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Pictures from Our Outer Banks Family Vacation

How much do you remember from your last family vacation? Seems like the moment vacation ends and we’re waking up in our own bed the next day, some of my memories have gone by the wayside.

Really, we just returned, how could that happen?! Often is the case, memories will come back little by little as days go by. Talking to friends and family about the trip helps recall events, as does looking at all of the vacation photos you took. You did take pics, right?

Upon finishing my day-by-day posts of our recent family vacation to Corolla, North Carolina in the Outer Banks, I realized I had left a few things out. I also just want to share more pics. In no particular order, here are a few more photos from our trip I somehow left out.

family vacation, obx, outer banks, beach, ocean

Our beachgoer girl ready to catch some waves.

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Catching the waves with Mommy and Daddy.

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Avery keeping warm in the chilly wind with her beach robe as Daddy plays in the sand.

family vacation, obx, outer banks, beach, ocean

We found a huge sand crab. I caught him with our trusty plastic pail to take a pic. Afterward, several others dug a hole for us to put him in. He’s probably still traumatized from that day.

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Family selfie on the bottom bunk in our sleeping quarters for the week.

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Aunt Tammy, Grandma, and G-Ma ready to go on Bob’s Wild Horse Adventure, a popular attraction in the area.

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Oh yeah, Uncle Paul was there too!

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Just a good shot of Uncle Preston. He provided all of us plenty of entertainment with a stream of stories. With every drink complete, the stories only got better. Thank you, Preston, for sharing your fun-filled adventures.

Grandma Hugging Suspicious Avery

Hugs from Grandma before leaving to go back home. It was early, she was suspicious of everything!

To follow along each day of our family vacation, just use the links below.

Picture Post While on Vacation

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Thanks to blogging, I’ll be able to record memories to reflect on years from now. Unless the internet goes away…..*gasp*

Outer Banks Vacation: The Last Hurrah

Though I hear the classic novel turned movie starring Spencer Tracy is highly rated, our Last Hurrah on vacation has nothing in common. I’m not a fan of politics anyway, so that’s how I like it! Instead, our last hurrah was just as it’s defined, our final act before heading home from vacation. Some may sit and sulk brooding about the inevitable return back to reality, while others, take Avery for example, make the most of it.

last hurrah, obx, outer banks, beach, ocean, vacation, joy, family, my sunday photo, #mysundayphoto, kids, cute, toddler

Keeping spirits high, our little family soaked up as much beach as we could on our last day before returning home. By this point, with Avery’s staph our main concern, we were ready to get home to put all efforts into fighting the infection sans antibiotics. But we pushed our worries aside to enjoy the rest of the time on the beach. Including a happy crab dance with Daddy…

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….and getting chased by Mommy.

last hurrah, obx, outer banks, beach, ocean, vacation, joy, family, my sunday photo, #mysundayphoto, kids, cute, toddler

Showing no signs of a bad staph infection, our tough toddler kept a giant grin on her face as she ran non-stop across the sand.

last hurrah, obx, outer banks, beach, ocean, vacation, joy, family, my sunday photo, #mysundayphoto, kids, cute, toddler

Nothing could stop her. Well, one thing worked its magic just like it did on Daddy….seashells.

last hurrah, obx, outer banks, beach, ocean, vacation, joy, family, my sunday photo, #mysundayphoto, kids, cute, toddler

Once she found “a keeper”, she was locked in on the thing. Not even an airplane ride on Dad Air could break her from being honed in on her find.

last hurrah, obx, outer banks, beach, ocean, vacation, joy, family, my sunday photo, #mysundayphoto, kids, cute, toddler
Oh yeah, cool, I’m in the sky…good job, Dad

Going Mom must have a stronger power since Avery at least broke her stare to smile for the camera.

last hurrah, obx, outer banks, beach, ocean, vacation, joy, family, my sunday photo, #mysundayphoto, kids, cute, toddler

Oops, but only for a second. Then she took advantage of being off the ground to scan more of the area.

Ooooo, I see one, set me down!!
Ooooo, I see one, set me down!!

Pure and simple play was how we enjoyed most of our day. That, mixed with loads of laundry and packing in an attempt to be ready to go early in the morning. Ugh. After exhausting ourselves enough for a while, it was time to eat and take a nap for the little one. Avery took a ride on the Dad Express as usual.

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During her nap, I had to take my daily dip in the ocean. Motivation was low on the last day as it was chilly, windy, and the waters were the craziest I’ve ever seen in person. But I’m an extremely stubborn/determined guy, so I walked back down, sand blowing in my face, to take the plunge, literally.

I could count the number of people bearing the less-than-ideal beach weather on both hands, me included, and sat staring at the crashing waves. Figuring I needed pictures (or else it never happened, right?), I waved down a family as it started to rain and asked a kind lady if she’d take my picture with the ocean behind me. With a cocked eyebrow and a bit of hesitation, she finally agreed to my request.

Before Jumping in the ocean on the last day at the Outer Banks

Not feeling satisfied enough, I pushed her patience and asked if she’d photograph me as I jumped around in the water. Again, she hesitantly agreed, and did a fine job.

After Jumping in the ocean on the last day at the Outer Banks

I spent awhile trying to move against the strong current only to get nowhere but sucked under a few times. No worries, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the thrill and am appreciative someone was kind enough to take pictures of me so I had proof. Turns out no one cared that much, but I still felt cool. Or maybe that’s from all of the shivering….

Packing was mostly complete by the time the sun started to set, and the family decided to make one last trip down to the shore to bid their farewells to the ocean. It was still windy, which was a perfect time for Aunt Tammy to test out her new kite with Uncle Paul.

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Paul prepared for takeoff….

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…followed by an immediate landing. aka flight failure.

