It’s a new season, and with it comes the urge to refresh and renew. While Spring might be the traditional time for decluttering, there’s no reason to wait until then. In fact, decluttering your space can be a great way to boost your mood, reduce … Continue reading Declutter Your Space
In March, the middle school where I work took the 8th graders to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a field trip. Since my son is in 8th grade this year, I volunteered to be a chaperone. This was our first time to the outer banks and it was amazing, maybe I’ll write about it in another post.
On the last day of that field trip, Aiden told me he would love to return to OBX and spend more time exploring the island. I hopped onto AirBnb and searched for a reasonably priced spot for early in the summer. The only location within my price range was completely booked through November except the weekend after the last week of school. I immediately booked three days and two nights for just the two of us.
I was immensely looking forward to this trip. Not only were we kicking off summer but I felt like it might be the last time we can spend a weekend together before he becomes too cool for his mom.
After a 6-hour drive, we started our trip by making a stop at Jockey’s Ridge State Park. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that we were visiting during the 42nd Annual Rogallo Kite Festival.
Francis Rogallo, a NASA scientist, invented the flexible wing, which led to the creation of hang gliding. His designs have also influenced the development of stunt kites, power kites, and modern hang gliders. Source
Jockey’s Ridge is home to the tallest living sand dune system on the Atlantic coast. Our mission was to have as much fun on the sand dunes and then check into our room for a shower before dinner.
When we arrived at Jockey’s Ridge, we rented a sandboard from Kitty Hawk Kites. The guy working the counter was great and offered to let us keep it as long as we wanted. The sand was HOT! I originally planned on wearing socks but at the last minute decided to stick with my Merrells. That wasn’t the wisest decision.
Aiden was super stoked about the sandboard and took it up to the closest hill. My job was to capture his fun on film but he could not figure it out. I tried to explain it was similar to a skateboard (not that he has any experience with those) and to put his weight on his back foot and use his front foot to maneuver the board. He was not getting it. He tried and tried and continued to get nowhere. After a little coaxing, he talked me into climbing the hill to give it a try. The hill was a beast and not very forgiving to short, stubby legs.
After a few more attempts, he called it a day never getting a swing of it. We walked around a little but the sand was so hot it was difficult to go far. We watched the kites and took some time for a few photo ops.
After checking into our room, we found a little seafood spot close by for dinner. It wasn’t actually anything to brag about. When we got back to our room, I was ready to call it a day. We looked through our host’s recommendations and noticed a page outlining a sunset bike route. Aiden thought it sounded fun and talked me into changing into bike-appropriate clothing. The host had bikes (among other things) for us to borrow and they were the perfect cruisers for our needs. We biked for six miles along the sound as the sun set and it was absolutely beautiful.
The next morning we woke before dawn to check something off my 40 things list. This trip actually allowed me to check a couple things off this list, even if I am super late in doing so. I also have a ton of catching up to do because I have checked off more things than I’ve shared. (More posts coming soon)
I mentioned in the original 40 things post that #30 (watch the sunrise) might happen in conjunction with #28 (yoga on the beach) and that’s exactly what I did. Aiden didn’t join in on my amateur yoga moves but he sat quietly on the beach watching the sunrise and a crab digging a hole in the sand at his feet. It was relaxing and a perfect start to our day.
After returning to our room to freshen up and rest a little, we packed the truck with more borrowed items and took off for a day at the beach. I have absolutely zero pictures because the rip currents were brutal and I was worried about Aiden the entire time. The National Weather Service has since warned swimmers to stay out of the water but this trip was about a week before they got to that level.
We spent about four hours on the beach, both getting a good deal of sun and enjoying the ocean to our hearts’ content. We grabbed dinner from a pizza spot close to the ocean and decided another bike trail was in order. This route was a little different and took us around the back side of The Wright Brothers National Memorial. We got a little lost on this trip and ended up biking close to 10 miles but it was worth it.
We finished our trip Monday morning with a trip to Duck Donuts!
This is a trip I will never forget and I hope Aiden feels the same way.
Last month, I talked about our trip to Hot Springs, NC. I wanted to mention the food we ate in a separate post because I felt it needed its own space.
As I mentioned in the above post, our trip to the campground was a little rocky. Once we were settled and before we hit the mineral springs hot tub, we stopped at Vinyl Pies. The brick oven pizzas at Vinyl Pies were absolutely delicious. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. At this first stop, we shared a Some Like it Hot Album – Spicy chili peppers, hot sausage,
black olives, ricotta cheese, red sauce.
We decided to stop at Vinyl Pies again on Saturday after our super-long hike to Lover’s Leap and around town. At this stop, I ordered the Pizzalad – the Salad of the day piled on top of a 10″ mozzarella and pesto pizza pie. Matthew ordered a Buffalo Soldier 45 – Mozzarella, chicken, caramelized onion, bacon
swirled with buffalo sauce, and blue cheese.
Salad on a pizza? Yes, please! It was amazing. Matt said his was great, too. He especially liked their in house made pizza dust.
On Friday night we decided to take in the live music at Big Pillow Brewing. Inside (well actually, you order from the outside of the building) Big Pillow is The Grey Eagle Taqueria. They sell everything you would imagine a Taqueria would sell. We had carnitas and smoked brisket tacos. These tacos were loaded down with filling and so very flavorful. If we knew we were getting as much food as we were, we probably wouldn’t have ordered the chips with Verda sauce but when on vacation…
The atmosphere at Big Pillow was relaxing and welcoming. We met a few furry friends and people watched for a couple hours. This is definitely a spot you should add to your list if you are traveling to or through Hot Springs, NC.
