southbound & thankful.

i have been looking forward to getting away for a long time.

seriously, this has been the longest week ever.  but, working ten hour days will do that.

i hope that you all have a very happy & safe memorial day weekend.  remember that it isn't all about cookouts, flip flops & having monday off.  take the time to remember the very brave & honorable service men & women who have fought for our freedom and continue to do so each and every day.

i know i am grateful.  grateful & very thankful.

{all pictures are from our travels to hatteras island & ocracoke island, north carolina}

the sound of the sea soothes me.

{my loves. sound side. hatteras island. summer 2009.}

{coquina in hand. ocracoke island. summer 2009.}

{wee lil' hermit crabs. can you see them?}

{teeny hermie in hand.}

{heaven on earth. ocracoke island. summer 2009.}

dreaming of the seashore.

soon, adam & i will pitch a tent...

park the truck here...



and enjoy a view like this...

{the pictures are all from our adventure on ocracoke island last year}

Life's A Beach...

At least it seems that way for us during the summer months!

1. US, 2. The rainbow that greeted us at camp, 3. The girls, 4. The boys, 5. The beauty that is low tide, 6. Just us and the pelicans, 7. And not a single one of them pooped on us!, 8. Coquina, 9. Digging to China?, 10. The Little Mermaid, 11. One more beach trip before we head home, 12. A & M enjoying the beach on Sunday, 13. On the ferry back to Hatteras

Although we only live about 10 minutes from {OUR} oceanfront, we find that we spend more & more time on the beaches of North Carolina. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is one of our favorite places to visit and we cannot get enough of it's beauty! The seashore is close to home, yet far enough from home to make it a relaxing getaway.

We had a wonderful weekend in Ocracoke. We're covered in skeeter bites {a special kind of skeeter lives down there...Off doesn't even scare them}, but we still had a great time. The weather was perfect despite the thunderstorm during our ferry ride from Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island. We played on the beach all day and slept hard in our tent at night.

We've managed to stay & play at all four National Park Service campgrounds found along the Cape Hatteras seashore...and we're looking forward to heading back down again - this weekend - for some more fun in the sun!

Southbound on Route 12

I'm headed south on this road:

I'm headed for the seashore. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The weather is supposed to be perfect and the section of beach we are headed to is open to off-road vehicle use. I'm looking forward to a weekend of this:

We will be spending the weekend with good friends, enjoying the good weather, drinking good drinks, having a good time and making good memories. I cannot wait. This weekend is long overdue and the much needed time away will be greatly appreciated.

Try not to miss me too much while I'm gone - and whatever you do, be safe & enjoy your holiday weekend. Also, take time out to say thank you to the service men and service women - retired & active duty - who have fought & continue to fight for our freedom.

Psst...thanks, Catrina...I "stole" the pics from your Facebook page...I couldn't find my pictures from our trip last Labor Day weekend.