views of hatteras

Now that I am back at work and am staring the start of a new school year down, I thought I'd post some more pics from our vacation a few weeks ago.

My tan is fading, but the cold I caught while in the Outer Banks still lingers on.

Seriously, we had a great vacation with wonderful people in North Carolina and I wish we could afford to go for 2 weeks! You would think that with 13 "kids" (a few of them aren't really kids anymore) and 10 adults that it would be hectic and full of drama. So far from the truth. We get along better with Pat's cousin's and their families than we do with some of his brother's and their famlies. It is such an easy vacation, I wish they could all be this easy.

Sarah on the beach

Megan digging a big hole in the sand.

Emma enjoying the beach

All the "kids"

Our last evening at the beach

performance art

When we were at the beach house, Emma routinely asked to be put "on the wall". It wasn't until I was in the room one time that I understood what she was talking about.

the apple of her eye

The video capabilities of my little digital camera is not that great. So the footage I've posted and am about to post it a lot grainy and a little hard to hear.

While we were on vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina Emma got a chance to really get to know her extended family. For the past two summers we've vacationed with Pat's cousins, Dee & Dennis and their families, as well as Pat's aunt and uncle. Add another couple, a girlfriend, and a best friend, and you've got a big awesome house filled with 24 great people.

This year, the weather was perfect and the kids were so well behaved. For many people, getting along with family can be difficult. I'll be the first to admit that there are some members of our large family that I don't think I could spend a week in the same house with. But, not so with this crowd. All of our personalities seem to mesh together well. The kids all get along great, and we even had a few built in babysitters.

Shortly after we arrived, Emma attached herself to one of her second cousins and didn't let go. She was all over him all week. Poor Piz, I felt bad for him by the end of the week. Here is a really bad video of her attachment to Chad, whose nickname is Piz.

outer banks

Our week vacation was incredible. We spent the week at the very end of the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Hatteras Island. Believe me, it was not an easy trip to make (it took 12 hours when it should have only been 7), but well worth it.



We have vacationed on the outer banks once before, and loved it then. But, to be honest, living only 2 hours away from the Delaware beaches, it's very hard to find the rational for driving such a long distance.



Well, last week totally reminded me why it's worth it. The beach house was amazing. 6 bedrooms and plenty of living space. Unless it's meal time, you didn't even realize that there were 23 people living in the house. We had a large bedroom and our own bathroom. Emma slept with us, but the big girls slept dorm style with the other kids on bunks down stairs. There were plenty of TVs and a pool table on the bottom floor. I was able to get some reading done on the decks and the loft area. A bonus was that the house (as many here have) had a pool. It was not large, but it worked for us and the kids. Megan, who has never been a beach bum, enjoyed hanging out at the pool (especially since we got her a life vest to wear..she can now swim all over the place). Emma enjoyed both the beach and the pool. She showed no fear of the water and actually enjoyed digging in the sand as much as she liked jumping into the pool. I swear, she thinks she can swim and tried to squirm out of my arms all the time. She wanted no parts of her "baby float" but wants to swim like the big kids.



The beach was awesome. It is actually part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. There are not a gazillion people around and you don't have to worry about someone stealing your prime spot on the beach. One drawback is that there is also no lifeguard (something I do wish we had, especially with the rip current that seemed to hang around for a few days mid-week). On Wednesday, the water was so clear, it was amazing. You would have though we were in Florida or the Bahamas. I tried to capture it with a few pictures, but I am not sure that it really translates the way it should. The kids all had such a ball trying to catch the fish that you could see swimming in the tide. Amazing!



The company was wonderful. We managed to get invited to join a group of Pat's family that goes on vacation every year. The group includes Pat's Uncle Ralph and Aunt Ann, their two kids, Dee and Dennis along with their families, us and my in laws. The boyfriend of Dennis' oldest daughter and the girlfriend and Dee's oldest son were there as well. It made for 23 people total. I know that sounds like a daunting group, but it really wasn't bad at all. We already knew that we got along well with everyone, we had just never been together for longer than a day with any of them. What helped is that all the kids seem to get along as well. There were a few squabbles, but they were usually between siblings.