As I’ve been working on my 40 things list, I have found that I really enjoy hiking. The smell and feel of nature and the freedom of being able to take it all in. It also gives me time for my brain to just rest. … Continue reading Joy
I mentioned in the last post, A House Divided, that our oldest didn’t attend the Hornets & Jazz game because he’s not a fan of large crowds or loud noise. And quite frankly, he isn’t big into sports. In an attempt to not leave him … Continue reading Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!
Morrow Mountain State Park
Albemarle, NC
I added another hike to #17 on my list of 40 things.
Last weekend, we traveled a little over an hour from home to a place I hadn’t heard of until the week before. I had planned on taking the boys for a hike at Lake Norman. Upon doing a little research to map out a trail, I discovered that the trails were currently closed. We were excited about the prospect of hiking and my youngest had already invited his girlfriend, so AJ and I started searching for an alternative.
Morrow Mountain State Park is located in Stanly County about 50 miles northeast of Charlotte. This park offers over a dozen hiking and horse riding trails. You will also find camping sites and cabins as well as areas for swimming, fishing, boating and paddling.
I took 3 teenagers on this adventure. We mapped out a 5.2 mile (out and back) hike. We each carried packs for our lunches, waters and snacks. I carried the first aid kit, extra water and the cameras. I also decided to strap the Go-Pro onto my pack. Much to my disappointment, I had grabbed the wrong SD card and only managed to get about 7 minutes of video. Side note, I am learning so much with each hike.
The first mile of the hike was straight down the mountain. During this stretch, I realized we would have to travel up this part at the end of our hike and wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.
At the first fork we took some time to study the map. AJ noticed that a horse trail would lead us to the lake. He asked if we could change our plans and head that way instead. I took another look at the map and noticed this would add about 2 miles to our already hefty hike. The kids discussed it and decided it was worth it. I figured we should be able to get to the lake around lunch time. The weather was ideal for a February hike. It was sunny and the majority of our hike was under the cover of trees. The horse trail provided us with lots of opportunities to dodge piles of horse poo but we also got to see about 8 beautiful horses and met some very nice people.
We made it to the end of the lake trail by lunch time and found 2 large fallen trees to rest on while we ate our lunch. Unfortunately the last 100 yards or so to the lake was blocked by thick brush and I didn’t see any reason to try to maneuver it. We savored our lunch overlooking an area near the lake and enjoyed nice conversation. The short relaxation time was welcoming.
After cleaning up our lunch trash, we headed back to finish the loop on the horse trail. The bottom of the loop was an easy trek. We crossed a small creek. We ended up shedding our outer layers after walking in full sun for about 30 minutes.
As we came up to the last fork we had a decision to make. We could take a longer, less steep trail or we could take a short very steep trail. I think the kids were ready to be done because they all voted the short trail.
The last bit back up the mountain was torture for me. I could not catch my breath and I kept telling the kids to go ahead and not worry about me. They didn’t want to leave me behind but I also think they were having just as much trouble putting one foot in front of the other as I was. When we finally crested the top of the mountain and saw the parking lot we all sighed a heaving sigh of relief. We were exhausted. We finished the day with 8.4 miles hiked. It was quite an accomplishment considering this was their first hike of the year. I was so proud of them and happy to be at a rest area with a bathroom.
We finished the day with ice cream from a local general store. Half the car fell asleep on the return drive home. I would say it was a successful day.
I finally finished my list of the 40 things I want to spend this year completing. Let’s talk about these.
Well, there they are. As I start dissecting and completing these, I’ll be posting about how it’s going. Let me know if you have any questions or want more details. I remember my mom telling my once that her 40s were her best years. I’m determined to enjoy this year and I want to embrace getting older as my 40th birthday grows nearer.
What is your spirit animal? According to an online quiz I found while browsing the internet at 3 in the morning, my spirit animal is a bear. I find it amusing how we can answer a handful of questions and a computer can tell all … Continue reading My Spirit Animal – Daily Prompt
Do you keep a journal? I’ve never been one to write in a journal or a diary.
As I walk into this first week of 2023, a couple things stick with me. I will be 40 this year!! And there are some things I’ve been putting off.
We all do it. We get busy. Life happens. People and things demand our time. Honestly, it’s inevitable and I don’t mind it at all. I like being busy. I’m always one to add more to-dos to my list. But I am very guilty of putting off doing things for myself.
With that said, I have decided this is the year to get things done. I am devoting time to do things I want to do, things I’ve been putting off. I refuse to feel guilty for spending time and/or money on myself (within reason). I am compiling a list of 40 things to do this year, my 40th year. My birthday is in April but I am giving myself the entire year to complete this list. I’ve started adding things to my list in 4 different categories. I’m focusing on – health and beauty, adventures, home improvements and overall challenges. I do not quite have 40 items but by this weekend, I hope to have the list complete.
One of the challenges is to get back to blogging. So, look at this, I’ve already started checking one item off. My hope is that if I focus time on certain challenges this year, they will become habits and part of my daily/weekly schedule.
Here are my 40 things so far:
What do you think? Do you have suggestions on things to consider adding. Once my list is complete, I’ll break down the reasons behind each one and my motivation to get them done.
Happy 2023 friends.
Tea with a Taurus 