Coastal Bliss (Pun intended)

Indian Beach, NC: My own personal Nicholas Sparks novel.

A couple years ago, Ryan's parents bought a condo in Indian Beach, a small beach town nestled in between Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach. The large porch looks right over the sound, which always strikes a serenity chord with me. You can just sit on the porch or the large dock down below, wine in hand, with a cool breeze and a beautiful sunset. Heaven. During the day, you can fish or use the shrimp nets or crab cages to collect your next meal, or just sit and relax with your legs hanging off the dock.

Aiden spent the first part of the week here with his Nana and Papa, and then Ryan and I joined them for the latter half of the week through the weekend. They had already done lots of swimming, fishing, and kayaking, so it was our turn to join in the fun. We caught eleven crabs the first day (!), and were able to keep nine of them for size purposes; Ryan steamed them and we had a delicious, succulent lunch!

Besides going to the ocean, spending time at the pool, and fishing/crabbing off the dock, we took a 20-minute drive to Beaufort, NC to visit the NC Maritime Museum, which now has a special exhibit: Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge. It's so neat to see these old artifacts and trinkets that were handled by someone so well-known in our country's history. Seeing it in the flesh also brings this fable-like story to life; this really happened and these people really existed. What a world that must have been.

We finished the afternoon with some ice cream and a stroll through the Old Burying Ground, a historical burial site of individuals spanning centuries of North Carolina history. As you walk along the paths lined by gnarly trees and some hardly recognizable graves, you can peruse all the various tombstones, many with fascinating stories behind them. One tombstone of an English sailor is engraved as so:

     The form that fills this silent grave,
     once tossed on ocean's rolling wave,
     but in a port securely fast
     he's dropped his anchor here at last.  

Following our trip into Beaufort, we had a fabulous dinner out on the deck at The Ruddy Duck Tavern in Morehead City. Burgers, pasta, fish tacos... you name it! Looking right over the water with the boats happily passing by just added to the lovely and calming atmosphere.

Anyways, it was another great trip to the North Carolina beach with Ryan's family. We always look forward to genuinely relaxing while we're there, and this trip was no exception.

The only hard part about taking off to the beach for the weekend was Moose's failed attempts to try and come with us.

Have a Magical Day!

This June we finally made our way to Disney World with Aiden (!!). He turned nine in May, so we figured this summer was the perfect time for his introduction to this truly magical place (for both kids and adults). I haven't been in twenty years, and I was just as excited as Aiden when we drove underneath the arching welcome sign. Chill bumps, seriously.

We went to Florida for our vacation this year, spending four days on the beach in St. Augustine and two full days in Disney. Our first day in Disney was at Magic Kingdom, and we did everything. We got there when the gates opened, and immediately ran to Frontierland, where Aiden had his first experience on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (this turned out to be his all-time favorite ride). From that point on, we got our fast passes for the rides with the long lines (this was a lifesaver), and experienced all the other treats the park had to offer. Some of the "filler" things we did actually turned out to be my favorites. The Micky's PhilharMagic show was a 3D movie starring Mickey and Donald Duck, featuring characters, scenes, and songs from all the classic Disney films that we grew up with; by the time "A Whole New World" came on, I was in tears.

Aiden was such a little happy trooper and didn't hesitate on the big rides or complain about the shows/rides that might be "too little for him." I really think the three of us just opened our hearts to the whole Disney experience and were so intoxicated by the true magic of it all. Even though we went at the end of June, the weather was so mild, and the rain sprinkled on and off, which was such a welcome refreshment. We spent a minimal amount of time waiting in lines (no joke), and were just taken away with flying over Neverland, drifting through this "small world," jetting through space, meeting all the Presidents, cruising through the jungle, exploring Tom Sawyer's island, cringing through a haunted mansion, climbing the Swiss family treehouse, exploring the Caribbean with our pirate friends, cracking up at the Monsters laugh floor, and plummeting down the waterfall with Br'er Rabbit... just to name a few of our adventures. What a great family vacation. And I simply loved when I heard someone yelling behind me, "C'mon, we're late! We're late!" and there was the White Rabbit scurrying through the park. What I would have paid to get a photo with him. 

The second day we went to Animal Kingdom, which animal-lover Aiden was thrilled about. We started the day on a safari, seeing the most amazing animals and catching poachers along the way. We saw an interactive Bug's Life show in the Tree of Life, went down some raging rapids (I looked like I jumped into a swimming pool once it was finished), and went on the treacherous Mt. Everest rollercoaster (a ride that Aiden might learn to appreciate with a few more years on him... he was not amused this time). We saw the Lion King show, which was like a mini-Broadway production; in other words, it was spectacular. Ryan and I bought some beautiful wooden wind chimes as our souvenir, and Aiden started a pin collection of all the sites and characters he loved. We were sad to leave, but we were completely happy and satisfied by the time we left; you can only have so much fun before you want to pass out.

Safari ride at Animal Kingdom

Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom

Family pic in front of the Mt. Everest ride

The goofy pandemic has set in! Time to go home. :)

Our four days in St. Augustine are not to be downplayed by Disney, however. We spent our days boogie boarding in the beautiful Floridian ocean, and one day, a few dolphins swam right by us. When does that EVER happen? At first I just saw a dorsal fin, looked back at Ryan and said this bluntly, so his knee-jerk reaction was to sprint to shore; but then we saw the arch of the swim, and were immediately in awe of these beautiful friendly creatures that just swam by to say hello.