All in all, it was a great vacation and we would absolutely do it again, if we are invited back. Pat and I have spent the last week trying to figure out if we can afford to do both a Delaware trip (and include my mom) as well as an Outer Banks one. If we start saving now, we just might be able to do it.

oops

Well, I was right. I managed to put on a few pounds while on vacation. Two to be exact. Thankfully, both Pat and I were both on board for the post vacation buckle-down and we got right back on the wagon. He put on a few more than I did (Six for him, I think), so for once, he has further to go this week than I do.

Since returning on Saturday, I've managed to lose 1.8 of my 2lb gain! Pretty good. It helps that we've got a TON of Zucchini from the garden to eat, and that I've been working this week (which means no mid day snacking)

Back on track!

I know I promised more Vacation stuff, just haven't gotten to it yet. Soon, I promise ;)

Vacation

The view from the deck outside my bedroom

As I type this I am gazing out onto a beautiful beach from the deck of the beach house we have rented with family. It is an amazing place and am so sad that it is already Wednesday, which means we will have to head home soon.

No scales here on vacation (which is probably a good thing). However, I did weigh myself on Sat morning before we left. I managed to get back to where I was and then a smidge- for a loss of 1.2 lbs this week. Early Friday morning I figured out why I had gained a pound in a week despite all my efforts (TMI WARNING)- after 2 years, my cycle decided to come back! It was definitely not what I wanted the day before leaving on vacation!

Total lost so far...6.2 lbs. I know it is not a lot, but I feel good and have had my father-in-law, a coworker, and a neighbor all comment that it looks like I've3 lost weight.

I know that I will have gained on this vacation, lets hope I can get back on the program quickly once we return home!

I'll post more about the vacation later.

Beach Bum

Last week we went on a family vacation to Dewey Beach, Delaware.

Where?
Dewey Beach.
Where is that?
Just south of Rehoboth.
Oh, never heard of it.

This is the typical conversation I have with most people when I tell them where we usually go on vacation in the summer. Often I get, "isn't that a gay beach?" or "I used to party there when I was in college".

My family has been going to Dewey Beach since long before it was a popular party destination for the "college-age" or "got-my-first-real-job" crowd. I remember when there were only a handful of houses and condo buildings. I'm pretty sure the farm on the bay side was still there when we would go as a family in the mid-1970's. Now it is a housing development. The location we stayed at this year (we rarely stray far from the New Orleans Street location of my youth) actually stands on the spot where a little old lady's house used to be amongst the sand dunes. As children, my sister and I, along with family friends, would play games in those dunes and wonder about the woman inside the house.

Dewey has changed over the years, but yet it has stayed pretty much the same. It is a laid-back beach where the locals and regulars all seem to know one another. You are within walking distance to stores and restaurants. Yet there is no boardwalk crowd (a good thing for us, but a drawback for some). The same families have been running the businesses for decades and are very welcoming. My mother gets a kick out of her interaction with the man that runs Vavala's (the local newsstand/beachwear store/post office). He has been there for years and is probably in his 80's. This year, we took to calling him her boyfriend. The girls got a kick out of that one, especially Megan, who went with mom every morning to buy her copy of the Washington Post.

Poor Pat married into this family of beach goers. He is not a beach bum in any sense of the word. He tolerates it and enjoys playing with the girls, but he does not get upset if the forecast calls for cloudy skies. He would, however, love to swim in the surf. Unfortunately this year, and most years, the water was just too cold. He has put me on notice. Next year he would like to go south for our vacation where the water is clearer and much warmer. I have a feeling that the Outer Banks of North Carolina will be our destination. I will not enjoy the 7 hour drive as compared to our 3 hours to the Eastern Shore, but I am not sure I have a choice.