Day 3...

Yesterday was hot, hot, hot! The sun was out all day without a cloud in sight! It was the perfect day to work on our tans and to finally take a dip in the ocean (even though it was pretty chilly.) Adam also did some swimming, more napping, and accompanied us on a 2 mile walk in the morning and an evening walk to the seafood market. He is loving riding on Daddy's back! We also got to fly our kite! It was another great day and I think we're finally starting to get into a bit of a groove down here. Come on Day 4, let's see what you got! :)

Mmmm...garlic!

One of the best things about the house we are staying in is the fact that there is a fantastic fresh seafood and produce market literally at the end of our street! On our first night here we took a stroll down there and bought some freshly steamed and spiced shrimp which we had as an appetizer. Last night, we decided to order some raw shrimp and sea scallops to cook up for dinner.

I took my motivation from cousin Jackie. When I visited with them in Tampa (see blog post here) Jackie cooked up some amazing pink Gulf shrimp and scallops in a pasta dish. I figured, I'd try to recreate this for us.

All I did was cleaned up the shrimp, halved the scallops, and threw them in a pan with some butter, olive oil, and minced garlic. Once the pasta was cooked, I drained it and threw it into the pan with the seafood and bonus, it soaked up the leftover butter, olive oil and garlic! I don't think I'll ever cook pasta without throwing it in a saute pan first again!

















For sauce, I simply heated up a nice, light, marinara and served everything up along side a homemade garlic bread.









So yeah, it was good and we have garlic breath to prove it (even the next day)!!

Thanks cousin Jackie for the inspiration!! Wish you were here!! :)

XOXOXOX

Day 2...

Day 2 was filled with lots of sun, fistfuls (and mouthfuls) of sand, two 90 minute naps (hooray), game playing, a great morning walk, and a quick dip in the ocean. Adam was a bit weary of the sand at first, but he quickly found that it was fun to grab and mush between his fingers. I wish I could say that he found the ocean to be as fun...



I think we'll stick to the sand today! :)

Liddy's day at the beach...

Liddy is currently passed out in a little scrunched up ball on her bed in the family room, and she has good reason to be sleepy! She has had quite a day!

It all started with a mile+ walk on the beach, which included a lot of running around and tennis ball chasing for her. She also got her paws wet as it was high tide.



Then, this afternoon, we took Liddy for a swim! Adam and I stood watching on the shore while Andy threw the ball for her and even got a little wet himself! Liddy was in heaven! She loves ridding those waves and diving into the sand.



After her swim, she too got to enjoy the wondrous outdoor shower! She tried to escape a few times, but finally gave in to her scrubbing!

Then to finish it all off, she got some deck time with Adam and with us!

Liddy is one lucky pup, but we're even luckier to have her as a part of the family!

Day 1...

Our first day at the beach was fantastic! We grocery shopped, laid out on the beach, introduced Adam to his new sand toys, dipped Adam's feet into the ocean, tested out the Bjorn as a backpack, walked to the seafood shop at the end of the street for some steamed shrimp, and enjoyed our dinner out on the deck with the waves crashing in front of us. Doesn't get much better than that! Or does it? I guess we'll find out as we begin Day 2....

Beach Week 2010...welcome to "Toadal Getaway!"

It's been 3 years since we've taken an actual beach vacation, so we were definitely due for one. In 2006 and 2007 we vacationed at my very good friend, Sommer's, beach house in Rodanthe in the Outer Banks. We loved the house so much! It was the perfect beach house, just one row back, with great views of the ocean, super beachy on the inside and just all around perfect! Sadly, in 2007, Sommer's family sold the beach house, then called "Time Out."

We've since learned that the new owners are renting it out and lucky for us, have kept the rates affordable and bonus, they are pet friendly! So, though the exterior is now a striking (and perhaps neon) green, we decided to give the newly named, "Toadal Getaway" a try!



The inside still has a lot of the charm that Sommer's family put into it, the drapes, furniture, carpet, and even a majority of the wall hangings are the same. Most importantly, the outdoor shower is still in tact. I mean seriously, is there anything better than an outdoor shower!? I gurantee that I will not utilize a single indoor shower the entire time I'm here, and I'm happy to say that I'll be here for another 8 days!

New to the home is a tiki bar (which is kind of fun, I have to admit) and a palm tree that seems to be posing as a Christmas tree...I think they heard I was coming! :)





We were able to get an early check-in, so we woke up at 3:00 a.m., hit the road by 4:00 and walked in the door by 9:00. It was great to add an extra day to our trip and Adam was able to sleep for the majority of the drive (and ps: so did I! Thanks Andy for driving!) :)

Looking forward to a fantastic beach week! No doubt we'll have plenty more to share in the coming days....or minutes! :)

Excersaucer turned Jungle Gym turned Snack

This is how Adam used to play with his execersaucer....



And this is how he plays with it now...

And for dessert...

I have to say, at least he's making good use of it! :)