A Day in Photos and Video

Today at the beach, we had an unexpected visitor.

We also had to vacate the beach quickly as a storm was moving in fast!


We also saw some kiteboarders at dinner while we were at Miller's restaurant in Nags Head. We were able to capture some video of this guy take off.

We also caught another kiteboarder when he went airborne.

Sunday on the Shore

We had a fun-filled first full day down here in Corolla. We started off by going out to the beach in the morning. Kristie and I were very excited to get out into the ocean. We took two Boogie boards out into the surf, which was very a little rougher than normal. Waves were breaking a few hundred yards out due to Tropical storm Bertha wreaking havoc a few hundred miles away out in the Atlantic. At first, we saw the waves and were very excited. It appeared it would be good conditions to ride waves a good distance.

We were wrong.

After about 20 minutes of trying to get out far enough to catch some good waves, we realized the current was just too strong. Waves were breaking further out, but some were coming in and breaking right on top of us. We both managed to "wave jump" most of them, but every now and then, one of the waves would be too powerful and take us under. I managed to ride a few waves in. I looked over at Kristie to see how she was doing. Earlier when I looked at her, she had a confident and determined look on her face as she paddled out to the waves. Then, a short while later, that look on her face turned to frustration as she battled the waves and struggled to inch out towards the waves. The last time I looked over at her, the look on her face had changed to desperation. I was not sure if she was going to be able to get back in. She had just been toppled by a giant wave and she was recovering when another one got her. I started swimming her way as she got up, I signaled to her that another was on its way right behind her. She managed to duck under, but I knew when she surfaced, I was going to have to help push her towards the shore.

We both decided that we should save Boogie boarding for another day and went up to our towels and relaxed for a while. Later we went on a walk up and down the beach. There were TONS of people out enjoying the nice, sunny day.

We saw a Chinook helicopter go by, following the shore, most likely from the Norfolk base. We also saw a few engine-powered hang-gliders take off and circle around. After a few hours, we made our way back to the house to swim. I checked out the rec center weight room while Kristie studied Economics while sitting poolside.




Closer to dinner, Stephanie and Jon arrived. I drove over to the beach with them for about an hour and when we came back, we all sat down for a nice dinner. We had London broil, boiled shrimp, salads, potatoes, and corn on the cob. After dinner, we headed over to the natural grass Miniature golf course which is just a short walk up the road. All 8 of us made the trip, dodging the swarms of bugs on the street which sent many of us running. Right when we started golfing, someone saw a fox about 50 feet away. Jon crept up and got a few photos.





Par for this miniature golf course (which had 20 holes) was 80. I had a 60 and Kristie had a 72. We are usually very competitive, so I will definitely hold this over her head for a while!

Tomorrow we are expecting some thunderstorms because of the tropical storm off the coast. Will check in later in the week!

Cruisin' in to Corolla

We arrived at our beach rental house in Corolla, NC today just before noon! This is the second year we've gone down to the Outer Banks for a summer vacation. My parents and Uncle Dave and Aunt Joyce rented the house and convinced us to come down for the week. Kristie can't stay the whole week because of classes and exams, so she will ship out a little early, taking a flight back from Norfolk on Tuesday. My cousin Stephanie and her husband Jon will be coming down here tomorrow night.

We actually left yesterday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. from Painesville and drove together in my parents' vehicle. It was pretty packed, but we survived. We stayed in Norfolk last night and got up early this morning to make the rest of the trip (about 2 hours) to the Outer Banks. We strategically planned this out since last year, traffic was crazy for my parents during the afternoon and early evening on Saturday because of all the other vacationers making their treks.
We made a stop at the welcome center as we entered the Outer Banks. Had to get a photo with the giant fish.




They let us check into our house on 1083 Hampton at Corolla Light early and boy, is it amazing! It has its own pool, there are 5 bedrooms and this place could basically sleep 19! We've only been here about 8 hours and it feels like we've been here a week already. Since we've been here, I went out and ran a little over 4 miles with my iPod Nike+ adapter, then we went swimming here at the house, played a few games of pool (yes it has a pool table!), went on a walk up to some shops and looked at the Sound, came back and went swimming again and now we are sitting down to eat dinner.




It's really beautiful weather down here, mid-80's and nice breeze coming in from the Atlantic. We'll be sure to check in again later in the week.

The summer is officially here

OK, so maybe not officially if you are paying attention to the calendar, but with the weather that we have been having, I'm making it official in Avon Lake. The weather has been great lately. Our landscaping looks really nice and Jeff sprayed the plants today to ward off those darn deer. Last year they ate our lillies on July 4 just when they were at their absolute peak... as you can see.

The next day, gone. I refuse to allow that to happen this year.

I worked on some homework today. It's hard to do when the weather is so nice. I'm a quarter of the way done with my econ class already. Next week I have the midterm, not sure if it's a take home or not. I will be meeting up with my friend/classmate this coming weekend to study, either way.

