OBX 2019 Edition...Part II...

There's nothing like making the drive to the beach - everyone is excited and all the landmarks that help us count down to our arrival are greeted with such enthusiasm - there's the North Carolina border, the huge farmer's market, the bridge to over the inter coastal (where we always pray there is little wind!), the first ocean sighting as we enter Kitty Hawk, the turn to head out to Rodanthe, the bridge over Oregon Inlet (brand new & huge!), and then finally after a long stretch of just water on either side of us - we see the town of Rodanthe and a few miles later the entrance to Camp Hatteras. 

We scored a great site on the same side as last year - my numerous phone calls asking for the side should anything open up seemed to have paid off - and as soon as we got everything set up it was time to let the beach know we had arrived. 

Uncle Mark came down a day early and stayed in the camper with us. We enjoyed getting to introduce him to Camp Hatteras and to the gorgeous sunsets on the sound side. I look forward to those all year. 

The next day was Father's Day - not a terrible spot to celebrate - and we spent the day hanging out on the beach, swimming in the pool, and enjoying a crab and steamed shrimp dinner - just what Andy wanted. 

Unfortunately our beach week was about to take an unfortunate turn...

OBX 2019 Edition...Part I...

Well here we were again - packing up for our annual trip to the Outer Banks. Camper - check! Golf cart - check! Bikes - check! Boogie boards - check! Fire pit - check! Every. Other. Thing. Imaginable - check! I always laugh thinking what our neighbors must think of us as we spend two days loading everything up - but that's the camping life I suppose - want to be prepared for everything.

As per usual we did a pit stop two night stay at the Williamsburg KOA. We had our favorite site this time. We read, swam, enjoyed campfires, and of course lots of time spent at the jumping pillow and park. 

Adam and I ventured off to Busch Gardens on the Friday and had a great time riding all the rides - many multiple times due to small lines - and it was just a great Adam and Mom day. 

From there it was time to pack back up and head to the beach! 

Last day of 4th grade...

Adam had an exceptional year in 4th grade. I thought 3rd grade was a bit stepping stone but 4th seemed even bigger. His teacher was amazing - Mr. Tiwanna or Mr. T. He has a unique background in that he was originally a medical doctor and through the teaching he would have to do in that role he realized that was truly where his passion was. He truly treated the students like adults - mature conversations where he would relate what they were learning to current events taking place. I really appreciated that aspect of his teaching and I know it made an impact on Adam as well. 

4th grade, as it was when I was in it, is where you learn Virginia history. Adam had his highly anticipated field trip to Jamestown and Williamsburg earlier in the year and then they visited Richmond in the spring. So lucky to have such a great school that provides these hands on experiences for our children. 

In an end of year parent teacher conference that Mr. T requested to hold one on one with us he shared how much he enjoyed having Adam in his class. Told us that Adam was for sure a leader in the classroom - also very funny. He said he was really impressed by how well Adam learned and remembered the material and said he could honestly see him being a doctor someday (if he wants to of course!) Never hurts to hear such nice things about your child - of course he did also say he needs to work on his writing skills - so maybe I need to get him to do some guest posts on here - we'll see. 

So another fabulous school year was in the books for Adam! My goodness how much he grows and matures with each year. 

First day                                                Last day

Oh - and did we mention he applied for and got selected to be a patrol next year!? He was thrilled...and so were we. 

Bravo Adam - you make us so proud! 

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy ... Hidden Creek Member Guest....

My mom once again invited me to play in the WGA's Member Guest tournament in early June. I happily accepted and proceeded to do zero practice beforehand. Luckily there was a practice round and man did I play lights out - shot a stunning 94 after not playing for basically 365 days - unfortunately as I feared, I used up all my good shots during that round - oops.

The theme for the tournament this year was Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy - so cute and clever as always. Our team all wore yellow shirts and white skirts and my mom had special necklaces made for us as well. Our good family friend, Denise, made special lemon printed seat covers for our golf carts and we strung plastic lemons up around the roof. Festive and on theme.

The planning committee thought of everything and of course the tee markers were adorable and there was also an on course trivia competition as well. Made for some fun debate between our teammates as we tried to come up with answers to some of the not so easy peasy questions.

As for the golf - well, as I said before - not so great for any of us actually. However, spending the day outside with my mom and some other really wonderful ladies makes up for all the bad shots and missed putts. Let's face it - golf is not easy peasy! ha

The luncheon after was again super clever, bright and cheerful. No detail was missed. Always a fantastic day and I hope my mom will invite me back again next year - maybe I'll just skip the practice round this time. ;)

Summer kick-off at Bull Run...

With the pools open once again for the summer we decided to hit up Bull Run at the beginning of June so we could literally dive into summer! We played at the park, spent lots of time at the pool, lounged around in the hammock, and even had some family visit for a campfire one evening. Always fun when the cousins can get together. The kids made s'mores and Harper learned about going "bush pee" - he's officially a camper now! A fun little weekend in the woods.