putting together the hygiene kits.

Steve helping tie one of the blankets.  The scouts were teasing him because they said he looked like an old lady working on her quilt in the corner.  These boys really love Steve.  

September 10th was the first soccer game.  Naomi made two goals.  She said it was because she was wearing her lucky necklace.  We will have to see if this method brings us luck at every game.  That night The University of Utah beat BYU 20 to 19.  It was a GREAT day!!!

September 16th I was subbing for one of the gym teachers at the high school.  During 6th period the office calls and asks if Nick is with me.  Immediately I started to worry.  They told me he got upset during science and the teacher let him use the restroom and he hadn't come back yet.  At this point, one of the teachers in his science class (it is a co-taught class) comes into the gym looking for Nick.  We are just discussing what happened when the school secretary comes in and tells me they found Nick but he is in no condition to go back to class -- can he come stay with you in the coach's office? So, here's the story -- A few weeks before Nick had told me about a really cute and nice girl in his math class named Lindsey.  They worked together on the math problems and everything was going well until Joshua started teasing Nick about being in love with Lindsey.  Josh would whisper things like "Ask her out.  Are you going to kiss her?"  Apparently, today in math class Josh whispered rather loudly, "Just ask her out already!"  Lindsey looked up and Nick, trying to save the situation, blurted out more loudly than intended, "Okay, Lindsey.  Now you know I like you."   They both became embarrassed which made Joshua laugh even more.  Lindsey quietly told Nick she liked him but not that way.  She had a boyfriend.  Nick was crushed but held it together until science which is when this whole scenario happened.  After we snuck Nick in the back door and got him situated in the office (Lindsey was in my gym class at the time) both Ms. Norris and Ms. Salamone left to get Joshua and take him to the vice principal's office to talk about leaving Nick alone.  The math teacher, Mr. McKay was also on hand in the weight room to fill in the blanks and explain what a pain Joshua has been the last little while.  It is really nice being a substitute teacher at the school and being on hand to clear up these situations.  I will tell you right now, Mama Bear is NOT happy and it is a good thing that Joshua wasn't anywhere near me right then.  

September 17th Nick ran in his first 5K.  It was our church Run Against Hunger and there was an impressive turn out.  Nick was one of 170 runners.  I wasn't sure how he would do since it was his first every 5K.  He finished in 28 minutes and placed 30th overall.  Not too shabby for his first try.  He is now getting excited about trying out for track in the spring  YAY!!!

Before the race

With his race buddies Isaac, Josh, Zach, Ravyn and her friend and Nick.

At the start line

At the finish line

The medal made it all worth it. 

Later that same day, Naomi played a very intense game where the other team led most of the game.  It was tied with only a few minutes left to play.  They scored the winning goal right as the game whistle was blown . It was rather exciting.  We left from the soccer field and took Naomi and Haylie down to the church for the primary practice.  Nick and I did a little grocery shopping before heading him.  He likes to help me pick out what we will eat for the week.  

September 18th  - the primary program was very good.  Naomi wrote her own part and was so proud when she delivered it flawlessly  

September 19th - Steve and I paid off the second mortgage.  That was very exciting.  Back at home I had to tackle the bonus room.  Remember how I mentioned we got a shelf set for the cookbooks and cast iron cookware which led to a discussion about moving the book shelves back down stairs which led to the discussion about how old the shelves were which led to getting a new entertainment center with shelves and everything.  Well...when I moved the shelves upstairs to take them to a friend who wanted them I discovered that the seam take was coming down.  This led to taking out those portions (which was pretty much the length of the wall times 2 since the opposite wall was just as bad) and replacing the tape and plaster.  Which led to a TON of sanding and replastering!!!!  This must be what they mean when they say making a mountain out of a mole hill.  More on this later. 

September 22nd - more bonus room mayhem while putting together a garage sale.  The house was a disaster!!!  During this time the Charlotte riots were going on down town because of the Keith Scott shooting.  It was a scary time.  

September 23rd I went and visited with Sister Ford.  She mentioned she wanted to throw a big party for her Sandra's birthday but she didn't know how to go about it.  The planning commenced.  We called Sandra's secretary and got a guest list together.  Vicky, Sandra's secretary, said she would take care of inviting everyone and getting food assignments made at the office.  Sister Ford and I came up with a small list of neighbors and people from church.  I would make sure the invitations got out to this list.  She picked out the kind of cake Sandra would like.  We decided on a color theme and the party was planned.  She was so excited about the party actually happening.  

