North Carolina Fun

On Sunday, we flew down to spend the week at my parent's house in North Carolina. It was a long travel day, but Sam was a champ through the whole thing. We drove to Ryan's parents house, where she ran around for a bit, got back in the car to drive to the airport, stuck her in the stroller through check-in and security (Luckily, no body scanner or pat-downs for us! In fact, they have a "family" line, so we didn't have to wait in the long security line! Woo hoo!), and then had her contained to our laps for the 2 hour flight. The final leg of the journey was the 1 3/4 hour drive to my parents from Raleigh. Whew! The only glitch in the whole schebang was that Sam wet through her diaper in-flight, and it made a nice wet spot on Ryan's pants. Since there is no room to change a baby in the plane bathroom, we did a whole diaper and outfit change on our laps. Gotta love being a parent! :-)

It is wonderful to be at my parent's house. The weather has been amazing. It is warm and sunny. And while it is definitely autumn here - the Bradford pears are a brilliant red and orange - the roses are still blooming, and there are pansies in the ground. Guess we're in the south :-)

Monday morning, my dad and Ryan went out to play golf, and I snuck out for a walk. A mile in, I was feeling so good, I thought I'd try running. I ended up running 2.5 miles and then walking the final 0.5 mile home. Felt great! After I got back, we packed up Sam and went over to join the boys for a few holes on the golf course. What fun!



On the course





Sam enjoying the soft grass along the fairway



My cousin Sean, his wife Kris, and their four-year old arrived Monday night, and Tuesday, after a lazy morning, we loaded up our cars and headed to Wrightsville Beach. Sean wanted to try S.U.P.ing on the ocean, and it really was the perfect day for the beach! Blue skies, a cool breeze, low tide and an empty beach. Perfect. Sam had a blast in the sand and in the water. She just charged right in, unafraid of the cold, the waves or the soft sand beneath her feet. It was so cute!



I love the beach!





Whee!





Sean on his way into the water





Let's go, Pip!



This morning, Ryan and I left Sam with my parents and headed to Lake Waccamaw to do a bit of reconnaissance on the Gator Trail 50k course. We weren't quite sure of the course, but I think we got pretty close. The course is a 5.2 mile loop run 6 times. The trails wander through the pine forests and along the lake. Misletoe and spanish moss hang from the trees. The trails are a mix of sand and packed dirt. It's flat but not totally. The lake is huge, and there are interesting swampy areas along the shoreline. We had a good run. The leg was tight, but not too bad, and it felt great to get a decent run in, and of course, fun to have the chance to run with Ryan! Hurray for grandparents :-)

Sam has been having a great old time, and we are enjoying a bit of family time and a bit of relaxation. A great vacation so far!



Oooh!





Yeah!



Flora and fauna notes so far:

Lots of bluebirds, mockingbirds, a few red-tailed hawks, lots of turkey vultures, cormorants, and a Kingfisher seen throughout my parent's neighborhood. Also a few deer and a Fox Squirrel. At the beach, we saw a flock of pelicans flying low along the water, as well as a school of dolphin really close to the shore - cool! A few Sanderlings ran along the water's edge, chasing the tide, and a Dowitcher too.



Sanderling along the water's edge




Pelicans flying along the waves




Dowitcher hunting