Home Away From Home – Outer Banks

We’ve been going to the Outer Banks every year since I can remember. Other than in 2017, when we invested our money elsewhere, we’ve been showing up to the same street or milepost if you’re familiar with how they do things down there. Good ole’ S Memorial Ave has seen many spills on bikes, bushels of crabs steamed, and sandy feet returning from the beach. It has served us well! The same beach access, the same ice cream places, restaurants that we didn’t enjoy until recently, fishing pier, and sunsets. They’re all the same except my appreciation for them hasn’t grown until recently. This year changed the way I look at the water, smelled the air, and felt the breeze.

Taking Abe to Nags Head was a dream come true. Other than the rough nights of sleep we had, seeing him there was everything. Watching my parents dreams come true was even more than I thought it would be. All the hard work they put into me, is finally paying off for them. Watching my mom feed Abe an ice cream cone, splash with him in the pool, play with sandcastle toys, and snuggle on the couch with him. And the way my Dad always asked where the baby was first thing in the morning. It was everything. Surreal in a way, just like this beautiful place.

The last few days down there I thought of ways I could make a living there and of course convince my husband that we could do it. But our family is here in Baltimore, so we plan to stay. The Outer Banks is just one of those places that you feel more at home at, then you do when you’re home. There is a historic Mansion for sale in my favorite little town there so if I win the lottery any time soon we will be moving 😉

Some of our favorite things to do there :

Shopping in Manteo. Dinner at Mulligans (best buffalo shrimp, ever!). According to Abe, the birds are all the rage. Morris Farm Market. Volleyball in the swimming pool. Ice cream at Dairy Queen or snowbird. Steaming crabs fresh from O’Neals. Cards with the grandparents. Beach trips in the evening. Walking on the fishing pier. Sit on the porch.

It’s a privilege to return every year, now even more so with Abe. I didn’t take a whole lot of real camera photos while I was down there (I have a thing about that). But lots of iPhone shots that will do the trick once I print them all and put them in his photo book. Here’s to home away from home.