We had some of Jeff's coworkers over last night for a cookout and had perfect weather. We had a fire going and had a nice time with all of them. I don't think the mosquitos were really out, either. Or maybe the fire just kept them away. This afternoon we went for a bike ride to the lake. Work will start to pick up soon, we are getting all of the summer and fall financial aid in order and closing out our fiscal year. Only 6 weeks of econ left and then a vacation to a yet to be determined locale...

Grandma's 80th birthday party

We went down to Stone Creek this past weekend and helped celebrate Grandma's 80th birthday. We all got together at Red Lobster in New Phila and waited while Jim and Pam brought her to dinner. There were 40 of us there and we had a great time and I think she was surprised. Ben and Katelynn were cute as always. We had fun with them.

The entire family was there including Grandma's siblings and their spouses. I hope I look this good at 80!

Ben told us "My name is Ben, I love Jeff and Kristie, that's how I roll!" Adorable and hilarious.

I start my Economics class tomorrow night for the summer. Hope it goes well and quickly!

Long weekend...

At the last minute last week, Jeff booked us at the Mountaineer Casino and Resort in West Virginia for a mini vacation and to celebrate our 8th year anniversary, which officially takes place tomorrow, the 27th. He had some extra time off last week because of the Cavs being done and did some extra golfing. I picked him up in Youngstown after work on Friday where he had golfed at the Youngstown Country Club and then we headed to WV. We did a little gambling Friday night (mostly me watching and Jeff playing video blackjack) and we were even steven. There isn't much around there so we ate at the resort both nights. On Saturday, we had breakfast, checked out the Fiesta outlet and golfed 18 holes at the resort's course, which just so happens to be 10 miles from the casino. It was up in the mountains and had some beautiful views, but was a tough course, in my opinion. I did get one par, but overall, had a pretty bad score. Jeff did better than me... which is what usually happens.

We planned to leave early on Sunday to head back but I woke up in the middle of the night not feeling well, so Jeff packed us up and we left before 6 to head back, a little earlier than we had planned. When we checked out in the lobby, there was an older woman (60-70) who was passed out on some bench. She apparently had a rough night. Overall, it was so nice to get away.

I recuperated yesterday and slept a lot. Jeff did a little shopping and came back with more plants for the house. He has a bit of a plant problem and we are up to 20 plants in the house now, if my calculations are correct. He does a great job taking care of them and making sure they all get watered appropriately. I don't have to do a thing and when we get company, they tend to think its me, but I can't take credit. We now have another one in the living room, a few more in the office and a few in the foyer.

We took a bike ride into Bay Village and Westlake this afternoon and stopped at Crocker Park and decided to catch a movie. (Don't worry, we took our bike helmets off in the theater) We watched Iron Man with Robert Downey, Jr. I don't know the history of the comic book, but I thought it was great movie and at the very end of the credits and I mean the very end, there was a short teaser for the sequel. Should be good!

My girlfriend Amy from high school called me tonight to tell me she just had her baby today! She had another little boy, Gavin Jack. How cute. Today was actually her due date. I don't know how often that actually happens. He was 7 1/2 pounds and was born around lunch time today. Congrats Amy!!

Happy Memorial Day to you all and thank you to all the veterans that have done so much for our country and still do.

Life goes on...

My friend Chemenn is so interested in my life and checks my blog all the time... she is dying for some new information about us so here I go. :) Sometimes my life is boring, but I'll try not to put you to sleep.

As you might be aware, the Cavs lost on Sunday in Game 7 against the Boston Celtics. It was a good series and one that I thought we should have won. LeBron can't do it all on his own down the stretch and just didn't get the help he needed from the rest of the team. I have been impressed with Delonte West over the course of the playoffs. He out-hustles a lot of players and manages to grab a lot of rebounds for being one of the shorter guys on the court. It was fun to watch him play.

Now that the Cavs are done, I have my husband back! If my schedule at work wasn't so busy right now, we would take off for a nice vacation. It will have to wait until August when my summer class is over. We are talking about heading to Seattle, but aren't entirely sure yet where to go. Chemenn said that Nashville is nice that time of year... maybe she's guilting me into visiting her.

I'm really looking forward to the looong weekend ahead. The weather is supposed to be absolutely perfect. We may take a short trip somewhere or just stay home and relax.

I chatted with a few friends that I hadn't talked to in a long time the last few days. It was nice to catch up with Lisa (Happy 30th, Harris) and Julie (whad up G). Julie is heading to the Hamptons this weekend to help do hair and makeup for some major wedding. There is talk that Oprah may be in attendence. I told her to let Oprah know I'm sorry I missed our annual girls weekend. Maybe another time. It was good to talk to the two of them. My friends are scattered all over the place (Toledo, Columbus, Virginia, Michigan, Nashville, Florida) and I don't get to see them nearly as much as I would like to. It's nice to know that even though we don't chat often, we can still pick up where we left off.

Is this good enough Chemenn? I'll try to be a better blogger... or at least a more frequent one. :)