We packed up our house (okay, not really, but it felt that way!) and hit the road.
This would be the longest trip we’d been on since our honeymoon!
Luckily, Oma and Opa had amassed quite a lot of baby gear over the years- I won’t lie.. we were very appreciative of their willingness to keep some of our gear with them. It makes the trip a lot easier when we don’t have to lug every single item we find useful. I mean, we do have a minivan… but we also have a 50lb dog! When we all head out together, it’s quite a sight. The van is packed to the brim, and the poor pup ends up with not a whole lot of room to move around. He always finds a way to make himself some more room if needed.
We were planning to be gone for approximately 3 weeks. We would return around Labor Day.
In preparation of this extended visit, we decided to request a temporary change of address from the post office. Three weeks is a long time for our mail to sit and wait for us. We are lucky enough to have family who live close enough to stop by and check on things at home periodically.
There was one more issue to navigate. I may have the luxury of taking my work (the duo) with me wherever we go, but amazingly, so does TT Dad. When I say we’re so lucky to have them in our lives, I am actually not giving them nearly enough credit. They put together an office space for TT Dad to work in while we were in town. He was able to head into the office, and work during working hours. He could come out and eat lunch with us, as well as join us in the evening for a quick swim, or walk on the beach.
It still amazes me just how well our visit went. We owe it all to Oma & Opa. They were such gracious hosts, and really made us feel at home.
Oma, Auntie A, and I took the kids on a nice walk around the loop nearly every morning. We would stop at the sprinkler park, or the playground, and let the kids run around before finishing the 3(ish) mile loop.
Those two spent a lot of time with the duo during our stay. They were in the water, on the beach, on the playground, and they accompanied us to all the museums we checked out, too!
One major bonus to visiting family is that they knew all the good places to grab a bite, too! We had already developed some favorites, now that we’d been to Wrightsville Beach a time or two, but there were a few new places that we were introduced to- and they were a HIT!
We found a nice balance between nice relaxing vacation, and exploring the area, and all it’s charms. The kids fell into a nice routine, and I think we all had a blast!
Stay tuned for our recommendations!