elisalou designs

I have only gone through a few of the pictures I took of our short trip to Holden Beach but I thought I would go ahead and post a few.

 

When I walked into my friends house and saw this amazing view I immediately sent her a text.  “It’s just perfect”

 

 

Everything about this beach and beach house was easy.  The house was just steps away from the beach, the big back porch had a gate that closed to keep Eva from heading down to the beach solo.  There was also access from below- which made taking chairs and all other beach supplies super easy.  There was an outdoor shower and a place to rinse off sand- all in perfect locations.  It just seemed very well thought out.

 

 

I can’t even tell you how excited these two were.  Eva keeps asking to go back.  The beach was so clean, the water super clear.

 

 

There are so many great beaches around here.  I am so excited to check them all out and find my fave.  I think this one will be near the top.

 

 

The people that own the house next door live in Raleigh and go to the beach most weekends.  They don’t rent out their house.  They had just painted it an awesome turquoise blue with tons of white trim.  I wish I had taken a picture.  It was exactly what I would want.

 

 

More pics to come!

It’s no lie that we all feel the pull of how fast the world spins. How fast time flies, and the ever dreaded reminder that we need to be soaking up each moment.

But I also know that sometimes we all feel like rolling our eyes when we hear that reminder, because life isn’t always easy- in fact it is pretty darn stressful sometimes.

Be it health issues, financial issues, or just simple worries about kids adjusting to a new town…well lets face it- even a screaming grumpy 3 year old at 5pm on a day when you have just had enough is stressful.

I am a big believer in spontaneous trips to reconnect. And this year we missed two of the trips we usually take. One to Orlando and one to Santa Rosa/ Fort Walton beach.

I didn’t think much of it until last week when the stress of moving our family of 6, plus 3 dogs and 2 birds- well it just hit me like a ton of bricks. The stress of the townhouse, the stress of buying our new house, the stress of the worry about totally messing up our kids lives…

I got online to research a beach trip we are planning for the summer. While doing so I pulled up our friends (and old neighbors from Ohio) beach house- it is 3 hours down the road in Holden Beach. It was booked for most of the summer but was empty for Mother’s Day weekend. I texted Andy- Please?? Blake had an lax tournament but still… could he miss?

I texted me friend Jen (owner of the house) and within a day we had worked out the details- we were headed to the beach! We hadn’t been since last summer.

I got there first. I picked Cole up from school on friday and scooted out of town missing most of the Raleigh traffic- we made it in under 3 hours. Cole and Eva were so happy to hit the beach- it was heaven. Warm, sunny- 6pm and the water felt great. I was thrilled that Eva plunged into the sand and water with no fear. It was such a great night. I had a moment of peace for the first time in months.

This is why we moved to North Carolina

Andy and the older boys got in late that night. We woke up the next morning and at first things were awkward. The oldest two boys are teenagers now. I was shocked how fast they lost the carefree beach spirit they once had. They stood around a lot at first, complained.

But slowly things changed, they relaxed, they played. The tension eased from the their faces, they hunted crabs, caught fish, built sand castles, just let loose.

And now I sit here on Mother’s Day and get my “spa” treatment on my feet (where they bury my feet in the sand) I realize that these days- these days where we reconnect as a family, are like a medicine that you have no idea that you need. Until you get it and think, whoa- I feel so much better.

I know these days are short lived. But I am not going to waste these moments feeling sad about it, instead I will embrace these days full force with the knowledge that I will have no regrets of letting them miss a day or two of school- to reconnect with their family, or reconnect with friends back in Ohio (which Blake will be doing next weekend). Life is short, grab it up and drain it of every little drop of happiness that you can squeeze out.

Have no regrets.