Non-sun or sky vacation pictures, mostly food... er, ice cream

 More beach vacation pictures, haha. One day we went mini golfing. It's cheaper to go in the heat of the day, and we were meeelllllting for sure. It's always a good time, though, even if Dada won. Again.

I love critters. Small crabs and shore birds. 💚

No trip to the OBX would be complete without stopping at Booty Treats. Yes, even though the line is half an hour long or more. Yes, even though we go every year. Yes, even when we order the same exact thing as last time. It's tradition, and it's delicious! Get your own because nobody wants to share...

Thing Two, actually outside and chillin'!

We hadn't been for years, but this time we decided to go eat at the Jolly Roger. If you've never been, BE FOREWARNED: their pancakes are HUMUNGOUS. And plentiful. So get some to share, or plan your breakfasts for the rest of your vacation according to the leftovers. 

Yes, they can come with ice cream. And as this is my family, that's what they got, naturally. Another tip: rescue the pancakes underneath the pile so that the ice cream doesn't soften ALL of them and you'll enjoy them later. Nobody could finish their entire stack.

Their other foods are also yummy and, of course, there are Shenanigans to be had...

Sunset and Booty Treats

We went over to the Sound side to watch the sun set. We thought it was going to be a bust as it lowered and lowered and then dove into a cloud bank. 

To our delight, it popped out again and we got to watch it sink. "Going, going, gone."

Thing 3 said he'd never been on a seesaw before. Not sure how someone makes it to 11 years old without having had a cousin rattle one's entire spine by diving off the opposite side, but Hinrew obliged with good grace.

 Then we had to have Booty Treats, because it just isn't a beach trip without stopping there. They've changed locations, again, but we tracked them down and were happy campers- just look at those faces!

Photos from Nic's phone

In case the title threw you, let it be known that Carrie is going by Nic these days, which is short for Nicole (her middle name). Most of these are from her phone.

We spent a week in the Outer Banks with my brother, his wife, my cousin and his family, my aunt and uncle and another cousin, and 3-4 dogs depending on the day. We did some days at the pool, some at the ocean, visited Booty Treats twice (it was a slow year for us, I guess), Duck Donuts once (that would be Dada, haha), and didn't get poured on like we did last year. We look forward to this trip every year, but it was extra special because we got to celebrate miss Maudie's 90th birthday with her. It is actually today, so here's your shout out, Maudie! Happy birthday! And thank you to the Reed and Walls clan for hosting us! We love you all!

The first daytime trip to the ocean was pretty calm, but it was chilly.

Lexi, AKA the Fruit Bat, is the third of the beach house's resident dogs. She is only a year old and is a smiley, sassy piece of work.

Nic's favorite- the ocean at night.

During the family photo shoot in Manteo

Twinning with my cousin David, who does lighting and sound for Paparazzi in Kitty Hawk.

Damon saying hi to the ocean for the first time this summer.

Wilder water during our next day trip. I thought being knocked around more would be a deterrent for Damon, but it didn't even slow him down. He makes friends wherever he goes and was playing ball with friends old (senior citizens) and young. 

Awwwww. Again, check out Amy's work at Seaside Topsail Photography on Facebook!

Vacation in a Bowl (AKA Throw Muggin Under the Bus)

Blame Muggin for the tastiness you see before you. She coined the mixture of angel food cake, strawberries and Extreme Moose Tracks "Vacation in a Bowl."

I blame her (and let's be fair; Booty Treats, Mike's Hard Black Cherry Lemonade, Fudge Rounds, and peach moscato all were contributing factors themselves...) for the realization when I got home that when I told Lainie I usually weighed one thing and discovered I was five pounds beyond that on the scale that, "oops, I lied!" 

Eh, it was vacation. And it was worth every bite. Every time we had it. Which was more than once. And more than twice. 

Booty Treats

Those of you who see me driving around in Pepe the Pilot know that I have a bumper sticker which reads, "I like big mutts and I cannot lie" which is a parody of Sir Mixalot's "Baby Got Back". If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can go one of two ways. One, YouTube search "Baby Got Back" or two, ignore all of this and move on. In my defense, the original song is a ton of fun and I have nostalgic memories of singing it with my brother while hoping our parents couldn't hear us. Plus, the bumper sticker about the big mutts is completely true. After all, we own a Newfoundland, for cryin' out loud.

Anyway, all that to say this. I found this bumper sticker for $1 at Booty Treats, which is our favorite dessert ("let's be bad!") destination in the Outer Banks. There are two locations that we know of, and we usually hit at least one of said locations two or three times in the 7-10 days that we're at the beach. They have shaved ice, mini melts (think Dippin' Dots), and other yummy toppings to go on your ice cream. And they sell T-shirts and caps or visors... you get the idea. And bumper stickers! For a dollar! I can't wait to wash Pepe and stick this baby on there to proudly balance out my big mutts!

Caught in the act of "being bad" with the Three Thingz.