Thoughts

-      -  I love vacation and have a wonderful time while I’m gone.  But there is something about coming home that really gets me down.  Not as in ‘I’m sad I’m home’, but more like missing dad.  A realization that this is what my life looks like right now.  Yes, I’m happy for the most part, but a huge part of me also feels like it’s missing.  That missing piece is very much noticed when I try to get back to my regular routine.

-      -  I accidently called dad a few weeks ago.  It happened so quickly, and I hung up before it even began to ring.  But, none the less, I called him.  I just can’t delete him out of my phone.  I don’t think I ever will.

-       - Trying to set up a routine and stick to it so I can enjoy more relaxing down time.  I’m still in the ‘set up’ stage.  Trips and things that aren’t quite the norm are throwing me off.  And realizing how busy our schedule is the next few months isn’t helping.  All with good things, but it’s not helping me get my house organized.  (And D re-doing our bathroom and dining room at the same time isn’t helping one bit.  But those projects are helping him keep sane so I guess it’s ok.)

-       - I’ve found some apps that help with saving money at the grocery store.  I’ve downloaded a bunch, but have 3 that I’m a little obsessed with.  I want to explore the others that I’ve downloaded a little more before writing them off completely.

    -  I’m liking the Instagram stories.  I was never really a fan of snapchat.  Sure, the filters are kinda fun to play with, but I don’t like seeing them on every photo on social media. 

   -Getting ready for the next JL year and I'm kinda excited for it.  

OBX & VA 2013 | Part Three

Our third and last day at the beach couldn’t have been more perfect.  When we got up we headed straight for the beach.  The sun was shinning and the air was fairly cool.

After a day at the beach, Brandi and I adventured out to the sand dunes.  We had so much fun.

Our last stop was the pier and then we headed home, back to Virginia.

We arrived back home around 4 am.  It was a dreary day so we couldn't go out on the boat (bummer!)  Instead, we had a slow day recovering before we went out to celebrate Brandi's 24th birthday.  There were about 40 of us and we rented a party bus to take us to a club.  So fun!

This is what 16 years of best friends looks like!

OBX & VA 2013 | Part Two

The next day of our trip was dreary and it rained a little bit.  We had planned on going to a different beach about 45 minutes away, but since the beach wasn’t an option, the girls (Brandi, her mom, and I) decided to spend the day shopping in the town just north of us, Duck.  And yes, we did some damage.

In the middle of our shopping excursion, we checked out a pet store and they had 4 kittens up for adoption.  Brandi’s family has 3 cats and Brandi was looking at cats just a few days prior.  She fell in love (ok, we all fell in love) with a tuxedo kitten.  He was the perfect addition to our shopping crew.

After our shopping day, we went back to the beach house and had a family/group dinner.  (Brandi’s brother and 2 of his friends were staying at the beach house as well.)  Everyone had crab legs and I ate all the sides since I’m not a seafood lover.  After dinner, some of us played a game and then took advantage of the hot tub and just enjoyed each others company.  It had been an awfully long time since I’d seen this family so it was great to catch up.

OBX & VA 2013 | Part One

Last week I traveled to Virginia to visit my good friend, Brandi.  (You might remember her visiting in January this year.)  I flew in the evening and once I arrived she picked me up and we drove 6 hours to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Southern Shores, to be exact.  We hit traffic at 1 in the morning so it took an extra hour.  Yuck!  We went to bed at 5am and got up 5 hours later to hit the beach.  It was a little cloudy, but still beautiful.

After a few hours at the beach, we went back to the beach house and swam in the pool and played beer pong and hung out until dinner time.  Brandi, her boyfriend, and I went to a restaurant called Awful Arthurs and after dinner we walked across the street to the pier.  It was dark and you couldn’t see much, but we did see a sting ray!  It was a bit surreal because I’ve seen many sting rays before at zoo and aquariums, but it was much more fascinating to see one in its natural habitat.

Minnesota 2013 | Part Three

Day four, our final day in Minnesota, was much slower.  We took our time getting up in the morning and mom and I went to Southdale, the mall she used to work at.  Afterward, we went back to the hotel to pack up and then we headed to Minnehaha Falls.  The falls were beautiful!  We had Abby and dad wasn't feeling up to walking over to the falls so mom and I went to see them.  After the falls, we started our long trek back home.

 ^^ Minnehaha Falls

^^ Dad and Abby waiting for us to return.

Our mini Minnesota trip was just perfect.

And so many great memories were made.

I hope we don't wait another 15 years before we go back again.

Minnesota 2013 | Part Two

Day three of our trip was so so special.  This, by far, was my favorite day of the trip.  Not everyone was excited about excursion, but in the end everyone loved it.  (They are always hesitant about these things and end up loving it in the end.)  On day three we traveled three hours north to Lake Superior and saw Split Rock Lighthouse.

 ^^ The view was breathtaking.

^^ The water was so clear. 

^^ After the lighthouse, we took the scenic route back to Minneapolis.  We stopped at a little outlook and played around by the water. 

^^ I was bummed you couldn't see Abby in this photo :( 

^^ Abby surprisingly really liked the water and laid down right next to the shore.

 ^^ The water was SO cold!  I read that the average temperature is 40 degrees. 

^^ Oh northern Minnesota, I could love you forever.