The Odyssey

On Saturday The Fergies, Grandma D and Auntie Lisa set out for our summer trip to the Outer Banks. I have been counting down the says since spring until this week, which for me means sun, fun and relaxation...but first, we had to get here.

Friday was a holiday for me, so it was designated packing day and I knew I had a task ahead of me. Five suitcases, 2 backpacks, 2 laptop bags, one supersized, overstuffed beach tote, 2 princess bicycles, 1 toddler car buggy, 1 box of toys, 2 swim vests, 1 huge box of food and sundries, 1 box of linens and towels, 4 beach chairs, 1 baby feeding chair, myriad assorted other stuff, and 1 U-Haul trailer later - we were ready to hit the road.

We left only an hour behind schedule on Saturday and the weather was picture perfect for our drive down. Garmin made life sweet and we arrived at our beach house rental by late afternoon. The kids were remarkably great in the car and slept/harrassed Grandma most of the way down. We only stopped twice: once for lunch (at the skeeviest Wendy's I've ever seen, blech) and once to buy "fireworks" (aka sparklers) for the kids.

The next adventure would be to see whether the Craig's List ad was honest and accurate and...it was! The beach house is perfect. Spacious and bright and still flaunting that new house smell. We are a 5 minute walk to the beach and we even have a jacuzzi and outdoor shower (which I used yesterday and felt like I was on a Caribbean island). So it's all good. So far we've visited the beach, the Aquarium, and the Manteo Waterfront. Night before last there was a major thunderstom though, and so it was overcast yesterday, This morning though, the sun is out it full force and so that means Beach Day. Chatterbox can't hardly wait.

Of course a vacation with 3 kids under 5 years old, one of them being a baby who wakes up during the night and then is up for the day at 6am, means only minimal "relaxation." But I'll take what I can get!