Sorry it's been so long since my last post. The past few weeks have been...well...hectic, which is probably a vast understatement.
A few weeks back the family and I went on vacation. Not just any vacation...our first family vacation in 4 years! My IT Directorship at my previous job simply kept me too busy to really take time out for a week-long, stress-free, worry-less vacation. It was absolutely amazing! We traveled almost 800 miles to the Outer Banks of North Carolina! If you've never had a chance to go, just find some time and go. Believe me, a good, solid week there will hardly be enough, but it will whet your appetite for a trip back.
Val, the kids and I really had a phenomenal time. We began our trip by traveling from here to Knoxville to meet up with Val's folks. From there we journeyed to Fayetteville, NC where my mother-in-law's cousin -- and the great planner of our grand week -- lives. From there we make the last leg of the trip to Southern Shores, NC. The day of our arrival we checked into our rental houses and got settled. That evening we took the opportunity to stroll down to the beach and soak up the great Atlantic Ocean. Keep in mind I absolutely love the water. I've not been around it much in the course of my life so when I get the chance to go to a nice lake or visit the ocean I'm like a kid. My boys thought it was just the neatest thing to see this vast body of water that seemed to have no end. We stood on the beach at the edge of the water and just let the waves crash in over our feet and legs. For 20 or 30 minutes we listened to the sound of the ocean coming in and going back out. We stood amazed at God's handiwork and were thankful to be there. The house we stayed at had a pool so all the kids (and a few of us adults) went back and spent an hour or so in the pool. The evening ended fairly early as we had a big day planned the next day and we were all genuinely tired from the trip itself.
Monday brought our first outing of the week -- Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. I'm fascinated with flight and my boys are crazy about airplanes. I suppose there is something quite mystical about man's journey to soar like the birds. We saw replicas of the Wright Brother's gliders and first plane. We watched and read about the process that Orville and Wilbur Wright followed to build the first real motorized airplane...and fly it successfully. Amazing! And in just 66 years following the 1903 historical flight, man walked on the moon!
After a couple to three solid hours there, we stopped off at a Western Sizzlin to eat a late lunch and then headed back to the house to relax. The worst part of the trip was that it was miserable hot, with the heat index pushing the temps into the 3-digit range everyday. As a result, staying indoors and drinking lots of water was high on the list of priorities. We spent the evening kicking back, visiting, eating a late dinner and...you guessed it...more swimming. When the time came to sleep, we had no problems taking advantage of every minute we had to do so.
Tuesday I suggested that we take a day apart from everyone else and just spend some time with our family. A trip up and down the coast there to see the Lighthouses had been planned, but I didn't jump at it for two reasons: 1) we hadn't really spent time with just our family and since it was a "family" vacation, I thought maybe we should just spend the day together and do what -- in particular -- the boys wanted to do; and 2) it was bloody hot and the thought of traveling in a van up and down the coast with three kids (one of which is 18 months old) was not exactly my idea of a "day well spent." Don't get me wrong, I love lighthouses and I would have loved to have made the trip -- but some other time perhaps. Val agreed and we called everyone and wished them well on the trip. We asked the boys what they wanted to do. Josh wanted to go to the beach and look for seashells and play in the ocean. Caleb wanted to swim in the pool. We divided and conquered and I stayed with Caleb and Hannah in the pool while Mama took Josh to the beach. I'd love to tell you that we did more than just soak in the pool most of the day, but I'd be lying. Val and Josh returned after about an hour and a half at the beach well roasted and ready for a plunge in the pool. We all swam together for an hour or so and then went to get some lunch. We ate at Five Guys Famous Burgers. It was greasy; it was sloppy; it was goooooood! After that we headed back to the house for some more R and R. The rest of the group didn't get back from their trip until nearly 9. We had pizza for dinner and then the day was done. Oh! One more thing...Val and Josh got to see a dolphin while at the beach. Pretty cool, huh?
