Summer Catch Up: Part 2

The next morning we left Jenni's house and headed to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to rendezvous with the rest of my family (my grandparents & their progeny: 3 children + 1 spouse, 7 grandchildren + 3 spouses & 2 boyfriends & 2 great-grandchildren = 20 poeple). This was a special vacation because when I was growing up my whole family (grandparents, cousins & us) would go to the Outer Banks to vacation- we haven't all been there together in over 10 years. And every single one of us made it this time! We stayed in one large house with 7 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, laundry, pool & hot tub, great living/dining/kitchen area, 3 levels of decks and very close beach access.

It was a week of joy! We spent nearly every morning and every afternoon sitting/playing/swimming at the beautiful beach! I learned to use a boogie board. My cousin rented a sea kayak & a surfboard and everyone took turns riding the waves. Amazing sand sculptures were built. Sunrays were caught on our skin. I had peaceful morning runs down the beach. We watched dolphins in the water, sand crabs in the sand, helicopters and plans buzz the beach. Alexis braved the waters every day until she finally gave in to their alluring call and immersed herself (on the last day!) pretending to be a dolphin. We took bike rides & toured some nearby sites (more on that in following posts).

I didn't take a single picture on the beach (shame on me) but there were multiple other photographers who caught all of the action. Here are the slideshows from our hours on the beach(they're long!). We had a most fantastic time. There were so many other adults around that I didn't have to worry about Alexis and Ella hardly at all. It was a true vacation for me!