Vacation!

We returned Wednesday afternoon after spending five days in Nags Head, N.C. It was a wonderful time and we are all missing it already!

We stayed at a beach house/townhouse that was across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. We had beach access right there for us. And, there was a shared pool out back for the eight townhomes in the little complex. Perfect! Joining us in Nags Head was the von Ofenheim family (Ernest, Meeshell, Xon and Ronin); the Cliffords (John, Kat and Kenzie) and Aunt Lucy. It was a bit tight in the three-bedroom, 2.5 bath townhome, but we all seemed to manage just fine. And how much time do you really spend inside when you are at the beach?

Ema took to the water immediately. We took her to the pool soon after arriving on Saturday. She loved it. There was no fear at all. Ronin was the only one who showed some fear and that disappeared by Monday. It was great to hang out by the pool with the kids and a few beverages. We all spent a lot of time there.

After enjoying the pool on Saturday, we all cleaned up and headed out to a Japanese Steakhouse to celebrate Kat's 32nd birthday, which was that day. They cooked all the food right in front of us. Great shrimp! The lobster was so-so. But it was a fun time! We attempted a girls night at Tortuga's later that night, but the long day caught up with Meesh and I -- much to Kat's dismay! But, we were successful on Monday night (more on that later).

We took Ema for a quick visit to the ocean Saturday night, but her real ocean visit came on Sunday. We all spent the better part of the afternoon soaking in the Atlantic Ocean air as well as the salt water. We found a spot next to and under the pier, which provided much-needed shade in the hot N.C. sun. Once again, Ema loved this body of water as well. The salty taste of the water was new to her and she was sucking away on her fingers. Ema, Xon and I sat at the water's edge for a while and Xon and I begged for the waves to come in to us. Gage and I later took Ema further into the water (but not beyond waist deep on us).

That night we enjoyed a seafood feast of crabs, shrimp and tuna. Everyone really enjoyed it. And everyone learned that yes, I do eat more than chicken.

The next morning, the girls took off for some shopping...without the kids! We headed out to the nearby outlet center in Nags Head...it was a success for all! We once again spent the afternoon at the pool after dining at the restaurant next to the beach house. Probably some of the best wings I have ever tasted. And, it was the whole wing. So the 20 we ordered would have been 40 anywhere else! They were hot and I was the only one who seemed to hang with it...despite the taste buds of all the Asians who claim to like hot! :)

Gage, Ema and I took off Monday evening on our own. We went to Bodie Island lighthouse. It's stunning. A front was moving in, so the weather was cooling off. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is closed because of its age. But we enjoyed looking at it. We then drove to Pea Island. While the Nags Head area is very commercial with beach shops, surf shops and restaurants, Pea Island was the exact opposite. There was some residential areas, but mostly it was just untouched land. We took Ema out to the beach and it was pretty much empty. We sat her in the sand and took some amazing photos of her. She loved sitting there with the wind blowing her hair. But it didn't take long for her to grab a handful of sand and put it in her mouth. She made a few faces, but no tears. It's all natural, right? The only tears came when Gage picked her up to leave. She wanted to stay! The kid loves the beach....probably doesn't hurt that she has a beach-themed bedroom! We enjoyed some NC BBQ that night. I've now had authentic BBQ in Texas, Memphis, Va. and NC. I've enjoyed it all....although Rudy's in Leon Springs, Texas is probably still my fave! Of course, the cream corn helps that. I can honestly eat there until I feel sick! Ha, ha. The NC BBQ is sweet, but good!

That night we finally had our real girls night....with Gage as our designated driver. We went to Nags Head Brewery because Kat saw a sign declaring it to be retro night. And it was. We weren't sure if we would make it to the 11 p.m. official start of retro night (when the DJ arrived), but we actually made it out until 1 a.m.!! Meesh and I felt neglected as Kat made friends with a divorcee who is actually a sniper (he said the PC term is sharp shooter). It was a good time although the crowd got younger and younger and it suddenly felt like a college frat party....we danced to a few 80's tunes and had to laugh knowing that we were among the few who heard the songs when they first came out! After calling Gage to retreive us, we ended up for an eventful trip to 7-11 on our way home for some hot dogs. It's still up for debate as to whether or not Kat paid for her hot dog and beer. No police have shown up yet, so we're guessing she did. The rest of the events at 7-11 are for Kat to share with everyone!

Tuesday was the Fourth of July. We all slept in and took our time in the morning before heading to the beach. Because of the heavy storms and rain the previous night, the ocean was COLD that day. We tried to do it, but Gage, Ema and I lasted about 10 minutes before going to the pool. It wasn't more than 10 minutes later before everyone joined us there. The location of our beach house was perfect for that night's activities....after an enjoyable meal of fish and chicken tacos prepared by the men. The fire works in Nags Head go off from the fishing pier, which was could see from the third floor balcony/deck. We stayed there to watch the fire works with Ema (mostly because of my fear of fireworks). Kat and John stayed back as well as Kenzie was asleep. The rest walked to the pier. It was a spectacular show....and I stayed out there until the grand finale....when I could see the fireworks being shot off the pier and felt panic. Meeshell and Ronin came back early as Ronin became scared as well. Ema loved it. No tears at all....even after what Xon called the world's biggest fire work. Ema calmly sat on her dad's lap and took it all in.

We got a little more pool time in Wednesday before hitting the road. The trip home was slowed up by traffic around the Hampton Roads area as well as an overturned SUV shortly after that traffic. But we made it home in between heavy rain storms in Richmond.

Our vacation was wonderful. It was amazing to see Ema experience so many new things. She really enjoyed it all. We had quality time with our little family as well as the big unit of us all. It was relaxing to be away and not think about work, money, bills, etc. It was much-needed!

-- Jen