OBX

I remember years ago watching an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and noticing a sticker (I think in a phone booth?) with the letters OBX and wondering what that meant?  Before long, I was seeing these stickers EVERYWHERE.  So many cars had them and I had no idea what it was!  Finally I got curious enough to remember to google it (I think this was before we had internet in our apartment and I had to go to the library any time I wanted to check my email) and I learned that it stood for Outer Banks, a string of long skinny barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina.

Before long, I started hearing about Outer Banks from everyone, too.  It's a very popular vacation spot, and it seemed all my friends were going there all the time and telling me about how great it was.  

Well, I wanted to go, too!  I tried to convince my family we should have a family reunion there, but it turns out there are no airports close by, so that made it less than ideal.  I tried to convince Craig's family to go there, but somehow they changed the location to Panama City, instead (still not quite sure how or why that happened, but it was still a lot of fun, even if the drive was 10 hours longer!).  

Craig and I were forced to conclude that if I ever wanted to make it to the elusive OBX, we were going to have to do it ourselves.

So we planned the most amazing vacation ever and invited all our friends from Northern Virginia to come along and share a huge beach house with us and-- yeah, Covid hit.  Foiled again!

But this year.  Finally.  This year we made it!  We got to stay in Outer Banks.  SUCCESS!!!  Four days at the beach was EXACTLY what this family needed!

The house we rented had this fun crow's nest-- it was a great spot for looking at the ocean, and reading in the sun

Camille gets comfy in the sand

Colton shows off his "C-shell"! 😁

The water was SO FREEZING.  I can't believe my kids even went near it!

The house was SUPER cool-- a kitchen, great room, and master bedroom on the top floor, four large bedrooms with three bathrooms on the middle floor, and then a game room and movie room in the basement.  And TONS of decks and swings and various places to hang out and read and enjoy the weather.  I loved it!

And the pool and hot tub were a big hit!

Craig has the WORST luck flying kites-- either the wind dies the minute he pulls one out, or if the wind keeps up, it invariably turns out that we've lost the kite strings.  So this time he was DETERMINED.

And was so happy to have a successful kite flying adventure!

We'd brought along a friend for Bentley, Aaron, hoping to cut back on screen time (and complaints about his siblings), and that worked out GREAT.  Aaron was a lot of fun to have around, and I think his presence might have helped us be on our better behavior, so that was an all-around win!

Ryder also got to fly the kite!

Camille grabbed this boogie board and declared, "This one REALLY suits me!"  What 6-year-old talks like that???

She insisted on faking this action shot for me.  (Notice Kendra standing knee-deep in the water in the background.  How did that not kill her???)

We spent quite a while playing in the sand dunes.  I love how Bentley is shirtless and Camille is wearing her winter coat.  What WAS the weather doing here???

I really can't explain why this is so fun, I only know that it IS.  Sand dunes are the best!

I was sort of proud of this time lapse that I got of everyone running away!

And the sunset was pretty, too!

And no day at the beach is complete without ice cream!

We started out the next morning by getting Duck Donuts and eating them in our crow's nest! 

And then we went to visit the Wright Brothers Memorial, where I realized I need to learn WAY MORE about these guys!  I just put in a request for the David McCullough biography from the library...

Camille and I missed the memo that today was grey t-shirt day!

These two!  💖

Ryder was DONE by this point, so he and I sat on some benches outside until he was finally ready to move again.  That little break did a LOT to revive him, but I guess we missed this photo op...

Then it was back to the house for some tree climbing and pool time

I am the worst at pool!  It's kind of amazing.  Craig and I once lost to a couple where the husband was BLIND.  True story.  We're not proud.  (But we're not too ashamed to laugh about it, either!)

Next up: mini golf!

And we ended the night by eating out and getting ice cream (again).  A very full day!

I was sad to leave the next morning, but happy to get back to my nice bed and a dryer that works (my only complaint about the house!).  Craig and I spent a few minutes in the crow's nest admiring the view and trying to take a decent selfie before we headed out...

I loved how parts of the water faded from blue into white from the sunlight!

We really aren't very good at selfies.  My hair kept blowing into Craig's face.  And I was wearing his sunglasses...!

Before we began the drive, though, we stopped at a store and let all the kids pick out t-shirts.

I got myself an OBX bumper sticker.