Topsail Island!!!

Woo hoo... Jeff and I got up on Saturday morning and sat around drinking coffee, discussing with Andee and Johna what we were going to do for the day, when we started talking about the fact that my mom and dad were probably halfway to the ocean by then. Jokingly, I suggested that we see if we could find a last minute deal and three hours later, we were packed, and in the car on our way to Topsail Island, NC to do vacation with the family.

Each year, my family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, grandpa, etc. gather at the beach and spend a week together: catching fish, catching rays, drinking beers, and generally having a great time hanging out. This year, it's just the Trimbers and the Morans and Opa, my grandfather.

The trip was LONG. We usually spend the night at my parents house the night before we leave and then take off from there, and I didn't realize how much time that cuts off the trip. We pulled into Topsail at 1AM on Sunday morning and collapsed into bed.

Sunday morning, everyone was up bright and early, as per usual, and we moseyed down to the house were the rest of the family is staying. My little clan is holed up at the St. Regis Resort, and the rest of the fam is staying in the lap of luxury in a fancy schmancy house with a pool and a hot tub. Of course, these fancy houses always have their problems and it seems that this house's problem is that you can't change the air conditioning temperature and it's currently set somewhere around meat locker. Other than that, and the fact that my cousin Jeff and his wife are trying to sleep on bunk beds with their sons, it seems like a really nice house and having a private pool rocks.

The beach here is gorgeous and practically deserted. I remember when I moved to Cumberland, MD and people would tell me that they vacationed at Ocean City, how I thought that vacation automatically meant that you were going to North Carolina and it seemed strange to go on vacation in your own state. For years, we went to a different beach, called Oak Island. It was great, small enough that my parents would let their teenage daughter roam around at night unattended. After my brother went into the military, my parents allowed me to start bringing friends along with me and there were several years where Alissa Maiers and I ruled the beach for one week a year. Ahh... youth!

So, right now, I'm hanging out in the condo with a sleeping baby, Maggie is enjoying a nap at the house with GoGo and Pop Pop and Ellie is out with Daddy buying a birthday present for Maggie's big day tomorrow - and I highly suspect, something for Ellie.

Life is good and I'll post more later!