Three Things: I Like to Remember

After 40-something years of life - and being with the Man of the House for half of that - it should be pretty obvious that I have a LOT of memories.  Some I like to think about more than others.  Sure, there are the obvious good memories: the day we got married, the day each of our kids was born, the birth of our first grandchild..  I could easily fill a "Three Things" post with those alone.  But beside those joyous occasions - there are others that I especially enjoy looking back on because they make me smile.  This is just three:

1) The First Date:  I spent the whole evening wondering if it was, in fact, a date - or just a couple of friends hanging out.  Mostly because the Man of the House was so cool and nonchalant about the whole thing, including how he asked me out.  Something along the lines of how he was going to see this movie and if I wanted to see it I could go with him.  After the movie, when he took me home, we sat in my parents driveway for the longest time just talking about stuff - like the universe and our place in it.  (yeh... we were real deep back then)

2) Our First Vacation to the Outer Banks:  The place we stayed was great.  We relaxed on the beach, we explored, we visited lighthouses, we ate good food.  It was one of those great vacations where we didn't plan anything - just played it by ear.  And had a blast doing it.

Back From the Banks

3) The Time We Got Lost Hiking at the Pink Beds: Sure... at the time it didn't seem like a "good memory" type of a thing.  But now, it's something we still talk (and laugh) about! Somehow we had gotten off the trail we intended to take.  A hike that was supposed to be a few hours turned into an all day event.  We were never lost, lost.  We were always on a trail, so we knew we would come out somewhere.  The question was: where?  And how far from our car would we be at that time? You can read more about that here:

Pink Beds: Part one

Pink Beds: Part two

Pink Beds: Part three

Pink Beds: Part four

You can sometimes find me connecting at these Blog Hops and Link Ups
 Life of Meg: Monday Mingle
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
A Proverbs 31 Wife: Living Proverbs 31
A Life in Balance: Motivation Monday
The WellSpring: Playdates with God 
Tell Me A Story: True Stories
The Beauty In His Grip: Sharing His Beauty 
Salt & Light: Beautiful Ashes

Sweet Surprise

While cleaning the bedroom today and straightening up my nightstand,  I decided to store the power cord for my Nook in the center storage compartment when not in use.  As I opened the small doors, I was greeted with a sweet surprise.  There - tucked toward the back was a clear plastic baggie, with several pieces of saltwater taffy inside!  Forgotten leftovers from our family vacation to the Outer Banks this past summer.

My mind was immediately transported back to relaxing, warm days on the beach, the sound of the waves in my ears, the sun soaking into my skin.  The taste of fresh seafood dinners.  The family fun exploring lighthouses, searching for the remnants of shipwrecks, and standing on the replica Queen Elizabeth II at Roanoke Island Festival Park.  And of course - the joy of the moment when finding Orangesicle salt water taffy at Forbes. 

It was a true moment of serendipity.  A pleasant reminder of those happy memories. 

Sunrise On Kill Devil Hills

It Was Good - While It Lasted

Ahhh... vacation.  A time to relax.  A time to unwind.  A time to slow down and just enjoy each day.  And that's exactly what we did.

This year's trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina was another big win.  Sitting on the beach, soaking in the sun, the surf, the sand.  Light houses, historical sites, surf and sound fishing for the guys.  It was a glorious, stress free week!   (Disclaimer - several of the next few posts to this blog will be trip related.  So, if you're interested in our vacation - you're in for a treat.  If you're scowling at the idea of having to sit through a slide show of our trip - you may want to just skip reading those posts.)

But, as we know - all good things must come to an end.  As did our vacation.  With a bang.  Literally.  As we started to cruise our way out of the Piedmont and into the Mountains - the family vehicle chose that moment to throw a rod.  Bringing the trip to a rather abrupt end.  Fortunately it was at the end of the trip.  And we were close enough to home to have family come rescue us rather quickly and close enough to have the car towed to town.  Unfortunately we are now looking at the unexpected expense of putting a new engine into the vehicle. 

What is it with us, transmissions, and vacations??  We ended up with this car 5 years ago when the transmission went out on our minivan while in Florida!  Only 2 exits away from our destination of the day: Sea World.  That time we were also fortunate to be within driving range of the Florida relatives and to have a brother in law who worked for a car dealership. 

They say there's a bright side to every penny.  I suppose our bright side is that even when these automobile related disasters occur we have never been stranded in the middle of nowhere, and it has never ruined the actual vacation.  Which was good... while it lasted.