Hello from the Outer Banks! We’re spending time with family at my parents’ beach house here in North Carolina and it has been such a fun trip thus far!

I thought I would share some thoughts and pictures while things are fresh in my mind. It’s always interesting to me how being on vacation feels like a totally different lifestyle and gives you a fresh perspective on things, you know?

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Traveling with a toddler –> What to say about traveling with a young child… it’s equal parts fun and difficult! We left on Thursday night around 5:30 pm and stopped at a McDonalds for dinner and Sadie was like “This is amazing!” as we went inside to grab some food 😂

We drove right on through the night and arrived at 2:30 am. This is the second time we’ve done the whole leave in the evening and drive in the night travel and in some ways it’s nice because Sadie sleeps for a bit of the drive, but nobody is really comfortable haha. It worked, we got there safely, and we slept in a bit the next day!

I kept Sadie busy on the drive with this sticker activity and no-mess foam that I bought before we left and gave to her as a little surprise when she started to get antsy. It definitely helped to have something totally new-to-her up my sleeve when she was feeling bored.

Baking on vacation –> I can’t not bake. I just can’t! On our first full day, I picked up flour, yeast, and sugar at the grocery store and I’ve baked a challah cornucopia, chocolate chip cookies, a cinnamon challah wreath, and homemade sandwich buns. I have babka dough rising as I type this up and I need to restock the flour and yeast 🤣

I was so sad to put my Etsy shop on vacation mode while being away from home, but it has been nice to have time to bake “for fun,” experiment, and do a bit of back-end work on my shop. I’m not used to having so many people around to enjoy the baked goods with us, so it’s fun to be making basically a new baked good each day!

Family time –> Right now, we’re here with my parents and sister’s family. My brother’s family will be arriving in a few days, and then we’ll have the whole crew here. It has been amazing to not only have extra time with Jimmy and Sadie, but my niece and nephew, parents, sister, and brother-in-law.

We all hang out regularly, but there’s something about having no schedule and a whole week of togetherness that’s really special. It’s also pretty nice to have some help with Sader Tot and to be able to help out with my sister’s kids!

The weather –> We have been blessed with great weather so far and I’m very thankful since it’s hurricane season! We had to be evacuated from the Outer Banks in September two years ago due to a hurricane and visited in September last year and found it to be just a touch chilly.

We’ve had highs in the 80s, lots of sun, and a nice breeze on the beach. Love it. It’s weird to think that when we get home I’ll be starting to decorate for fall 🤪

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Those are all the thoughts I have right now, but I’ll be back soon with some pictures! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day!