8-6 to 8-11, Kure Beach NC

I was going to make this one giant blog entry including all 8 days of our vacation.  As I started going through the photos, I decided it was just way too much info for one entry.  So, here goes part one of our fantastic week of vacation at Kure Beach, NC (near Wilmington).   It all started a few months ago when my dear friend Delisa invited us to spend 5 days at the beach with them.  Are you kidding??  Heck ya!!  We're all lost souls transplanted from the west coast to the east coast, so what better opportunity to make the most of it than to meet for a week at the beach together, right?!  RIGHT.  We had an EXCELLENT time.  We lounged, we sunned, we ate, we boogie-boarded, we ate, we slept, we ate....well, you get the idea.  It really was a fantastic week.  Here are some of our highlights:

Aunt Patti and Uncle Allen were kind enough to let us spend the night at their house in Norfolk on our way down to NC.  We fondly call their house:  Club Henry.  It's a great getaway within a getaway.  They made us feel so welcome and boy did they feed us well (can you beat blueberry pancakes made out of blueberries freshly picked from the garden?!).  And as you can see below, they have an awesome pool in their yard...and a Koi pond.....it's heaven to Nikolas.  After a long drive from Baltimore to Norfolk, the boys thoroughly enjoyed their swim.

The hostess with the mostess....Aunt Patti.

Is that our boy doing a hand-stand in the water?!  Can you see how he outgrew everything in his closet?!

Nikolas loves to feed the fish in the Koi pond.

How did I not get a picture of Patti and Allan together until we were getting ready to pull out of the driveway?!

Saturday was not the best start to our fantastic vacation.  Who knew traffic to the beaches of the Outer Banks would be gridlocked for hours?!  (Probably everyone who's from this area, but we had no idea what we were in for....)  Honestly, we didn't want to go TO the beaches like everyone else, we simply wanted to make a detour through Kitty Hawk to see where the Wright Brothers first flew.  We did, we saw, and we got back in the car and drove for another 8 hours....really.....it was a REALLY long day......

Sunday...a new day!  We finally arrived at our beach house late Saturday night.  A good night's sleep and we were ready to start our day with a new perspective.  What a beautiful one, right?  Nikolas got his wish of finally getting to go fishing.  Not much biting going on except this sting ray (don't be fooled..the other thing is a block of wood).  

We were told by a veteran beach goer that there were fossilized shark teeth to be found on the local beaches.  We then spent the next 5 days with our heads glued to the sand everywhere we walked (is that why my neck hurts so bad?!).  The size of the tooth in Nikolas' right hand is about average for what we collected, but can you BELIEVE the giant one he found (in his other hand)?!  It was unreal!!!  Thank goodness he only found the tooth and not the shark that used to be attached to it!!

Nikolas and Nathan.  Those two are just plain adorable together!!

Hmm....adorable?  I don't know.  Me and Delisa.  Hot mommas or just stinkin'-hot mommas?!  =)

Our boy LOVES the beach....particularly where the ocean meets the sand (wait....isn't that a Counting Crows song???......)

Nikolas, Sven and Chris....boogie-board ready.

Ride it all the way in, Nikolas!

Do you think he's having a good time?!

Too cute......

One of the afternoons, Sven, Nikolas and I headed to a different beach up the road (the name escapes me now).   I just love these beach settings!  This area really felt like we were back in Pensacola.  I was so surprised how much it reminded me of Perdido Key.

The reason we drove to a different location was to meet up with our good friend Malacie.  She and her family are good friends of our from Pensacola (we used to be 'neighbors').  They live in Wilmington now and it was a great coincidence that we vacationed so close to where they live.  Unfortunately, Malacie had just broken her arm.   Poor thing!!  

It's fun to capture images of Nikolas reading to Nathan as both boys grow.  

And Nathan thinks it's fun to swipe his mom's hat.  =)

Nathan is a great sharer and Nikolas is a good sport.

After hours of fishing on the beach, this was the big catch....one of the boys may be a tad more excited than the other one.  =)

And no trip to the beach is complete without being buried in the sand.....

......or feeding the seagulls.

What a good looking family!

SIGH.  Sven and I aren't too fond of this photo.  But, it is what it is!

And sadly, it was time to leave.  It wasn't a mansion on the beach (more like a shack) and we had our share of laughs at its expense.  However, the memories we take home with us are priceless-- good times with cherished friends never to be forgotten.  Thanks you guys!!!