After the stress of going through flag day, Nick knew that I’d need to get away for the weekend. He surprised me with a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (Cape Hatteras, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills). It’s about a 5 hour drive from DC, so it was an ideal distance to feel far enough away, but not get sick of driving. He rented a cozy cottage for us called Ramona’s Cottage. It was so delightful! Our weekend was an equal mix of lounging and sight-seeing. We arrived on Saturday around 1 PM and had a lunch of fresh-caught fish. Then we settled in and napped for the afternoon (the last time period in my life that I took this many naps was in high school – it’s such a fabulous indulgence)! Dinner was pie (in bed, after the nap). Neither of us felt like going anywhere…so we had a nice, quiet Valentine’s Day in our cottage!
On Sunday we were determined to see the area and we began with a lecture and tour at the Wright Brothers Museum in Kill Devil Hills. What an inspiring story that is! I’ve heard it over and over again and it never fails to lift my spirit. What determination! There’s a full-size replica of the plane they flew that was donated on the 100 year anniversary in 2003 by an aviation fan. It really helped me understand all of the different puzzles they had to solve to get the thing to fly. The length of the flights they took are all marked out in a field next to the museum (where they happened). That was my favorite part. Next up was a drive down the coast to see a lighthouse and the hang-gliding park. Both were a teeny bit disappointing (don’t tell Nick). I must not understand the Cape very well because we’d go to a restaurant that advertised itself as being on the water and you’d stare at a giant dune the whole time. I guess I was supposed to use my imagination and picture the water behind it. Same was true with the lighthouse (see above picture). It wasn’t even that close to a body of water! What’s the point?? Then, to top it off, no hang-gliders at the park. Bummer!
That being said, the weekend was incredibly rejuvinating. We dreamed and brainstormed about our new adventure starting in Manila, shared a romantic dinner on Sunday evening and reconnected after 5 weeks of being apart. Tommorow night I’m injecting a little MN fun with a Bunco Party in the community room. Nick thought I was crazy when I called up 30+ people tonight and invited them. He seemed to think we were going to just throw a tiny party… What fun is that?
