Outerbanks or Bust....

Tomorrow we leave for vacation.  We are leaving when Chuck gets off work at 10:30pm  Normally Chuck and Katie both work 3rd shirt but he wasn't able to get Wed. off so he had to switch to 2nd shift for the day.  I'm not really sure what to expect when it comes to the kids... I've learned though, that with kids, to expect the unexpected!!  Anytime we've travelled (Indiana, Virginia..) we have travelled during the day and I can't complain, they've done fairly well.  We plan on keeping the kids up on Wed. night, so they are *hopefully* nice and tired when we leave.  Anyone with kids knows that can backfire though.
I feel a little bit guilty because I'm actually the one that's probably best suited to do some of the driving, because Greg will be up at 5:30am on Wed. morning for work, Chuck works 3rd shift Tuesday night and 2nd shift Wed. afternoon and Katie works 3rd shift Tuesday night AND she's pregnant.  The problem is that I can't drive at night.  I have a terrible time with the lights and lines on the roads, especially when I'm unfamiliar with the area.  I guess we'll just play it by ear...
Just say a quick prayer for us if you think of it... It's a long drive with 2 kids, a prego and 2 sleep men! Ok, maybe just say a prayer for ME!!!!!!
We hope to arrive around 11:00 am on Thursday.  That's actually when we can check into the cottage anyways.  That should give us all day Thursday, all day Friday and all day Saturday to hang out at the beach, site see and shop!  We plan to leave early Sunday morning to head back home, because Katie has to work 3rd shift on Sunday night.. yeah, sucky, i know.  She's basically going to have to ride in a car all day and go straight to work all night.  And Greg has to be up at 5:30am on Monday to get to work too.
I'm really excited, Greg and i haven't been on a "real" vacation since our honeymoon.  We went to Niagara Falls with Chuck, Katie, Jon & Jen last year for a weekend.  That was really nice, because we didn't have kids, but this is like our first little family vacation.
As of right now the weather looks like 70's and partly cloudy Thurs/Fri and a chance of Iso T'storms on Saturday.  As long as its nice 2 of the 3 days, i'm ok with that. :)  Izzy talks about the beach multiple times a day...  its really cute, i can't wait for her to see it for the first time.   My mom says she's going to call every 15 minutes to make sure we know where the kids are.  She's a freak.  I'll admit, the whole ocean thing does make me a little nervous, but its going to be 4 adults to 2 kids, so i think we've got it handled.
Cooper is staying with my parents while were gone.  I had to bribe my dad into watching him.  He hates dogs... I bought him a Cavs snuggie and i actually bought it the day of the last game.  I guess its not of much value anymore... i wonder if i could have gotten it like 50% off if i had waited a day? Or they may have even paid me to take it.  My dad is a dedicated, tried and true Cavs fan though, so it will be put to good use next year.

Well, i better get back to cleaning and packing......

the enclosed porch

this is the cottage from the outside

 I envision my husband spending a lot of time here...

living room w/ big flat screen tv

 swings.. under the porch. 

the fully equipped kitchen.

http://hammockcottage.com

If the shoe fits....

My little 80's girl!!!  We got Izzy that shirt for Christmas from Children's Place.  It says "Totally Dramatic" and when I saw it, i knew i had to get it.  I understand that most kids, girls especially, are very dramatic, but i swear this girl could win an Oscar.    

She has only worn the shirt a handful of times because i could never find the right shoes to wear with it.  She has a pair of pink Chuck's that i normally put on her when she wears it.  Well last weekend at Kohl's they had these amazing high top sketchers on the clearance for $7.99 and the first thing i thought of was her shirt.  So we had to get them. 

She absolutely loves these shoes... she calls them her "rockstar shoes"  lol   She seriously cracks me up!! The shoes are really cute, but  in opinion they can only be worn with specific outfits or they just look silly.  So if its a day that she insists on wearing them, then we usually have to change her outfit.   Am i totally setting her up to be a Diva?!!    

If anyone knows my husband, you know that he has a mild.... wait, no, its SEVERE,  shoe problem.   And if he finds a pair he likes, he will get them in multiple color combos.   He swears its not any worse than me having a pair of flip flops in every color, but i beg to differ.  Flip Flops at Old Navy are 2/$5.00   So i can get 8 pairs for $20 and thats still less than one pair of his shoes.  :)  I really do love my husband and i'm glad that he cares what he looks like... even if he is borderline Metro!   It is nice knowing that i don't have to pick out his clothes every morning for work or for Church or Weddings.  I remember growing up, my mom had to do that for my dad and my brother.   I wondered if I would have to do that for my husband someday.  Whelp, the answer is NO.   If anything, i ask him to help me pick out outfits. :)  The good thing is, i don't ever have to worry about my husband wearing black shoes with a a brown belt. ;)

Oh and here is one more pic of our little 80's DIVA!!

I just LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!!