Back from the Beach

Last week we went to the Outer Banks.  I was going to blog about it, but realized it probably wasn't a good idea to announce on the web that I was going to be leaving my house unoccupied for a week when I've posted so much about where I live.  I blogged in my head a lot while I was there, but of course I've forgotten most of what that was.  So I'm just blogging about nature today.  My last morning at the beach I got up in time to see the sun rise over the ocean.  I don't really think I'm a
sappy person, but it was so amazing to see.  It makes me grateful that I've been able to witness it.  So many people go their whole lives without ever seeing the ocean and I'm so glad that I've been able to so it so much, and that my kids have been able to experience it-thanks to their grandparents.  I'm always amazed by the vastness of the sea.  
I love how I can look out and squint, but I still can't see the end.  It's truly awesome.  I talked about this with Ellie our second day there.  She humored me and listened to what I had to say, then went crashing into the waves to splash around.  Also pretty amazing, especially when you're six.

The first two nights we were there we took flashlights out to the beach and hunted for ghost crabs.   It was funny to me how such little creatures freaked out full grown adults.  The second night we went back we all wore shoes!  (Except for Vince, who wore flip flops the first night and lost them in the surf.  I was able to rescue one but the other was gone.  Miraculously, Meema found it washed up on the shore the next morning!)

We also did a lot of kite flying, which was a totally different experience than it is at home.  We were able to let the kites out until we were out of string--300 feet in the air!  It was so windy the kites really flew themselves.  Ellie wanted to fly hers when we got home and I couldn't seem to really explain tie difference between the breezes we have here on a normal day and beach wind.

I'm so grateful to Meema for taking the kids and Evan and I too.  It's easy to take it for granted, but it's such an amazing thing to be able to get in the car, drive for a few hours, and be transported to somewhere so different from home.