Beach=Happiness

 Saturday morning we left by 9am to head to North Carolina. It is my favorite week of the year! We had an easy drive down, stopped at the grocery store and got to our house right at check in time. We opted for a cute little town home right on the beach this year. It was nice to be so close since we spent the majority of our time there. It makes it easy to grab stuff or go to the bathroom and when kids get tired, they can head back on their own. We unloaded and headed straight down for a couple of hours of beach time before we came back and I made tacos for dinner.

 

Sunday morning we went to sacrament meeting at the local ward and that was nice. Then we spent the afternoon sitting on the beach and it was so beautiful. The waves were pretty constant that day and there were a lot of them but Josh paddle boarded and we swam and played in the sand and did all the beach things. Monday we woke up to rain so we decided to go to Beaufort and look around at the shops, as well as get fudge and ice cream. We also went to a few surf shops on the island on our way back and by the time we got home around 4pm it had cleared up so we hit the beach. I love the late afternoon and evening time at the beach and eating dinner late while the sun sets. 

 

 

Tuesday was awesome; we were at the beach from 10:30 until 6 and the waves were a bit calmer so we were in the water most of the time. We also played ladder ball and Josh read and there was lots of boogie boarding happening. Curtis got a skim board so he spent a lot of time doing that too. I love how the beach is restful but so active. I love swimming in the waves and exhausting myself, chilling on the beach for a bit then playing in the sand or sitting right where the waves reach. I love watching the clouds, the waves, the birds, the sand as it moves in the water. I love walks on the beach. We saw a few crabs and fish and thankfully nothing bigger even though the water was super clear. It was wonderful family time; I loved being together. Also Lily buried Brandon and then put the bucket on his head. He didn't like that but then Lily buried Emma and she sat there with the bucket on her head hoping to scare Curtis but he saw it all happen and wasn't fooled. So in this picture Emma's head is under the purple bucket; it was pretty funny.

 

 

 

Wednesday was another awesome beach day and then we went out to dinner. We started going out for one fancy seafood dinner during our beach week and it was quite the experience. There was a  long wait to sit but also for our food, then it took awhile to eat since Curtis got two pounds of crab legs. It was a three-hour dinner but it was delicious and everyone tried something different. Lily got a soft shell crab sandwich and her face was hilarious when it came with legs and everything. We laughed and laughed and I don't think she'll order that again. I got the red snapper, Josh had salmon, Emma and Brandon had shrimp and then we watched Curtis eat his crab legs for awhile. :) It was a fun night.

  

 

 

Thursday was July 4th and we got to the beach earlier than normal because we knew it would be more crowded. It still wasn't anything like a more popular beach but people were definitely in our space more than we like. But we had a great day. My friend, Laura, and her family came to spend the afternoon with us and it was so fun to chat with her for a few hours. We also fought waves together and got knocked over once and it was hilarious. Josh made us some sliders for dinner and I had made a Jello poke cake that was red, white and blue and then we went back to the beach to watch fireworks. They were being shot off about 9 miles down the beach so we could see them but they weren't as impressive as being up close. But then some guys came and started shooting off fireworks right in front of us and that was scary but they were super nice ones so it was pretty cool too. 

  

 

Friday we spent all day at the beach again. It was beautiful and wonderful and so much fun. Curtis beat me at ladder ball and I played catch with Brandon and we all were in the water a lot. I made my standard sand turtle and a few other marine animals in the sand. We stayed until almost 7 and then rinsed everything off and had dinner and finished off all the fudge, cake and ice cream and played games. I love my family so much and value our time together, especially as it is so limited during the school year and in just two years, Lily will be off to college. This is such a special and sweet stage of life. 

 

Saturday we got up and got the house cleaned up and the car packed and then we went down to the beach and took a short walk before we drove home. We hit bad traffic in VA that slowed us down by about 50 minutes but the rest of the drive was easy. We made it home around 7pm and got unpacked then went to get dinner at Potbelly. We were all so tired and a touch sunburned and worn out in the most wonderful kind of way. I love the beach, the waves, the open sky, the birds, the soft sand, the smell of the salty air, the cool breeze, the warm, clear water, and especially being there with my favorite people.