Ahhh…home.
We finally found our way home yesterday after a wonderful vacation to Corolla, NC in the Outer Banks. This was our fourth annual trip with my mother in law and brother-in-law (who I am lucky enough to love) and I think they get better every time (the trips, I mean, not the in-laws).
Anyway.
We had nearly perfect weather including one cloudy day in the middle of the week, which fell at the ideal time for all of us as it forced us out of the sun and into the local shops, onto the go-karts and mini-golf course, out to lunch and onto the docks of the Currituck Sound for some blue-crabbing (a favorite annual activity).
So, you might remember that we made the decision (read: HUSBAND made the decision and I complained about and dreaded it for months) to wake up in CT at 3:00 am and drive the 9+ hours to North Carolina rather than fly this year. I mean, I really dreaded it. I dreaded it like I dread a dentist appointment or a pap smear. Maybe more than I dread either. Maybe more than I would dread both. At the same time.
Last night, Husband asked me if I had a blog all cooked up about the trip and I said (truthfully) that I really didn’t. My photos are already posted on FB, my brain is mush and I wasn’t feeling particularly creative. His response was that today would probably be an appropriate time to confess to the cyber world that I was wrong and he was right. Because I had absolutely no faith that the children in the car (including two that are always children and four that only sometimes act like they are) would behave themselves. I would have bet my TiVo on the fact that there would be much crying, complaining and carrying on. 9+ hours of crying, complaining and carrying on. Good times, good times.
Ready? Here it is.
I was wrong.
The children (all six of us) were very well-behaved. Sleeping much of the trip, playing games (I packed a large bag of surprises), singing and snacking. It was all a very, very pleasant surprise for me. Husband was a patient, non-aggressive, accommodating driver. Mother-in-law was her usual helpful, generous, sweet self — propping pillows for Little Brother, distributing snacks and frequently rescuing wayward toys dropped from his reach in the car seat. Brother in law (stuck in the way back with Big Brother) was quietly snoozing when not plugged-in with movies on his iPhone — deftly handling a very chit-chatty (“Can I play with your phone?…Can I play with your phone?…Can I play with your phone?”) Big Brother for nearly 20 total car hours all in. I was a proud Mommy. We will certainly save the $$ and drive again next year. And probably forever after that.
It’s such a great vacation spot. Unspoiled but accessible. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in straying from the usual Massachusetts go-to spots like Cape Cod, Nantucket or Democratic Presidents Vacationland otherwise known as MV. Check out http://www.twiddy.com for rental houses. (And no, sadly, they aren’t giving me a deal for recommending them.)
Only 356 days until we head back. I can’t wait.
Confessions of a Serial Swooper 