Duck, Duck... Duck

Okay! This was a few weeks ago, but I am finally getting around to writing about it! So! I had an excellent opportunity to visit the Outer Banks in North Carolina! Oh my goodness! I fell in love with the beaches! Beautiful sand and water! Freezing water most days, but lovely all the same!
However, I want to start this by going a few days before we actually went to Duck. I have such an amazing friend out here that I just call Bestie on here! She knows who she is! <3 But I got to go with her family! Before we went, I stayed with her and her family at their house for a few days! It was so fun! Her parents are so wonderful and made me feel so welcome! (This was the first time I had actually met everyone else in her family! Bless her parent's hearts for inviting a stranger to come with them to the beach!) I also go to meet Besties sisters and grandparents! I tell you what, I have never gotten along with strangers as much in my entire life! Everyone is so sweet! These girls and their family have become as much family to me as my own. I am going to miss them all so much until I see them again. *Insert sobbing here.*
Back to the story! So! Besties family has a pool in the back yard! Big enough for four of us to float on those big floaty things and have room for more! The downfall? Horseflies. Ya'll. I thought I knew horseflies. I didn't. They are wretched creatures. Some as big as your thumb, and they bite!! Hard! It hurts like a mo-fo. These flies also seem to like me. I don't know why. But it was at the point where I couldn't float. I had to crocodile style it and have my eyes and nose above the water. I was wearing a baseball cap, and whenever these flies would land on me (which there were at least 5 that did) they would kill them ON MY HEAD with the flyswatter. Then Ems would go put them on the edge of the pool so they could see what would happen if they continued to come and land near us. It didn't really help, but it was hilarious! She had decided they had sent all of the ones named "Joe" because they are idiots. That's probably funnier to me... hmm..
Anyway! Fast forward to the next day. Imagine me and bestie- burnt to a friggin crisp. I haven't burned like that in a really long time! This is how we know we're best friends. Every morning and night, the day would start and end with us getting lotion on each others backs, and peeling the nasty skin. (Sorry for that image, but it's true!) Waking up in the morning, itching, then lifting up the back of your shirt and asking "How bad is it?" while the other person makes that sound.."uuuuuuuhhhhhmmmm..." and you know.
So by the time we are headed to the beach, we have started our tan (it's just a little more red that we wanted). Bestie and I rode down with her grandparents. They are so sweet! Her Grandpa came up to me the night before we left and said," Now, if you need something to call us, you can call us Jack and Jean or Grandpa and Grandma." From that point on, I had adopted another set of grandparents! :) So sweet.
I have to rewind a day or so. We went to this place called Merks. They have the BEST cheese fries ever!! I kid you not! But we went for lunch a day before we left because we had to get groceries. I had been fighting Besties mom about paying for me. I mean, she was already taking me on their family trip to the beach for free, how could I have her pay for my lunch?? So the checks were being passed out, and I took mine. She tried to grab it from me, but I just put it up to my chest so she couldn't take it. She stopped trying after a minute, and as I am talking to her and using my hands, Grandpa with the quickness that Will Smith talks about in the Fresh Prince theme song, snatched it out of my hands! He ended up paying for all of us, which again. SO SWEET.
Anyway! We had a fun ride down together! I had made the best chocolate chip cookies the night before (seriously) and Bestie had managed to make sure they ended up in the car with us. So we munched on cookies and listened to Elvis and old country songs. They pointed out landmarks and chatted about stories of Besties parents when they had started dating. And also the story about Clarke the tree! (that was told by Bestie, but still! That's how it started!)
We got down to a place called Grandy, where we went to a farmers market that was amazing! So much fresh fruit and home made fudge in so many different flavors! And the sweetest Rottweiler ever! We also saw a pretty sweet ride that Besties mom had had when she first started driving! Sweet!
Well, we get to the beach house which is so close to the beach it's insane! We unloaded the vehicles (We had 3 loaded up!) then went changed into swim suits and went down to the beach! That first day was perfection. The water was really cold but you could walk so far out into the water! We were probably 50-75 yards away from the shore. For me, that's really far! I don't usually go any father than waist deep. But we were only about shoulder deep that far out! So crazy!
Our whole beach week passed in pretty much the same fashion. Wake up around 8, go to the beach until 5. Come up at noon to make sandwiches. And mind you, when we made lunch, we used a loaf of bread a day and we went through jars and jars of jelly. Besties mom makes it herself and it is heavenly! Then, we shower once you're home, and then have dinner. Go to sleep, and do it again! Now, I got a little lazy halfway through the week because of a.. visitor. And because I was so burned after the day at Besties house, and also the two days previous, I had spent more than 5 hours just hanging out in the water! Which, floating around in the waves is just my favorite thing at the beach! So, Wednesday, I stayed in except for 2 hours. Not to mention the second degree burn on my chest. That was fun.