That night was a spa night for Sara Muller's birthday.  Julie and I put together some snacks, drinks and a cake to make the night complete.  It was fun to give ourselves manicures and pedicures and just relax with each other.  

September 29th after a tip from one of the band mothers, I took Naomi to buy a clarinet.  There was a music store up in Concord that had a few refurbished clarinets they were selling for $300.  It was going to cost us $800 to rent to own her current clarinet . This was a no-brainer.  She was thrilled with the new clarinet and pleased that it was "all her own".  

That night Nick was awarded his Life Scout.  He is almost to Eagle.  Just a few merit badges and a project away. 

September 30th was an interesting day.  It started off with a frog on the wall in the house.  We got the frog back outside right before we left for school.  I was subbing for Mr. Willits and while the dance class was working on their choreography I heard giggles and a scream.  There was a frog hopping across the floor in the cafetorium floor.  We finally got him outside.  Over at the high school during theater class there was another frog.  WEIRD!!!!  I guess it could have been a lot worse.  At least frogs are cute.

That night Naomi had the opportunity to be a ball girl at the UNC Charlotte 49ers women's soccer game.  She came home talking about how she wants to play soccer in college and then go on to the pros.  

August 2016

August was an eventful month and full of fun surprises.

We started off the month in Dr. Black's office (the allergist) to have a follow-up to the oral challenge Jeremy had done and how the addition of egg back into his diet was going.  Since there had been no problems, Dr. Black told him to start adding some dairy in as well.  Jeremy was one happy camper.  The trick is going to be making sure he does it gradually.

August 2 Jeremy drove himself to the high school to have his senior pictures taken.  I cannot believe we are starting his senior year already.  My baby is growing up.

Another monumental thing happened.  I was actually inspired to plan out a meal schedule and go shopping for all the ingredients.  Not only did I plan them and shop for them, I also made them.  WHOA!!  It was a great week.  

August 4th Nick mowed the Johnson lawn.  It is a huge lawn and they pay him well so he doesn't complain.  I dropped him off and took Naomi to her birthday party.  On the way back to pick up Nick I got a call from Sandra telling me her mom, Sister Ford, was on her way to the hospital.  Sandra was following the ambulance.  She had fallen while brushing her teeth and was having balance problems so they decided it was best to take her to the hospital for some tests.  We talked for a bit and I told her to call me when it was okay to come visit.  

That night was the opening ceremony for the Olympics.  The kids and I toughed it out and made it all the way to the US in the parade of nations.  Thank goodness for the Portugese alphabet in which the United States of America was Estados Unidos.  We went to bed right after that . 

August 6th I was at the hospital in the morning visiting Sister Ford and giving Sandra a break.  Sandra had not left her mother's side since they arrived and she needed to go home, get cleaned up and grab a few things.  It was fun to visit with Sister Ford.  She was in good spirits except for really wanting to go home.  We had a good conversation and then Sandra came back and the physical therapist needed Sister Ford to go for some exercise.  This visit was the perfect solution for my worried nerves.  Seeing Sister Ford feeling well and complaining about the hospital food really did my heart good.

August 7th was a really rainy day.  We couldn't find Jeremy after church because he was at the main entrance with an umbrella helping people get from their cars to the building without getting wet.  What an amazing young man!

August 8th the kids and I attacked the weeds in the back yard.  Normally this would not be such a big deal, but we had not spent any time in the back yard all summer and it was really scary.  We filled up the back of the truck with weeds!!!!  It was an adventure to go to the dump and get rid of it all.  The Slurpees afterwards really made the effort all worth it.  While Nick and Naomi chilled at the house, Jeremy and I went school shopping for new clothes and supplies.  It was the best day ever.  I got to spend some one-on-one time with Jeremy.  That doesn't happen very often.  Nicholas fixed dinner that night.  Ever since we went out for seafood on Steve's birthday, Nick has wanted to try making crab cakes.  He did an amazing job.  Our tummies were very happy that night.  

August 9, the women's gymnastics team won the team gold!!!  Michael Phelps got his 21st gold medal.  The olympics are amazing!!!!!!

August 10 - Distribution Day!!  Summer is coming to an end  The kids picked up their schedules and iPads.  I was asked to help with iPad distribution for the day.  Jeremy drove his siblings home and then came back to get some volunteer hours.  He did such a good job they asked him to come back the next day and organize. 

