Hollywood Studios for Jude and Zachary’s birthdays!
Follow along as we surprise Zachary and Jude with a huge birthday surprise – a day at Hollywood Studios!
10 on Tuesday
1. I thought since I have dusted off the old blog I should post a good old fashioned 10 on Tuesday. In my old blogging days these posts were a fave and I still love to look back on the old ones. Little bits of random love and chaos.
2. We’ve found ourselves unexpectedly shopping for a new RV. Honestly, I’m dreading it – it’s such a process. Not only is it a time to re-evaluate and dig deep, even finding a rig during Covid times is a borderline nightmare.
3. Spotted these two snuggling on the couch today….
4. I almost always take Zachary to the grocery store with me and he always gets to choose a snack for the ride home. He’s just the sweetest thing sometimes and every now and then he will save the last treat or bite for someone. Usually Jason or Jonah. Today on the way home he declared he wanted to save some bites of his grab and go pineapple for Jonah. I said “that’s so kind of you to share Z!” His response: “Kindness, it’s just what we do!!!” OMG I love him.
5. We had such a great time in the Outer Banks with my mom. I’m so happy we made it happen. I can’t wait to meet up with her again in a few months when we hit Cape Cod this summer.
6. Jude has totally mastered the Rubik’s Cube – he just amazes me! His record is under 30 seconds and he has taught Jonah how to solve it as well. Jonah can do it at around a minute and a half. Jonah just got a new speed cube in the mail yesterday and I have no doubt his time will go down very soon. They have been meeting with other kids in the campground who also cube and play / solve all day long.
7. Mid grocery store aisle: “GASP!!!!! Momma! Look! Baby swords! What isssssss that!? “ When I told him they are toothpicks for eating he squealed. Had to buy em and use that night lol. Using them with corn at dinner that night was…..time consuming.
8. Jonah has so many friends in our current campground that it has been a challenge keeping him inside to do school. More than once today we looked away and didn’t notice he’d slipped out to play with friends outside. More than once I stood at the window and smiled watching him play and live his best life. Of course, more than once we pulled him back in. That boy gives me a run for my money most days!
9. This showed up in my memories today. OMG his little voice and “I dunno”.
10. My sweet little pirate after visiting the island Blackbeard called his hideout in the outer Banks.
Best Shelling in the Outer Banks, Portsmouth Island Adventures
We have been in the Outer Banks for a solid week and have been shelling quite a bit. While we have had some luck, we were hoping for more. While in Ocracoke last weekend we spotted a sign for Portsmouth Island Adventures and I called to set up a shelling tour. Basically, they take you out to Portsmouth on a boat and drop you off for a few hours, then they come back to get you. It very much feels like a deserted island! The ride out was pretty chilly but it was a gorgeous day! We brought chairs, a small cooler, my camera bag, a backpack and some big shelling bags with a few scoopers. We bought scoopers from Amazon but you can also get them from Petsmart. It’s basically a litter scooper with a long handle on it. It totally saved my sore back today from having to bend over constantly (I really need a chiropractic adjustment right now) so it was worth every penny! This was our favorite shelling bag out of those we brought along. Captain Wade was really great and we highly recommend them! I am convinced this is the best shelling in the Outer Banks! As you can see below, we had big success and we made some precious memories! Also, my kids were totally fascinated that this island was once Blackbeard’s hideout. He actually died in Ocracoke and his last ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge sank off shore. They were convinced if they dug in the sand they’d find buried treasure. We learned a lot about Blackbeard today!
We found so many shells – my mom is a coastal artist and will ship a box of shells to her home in Alabama to use in her art.
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Ocracoke Island
Today we trekked out to Ocracoke Island. It’s an hours drive from Nags Head in the Outer Banks plus a one hour ferry ride. We had so much fun and made some wonderful memories. We were hoping to score some really amazing shells. We found some, but it wasn’t at all what we’d hoped for even at low tide. But! We did see a sign for shelling tours out to an island and booked that for later this week! So excited!
Fulltime RV with bikes
Follow along as we share our setup for traveling fulltime in an RV with bikes. Bike rack set up and review starts at 3:07.
Allen Sports 5-Bike Hitch Racks for 2 in. Hitch: https://amzn.to/3uSbYOW
Allen Tension Bar Bicycle Cross-Bar Adaptor, Black, One size: https://amzn.to/3acv2zs
Curt 19100 Camper RV Bumper Hitch, Fits 4-Inch Beam, 2-In Receiver, 3,500 lbs: https://amzn.to/3gcjS1F
Mount-n-Lock SafetyStruts Heavy Duty RV Bumper Brackets: https://amzn.to/3aeXUaB
Mission Automotive Hitch Tightener for 1.25″ and 2″ Hitches: https://amzn.to/3e0ssxW
Her Outer Banks Bucket List
Over Christmas I asked my mom if there was anywhere on her bucket list that she had never been, but had always wanted to go. She immediately answered “Outer Banks, North Carolina” without giving it a thought. I immediately said, “let’s do it!” So we started planning this stop and she flew in to meet us here. We were here less than 30 minutes before we ventured out to the beach in search of shells. We found a few keepers and I loved all the purple pieces so much. I’m so happy to spend the next 8 days exploring with my favorite people! Tomorrow we are taking a ferry out to Ocracoke Island!