Gavin and I grew up on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, but our families both gravitated to the beach for vacation/holiday.
Sunset at Jockeys Ridge
I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to be a family that traveled to the mountains instead or visited a new location on each vacation. I think it would have been fun to curl up on a comfy couch overlooking green valleys after a long hike or to have seen the big cities of the USA.
Though I’m curious from time to time about what family vacations could have looked like, I’m incredibly grateful that our family spot was the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina. We’ve spent a week at the OBX nearly every summer of my life and it’s become like a second home. While my family was sunning it up on the east coast of the USA, Gavin and his family were partial to Holidays to Spain and often traveled to the same places.
Though I’ve been traveling to Nags Head since I was a baby, the earliest photo I can find is when I was 4 and the middle sister was just starting to stand with the help of furniture 🙂
When I was 7, my uncle and I “won” a go-cart race and I thought I was the COOLEST thing ever. Speaking of cool, check out my uncle’s fabulous 80s shorts!
A few years later, my sisters and I rocked the best sister pyramid ever. We own sunglasses — why we weren’t wearing them, I have no clue!
If we’re at the OBX over the 4th of July week, we head to Manteo to watch the fireworks. Get there early and bring a lawn chair!
In addition to enjoying the sand and surf, over the course of the week we’ll watch a few movies, buy a few ornaments at the beloved local Christmas shop, and climb Jockey’s Ridge (the largest natural sand dune on the east coast).
My dad and I will end up in a crab leg eating contest or two.
If I’m really motivated, I get up early enough to take in a sunrise or two.
Most of all, I enjoy spending time with my family at a place that means so much to every one of us.
With my parents atop Jockey's Ridge last summer
Do you have a place that’s special to you and your family?
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These are such cute family photos! We used to make 3 trips to the beach every summer- those were the glory days! Now I’m just hoping to get 2 days off in July to do so! You and your sisters are precious 🙂
My sisters and I are super different but we’re close 🙂 I love how you seem to be close to your sister too!
Aww, such cute family photos! My extended family used to do a huge reunion every three years at a campsite on the North Coast of NSW, near my grandparents. Sadly we don’t do the big reunion any more, but I’ve spent time in almost every summer at my grandparent’s place – only a 3 minute drive away!
I wish I would have explored NSW more! Enjoy the rest of this year with your family before your big adventure 🙂
If the website link works, then it leads you to a webcam that shows you the view from the dining-hall of the hotel in Italy where I spent, give or take, about the first 20 summer holidays of my life.
If you’re lucky you can spot my brother and dad. 🙂
(This is a non-sponsored comment ;P)
Thank you for your non-sponsored comment O:-) 😉
Granted…we do love the OBX, but there were trips to New York, Orlando and some pretty nice Nationwide journeys! Kristen and I got gypped on that go cart race. Ha, ha! I do agree that you became a master crab leg connoisseur!
Yes, we did go to other places, but the OBX was *the* place that was consistent every year 🙂
I’m already looking forward to a donut from Duck Donuts, crab legs, coffee from the cafe we visited last year, and Taco Tuesday.
Awww you were such a cute baby & well now a pretty lady! This reminds me of the few beach trips we would make as a family to Galveston. Ahh those were the days… I just don’t know how my parents did it with all 6 of us. I mean I seriously would hate to go to the beach with 6 children. I’d be so scared one would disappear.
However the place I must say that is special to my family is the small town my parents grew up in in Mexico. Ahh that town has so many memories… I remember spending Summers and the Christmas Holidays there. Now when we go back so much has changed but the memories linger.
I *love* kids and I think it would be a challenge to care for multiple children running to the water, playing in the sand, and just wanting to play and have a good time! I’d be nervous too — kudos to your parents and all of the parents out there that keep everyone safe and do it so well :-)!!!
I love the images and stories that stay with us over the years from early childhood (that are good ones). They’re some of my favorites to relive and talk about with my family. Glad that you and your family have the holidays to Mexico to remember fondly!
:-)! Another lovely post babe, looking forward to going to OBX with you and the family. This year? Maybe, come on visa!
Super cute photo’s of you and the family 🙂
Hoping with all my might!
Love the photos, you are all so cute! My family likes the beach too. My parents liked to try to go to different places each summer but there are a few places we keep gravitating back to, like Cornwall and Devon in the south-west (UK), and when we had a bit more money the Canadian Rockies (we have family near there, but even so they are beautiful enough to visit again and again regardless!) Fingers crossed for you and Gav getting your trip to the OBX this year…
You’ve spoken so fondly of Cornwall and Devon that I hope Gav and I can go one day!
And we’re hoping the visa goes through so he can be here for the beach too…it means everything has to move along with no problems and we need to be in the timing of the national average. Here’s hoping!!