August 11th, my niece, Amanda, had her baby girl.  They named her Carol (after my mom) Jane.  She was 8 pounds 5 ounces and 20 inches long.  My mom was thrilled when she found out baby Carol was being named after her.  

Grandpa Dave, Grandma Carol and Baby Carol.

August 13th Steve and Jeremy drove to UNC Wilmington to check out the campus and see if Jeremy liked it.  They spent the whole day playing around and visiting campus.  He decided UNC Wilmington was not for him.  The campus was too big for his liking and he is not fond of the hot weather or the beach.  

While they were playing in Wilmington, Nick mowed our neighbors lawn and then went to Matt's birthday party.  They had not seen each other all summer long because Matt had been traveling.  Nick was super excited.

August 15th Nick mowed three big lawns.  He had a little help on one of them.  Jeremy and Olivia (a friend from school) wanted to earn some extra money and Nick was happy to let them help out. By the end of the day he was exhausted.  

Jeremy and Olivia talked while they mowed the lawn.  It was really funny to watch .

August 16th was the last day before school started.  Nick mowed two more lawns.  Everyone wanted him to fit their lawn in before he went back to school and wasn't mowing lawns full time.  That night was the freshman orientation at the high school.  We all met in the gymnasium and got a pep talk from the school president and some of the staff.  We were then set loose to visit the teachers classrooms and meet the teachers.  While waiting in line to meet Nick's science teacher he ran into Ariana, his crush.  She walked by and said "Hi" to which he grinned and did a fist pump when he THOUGHT she wasn't looking, but she had turned around to get a second look and saw it.  She had the biggest grin on her face as well.  

August 18th was the first day of school.  Everyone came home really excited about the coming year.  Naomi was just thrilled to not be at the elementary school any more.  Nick was thrilled to  not be at the middle school any more.  Jeremy was thrilled to be in his last year at the high school.  

First day of school 2016

That night was our Back to School pool party at the Croshaws.  The kids really enjoyed themselves in the pool and gorging on pizza.

 

Naomi with Asha and Ashley

Naomi and Ashley

August 18th there was a  Back to School dance at the the middle school and I wasn't going to miss watching the fun.  I volunteered to help by selling pizza.  I got to meet all the kids and watch what they were doing at the same time.  Naomi really enjoyed herself.

Naomi and some of her new friends.  

August 20th, while the boys were at a youth dance, Naomi and I went to Kohls.  We set a new record for most stuff bought with the least amount of money.  This one is going to be hard to beat.  I had a ton of Kohls cash from all the back to school shopping with the boys plus there were some really good sales.  We got Naomi a dress, skirt, some demin pants, 8 new bath towels, a necklace, bracelet and earrings all for 80 cents.  Not bad.

August 22nd I took my newest Beehive out to get some ice cream for her birthday.  The girls get to pick where they want to go and she picked a place called Sweet Frogs.  It was absolutely amazing!  I now know why all the girls really like it.

After this yummy treat I went with Nick to mow another lawn.  This lawn was particularly frustrating all summer long because it either did not grow at all or it was a jungle.  You never knew what you were going to get.  This particular time it was a jungle which really frustrated Nick.   He was less than gentle when opening the gate and snapped one of the boards creating just enough of a hole for the dogs to escape.  I told the owner what had happened and told her Nick would be back with his father later that evening to replace the broken board.  She was really nice about it.  Steve and Nick replaced the board that night while I took Naomi to her soccer skills night.  This season we switched to AYSO and Naomi really liked the way they ran things from that first skills day.  We then went as a family to IKEA to look at study desks.  In the first week of school the kids were not exactly successful with studying on their own in their bedrooms as they were spending fun time on their technology so we decided to bring all the technology downstairs and put it out in the open.  We got a few ideas and then headed home to take more measurements to see what would work best.

August 23rd was Back to School Night at the middle school.  While I learned more about what to expect Naomi's 5th grade year, Steve took the kids to get the new study desks and a cabinet for our cast iron cookware and cookbooks.  I am so excited to have the cookbooks back downstairs in the kitchen.  I use them more than I thought I did when I had the brilliant idea to move them upstairs.

August 24th we got GOOGLE FIBER!!!  After all the long months of Google digging up our yards and neighborhoods and hitting power lines and gas lines and water lines, it was finally time to see the good side of it all.  Changing all the email stuff over to the new address was a pain, but it was all worth it when things run so much more smoothly and the customer service is amazing.

