Aquarium, OBX style - 2011

Well, the week started off fabulous. We hung at the beach for 3 days, had one minor accent when Cupcake fell but thank god no doctors were called. We were the ONLY folks on the beach and enjoyed EVERY second of it. Cupcake played and played in the sand and knew that she could run to the waters edge but not go in. We were grateful that the water was so cold she had no desire to go in and I didn't have to sit with my heart in my throat worrying about waves and safety.

Back tracking a bit, I am a pool girl. I grew up going to the town pool every day from noon until 5 and sometimes had the luxury of staying for dinner and stretching out our pool day until the 8pm closing. My mom would come home during our lunch break from work to pick us up and cart us to the pool. What a mom, she would forgo her lunch to make sure we could have plenty of fun in the sun. So, needless to say I truly enjoy a pool, concrete, grass and being able to touch the bottom of a pool. I try to love the beach but fall short every year. Between the excessive heat, sand (don't get me started on the sand), idiots throwing balls and flying kites, lack of restrooms or the 1 mile walk to the nearest porto potty and worry of rip tides I rarely enjoy beach time. Even as a teenager traveling to the Jersey Shore (fist pump) I tried really hard to have fun at the beach. I would always go however I could complain about boredom, sweat and sand, why should it differ as an adult with a toddler. However, I must go to the beach every year because it is a summer ritual!

I gave it the old college try and LOVED the hell out of the beach for a few days but when we woke on the 4th day and saw a dreary, overcast day I simply said what any pool loving tourist at the beach would say "thank you sweet baby Jesus, we don't have to go to the beach today". We decided to see what the OBX is all about and headed to the local towns for shopping, dining and some aquarium tours. We had a great time walking around the aquarium, seeing some funny fish and petting sting rays. After walking around for a few hours we explored a few shops and decided to find a local watering hole for some local delicacies. It was a hole in the wall but the food was hands down the best food we had all week! Cupcake even dropped some fried calamari down her little gullet. We had so much fun, walked out with full bellies and hit a few more stores before the rain rolled in. We had a great time and can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store!