Tag Archives: family

Outer Banks Vacation: The Last Hurrah

07/02/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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.

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.

Paul prepared for takeoff….

…followed by an immediate landing. aka flight failure.

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

Once more, nothing could stop her until….

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

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.

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?

Life, Parenting

Outer Banks Vacation: A Plastic Kayak + The Paper Canoe

06/30/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

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Have you ever woke up early to watch the sunrise? What about the sunrise over the ocean? As a kid, when at the beach, I always aspired to wake up early before everyone else for first dibs on seashells that washed ashore overnight. Watching the sunrise would be an added bonus as I collected fully intact conches and starfish normally only found in stores.

My aspirations never turned into reality though. As the chubby kid I was, I lacked the discipline to actually wake up that early. But now, years later, I happened to naturally wake up before 5 am and decided to head to the beach.

My childhood memories of thinking I’d be the only one on the beach stuck with me as I walked down to the ocean. Those thoughts quickly faded as I found several groups of people walking the beach in search of shells as they waited for that burning ball of fire to rise above the horizon. And those store-quality shells waiting for me to find them on the sandy shore? Negative. But I met this guy who popped out of his hole.

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I thought he was coming out for a friendly “Top O’the mornin to ya!” greeting, but turns out he was being a little crab. *bada-bing*

Despite the lack of shells and peaceful isolation, the early waking was well worth it as the bright yellow-orange crested the ocean horizon.

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It didn’t last long as the sky was covered in gray clouds, but those few minutes were glorious.

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With part of my childhood dreams accomplished, I still had a couple hours before anyone would be making like the sun and rising for the morning, so I walked the beach a while longer. I received a surprise text from my wife asking if I wanted to go for a walk. She didn’t know I had already been up and out, but I would never turn down a nice walk with my wife.

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Going Mom made the morning beach experience a million times better, and I even got a kiss out of the thing!

Kissing on the OBX Beach_2

Glad she doesn’t care about bedhead. After our romantic stroll along the ocean water, we stopped at one of three coffee shops within the area, the Outer Banks Coffee Company. If you’re in the area, save your cash, the place did not impress. It looked all cool and done up inside, but when I get a styrofoam cup, I’m instantly turned off from even the best brew. It wasn’t that bad tasting (we drink it black), so maybe bringing your own mug would be a good option. We didn’t pack our mugs, so that was the only time we tried the place.

Back at the beach house, after our normal morning routine and breakfast with a toddler, it was past noon. After my ocean kayaking experience the day before, I was itching to get back on the water in our sit-on-top vessel. The waves were throwing another fit that day, and I wanted to bring the girls out with me which would not be safe in the ocean. Luckily, that turtle pond we hiked around was large and calm enough for the perfect first time kayaking as a family.

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Kelley kept a safe hold on Avery while I acted as a human motor. I expected Avery to be more excited than she showed, but I blame most of that on the oversized life vest pushing into her face. That didn’t stop Mommy from taking the obligatory selfie.

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Somewhere, behind those cool shades, our daughter was fiercely striving to keep her cool and not let her excitement show, I just know it! Either way, I enjoyed getting out as a family and creating another first for Avery. At least Mommy and Daddy were happy.

Kayaking with Family in Turtle Pond_OBX

G-Ma, my mom, and Uncle Paul and Aunt Tammy all party more than Going Mom and I. Probably because they did their time with little kids and are enjoying freedom once again. So while we’d stay at the beach house, they were out doing things during the day and night. But today, the fifth day of our trip, we planned on going out for a family dinner somewhere nice.

After scanning the available places that would be most acceptable to the picky foodies (my wife and I), we settled on The Paper Canoe. We had actually stopped there on the drive in with Avery screaming about having to go pee and not wanting to let us down by going in her Honest Company training pants. The waitstaff were all happy to help our child in distress that day, so at least we knew they were nice.

When you’re extremely particular about how food is prepared and where it’s sourced, you should call the place ahead of time. Tommy, who happened to be the owner, kindly answered my call. After explaining how I prefer to have no added oils when cooking, but really really really wanted scallops along with a side of steamed veggies, he was nothing but happy to accommodate my requests. This, in turn, made for a wonderful dining experience for all.

The Paper Canoe Family Photo

Not that Preston and Aaron were concerned. They happily sipped on Mai Tais. I’m sure that helped Preston’s third-degree sunburn.

The Paper Canoe_Aaron and Preston drinking Mai Tais

Very rarely do I receive that kind of response when I go through my multiple needs, but they delivered and never put off that they were annoyed. The food was delicious, service was outstanding, and my sea scallops were perfectly baked (per my request) and fork tender.

A photo posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on Jun 16, 2016 at 6:40pm PDT

I ate all of my veggies first because I like to save the best for last. This drove G-Ma, sitting right next to me, insane. She eventually broke down with her fork heading towards my plate, yelling at me to eat them. I shared one of the delicacies with my dear mother since I tortured her for so long. It’s the least I could do since she gave me life. If you’re in the area, The Paper Canoe the choice dining spot for parties big or small. It truly is unique with quality food and outstanding service.

After dinner, we ventured outside to take a few pics where the restaurant is right along the bay. Grandma made an already beautiful sunset picture into a spectacular one.

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Next in line of beautiful photo captures outside of The Paper Canoe was G-Ma.

As another family took pictures beside us, I offered to play photographer if they would return the favor. They quickly accepted and put their best photographer in charge. Or so I was told.