August 25th I got to visit with Sister Ford again.  I hadn't seen her since her visit to the hospital.  We had a great time talking, as always.  I left her house and headed straight for the school to help in the library.  I also missed doing this over the summer.  It felt good to be back.  Young Women that night was cancelled due to a sewer problem at the church.

August 26th I got to sub for Mrs. Hammond.  I really liked meeting all Naomi's classmates.  That night was the New Family Tailgate.  We got to meet our Buddy Families.  Back in June I had been given the names of three families who were new to the school and would need someone they could contact with questions.  After emailing with them all summer I finally got to meet them. Nick came with me and got some service hours done for school.

August 27th we worked in the yard all day.  After cleaning up we headed out to the Adams wedding to help serve ice cream.  We dropped the kids off at home and went out to dinner for our anniversary.  It was fun to spend some time just the two of us to celebrate 23 years.

August 28th we had the elders over for dinner.  They talked to Jeremy about serving a mission and answered a ton of questions.  With the new age rule, Jeremy wasn't sure if he should go straight out on a mission after high school or get a year of college in first.  One of the missionaries had waited a year and the other had come straight out of high school.  The one who waited a year was so much more mature and ready for the challenges of a mission.  Jeremy made his decision that night that he wanted to wait a year as well so he could be better prepared to be a missionary.

August 28th Jeremy drove himself and Nicholas to seminary.  This is a nice change from me having to do the drop off and pick up.  Jeremy likes it as well.  He feels more responsible.

August 30th I cancelled out Time Warner subscription.  It felt good after so many years of trouble.  Later that day, Naomi and I went to help prepare the soccer fields for the upcoming soccer season.  We sorted supplies and moved goals.  We also got to help paint some lines.  It was a fun day.  

July 2016 Part 2 - The Beach

This is my favorite blog to do.  I get to relive the beach trip and share it with you.  Ever since our first trip to the Outer Banks I have been hooked and it is a favorite destination for our entire family.  Be ready for a ton of pictures.  Here we go!

Dr. Poo and his Turdis
 (thank you, Jeremy, for this funny memory)

July 23, 2016.  We were all so excited about this trip.  It was a chance to get away and enjoy a slower, more relaxed pace after an incredibly hectic and busy summer.  We were all up and ready to get in the truck by 7:00 a.m. which says a lot because we are usually whining about having to be up by 8:00.  The drive went smoothly with only a few bathroom breaks.

Really cool tree

Thanks to the wonders of GPS, we discovered a new, back route into the Outer Banks and cut off about two hours of snail traffic.  Our house wasn't quite ready so we stopped in Duck and did some shopping and goofing off.

Chillin' in his big chair

Another really cool tree.  They are everywhere

We have FINALLY arrived!!

Our house was ready right on time so we checked in, moved in and headed right to the beach!  This year we were smart and brought all the groceries we would need for dinner and snacks so we didn't have to head right to the store.  The water was colder than it has been in the past, but that did not stop us. 

Steve was the first one out catching some waves. 

Jeremy showing off his Dasani water label fashion.

Feeding the birds

The birds have missed Jeremy feeding them.  

The kids' favorite game - run and dive over the waves.

Here they go!

There goes Nick with his feet in the air

Next is Jeremy.  He flipped over the wave.  Naomi just gets blasted in the face.
She calls the ocean "natures Neti Pot."

I love this picture with only one leg of both Nick and Jeremy showing.

After several hours on the beach and playing in the waves we headed back to the beach house for dinner.  Steve and I left the kids to relax and headed to the grocery store now that the crowds had most likely died down.  We only had a few things to get this time as we have learned our lesson about buying certain items once we get to the beach.  Popular items are more expensive since they have a captive audience and can charge more.  Things like cereal and snacks! We got everything on our list and headed back to the house to relax.  It was a great first day of vacation. 

When we made room assignments we realized that this was the first year we would be at the beach without someone joining us.  It was both weird and exciting.  The kids loved it because they each got their own room.  

Naomi's personal space. Notice how "at home" she is already.

Jeremy turned his room into his writing studio.

Nick just chilled.

July 24, 2016.  We were back on the beach first thing in the morning and stayed until about 2 o'clock that afternoon.  It was an amazing day.  The water was still colder than normal which we discovered through some research was due to the wind coming from off the land and blowing the warmer top water out to sea.  This also made for smaller waves.  We just needed to wait for the wind to change and come off the ocean and everything would warm up and the waves would return.  The good side of this story is that with the wind coming from the land it was hotter than normal because it was a warmer wind so the colder water was the perfect way to cool down a bit.  

