Run for Your Lives! (Our Beach Vacation)

For the fourth summer, we have traveled to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with extended family for a week long beach vacation led by my father-in-law, The Bob-Father and his wife Debbie.

Over the course of the week we partake in many libations, time by the pool, 4-wheeling on the beach to see the wild horses and general merriment that always includes a water balloon assault by the nine grandchildren on The Bob-Father.

Here is a summary of the week in random order.

Sunset in Duck, NC.


Tim and I after happy hour with the "kids."

Four wheeling on the beach, my stepdaughter Carson.

Wild horses on the beach.

Sunrise from my bedroom.

My stepson Cary on one of many grilling missions.


Hunting for crabs on the beach.




A morning walk on the beach with Troy.


A sneaky peek at the lifeguard.

Mid-week while on the top deck at sunset, we were watching Troy run around the volleyball court in the back yard with his 9-year old cousin Garrett.

Then a fox was spotted walking across the middle of the court near the boys.

While I tried to take a picture for prosperity, The Bob-Father nearly spilled his Gentleman Jack as he leaped from his adirondack chair and yelled out as loud as he could, "RUN for Your LIVES!"

The boys took off running up three flights of stairs in less than 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, the fox didn't even glance their way and marked its territory by peeing on the yellow ball.

Run for Your Lives is now the phrase that has replaced my infamous Punch You in the Face first uttered four years ago on vacation.

Also, as the night went on the fox turned into a wolf before turning into a werewolf in each retelling of the story due to the full moon.

More to come but here is the obligatory self-portrait with Troy.


This year we also had the pleasure of having our family portraits done by the very talented Julie Dreelin of Beach Productions at the Kitty Hawk Fishing Pier. Her pictures will be posted soon. There were hula hoops involved. It was fantastic.