Last week the hubs and I took off for vacation. We love to go to Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington North Carolina. It is our favorite vacation spot. This is how it went:

We woke up last Tuesday, the first morning of vacation, realizing we had forgotten to buy coffee. What??? wait let me go back to the day before on Monday and our ten hour, terrible traffic, road work delays, torrential rain, butt numbing road trip. Normally when we do our beach vacation to our beloved beach, we start out on Sunday morning and the traffic is fairly light. We hadn’t been there in four years because of other trips and covid and etc etc. The last few times we had gone we chose to fly because it gave us more beach time. I guess we had forgotten how grueling and never ending the ten hour drive could be.

First we had to start on Monday because it was Mark’s long weekend to work. They are so short staffed he was barely able to get an entire week off. We didn’t choose to fly this time because we had heard of all the nightmare delays and no rental cars. So we decided to do the drive. We meant to leave out at 6:30 AM but we were delayed a little and didn’t get started until almost 7:30. I mean after all I did have to spend a little extra time snuggling the babies and arranging food for them. Molly and Scruffy had already been taken to a couple of family members for the week. Also Mark couldn’t find his wallet after we packed the car so we spent some time backtracking. He finally found it in the back seat. Take into account it was Monday and not Sunday and lots of traffic to deal with especially near Knoxville because it was morning rush hour. So it is no wonder when we rolled into the grocery store for supplies, after we arrived at the beach, we forgot the coffee. Not to mention we were in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm and coastal flooding was predicted. It rained and rained.

Luckily I brought a ton of knitting and my laptop and several books. So I was in heaven having nothing to do but read and watch movies and knit and knit and knit. We did brave the weather every night to grab some yummy seafood for dinner.

Finally the rain stopped and the sun came out. Just in the Nick of time I would say, too much closeness can lead to bickering. We walked into town, about a three mile walk round trip, and bought a few more supplies.

We did have a few good days on the beach. After all the rain the weather was perfect. The high temps were in the low eighties and the mornings were perfect for walking on the beach. It was a much needed fun and relaxing trip.

We headed back home on Saturday morning. We left out at 4:00 AM and picked up Molly from my nephew’s house and then Scruffy from my sister in law and then headed home. I don’t think you could have gotten another thing in that car.

We got home and all the kitties were so happy to see us. We had people who had been coming in every day to take care of the kitty babies. Going on vacation is quite an ordeal when you have eight babies.

I took an extra couple of days off and bought groceries, did laundry, took supplies to my mother in law at the village and cleaned house. It was good to have everything back in place and clean.

I had a great time with my husband but I was so happy to get back home to everyone and the babies. I guess that may be the very best part of vacation.

Wrightsville Beach is located about 70 miles north of Myrtle Beach near the town of Wilmington. When we fly in we always fly into the Wilmington Airport. We usually stay at Shell Island Resort or Surf Suites both of them are great places with friendly people. We love them both.

More beach pictures on tomorrows Wordless Wednesday.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Hello friends, I have been gone most of the week to Luray Virginia for a work trip. This was the first trip I have been on in a year and a half.

The Attraction that I work for belongs to a tourism association and we meet a few times a year. However this was our first in person meeting in over a year. We had conducted all of our previous meeting via Zoom.

I had to leave out on Sunday. I don’t know if you are like I am but I just have to leave my house clean and the laundry done. So on Saturday that is what I spent the day doing.

I was awakened on Saturday morning by the smoke detector in the hallway just outside my bedroom. At approximately 3:30 AM I started hearing that repeated chirp that just makes you want to tear it out of the ceiling and stomp it into a billion pieces. Scruffy’s little ears are especially sensitive. He first tried to climb on my back and then my head to get away from that piercing little chirp.

We got up and of course had no batteries to fit it so we wound up pulling it off the ceiling to stop the chirping. Since I was awake I decided to just stay up. I had a lot to do to get ready for my trip. It had been so long since I traveled I had almost forgotten how to pack. I actually did leave several things behind.

Preparing for a trip gives me anxiety. Add in the fact I have gained weight and had less clothing options really put me in a tailspin. But I was determined that I was going to make the best of it and enjoy my time with a group of wonderful people that I had not seen in a very long time. That is just what I did.

We left out on Sunday and it was about a seven hour drive. I met a couple of other people in Knoxville and we all rode together. It was a long drive and we arrived tired and weary from the road. We stayed at the beautiful Mimslyn Inn. I’ve stayed at the Mimslyn before and it is a beautiful and very old property. It is reputed to be haunted but I have never encountered anything during my stays. Although our meeting didn’t start until Monday at 1:00 PM we went on Sunday because we had such a long drive and didn’t want to take a chance on running into road work or any other issues.

Moonshadows Restaurant is fairly new and is centrally located on Main Street in Downtown Luray, Virginia. The name Moonshadows is supported throughout the restaurant by the use of color and art-every picture has a moon in it. It’s beautiful.

The grounds at Luray Caverns.

We also had the pleasure of visiting the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton Virginia. We were so fortunate to have a few of the actors on set and they did a couple of short performances for us. We were also able to visit backstage and check out the areas where all the action happens, making costumes, building scenery for the sets and the area where all the props were kept. So exciting, for just a few minutes, to feel like a part of theatre crowd.

http://www.AmericanShakespearecenter.com

If you have the luxury of visiting the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and just a few of these treasures I have mentioned, you will never forget them. With each turn and twist of the road a beautiful work of art will unfold. It is breathtaking. The people are some of the nicest people you will ever hope to meet. The hospitality is honest and true. I can’t wait to go back.

Have a wonderful rest of your week and always remember,

Love your day your way!!!