Another funny falling picture of Jeremy.  

Doing some boogie boarding.

Taking a break to enjoy the soft sand.  

There are ghost crabs everywhere but they usually don't come out during the day.

Nick loves to dig

Deciding what to build out of sand today.

Catching a wave

This wave came crashing down on Nick right when he got to shore and he crashed pretty hard...

...which led to our first boogie board casualty of the trip.  

Nick recovering after his epic crash.  

At 2 o'clock we decided to head back to the house to change and go in search of Jeremy's perfect sweatshirt (an Outer Banks tradition) and get a new boogie board for Nick.  We accomplished both goals and Nick got to drive the go-carts.

Back at the house we had dinner and decided to go for a walk on the beach before bedtime.  The perfect way to end a perfect day. 

Someone else had dug these holes and had put up the barriers so the waves wouldn't fill their holes.  We thought it looked like eyes and eyebrows so the kids added the nose and the mouth.  The masterpiece is now complete.  

July 25, 2016.  We slept in, had breakfast and headed to the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk.  In all the years we have been coming to the Outer Banks we have never visited this historic site.  It was really cool to be there and see where the first flight took place.  

The view from the top of the monument.

This rock marks the spot where the first flights started.  

The white markers are the how long the first four flights lasted.
The first flight lasted 12 seconds and went 120 feet.
The second flight also lasted 12 seconds but went 175 feet.
The third flight lasted 15 seconds and went 200 feet.
The fourth flight lasted 57 seconds and went 852 feet.

After our walk through history it was back to the beach to play some more.  We can never get enough of being on the beach.

Naomi needed some extra protection from the sun. 

Just soaking it all in.

Jeremy chilling like a typical teenager.  

July 26, 2016.  In honor of Steve's birthday he got to plan the schedule for the day.  We were on the beach by 10:30.  There were some kids already in the water enjoying the waves when their mother yelled "FIN!!!"  They ran screaming out of the water.  We all watched for a minute and realized it wasn't a shark fin, but a dolphin fin instead.  Our first year I saw the fin and panicked just like this other mother.  One of the residents happened to be on the beach and told me that there was a family of dolphins that lived here and if you saw dolphins you could be fairly sure there were no sharks.  I shared this information with the terrified mother and we all got an incredible treat of watching a dad, mom and baby dolphin play in the waves about 50 feet from shore.  It was like they knew it was Steve's birthday and this was their present to him.  So cool!

Once the dolphins had passed, everyone went back to playing in the ocean.

Steve found a ball that bounces on the water and in the waves.  You can see where the ball bounced at the top of the wave behind Jeremy.  They played ball in the waves for hours.  It was fun to watch. 

Another favorite game - wave jumping.  

Naomi creating a sand masterpiece.

Nick chillin' in his sand chair

Steve dancing and eating cake by the ocean.  

Happy Birthday, Honey!

We went back to the house to get cleaned up for dinner.  Steve wanted to take the whole family out for seafood.  We picked Mike Dianna's Grill Room and it was perfect.  Everyone enjoyed fresh seafood.  I was proud of the kids for trying so many new things.  They really enjoyed the experience.  

Yummy seafood!!

There are osprey nests all over the place in Corolla.  This one was right outside the restaurant. 

After dinner we went for a drive on the beach.  It had rained a little during dinner which made it easier to drive on the beach.

The view out the windshield.

We were not alone. 

Back at the house we had more cake while watching "Superman vs. Batman".  It was a great day.

July 27, 2016.  The wind shifted during the night and was now coming off the ocean which meant warmer water, bigger waves and a cool breeze.  This would be a full-day beach day. 

It wouldn't be a beach trip without a sand pyramid. 

 At lunchtime, I headed back to the house to fix sandwiches for everyone.  When I reached the top of the steps on the way back with the sandwiches I noticed a pink line in the waves about 100 yards out.  I didn't know what it was and pointed it out to Steve.  We watched as it slowly approached shore.  It ended up being a line of clear jelly fish (the non-stinging kind).  Since they arrived at high tide they were all over the  beach when the waves started receding.  Apparently the wind patterns had forced them miles off their normal course.  This was a rare treat to have them show up in the Outer Banks.  

Jellyfish on the beach.  

They were perfectly clear and really squishy.  The sunlight made them sparkle a little.  It was really pretty.

