Vacation Recap

WE are back! We made it through three August vacations and lived to tell about it. What? Rolling your eyes are you? Well, if you have kids you know that vacations aren't what they used to be. I am just happy that we survived 30 + hours in the car with two kids and one dog...we also enjoyed quality time on the beach and lake without any trips to the emergency room, any calls to the doctor, and any serious temper tantrums. All in all, a success!

Vacation #1: Harbors Springs, Michigan: Drove 13 plus hours to this idyllic spot in the northern most region of Michigan sans Tim. Feel like I can conquer anything now. Ian and Emma were troopers in the car and got to see a LOT of new places. What we will always remember: quality time spent with the Chapmans, fun getting to know Mark a little more, sleepless nights, Emma sick, Ian sick, everyone else getting sick, Danny McCaskill on Grandpa's i-pad, seeing Cate's baby bump, the most amazing front porch ever!, crystal clear Caribbean like water, laughing with Hannah and Brock, the "kids house" at the playground, Cate's fish and chips, getting caught in the rain on a donut walk with Grandpa, cookie treats from Nina, great visit with the McFerrens and Chapman great grandparents on the way home, and arriving back home to a house with a security system (Ian and Emma love the woman's voice, "Front door- disarmed". Totally worth the drive!!!








Vacation #2: Outer Banks, North Carolina: Our first trip to the Outer Banks occurred just hours after we arrived back home from Harbor Springs. We put Tim's bike on the car, threw in Pippin and Tim's luggage and hit the road to spend the week with my family. What we will always remember: a gorgeous hot week at the beach, Ian and Emma playing until they literally dropped and fell asleep on the couch at 6pm every night, marshmallows, Ian learning to swim, playing with Cate and Will, Mom and Dad's 60th birthdays, Jon...fishing and water balloons, the cricket in our wall, tie-dye, boogie boarding with Aunt Abby, Jockey Ridge State Park with Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, Duck donuts (not to be confused with Dunkin Donuts), finally finishing a book!. Gosh, this was such a great relaxing trip, it will be hard to top next year.


















Vacation #3: Outer Banks, North Carolin: Our second trip to the Outer Banks (just two weeks after the first) ran into a little thing called Hurricane Irene. The road to Corolla was closed, we weren't sure when it was going to open up, time was ticking, we were going to lose our money, so what did we decide to do? Drive to Pittsburgh of course! I know, I know, not really in the same direction as the Outer Banks but it was torture sitting in our DC townhouse just waiting. We spent 24 hours in Pittsburgh and then got the go ahead that we could get into our house on the Outer Banks. So we woke up at 3am and drove to Corolla. Nine hours through some VERY WINDING FOGGY roads. Gorgeous, but nauseas gorgeous. What we will always remember: spending a great couple of days with dear dear college friends and SEVEN kids, Emma sleeping in a bathroom, amazing meals made by Jaime, a very cold pool, lost of hurricane debris on the beach, spending an extra night at a hotel because we just weren't ready to go back home, Oreos, bath time with Owen, feeding William and Olivia, coffee and kiddos in the morning.