OBX

Well I will start out about telling how our trip went, even though it has been two weeks ago. Aunt Faye, Uncle Buren, Michael, Amanda, Carter, Mom and Dad were in the van. Amy, Scott, Mariano, Aydan and I were in our car. We all met at Buren & Faye's house. My Dad had asked Aunt Faye to make some Hoagie sandwich's like she used to when we would all load up and go to camp meetings growing up. Delicious!!! She fixed us all two and baked enough cookies to feed the all the people in China. No kidding...after we all get there and get our luggage out to be packed into the vehicles, we just all sit there staring at and bust out laughing. We managed to get all of our luggage in. Plans were to leave around 6:00. Well our car load who will be named car load 2 for future reference was loaded up and we pulled up to the end of Aunt Faye & Uncle Buren's driveway. Car load #1 are all loading up and they are taking for ever, come to find out...the battery is dead. So we back down the drive way, boot off car load #1 and finally get on the road about 6:45. We were somewhere near or past Raleigh when all of a sudden! I have to go, go...if you know what I mean. I had had diarrhea all day at work and I told Mariano that maybe it wasn't a good idea if we went tonight. So Mariano pulls off the next exit, in which we call car load #1 and inform them. I go and do my business, then come out, and find out that car load #1 didn't get off the exit we got off and they aren't for sure where they are. So here we go out on a search hunt, wasted 45 minutes, but thank the Lord we met up. Stayed in a motel called The Red Roof Inn which wasn't all that clean, but for $55.00 a night what can you expect.

DAY THURSDAY


We get up, eat breakfast, can you guess where??? MCDONALD'S!!! Uncle Buren insisted since no one else wanted to go to Hardee's. After breakfast, fill up with gas and on to driving another 3-4 hours. On our way there we stop at a Welcome Center for the OBX (I finally learnt what that meant, Outer Bankx, get it???) so we all stop take a picture (below) and a burst of energy sweeps through all of us to hurry and get to our beach house.

If you notice Uncle Buren has his camera, well that is all that he did the whole entire trip. Video, eat and sleep....he cracked us up. We all want to get together and see what kind of video he put together. Anyways so we get to our beach house and they are three flights of stairs inside. So we all got situated and went to the beach. It was a little windy so we decided to go out to eat. Us girls went to Food Lion which was just across the street and bought a few groceries. Anyways we went to a place recommended called................I can't remember...it will come back to me. Because this was kind of the highlight for the day...but we order, I mention that there is an 18% gratuity for parties of 6 or more. That was as far as I read, waitress informs us that they will only write two checks per table. Mom and the waitress talks while the rest of us are looking over the menu, we all order, and while we are waiting they have like this paper that everyone can draw on with crayons, really neat idea...especially for me...and Carter/Aydan...so we eat, which Mom informs us before ordering that the waitress will separate once we go to pay. So we get up to go pay and the waitress is at the cash register and she will divide up the tickets. She says that we will have to do that we when leave amongst ourselves...no one is too happy about that because we would have to figure the tax/tip....but she refused. So one side of the table, BTW we sat a pick nick tables, which I liked, but kind of hard for the older ones to get in....one side of the table is on one ticket and the other side on another ticket. So Dad pays for his side, Uncle Buren pays for his side. So on the way out Uncle Buren says to the cashier, "Nice seeing you but we probably won't be back" walks out like nothing. I am completely shocked because no one was expecting that, Mariano stays behind to ask what is the big ordeal about not wanting to ring up separately and all she says is that is just the way the have done it.
So on Sunday when we go to leave, Amy goes and gets a brochure of the Restaurant and hands out to a few of us for memories. I still can't think of the place....burns me up...really not a good sign....


DAY FRIDAY

It was really nice so we stayed on the beach all day, you can look at pictures through my little slide show of pictures that we took, then we went to see the Cape Hatteras Light house. On the way back we ran into a bit of trouble, at least Car load #2 did, or should I say 'me.' Car load #2 had stopped at an ATM to get some cash, we were to meet back at the house for some 'Clark Huskies" (special made hamburgers, another request from my Dad) Um, hello she is on vacation she doesn't want to cook......so there is a stop off that we noticed while passing that car load #1 had stopped to look at the 'Kite Surfing' that was going on. We turn around and get out and watch for a while. Kind of hard to explain so hope you understand, if not, go GOOGLE it. But it is where you get on a surf board and instead of riding the waves or using a sail to help you, you rely on a kite for your speed. Quick explanation....so we decide to leave, I decide that my car load would take a little detour through a sand path. GOT STUCK!?!?! I was laughing my head, Mariano was ready to BITE my head off. So Scott, Amy and I start pushing, forward and backwards, we didn't even budge it. Mariano/Aydan are in the car, Mariano was trying to steer since he was the lightest. So I have to make a phone call back to car load #1 that car load #2 is stuck. The median was the problem, it raised the car off of the tracks so we were kind of like spinning on one tire. So we start digging around the car trying to get it to come down some, it took Dad, Uncle Buren (poor Uncle Buren), Scott, Mariano, and me and God knows who ever else to get the car out. We had by-standers looking at us, how rude!!! So here are two pictures of when we were trying to do it by ourselves...
This is where I thought that Amy was walking on the shore talking on the phone to God knows who, but she informed me after we were home that she was trying to get AAA or someone to help.

DAY SATURDAY
We went on a Ferry to a 'nothing to do' island. Ocracoke Island. Below is Uncle Buren on the ferry, could you have guessed that he is a Chairman/Preacher???
We finished up eating at a really nice Restaurant. We also visited the Cape Ocracoke, that doesn't sound right but I think that is the name. We weren't allowed to walk up in this one, it is still in use but not open to the public.
We went back to the beach, played some more on the shore, some took a nap, Amy and I got in the jacuzzi...I want to buy one....and went to bed.
Sunday we got up and started heading back home. It was a really nice trip, I want to plan another one, I think some families should plan on going and just getting a few beach houses together and going...really nice time.