Thursday I stayed out for 4 hours. Friday, a little longer. Saturday, I was actually able to get back into the water, so I spent maybe 3 hours in there. Until the storm came. They had been predicting rain and thunderstorms all week, and we got lucky to not have any during the day. I do have a to back track a little! On Thursday or Friday, we decided to go to Jeanette's pier. Besties parents are particular about who drives the white vehicle. So, when we got Besties dad to agree to let us take it, Grandpa said that he was just going to come down and watch us pull out, to make sure we didn't hit his car. We were parked under the carport, and the car was facing forward, so we wouldn't have needed to back out. When we were about to get into the car, grandpa pulls out $40 for us, and tells us to get some ice cream! So dang sweet!
So, we headed about 30 minutes south of Duck to Kitty Hawk. We had to pay 2$ to get onto the pier and then walked to the end. When we got to the end, two boys came up to us. It was Me, Bestie, Ems, and Rach. (sorry, that is not a creative nick name..) Now, Ems and Rach are so dang pretty! Both are super athletic and can rock whatever they wear! (Bestie is super adorbs too, but I am leaving her out of this due to her beau!)
So these two boys come up and say, "So did you catch anything?" Ems looks at him, and says.."We don't have fishing poles. How are we going to catch anything?" He just laughed a little and said it was his pick up line. We all laughed, and they started talking. The boys eventually asked us our names and ages. So, we have Rach and Ems at 17. Bestie at 22. And me bringing up the rear and a ripe old 23. Bestie and I walked away after they said 19. Besties actual words were "I'm out of this." Neither of us have any game. Me, because I haven't really been a perpetual dater. Just random ones here and there. Her, because of the previously mentioned boyfriend. After chatting when them for a little bit, we decided it was time to head back.
We stopped at Fatboyz. This is a really small place ran by all boys. It sells all sorts of things, including ice cream. As we are about to order, this hilarious guy at the window (it's not a drive thru, just one that you have to walk up to) asks us if we want to take a selfie with him. So, after we've placed the order, we indeed took a selfie! We ate outside for a bit, but really needed to get on the way. As we were leaving, the same guy who took the picture calls to us," You guys come back and see me! I'm here EVERY DAY!"
That pretty much ends that night. On our last night there, we decided to go to the shops. I needed to find some gifts for my family, and we had also heard good things from Ems and Rach. They went running every day and what not, so they had wandered the shops.
We had a fun night wandering down the boardwalk. We laughed and told stories. Fun things like that. Us four became thick as thieves. I love those three so much! At one of the shops, I saw this cute sweatshirt with a goofy looking duck on it. Sunglasses and everything. I haaad to get it! After Bestie saw it, she said she absolutely had to get one too! Now we have matching bestie shirts!
We also were able to get one more ice cream treat with the leftover money from grandpa. So we took these delicious home made ice cream sandwiches back for everyone. They were delicious! Home made cookies and ice cream! We watched Finding Nemo and played Uno!
Sadly, the next day we had to come home. We woke up early and packed our stuff. We worked on getting everything into the now two cars (Besties other sister who carried the food had left the day before since she had work the next day.) with what we had left. It was a tight fit! Sadly, Bestie and I weren't able to eat breakfast before it was all packed up. And it's a 4 or 5 hour drive back.
Bestie was afraid to ask them to stop so we could eat, because we didn't want to hold the progress up. So she texted her mom and was telling her. Shortly after, her mom called her grandma and said," Tell grandpa you need to go to the bathroom. The girls are hungry and didn't get breakfast." We pulled over about 5 minutes later.
Sweet grandpa actually ended up paying for two bottles of water and doughnuts for us! (The water at the house was not very good..at all.) And we got back on the road! When it was time for lunch, we stopped again at the Virginia Diner. It was so good! I had chicken tenders that felt like they were butter! They just melted! Bestie and Grandma had the fried chicken, which they said was also delicious! Grandma also tried spoon bread, but didn't like it much at all. Grandpa had the buffet so, he got a bit of everything!
After lunch, we got back on the road and made it home about 2 hours later. I feel like this account of the trip is just dry. But, it was seriously so much fun! I couldn't have gone with a better group of people and I am so grateful that they invited me to come!
Well, that is my story about Duck. Like I said, there is more, but they are just small things that don't translate unless you were actually there. I will say, that Grandpa and Grandma left the next day. We woke up early to say goodbye. I hugged both of them goodbye, and grandpa gave me a hug that was just one of the best ever! One that makes you feel like family. I am so privileged to have met them.
As always, I love you guys and wish you the best! I also hope you can visit the OBX! It's truly beautiful.