Beach Bunny

The week of Labor Day we continued our tradition of traveling to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  This was the first year we stayed with just family and the Jungle Cat was in heaven!  There was an endless supply of attention as well as some new distractions (three dogs, ocean, sand, pool, horses...the list is endless!)

It goes without saying that as the Jungle Cat matriarch, I was extremely calm, cool, and collected in planning our travel arrangements (**major sarcasm in case you didn't know...**)  After all, it is a five hour drive to a beach house that was on a 4x4 only section.  So, making sure we had every essential with us was crucial because 'running to the store' was a little more involved than the typical get-away.  Yes, I was extremely relaxed packing for two days straight.  Gentle Lion, on the contrary, was quite the handful figuring out how to pack the car and I had to talk him back from the ledge a few times.  It was exhausting...

The Jungle Cub, on the other hand, completely blew us away with her adaptation skills.  Not only did she sleep most of the trip down (and back!) but she ADORED the ocean, sand, and pool!  She was spoiled beyond belief by her grandparents, aunts and uncles and certainly went through withdrawal when we got home.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip and we are already getting ready for next year!

The Jungle Cub explains:

"Becoming a Beach Bunny was something that came so naturally to me.  The sea breeze blowing through my luscious locks, the salt water running over my piggy toes, the fistful of sand I ate two days in a row (and later found out that this was NOT a pleasant way to produce a dirty diaper) and the awesome experience of swimming in the pool!  I thought crawling and climbing onto the couch were thrilling, but I had NO idea what awaited me!

I even got to take my daily siestas on the beach, which was so relaxing hearing the waves crash against sand and the breeze fill my lungs with fresh sea air.

I also enjoyed the time I got to spend with my family.  As usual, I had to beg for attention from everyone.  But once they remembered I was around, we had a great time hanging out.  It was also Grandpa Steve's birthday (he turned 49 AGAIN this year...) so we got to celebrate with a delicious looking cake.  I hope one day to sample something this enticing.

All in all, I think taking a family vacation was a good idea and I look forward to it again soon.  I am going to try and book senior week for the girls and me now so we get a good place for next summer.  By then, we'll all be ready to visit the beach without our parents."