Wednesday was our final day in the Outer Banks. We didn't have much planned except a trip to one of the area's aquariums. All of us drove to Roanoke Island to one of North Carolina's Aquariums in Manteo. Although it wasn't the best aquarium I'd ever seen, it was a very nice one...especially considering the size. They had a good smattering of aquatic life and some history about the area...including an exhibit on the history of hurricane activity in the area over the years. You sort of forget you're traveling to hurricane territory until you get there and notice how many houses and buildings are built on stilts and don't sit right on the ground. It some ways, you never really get used to it. We spent an hour or so at the aquarium, capping off the visit with a quick shopping stop in the gift shop to buy a few souvenirs. After that we headed back to the house for a bite to eat (read: leftover pizza and breadsticks from the night before). Val, the kids and I went back to the house for a little nap and afterward made one final "family" stop out at Jockey's Ridge State Park. Jockey's Ridge is the famous natural sand dunes of the Eastern United States -- the only of it's kind on this side of The States. While the scenery alone is enough reason to go there, one of the big things to do that people love to do there is fly kites and hang glide. Well, we didn't partake of gliding on hangs but we did fly kites with the kids and they loved it. In fact, Josh attempted to simply roll down a dune. It was quite humorous to watch as he thrust himself down on his side and commenced a-rollin'. After an hour of kites and pictures...not to mention the sand that got everywhere -- we headed back to the house to each dinner with everyone.
That being our last night, we sadly said goodbye to everyone and left with blessings and well-wishes. We had thought about coming back for breakfast in the morning, but knew if we did we wouldn't get away until much later than we would like -- especially in light of the fact that we had a long drive ahead of us on Thursday.
Thursday we awoke, finished packing, loaded the van, and headed out for that day's goal of Asheville, NC. We made one last stop at Wings...an Outer Banks super store for souvenirs, swim gear, hats, shirts, etc. We picked up some gifts for the fam back home and then headed out of the Outer Banks back toward the mainland and westward toward home. After a quick stop and rest for the evening in Asheville, we made it home Friday afternoon.
It was an amazing time! The kids enjoyed it immensely, and Val and I both relaxed in a way neither of us had in quite sometime. We hope to make a trip back there one day again. Next time we hope to see and do more and even stay a little longer. There's a lot to do and we really only touched the hem of the garment. And that's our trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was a great blessing from God to enjoy His creation; enjoy our family and each other; and simply sit back and soak it all in and enjoy the life we have...which far too often we miss out on because we're simply "too busy." And if you've made it through this written journey of the trip, thanks for making the trip with us.
Until next time...may you be lifted up!
A few weeks back the family and I went on vacation. Not just any vacation...our first family vacation in 4 years! My IT Directorship at my previous job simply kept me too busy to really take time out for a week-long, stress-free, worry-less vacation. It was absolutely amazing! We traveled almost 800 miles to the Outer Banks of North Carolina! If you've never had a chance to go, just find some time and go. Believe me, a good, solid week there will hardly be enough, but it will whet your appetite for a trip back.
Val, the kids and I really had a phenomenal time. We began our trip by traveling from here to Knoxville to meet up with Val's folks. From there we journeyed to Fayetteville, NC where my mother-in-law's cousin -- and the great planner of our grand week -- lives. From there we make the last leg of the trip to Southern Shores, NC. The day of our arrival we checked into our rental houses and got settled. That evening we took the opportunity to stroll down to the beach and soak up the great Atlantic Ocean. Keep in mind I absolutely love the water. I've not been around it much in the course of my life so when I get the chance to go to a nice lake or visit the ocean I'm like a kid. My boys thought it was just the neatest thing to see this vast body of water that seemed to have no end. We stood on the beach at the edge of the water and just let the waves crash in over our feet and legs. For 20 or 30 minutes we listened to the sound of the ocean coming in and going back out. We stood amazed at God's handiwork and were thankful to be there. The house we stayed at had a pool so all the kids (and a few of us adults) went back and spent an hour or so in the pool. The evening ended fairly early as we had a big day planned the next day and we were all genuinely tired from the trip itself.
Monday brought our first outing of the week -- Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. I'm fascinated with flight and my boys are crazy about airplanes. I suppose there is something quite mystical about man's journey to soar like the birds. We saw replicas of the Wright Brother's gliders and first plane. We watched and read about the process that Orville and Wilbur Wright followed to build the first real motorized airplane...and fly it successfully. Amazing! And in just 66 years following the 1903 historical flight, man walked on the moon!
