OBX

Long, long ago, Richard and I kept seeing these bumper stickers that said "OBX". And we had no idea what it meant. At some point in our transition to becoming true "Easterners" we learned that OBX was short for "The Outer Banks", and that The Outer Banks are a strip of islands along the shore of North Carolina. And we learned, most importantly, that we really wanted to go there - as every true Easterner does.

This past weekend we finally went! My sister, Ruth, stayed with the kids. Richard and I left at about 3pm Friday. The 5 hour drive took us 8 hours because of heavy traffic... but who cares? We had no kid with us! We were headed for sandy beaches! We giggled about things like that we could both go into the bathroom at a rest-stop at the same time without taking turns staying with kids in the car. We stayed at a great motel right on the Ocean side of The Outer Banks. We took deep breaths of the Ocean air, listened to the waves, and slept soundly that night. But the next day we were up and at 'um. We had rented boogy boards and rode the waves. We sat in beach chairs under an umbrella and stared at the ocean. We ate whenever we wanted. We laughed with each other. We rented waverunners and came out with crazy, wind-blown, 80's hair. We ate crab legs by the pound. We were attacked by "sea lice" which sent us running back to our motel room for a frenzied shower. We learned what those yellow flags on the beach mean - dangerous currents - and that they're serious about that. We watched the sun set and rise from our motel balcony. We shopped. We bought a bumper sticker that says "OBX" just because we think it may be against the law not to own one - and to prove our coolness. We decided that all future family reunions ever should be at The Outer Banks because it is so close to perfect. And we drove home understanding why beach-bums are so laid back and chill - because we felt the same way.

We were only gone for like 55 hours, but it sure felt good! The kids had a blast with Aunt Ruthie, and Richard and I were reminded of how much fun we have together. *sigh* Can we go back tomorrow?

Pictures will come later. We forgot our camera so we had to buy a one-time-use one. It will take a few days to get them developed and digitized, then I'll come back and add photos.