fishing

Last year when we were evacuated from the Outer Banks in early September due to Hurricane Dorian, we vowed to never visit in September again because of the high risk of hurricanes. So what did we do this year? We went to the Outer Banks in September, LOL.

We were blessed with no hurricanes and a blissful week of rest and joy. We met my parents at their beach house in Kill Devil Hills and had such a lovely time.

The weather was definitely a mixed bag; the first few days were windy with rough surf due to remnants of a couple of hurricanes that thankfully didn’t hit the Outer Banks. The rest of the week was just right, though. Some sun, some clouds, high 70s and a calm ocean.

What we were up to all week:

Relaxing! Jimmy and I were in the hot tub every day, sometimes multiple times a day 🙂
Attending church. We visited Son Rise Church of Christ and also watched our home church’s revival via Facebook Live.
Playing at Dowdy Park. Sadie loved all the play structures there and so did the adults, ha!
Vlogging. I posted two vlogs from our trip; this one and this one!
Hanging out on the beach. Sadie was a little fearful of the ocean but loved playing in the sand.
Ordering in lots of seafood. A few of our favorite restaurants if anyone is looking are: Black Pelican, Awful Arthur’s, and Miller’s.
French braiding. Yes, I regularly braid six-strand challah bread, but just learned to french bread hair.
Walking on Jeanette’s Pier. We saw a surfing competition the day we did this!
Visiting the Duck Boardwalk. Jimmy and I got Sadie her birthday gifts there (this book, this book, and this little toy) and grabbed some vegetables from a farmer’s market stand.
Playing mini golf. Jimmy and I went on a little mini golf date and he beat me!
Celebrating Sadie’s second birthday. Sadie turned the big t-w-o while we were away! We bought her a balloon at Dollar Tree and she has been playing with it ever since.

Alright, enough typing. Here are a few photos!

The Outer Banks are such a special place for us. I grew up visiting almost every summer of my childhood, Jimmy and I honeymooned there, went on a babymoon there, and now we take Sadie to visit as much as possible!

There’s just something about being near the ocean and having time to relax and not do much of anything that brings so much joy and refreshment to us. ❤

He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3

I firmly believe that being in nature is good for the soul. So is spending time with family. And not having cell phone service. And camp fires. And laughter. Put all of these together and you have how I spent last weekend in a nutshell.

Jimmy, my brother-in-law, sister, and I went camping at the Kinzua East KOA from Thursday to Saturday and it truly was good for my soul. I had spent over a month without a day off of pet sitting and I was beginning to feel burned out and way too busy.

We booked a cute little cabin and spent our time talking around a campfire, cooking, visiting the Kinzua Dam, hiking, boating, and fishing. We also walked on the Kinzua Sky Walk, which is a bridge that partially collapsed in 2003 due to a tornado. You can read more about it here, because whatever I say won’t do it any justice. It was so neat!

Okay, now for some pictures!