We also went to downtown historical St. Augustine to see the Castillo de San Marcos, per Aiden's request. He studied about this national monument that was built by the Spanish in the seventeenth century, and he couldn't wait to put his studies to good use and go check it out. He's such an academic! Here he is next to one of the canons guarding the castle over the intracoastal waterway. You can also see the historic Bridge of Lions in the background.

Between our trip to Martha's Vineyard last year and this year's trip to Florida, I really feel like we have so many sentimental places that capture a little piece of "home" in our hearts. It's a trip that I know Aiden will remember forever, and it warms my heart that we were able to open up this magical world to him.

Oh... New England.

Welcome to Happy House! Located in the Oak Bluffs district of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts (in case you're unaware, Martha's Vineyard is an island off of Cape Cod, MA). Ryan, Aiden, and I stayed here for an entire week of New England bliss. Yes, we were blissful Blisses! And it was indeed a happy house. A few highlights of the trip (see more photos in the slideshow at the end of this post):

We took a couple trips to Tashmoo--a beautiful, private, and quintessential New England beach that can only be accessed by driving for miles on a hidden, bumpy dirt road. Ryan caught some clams there, we went in the freezing crisp water, caught crabs through the rocks on the jetty, collected the gorgeous beach rocks and sea glass, and just enjoyed every moment. We even got to see a private wedding ceremony take place right on the rocks.


Every morning we would walk and get coffee, doughnuts, or bagels from Back Door Donuts. Every morning or afternoon (depending on our main activity for the day), we'd play croquet in the lawn surrounding the Tabernacle in the center of the campground. Who knew that game was so much fun?





On another gorgeous day we went kayaking out on the lagoon. We met a lovely little french bulldog named Betty Olive (owned by the woman running the kayak rentals) who Aiden and I wanted to take home with us. The lagoon was just gorgeous, and I continually pined for all the lovely cottages that lined the banks.



In the meantime, we enjoyed all the quaint and unique little shops and restaurants covering the island. I got my tie-dye Black Dog shirt after dining at the Black Dog Tavern in Vineyard Haven. We repeatedly got blocks of fudge from Murdick's and ice cream from Mad Martha's, tried out the supreme nachos at Sharky's (holy cow!), and I tried my first fresh oysters at the Oyster Bar Grill. Aiden discovered the "best cheeseburger ever" at Nancy's, right on the harbor (which we visited about three times throughout the week). My favorite meal of the trip though was getting fresh lobsters and clams from the fish market, and cooking them at home in our cottage. After Aiden went to bed, we'd have a glass of wine out on the porch in our rocking chairs. I don't think life could get much better.



Every morning I ran a 4-mile loop and came back along East Chop Road (where East Chop Lighthouse is located). It had the most breath-taking view and the most beautiful cottages lining the street. Every morning the same elderly woman would be sitting in front of the lighthouse looking out over the water. And I understood exactly why she did it. I hope one day to live in a place like this that simultaneously has such vitality and tranquility. What a gem.

One afternoon we strolled down to the Flying Horses Carousel. On Aiden's second ride, and my first, we both caught the brass ring! There's only two per ride, and those two riders get to stay on for a free ride. Ryan's been going to MV since he was a kid, and has yet to get the brass ring. We were excited to say the least. : )





Getting there and departing from the island was an adventure of it's own. We had bought our ferry tickets months in advance so we could bring our car over. The fog was so thick on our trip over that I wasn't able to see the island until we arrived, but on the trip back to Cape Cod, I saw West Chop Lighthouse from a distance, and even saw some seals in the water. What a magical air when you're standing on the deck of that ferry, and what a truly magical place.

Martha's Vineyard

So we leave for our family vacation this coming Sunday for Martha's Vineyard! My first vacation since the honeymoon... so it's very much needed. As you probably know, Martha's Vineyard is a quaint, beautiful island off the coast of Massachusetts. Ryan's family owns one of the little gingerbread houses in the Oak Bluffs area, right in the center of town. How lucky are we?

Ryan spent many of his childhood vacations here, and he's been wanting to take me up there ever since we started dating-- after all, it's the quintessential "New England." And I love anything New England. : ) So I'm banking on a full lovely week of the following: fishing, eating lobster, clamming, walking, kayaking, drinking wine, visiting little shops and bakeries, and most importantly, relaxing. Most vacations seem to be so jam packed with activities in order to take full advantage of your days off from work that it's hard to fully experience the place you visit; however, the environment of Martha's Vineyard caters to the old-fashioned summer vacation... enjoying the outdoors, spending time with your family, and appreciating the little things in life.

Here's just a few of the little stops I'd like to make on our trip (those within walking distance are my favorite!):

Mad Martha's Ice Cream
Vineyard Haven, MA







Flying Horses Carousel
Oak Bluffs, MA
The nation's oldest operating carousel. If you catch the brass ring, you get a free ride! (Know the Dispatch song "Flying Horses"? Yep, this is it!)



The Black Dog Tavern and Bakery
Vineyard Haven, MA
Opened in 1973. Self-explanatory!








Murdick's Fudge
Edgartown, MA
Murdick's Fudge has been making fudge and brittle with the same recipes since 1887.