Family Trip to Hatteras Island

We had a fabulous time at the beach! I was actually teary eyed leaving the island. I just wasn't ready to leave and head back to reality. Today Danny said the Family Circus comic showed the family heading home from vacation with the kids excited to see their friends and the parents already dreading the laundry & clean up that awaited them at home. That was us!

This beach trip was all about boogie boarding! Danny taught all of the girls how to do it and they became quite good at it by the end of the week. Even Sadie looked like a pro riding her little waves.

We spent more time than we ever have on the beach! In the past, we would spend 2 hours tops. This year thanks to "The Beast" (Danny's new FJ Cruiser), we would drive on the beach with all of our gear and stay put for 4-5 hours! It was AWESOME!
We made lots of sand creations like castles, mermaids, and even a sand car!

On Wednesday, I experienced one of the freakiest events of my life! We took a ferry boat ride to Ocracoke and once we got there, drove far down the north end of the island to a remote spot on the beach. We thought it was the best spot ever because the waves were really low and the water wasn't very deep. We were surprised to see blue crabs floating out of the white wash (and a little scared), but that didn't stop us from going in. The kids were riding their boogie boards and having a great time. I was staying right were the first waves roll in which is my usual spot. I've never been a big fan of the waves and have always had a fear of it. I was telling the girls about it the day before. On this day, I thought...it would be great if I showed the girls that I'm going to face my fear & enjoy myself. So...I decided to venture out! As I was making my way to chest deep water, a wave came in and as soon as it passed, I saw a gray dorsal fin and tail!!!!!!!!!!! A SHARK!!! I screamed for Danny & the girls to get out and ran!! This shark must have been at least 5 ft long and was 10 ft in front of me. How freaky is that??? My hands were shaking SO bad for a good 45 minutes afterwards. I was really concerned about the girls not ever wanting to go back in the water, so Danny was nice enough to venture back out & show them everything was okay. Thankfully, they didn't have any issues and were back in having fun...although not as far out. I've always known that sharks are out there, but never thought they'd come that close to shore! After doing some research, I found out that a few of them will feed on crabs & shrimp in the shallow ends or on sandbars. I can only guess that that is the reason we saw one. The water wasn't deep and there were definitely crabs! Here is the spot where I saw it. Notice how far back the girls are :0).

The next day, we rented a kayak and took turns going out into the sound. Here's the girls giving it a try on their own. Poor Danny had to chase them so they wouldn't bump into a windsurfer.

Every night at the house, I'd sit outside on the deck & watch the sunset. I enjoyed these moments so much! I find such peace in watching the day come to an end this way. Although we're back to reality, I will always treasure this week spent with my family. I'm so grateful to have had the time to laugh and play with them under the sun!