Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Life is for living!





Recently, Nathan, our friend Jake, and I took a week's vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We had been planning this trip since last October. I do not think I really knew just how beautiful the coast of NC was until last week. It was a refreshing week, full of excitement, new discoveries, and sand. Haha. From the moment we embarked on our journey to the time we set foot on the beach, I knew it was going to be a great time for all three of us.
Never would I have though that something as simple as sand and water would bring on much excitement, energy, and laughter. Nathan discovered a hobby of sand castle building, while Jake and I watched and photographed those memories. I may not have had the best time with my sun burn from day one, but I sure got a lot of laughs watching Nathan play in the sand and try to get us to join him. I did help gather shells for his second castle, provide a pen and sticky note for the planning of his ziggurat, and help build a barrier wall for his last sculpture, the Coliseum, though I did complain that the breeze, sand, and sun were making me miserable.

One of my favorite past times at the beach house was cooking the meals, when the guys allowed it, and watching the faces of Jake's and Nathan's as they savored the bites or inhaled the meal, depending on what I cooked and how hungry they were! Breakfasts were either at Sonny's Restaurant or home cooked French toast. Lunches were usually simple and dinners spontaneous. The kitchen was perfect for whatever meal I planned.

I find myself trying to think up what my high lighted moment or day of the week was, but I cannot. I enjoyed every moment and every day. Sure I may have been miserable before discovering a trick that helped me handle my sun burn, but I still found myself living the life of a beach vacationer. Going to the beach was a lot of work to trudge out over the dune, while carrying a camping chair and stumbling over my feet in sand filled crocs, but the glorious view, the sounds of children laughing, and the smell of salty sea was what made the work worth it. Not to mention the relaxing times I had sitting in the chair or walking beside the lapping water. I regret not getting out in the water more often than I did (just once).

Some of the things we enjoyed that week were discovering the history of three of the light houses, enjoying spontaneity, going on a forty minute free ferry ride, watching crabs play hide and seek with the people and dogs on the beach, sitting in the hot tub relaxing, laughing, and reminiscing on life, playing Smash Brothers on Jake's Wii, watching movies and shows after dinner, going out to eat for breakfast some mornings, visiting Kitty Hawk, flying/walking Nathan's kite, flying/putting together Nathan's foam Wright Flyer, and never once planning any farther ahead than one day!

We are now saving up for next May and another trip to the Outer Banks. It is a long drive, but part of the fun is in the anticipation of the vacation. Nathan is planning his next sand castle, better ziggurat, and more elaborate Coliseum. I am setting aside titles for audio books, looking into making a better camera case, and investing in better beach shoes (crocs make me even more clumsy than I am already!).
I look forward to next May and all the memories we will make. God was so good to us that week and gave us some awesome moments with each other.

1 comment:

Brittny said...

Sounds like wonderful, relaxing vacation. I'd love to see all of Nathan's sand sculptures--maybe I'll try looking them up on fb.=)