Tag: mom

OBX Summer Trip

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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.

Enjoy the video he took of my one and only attempt on the sandboard. I love his excitement!

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.

I love that there are bike trails everywhere on the island.

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.

Ashley’s 40 Things

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I finally finished my list of the 40 things I want to spend this year completing. Let’s talk about these.

  1. Re-launch blog – Well, here I am. I’ve worked on this blog, on and off, for years. Its always been something I wanted to keep up with. This year I’m determined to make it a priority.
  2. 120 books in 2023 – Pretty self explanatory. I have multiple challenges I’m working on. You can read about those here.
  3. More ARCs – This is one of my challenges but simply put, I want to read and review more advanced reader copy books.
  4. Post to socials more – I’ve gotten away from this since we closed our retail store but I want to spend more time posting to Instagram and Tik Tok.
  5. Fitness Plan – I would like to find something that I can stick to. I’ve spent the last few years in pain and that has kept me from moving my body the way I need to. I had surgery on both my shoulders during the 2021-2022 school year and I’ve spent a year in physical therapy. Now that my arms are mostly healed, I need to get back to working out regularly.
  6. Skincare routine – I do not typically wear makeup but as I age, I need to focus on at least moisturizing my skin more.
  7. Quarterly treat – When I was taking college courses a few years ago, I treated myself to a massage after each semester’s exams. I want to get back into the habit of treating myself to massages or pedicures.
  8. Bra fitting – Everyone needs a proper fitting bra, enough said.
  9. Hiking boots – I would like to invest in a quality pair of hiking boots.
  10. Comfortable shoes – I have serious trouble with my feet. Apparently I have tendonitis in both Achilles. So, I am constantly on the search for a pair of comfortable shoes.
  11. My color wardrobe – I want to slowly start incorporating more clothes in my wardrobe that are on my color palate.
  12. Better sleep – I rarely get enough sleep, I need to make quality sleep a priority.
  13. Re-pierce nose – My nose piercing closed up while I was in the hospital for my first shoulder surgery.
  14. More time outside – I love being outside but I find myself cooped up inside with way too much to do.
  15. Nashville, TN – I want to spend at least a weekend in Nashville taking in the sights.
  16. Camping w/Matt – I want to take a camping trip with my husband, no kids.
  17. 25 hikes in NC – I want to go on 25 hikes in various places in my home state.
  18. Monthly food spots – I want to check out a new food or coffee spot each month.
  19. Veggie garden – I want to have a huge vegetable garden this year.
  20. Porch herb garden – I’ve tried to plant an herb garden outside my front door before but I neglected it. I want to grow my own fresh herbs.
  21. Drink more water!!!!!
  22. Family Photo Shoot – Before my kids start leaving for college, I want to do a fun family photo shoot.
  23. Pay off loans – I have two loans (car and person) that I want to pay off this year.
  24. Clean out my closet – This pairs with #11. I want to throw out (donate or sell) anything in my wardrobe that does not look good on me or fit.
  25. Camping as a family – I want to go on a handful of camping trips with my kids this year.
  26. New front door – We desperately need a new front door and screen door.
  27. Attend a conference
  28. Do yoga on the beach
  29. Board game night – We have a few dozen board and card games and we usually only play them when we are camping. I would like to devote a night each month as a family game night.
  30. Watch the sunrise – This might happen on one of my many hikes or on the beach as I do yoga, but it will happen.
  31. Take in a play
  32. Try new teas – The title of this blog inspired this one. I can also possibly pair this with #18.
  33. Tattoo – I have been wanting to get a couple tattoos for a long time. This year, I will get at least 1.
  34. New car – New to me car! I’ve never bought a new car and I do not see myself doing that now. I have something in mind that I’ve been wanting for a while.
  35. Guitar – I wanted to learn to play guitar a few years ago and then I started having trouble with my hands. I had surgery on my right hand and shots in my left shortly after getting a guitar. Then, my shoulders started acting up.
  36. Go kayaking – My husband took me kayaking when we first starting dating and I loved it. Then, my shoulders started acting up. (Do you see a pattern here?)
  37. New phone
  38. More time on Etsy – Etsy SEO has always been a beast I haven’t quite figured out. I’m selling more handmade / upcycled items on there, so I would like to devote more time to figuring out how to best utilize this selling platform.
  39. Visit an art museum
  40. Stick to a budget

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.