Once all the jelly fish had either washed up on shore or moved on the water was crystal clear.  Yup, a perfect day on the beach.  We eventually and reluctantly went back to the house for dinner, but went right back to the beach for an evening walk.  The beach at sunset is a beautiful place and so peaceful. 

Sitting in the lifeguard's chair.

July 28, 2016.  We spent the morning at the beach.  Because the water had been so cold and the waves comparatively small and then the jellyfish invasion had happened we hadn't made it out the sandbar yet.  Today was the day.  

Jeremy and his floating sandcastle.  That's Steve in the background out at the sandbar.  

We played for several hours and then decided to head down to Hatteras to see the lighthouse.

We stopped along the way to take in the ocean scenery and collect shells.  There were a ton of large, white shells here.  Naomi and I filled up our shell bag.  

We got to the lighthouse about 1:00.  It was so hot (heat index of 110 degrees in the lighthouse) so we were not able to climb to the top, but the view from the ground was worth the trip.

I can now check this off my bucket list. 

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, with its black and white candy-cane stripes, is one of the most famous and recognizable lighthouses in the world. Protecting one of the most treacherous stretches of the Outer Banks, with a beam of light that spans 20 miles into the ocean, the lighthouse is also the world's tallest brick lighthouse at a staggering 208' ft. tall. (http://www.outerbanks.com/cape-hatteras-lighthouse.html)
Another cool fact, the waters around Hatteras are known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic".  There are more than 600 shipwrecks buried in the surrounding waters.  

The caretakers house - it is now a museum.

Family photo at the base of the lighthouse.  

Naomi took this amazing picture through the window of the museum.  

The trip to Hatteras was probably the highlight for me this trip.  I have wanted to visit ever since we moved here 14 years ago.  It was well worth the wait!!  Back at the house we had dinner and walked on the beach before falling into bed exhausted.  

July 29, 2016.  This would be our last day on the beach and we made the most of it  We rode the waves on the boogie boards, took long walks, played frisbee, built sandcastles, etc.  

Our masterpiece.  

We thought we built it at a safe distance from the waves, but it became a victim of high tide. 

Steve and Naomi took over the camera for the afternoon and had a blast playing with the different features.  We ended up with these gorgeous pictures of the waves.

Me doing what I LOVE to do - relax and watch the waves. 

Naomi and I riding the waves together.  

I LOVE to boogie board.  It is so much fun and the feeling of catching a wave is indescribable. 

We floated and talked about life between waves.  

I think Jeremy won the distance contest this time.

GREAT DAY ON THE BEACH!!!  We didn't want to leave, but all things must come to an end.  About 4:00 we realized it was time to pack it up and head back to the house for dinner.

Earlier in the day Steve and I decided we would decorate the master bathroom with a beach theme so we could remember our time in the Outer Banks every time we went in there.  We started taking pictures with this plan in mind.  Here are some of our favorites that will soon be on display in the new bathroom.

One last look at our favorite place (taken from the top of the stairs)

Back at the house we ate dinner, reluctantly packed a little bit and then decided it was time to go for our evening walk on the beach.  Steve had some work he needed to do so the kids and I headed out for the final walk.  We walked for a couple of hours and went farther up the beach than we had ever walked before.  I forgot to bring the camera and wish I had because we found some really amazing tide pools and the sunset was particularly stunning.  There were huge, white clouds over the ocean that were reflecting all the pinks and yellows and oranges of the sunset.  AMAZING!!!  The perfect way to end our beach vacation. 

July 30, 2016.  We got up early, packed the truck and were on the road by 8:30.  After dropping off the keys to the rental company we tried our new route going back our and saved about an hour.  We didn't stop at one of our favorite rest stops on the way to the beach because we were too excited to get there so we decided to stop on the way home.  It is a little museum and gift shop on the Scuppernog River.  There are nature trails and a boardwalk that goes along the river.  

The view of the river from the nature trail.  

This is a zipper spider.  They are all over the place and used to really freak me out, but we have become friends and now I think they are cool.  

Another fun stop on the way home was to see the campus of UNC Chapel Hill.  Jeremy is considering going there for college, but had never been on campus to see if he even liked it.  There is a lot of old historical buildings mixed with the new, high-tech going on.  The campus is in the middle of several older neighborhoods and has a very homey feel about it.  Jeremy decided he really liked it.  

The rest of the trip home was uneventful and we were home, unpacked and chilling by 5:30.  As good as it feels to be home and in our own beds, we would give it all up for another week at the beach.  At least we are rested up and ready to take on whatever else comes our way for the rest of the summer.