My hubby and I are infatuated with the ocean. For over a decade now, Kendall and I have been visiting various beach locations along the east coast. Sometimes we do so together, or in recent years as a family; other times these trips include friends, and occasionally lots of relatives.
Our most recent vacation was with Kendall’s very large family to a beach we’d not yet visited. We rented a sizable house (big enough to comfortably lodge 16 people) nestled along a canal in Sandbridge, VA, near Virginia Beach. (It was within walking distance of the ocean.) This was the first time Kendall and I hadn’t stayed directly on the beach, but as you can tell from the featured image, the view wasn’t all bad. And I’m happy to report we had our own pool.
The trip included lots of delicious home cooked meals, alcoholic beverages, shenanigans, wild crazy kiddos running about everywhere, fishing, crabbing, strolls to the beach, sandcastle creations, shopping, museum tours, fun in the pool, and even a birthday tea party. And since I’m naturally a huge proponent of pictures, family portraits were taken as well.
One of the highlights of the trip was when several members of the family chartered a fishing boat for half a day. Most of them enjoyed it a great deal …and others came back feeling a bit woozy, not having gained their sea legs during the excursion. I might add, that I declined for that very reason and stayed behind to… guard the pool with Olivia. Nonetheless, they did manage to catch quite a few fish, and all the seafood lovers in the group thought them rather tasty, as they ate them for dinner the following night.
All of the ladies planned a dolphin tour for a girls’ day outing, but unfortunately it was cancelled due to nasty weather. I had mixed feelings about that since, while it did sound like a neat experience, I wasn’t entirely sure my experience wouldn’t involve me hanging over the railing for most of it. So, when the weather didn’t cooperate with our plans, I wasn’t terribly heartbroken.
Although most of my vacation was spent in the pool, with an occasional trek to the beach, I did manage to venture out to the Virginia Beach boardwalk to poke around and take some pictures. It was a neat place with lots to see and do, and there were plenty of restaurants and shops to visit as well. I think the enormous King Neptune statue was my favorite feature. However, we didn’t stay too terribly long because it was so hot that I was certain I was melting. We soon retreated to the comfort of air conditioning and chlorinated water.
In all, it was a nice trip. All the kids had a blast and I think the adults did too. I even managed to read an entire book in one week, which is practically unheard of – I typically don’t have that kind of time. So, I was rather pleased about that. I hope all of you are enjoying some fun in the sun and family time as well.
PS: As I mentioned, Kendall and I have visited quite a few beaches along the east coast. If you’re curious, so far Hilton Head Island still remains our favorite. We’ve been there a few times now, and I’m sure we’ll go back in the fairly near future. If you’re interested in checking it out, click here to read more about our travels there. And if you have a favorite beach of your own that you would like to recommend, I’d love to hear about it since we’re always looking for new places to explore. So, by all means, shoot me an email or send me a message on Facebook. 🙂