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Meanwhile, Avery picked right back up where she left off with running across her sandy track. Wide grin and all.

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Once more, nothing could stop her until….

DSC_1098…the MOON! Then G-Ma and Uncle Preston grabbed her for a windy pic together.

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After getting our fill of watching the kite keep grounded and gritting sand between our teeth, everyone headed back to the beach house for the last night. I had left ahead of time to cook dinner, but on their way back, my wife and Avery spotted a couple of Axis deer crossing the road.

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Never knew they lived in the area, but a cool sighting for sure.

With our last hurrah complete, we settled in for the night to get the few hours of sleep we had before beginning our trek back home. It would be a long day filled with driving and flying with a little stop to eat and play in Newport News before finally arriving back to a home filled with cat pee and a very tired family. You know, the usual stuff when you come home from vacation, right?

Outer Banks Vacation: Conch Hunting and Something Evil

The words evil and vacation are never welcome in the same sentence. Unfortunately, evil doesn’t sit around waiting for an invitation before it makes an appearance. Mr. Evil came uninvited in the form of another staph infection with our poor little girl as the victim.

outer banks vacation, family, travel, ocean, beach, fun, evil

Her boo-boos were on her bottom, like they have been several times before, which meant going in the ocean was off limits. The salty water was probably fine if not beneficial, but it was the sitting around in a wet swimsuit afterward that would only make the staph worse. However, spirits remained high as we made the most of the day anyway.

outer banks vacation, family, travel, ocean, beach, fun

With plenty of shells to find and holes to dig, Avery kept busy on the beach. My wife and I felt a constant tension of concern for our daughter, but we tried hard to not let it show. Fortunately, Aunt Tammy works in the medical field and after a few texts back and forth with a doctor, we were somewhat comforted knowing that something I packed was would help to fight the evil infection.

As a confirmed MRSA carrier myself, I like to be prepared wherever we go. I hate that we had to use it, but the mupirocin ointment did the trick. Not instantly, mind you, as it was something we had to continue every day and only stopped a few days ago. Never ideal, but we DID NOT want to put her little body through another round of antibiotics.

Temps were low on our sixth day at the beach, which meant the water was even cooler than the other days. Cold enough to where you just never get used to it. Grandma and G-Ma had the right idea by just lounging and watching the rest bare the cold temps.

outer banks vacation, family, travel, ocean, beach, fun

Cold water didn’t keep Uncle Paul and our cousins from getting in though. Nick, the oldest boy in their family, had just arrived the night before and they were out playing catch in the frigid waters. Meanwhile, Uncle Preston and Cousin Aaron continued their fishing efforts.

conch, outer banks vacation, family, travel, ocean, beach, fun

During their shivering game of catch, the guys noticed something moving with the current at their feet. Blurry hints of red and white caught their eye as it moved around. Was it a big crab? They were uncertain, but Paul made several bold dives trying to catch or grab the object all the while hoping no pincers were involved. This proved harder than it seemed with the current dragging him away from his target on each attempt. Nick tried his luck and finally got a hand on what turned out to be a conch shell!

Conch Shell_Outer Banks Vacation

My life-long dream as a kid on vacation at the beach had become a reality, only not for me. I could’ve just lived the dream vicariously through my cousin, but it just wasn’t the same. You could say I’m a bit shellfish. It was time to take the plunge in the cold a search for my very own conch. Besides, I was rocking a sand-stache and obviously need help putting sunscreen on.

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Nick was kind enough to help me as I searched with fierce determination to find another conch in the ocean.

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See the lack of anyone else in the water? Yeah, because it was freakin’ cold! We literally looked cool skimming the waters in search of giant shell to magically appear. You’d have better luck buying a scratch off. Or even catching a fish off the shore. Just ask Preston and Aaron.

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Okay, maybe not.

Taking over with playing on the land, G-Ma and Avery kept warm and dry together as they watched.

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The search for a second conch yielded zero results. Time had passed to the point of hunger and nap time approaching, so we trekked back to the house for the same afternoon routine.

Cold water was indeed cold, but with the ocean being calmer that day, I got it in my head to make a repeat kayak trip. This time, with no one else wanting to join, I carried the single vessel down to the shore for a solo trip. No pics since I was alone, but I ended up enjoying the time on the water. Calm, peaceful, and damn, I still couldn’t get poor Avery’s staph out of my head! Besides that, I had a good time.

The rest of the guys had spotted a miniature golf course on real grass, so that’s where they were as I paddled solo. They ventured to the not-so-original place called The Grass Course for tee time.

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Uncle Preston worked his charm on one of the girls working that day and arranged for drinks to be delivered as they kept focused on their game.

Uncel Preston Miniature Golfing

Kayaking is more appealing to me, but I’m sorry I missed out on the occasion. From what I heard, it sounded like a great time was had by all. When you have cool shades all around, why wouldn’t you have a blast?

the grass course, miniature golf

With our minds heavy from the evil staph that just won’t leave our girl alone, my wife and I lacked motivation to do much else that day. We were concerned with keeping Avery clean and ointment applied. As such, the remainder of the day can be summed up by this pic of my mom / G-Ma, dozing on the couch.

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Sorry, Mom, I know you’re getting in your car to come over and bonk me on the head right now. Still love me?

We refused to let staph dampen our spirits on the last day of vacation, so we made like G-Ma above, and slept. I’ll leave you with one lucky turn of events. Preston and Aaron ventured to the Turtle Pond we kayaked in days before to try and catch something, anything. Aaaannnndddd, they both caught monsters little fish they threw back!

Aaron Caught a Fish_Outer Banks Turtle Pond Preston Caught a Fish_Outer Banks Turtle Pond

But still, it’s the experience, right?