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I love this shot, we’re just missing my other cousin, Uncle Paul and Aunt Tammy’s oldest boy, Nick, who arrived the next day. Their almost complete family photo turned out well nonetheless.

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Avery was becoming restless at this point (wait, she’s always restless), but we tortured her with another picture with just Mommy and Daddy.

We promised her that was all and loaded up in the van to drive back to the beach house. The rest of the night was spent, surprise, at the beach house with Avery running around giving us entertainment. With my early arrisal, I was feeling tired and didn’t have much longer. In preparation for yet another day at the beach (maybe more kayaking), we turned in for the night for much needed rest.

Life, Parenting

Outer Banks Vacation: Ocean Kayaking and A Turtle Pond Hike

06/29/2016 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

After our vacation lull the previous day, we were looking to change things up a bit for our fourth day at the Outer Banks. Uncle Preston and Cousin Aaron and Noah wanted to try their luck at catch fish by kayaking, so they brought the two-seated sit-on-top kayak we rented down to the beach that morning . With Avery, we were always late to the beach party, so Mr. Kayak was there waiting upon our arrival.

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The winds decided to pick up from their calm state that morning which quickly changed the minds of the bold fishermen. They decided to stick with what they had been doing every day since arrival; casting their lines, sticking the poles in the sand, and sitting down with a beer as they waited for the fish to bite.

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And waited and waited. Even with the waiting, they still kept a smile on their face. I guess that the beer had something to do with it. Since it was already there, it only made sense to try testing my kayaking skills in the ocean. I even offered to carry the boys’ fishing lines out farther to help their luck. Uncle Paul, Preston, and Cousin Aaron helped push me out on the kayak to get me started against the strong current and constant waves.

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Fighting against the non-stop waves to make any progress was exhausting from the start. I eventually made it out far enough to drop the lures full of fresh shrimp bait. After I was off the hook to carry out the lines, it was time to battle against the waves. Holy current, Batman, the ocean is no joke! When I reached a good distance out from the beach, I began paddling parallel to the land.

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The waves were fierce (to me) and until I realized you need to lean into each peak of the water, I almost capsized a dozen times. I wasn’t scared, but didn’t feel all that comfortable with what was going on. Regardless, I kept at it because……ocean, YOLO!! Actually, that saying annoys me, but it was fitting here.

Going Mom and Avery watched as I struggled along the coastal waters, but then Avery had to go potty. We tried to say it was okay to pee in the water (I know, hypocrite parents), but she didn’t need to pee. My wife had to walk Avery the half mile back to the beach house so our daughter could relieve herself. Probably for the best, because my return to land was far from graceful.

All was going well, I rode the waves like a champ (or that’s how I felt), but then, as I sat on top of the last big wave before hitting beach, I flipped. A few underwater tumbles and a kayak bonk on my head later, I stood up, grabbed the giant plastic vessel, and dragged it to shore. Phew, that was an intense first time kayaking in the ocean, and although it was difficult, I loved every minute as I paddled with my muscles burning in areas I never knew existed.

We spent a little longer on the beach before heading back for lunch and nap time. Oh, and a little hanging around.

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G-Ma once again gave my wife and I relief by taking a nap with Avery so we could venture out on walk and to pick our fresh seafood of choice for dinner. I was hoping that by helping the boys with casting their lines, we’d have free and super fresh fish for dinner, but once more, no luck.

Upon our return, we caught G-Ma and Avery still in a slumber. After snapping a pic, we woke the sleepyheads up and prepared to go back out for more adventure.

Avery and G-Ma Bottom Bunk

On the agenda for the second half of the day was, shocker, more beach! But there was a turtle pond we always passed on our walk to the ocean, so we detoured to take a hike around the short path.

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We never took a pic of the pond, but there was a general location where dozens of turtles would pop up and you could get right next to them. I lectured several families feeding the poor hard-shelled snappers white bread, a highly processed food imposter even humans should avoid. Besides, their diet is full of bugs and some fish, not bread and crackers. Anyway, the short walk was full of lush greens, birds singing, and bugs biting. She moved slower than usual for the hike, but once we hit the sand, Avery took off like a ballerina.

Look at those toes! Kelley and I both agreed we could watch our precious kid prance around the sand for hours. Well, prance, dance, or crawl that is.

Bonus points when she gives kisses for Mommy!

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As we watched Avery cover more sandy terrain than most lazy beachgoers, Kelley had us make a footprint beside one of our daughter’s. Such a simple thing, but something I know we’ll cherish having ~~for years~~ forever.

We walked along the shore getting our feet wet in the cold ocean water as we searched for seashells a little longer. Eventually, it was time to make the walk back for dinner. With weary legs, Avery’s transportation back to the beach house was usually via Daddy’s shoulders.

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Another day full of family fun was complete. We were tired, hungry, and dirty. After cleaning ourselves, I cooked our chosen fish for the day, yellowfin tuna steaks. Seared outside with a tender pink inside. Perfection!

A photo posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on Jun 14, 2016 at 6:28pm PDT

You could cut the buttery fish with a fork. Kelley, Avery, and I savored every bite along with our standard sweet potato and veggie sides. The meal was just what we needed to replenish from a busy day and prepare us for another one ahead. I ended up waking earlier than my usual early time and before I knew it, I found myself walking to the beach to catch the sunrise. Check back for the next post to see what I captured.