I am an East Coast girl, born and raised. I lived in Northern Virginia for the first 22 years of my life (well, 18 since I then came back and forth to BYU for college til 22), and then Sam and I lived in NYC for seven years. I’ve now been on the West Coast in Nor Cal for the past 17 years but my heart will always be an East Coast heart. In allllll of that time on the East Coast I never visited North Carolina or the Outer Banks (also known as OBX)! I remember that when I was in high school my friends and their families would vacation in the OBX but for some reason our family just never did it. My parents relocated from Northern Virginia to Williamsburg about ten years ago and THEN started vacationing in the OBX. Their reports were always glowing about how gorgeous it was out there.

My parents knew they would be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 2021 and decided that they wanted all of their kids and grandchildren to join them in the OBX to celebrate. It took about a year of planning to bring all of us together for one unforgettable week. My parents rented a giant beach house right on the water (three floors, elevator, movie theater, pool, hot tub, arcade room, multiple kitchens and a dozen bedrooms/bathrooms) and all 13 of us settled in for a magical week. Let me just say, our family is now a BIG fan of the OBX!

Our house opened RIGHT onto the beach. The location could not have been more perfect. We came out of our back deck to a pool and then a set of stairs that went up and over the dunes (to protect the dunes) and right down to the beach. I was out on the beach every single day, rain or shine (and we had plenty of both!).

My cute parents have been married for 50 years! That’s a major accomplishment! They met in middle school and became friends all throughout high school. They have always been 100% loyal to each other, respectful of each other and have always put their relationship first. Watching how they have handled kids and jobs and health problems and disagreements and lots of other trials over the years, they have never stopped loving each other. They are each others best friend. It was really great to celebrate these two and the joy they bring to each other every day. Marriage isn’t easy, even under the best of circumstances. I’m really proud of my parents for always sticking with each other.

We had a photo shoot of our whole family on the beach towards the end of our trip. My dad pulled off a MAJOR surprise and presented my mom with beautiful diamond studs for their anniversary. My mom has always been a jewelry girl; diamonds are the way to her heart :). Keeping the surprise in was close to impossible for my dad but he did it! Oh man…it was a struggle!

We had a family photo shoot which was a real feat of scheduling. Pro photos are still on their way but here are a few behind the scenes of us getting ready. I especially love the photos where Sophie is helping my mom with her makeup. I remember doing that very same thing for my grandmother when she and my grandpa had some fancy formal portraits taken while I was in high school. She wanted her eyes really done (she never wore makeup, only red lipstick) and so I did it for her. It was kind of surreal watching my daughter do the same thing for her grandma. It’s one of my happiest memories from the whole trip :).

We celebrated Fathers Day while in the OBX! While I have been able to celebrate Sam on Fathers Day for all 23 years we have been married, I have rarely been around in person for Fathers Day with my own dad since getting married. Having my two most favorite fathers to celebrate at the same time was really special and sweet for me.

I’m a big fan of my dad. The last time I saw my parents was when they came to see us in Nor Cal Thanksgiving 2019. Covid took a lot of potential time from us and I was so happy to finally see my parents for the first time in OBX since the pandemic began. It was way too long. There was a lot to celebrate!

One thing you need to understand is that the OBX is stunning. All of the hype that you hear is accurate and perfect and obvious as soon as you are there. The sunsets are ridiculous and I have about 50 photos like the one above and they STILL don’t hold a candle to the actual sunsets. The beach sand was fine white powder, the air balmy (and later in the week humid), there were gorgeous rain storms and even thunder and lightening. It was seriously awesome in every way.

My favorite memory of the whole trip was when a big storm was rolling in. I had just finished reading a book and everyone was kind of doing their own thing in the house. I looked outside and noticed it was raining and that my dad was standing out on the beach. I grabbed Sophie and we ran outside to see grandpa and ended up out there for over an hour, running around in the rain and then witnessing the gorgeous sunset. At one point I closed my eyes and threw my head back and thought that this was like a slice of heaven on earth. It was perfect.

We were able to get in lots of family time. Honestly I don’t have pictures of all of it because we were just in the moment most of the time! Sam set up a 1000 piece puzzle of Cinque Terre in the middle of the dining room and I think everyone contributed. My brother and I peeled and mashed potatoes in the kitchen for the first time since we were kids. My parents puppy Adelaide was a whirlwind of cute activity and was always entertaining to watch. Meals were made and cleaned up, chats were had at the table or on the couches, pools played in, video games played with high scores climbing higher each day thanks to Sam and my nephew James, seashells were gathered, books read, movies watched, many treats consumed: the list goes on and on. We tried to celebrate my parents a little bit each day. My mom brought the original wedding cake topper from their wedding day and we gently placed it on a lemon cake for all of us to share. So cool. Just lots and lots of happy, fun memories.

We took a few little side trips from Corolla to Duck to do souvenir shopping and dining out. Sophie may have purchased an entirely new OBX themed wardrobe. I wasn’t far behind :). Our main side trip, however, was to Kitty Hawk to see the Wright Brothers museum and memorial. The Wright brothers are responsible for modern flight as we know it. These exhibits literally brought tears to my eyes as we learned all that they tried and sacrificed in order to FLY. Just incredible. I’m so glad that we made time to do this. It was about 45 minutes away from our house in Corolla and we grabbed yummy BBQ before we headed back.

This trip to the OBX was our last big family vacation before Simon leaves on his two-year mission to Kenya. It also marks the last time our little family and our extended family will be all together for a long time. I’m thankful that my parents made it possible for all of us to come and be comfortable and make some wonderful memories. Here’s to 50 years, mom and dad! You did it! And thank you to the OBX – if you have a chance to visit GO GO GO!

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