After a couple to three solid hours there, we stopped off at a Western Sizzlin to eat a late lunch and then headed back to the house to relax. The worst part of the trip was that it was miserable hot, with the heat index pushing the temps into the 3-digit range everyday. As a result, staying indoors and drinking lots of water was high on the list of priorities. We spent the evening kicking back, visiting, eating a late dinner and...you guessed it...more swimming. When the time came to sleep, we had no problems taking advantage of every minute we had to do so.
Tuesday I suggested that we take a day apart from everyone else and just spend some time with our family. A trip up and down the coast there to see the Lighthouses had been planned, but I didn't jump at it for two reasons: 1) we hadn't really spent time with just our family and since it was a "family" vacation, I thought maybe we should just spend the day together and do what -- in particular -- the boys wanted to do; and 2) it was bloody hot and the thought of traveling in a van up and down the coast with three kids (one of which is 18 months old) was not exactly my idea of a "day well spent." Don't get me wrong, I love lighthouses and I would have loved to have made the trip -- but some other time perhaps. Val agreed and we called everyone and wished them well on the trip. We asked the boys what they wanted to do. Josh wanted to go to the beach and look for seashells and play in the ocean. Caleb wanted to swim in the pool. We divided and conquered and I stayed with Caleb and Hannah in the pool while Mama took Josh to the beach. I'd love to tell you that we did more than just soak in the pool most of the day, but I'd be lying. Val and Josh returned after about an hour and a half at the beach well roasted and ready for a plunge in the pool. We all swam together for an hour or so and then went to get some lunch. We ate at Five Guys Famous Burgers. It was greasy; it was sloppy; it was goooooood! After that we headed back to the house for some more R and R. The rest of the group didn't get back from their trip until nearly 9. We had pizza for dinner and then the day was done. Oh! One more thing...Val and Josh got to see a dolphin while at the beach. Pretty cool, huh?
Wednesday was our final day in the Outer Banks. We didn't have much planned except a trip to one of the area's aquariums. All of us drove to Roanoke Island to one of North Carolina's Aquariums in Manteo. Although it wasn't the best aquarium I'd ever seen, it was a very nice one...especially considering the size. They had a good smattering of aquatic life and some history about the area...including an exhibit on the history of hurricane activity in the area over the years. You sort of forget you're traveling to hurricane territory until you get there and notice how many houses and buildings are built on stilts and don't sit right on the ground. It some ways, you never really get used to it. We spent an hour or so at the aquarium, capping off the visit with a quick shopping stop in the gift shop to buy a few souvenirs. After that we headed back to the house for a bite to eat (read: leftover pizza and breadsticks from the night before). Val, the kids and I went back to the house for a little nap and afterward made one final "family" stop out at Jockey's Ridge State Park. Jockey's Ridge is the famous natural sand dunes of the Eastern United States -- the only of it's kind on this side of The States. While the scenery alone is enough reason to go there, one of the big things to do that people love to do there is fly kites and hang glide. Well, we didn't partake of gliding on hangs but we did fly kites with the kids and they loved it. In fact, Josh attempted to simply roll down a dune. It was quite humorous to watch as he thrust himself down on his side and commenced a-rollin'. After an hour of kites and pictures...not to mention the sand that got everywhere -- we headed back to the house to each dinner with everyone.
That being our last night, we sadly said goodbye to everyone and left with blessings and well-wishes. We had thought about coming back for breakfast in the morning, but knew if we did we wouldn't get away until much later than we would like -- especially in light of the fact that we had a long drive ahead of us on Thursday.
Thursday we awoke, finished packing, loaded the van, and headed out for that day's goal of Asheville, NC. We made one last stop at Wings...an Outer Banks super store for souvenirs, swim gear, hats, shirts, etc. We picked up some gifts for the fam back home and then headed out of the Outer Banks back toward the mainland and westward toward home. After a quick stop and rest for the evening in Asheville, we made it home Friday afternoon.
It was an amazing time! The kids enjoyed it immensely, and Val and I both relaxed in a way neither of us had in quite sometime. We hope to make a trip back there one day again. Next time we hope to see and do more and even stay a little longer. There's a lot to do and we really only touched the hem of the garment. And that's our trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was a great blessing from God to enjoy His creation; enjoy our family and each other; and simply sit back and soak it all in and enjoy the life we have...which far too often we miss out on because we're simply "too busy." And if you've made it through this written journey of the trip, thanks for making the trip with us.
Until next time...may you be lifted up!
