THESE are the days.....

Nostalgia has taken me over now that I am here at the beach.......the kids and I had a smooth ride.......maybe one of the smoothest and fastest we have had to the beach......no traffic, only stopped for lunch and gas and let the miles and music get us here.......this house is lovely.....We are in Duck NC, which is a part of the island I have never stayed on.......we had always stayed in Nags Head......so seeing the difference in the vegetation etc is awesome and it is a quaint sorta old fashioned vibe here......the littles were so excited to be playing and they adore my girl.......she is like a mother hen to her chicks......already jumping waves with her little cousin....and as I was driving here I was thinking of how THIS trip was the cornerstone of so much as a kid......and I was feeling grateful to my brother for coordinating this week for us all with my uncle and getting us together.......such a special treat....and one I wasn't sure I was going to be able to come to! Like I had said awhile back they had their last big OBX trip that my uncle had hosted last summer and I had in service and my kids went with my parents.......so getting a do over if you will this summer for me is special and getting to spend time with my Uncle Dave....in a place where I cannot help but think of him and honor the family memories he gave us all of these years......and it was also funny to think of, I have shared the OBX with other people in my own life......my first serious boyfriend that I lived with came to the OBX, and my ex husband came for years so there was nostalgia there too thinking of some of that............some years standing out as more fun than others, some challenging......but all of them a gift.......and the energy here has a familiarity that I can touch and smell and hold.......I am sitting here tapping away, looking out at the ocean......as the sun peeks over the clouds.......so for me the order of the day is to just breathe it all in........with love and gratitude in my heart for the opportunity to be in this special place with my family, and my kids and sharing this tradition with them is super special too.........cheers to fun, sun, and family:)