Carolina Girl, Boy, and Dog

Labor Day weekend was a success! Rough start, but there is always little bumps in the road here and there. Matt didn't get off work until late. So, right when he got home, we were in a rush to load the car with our bags. Just as we were finally settled and ready to hit the road, Matt realized that he left his wallet at work...Yes, his work that is all the way in the opposite direction. So, after I had a moment or two (OK, more like three- I was eager to see family and possibly overreacted a tad) to calm down, we took off to retrieve the wallet. It was probably a 40 minute detour filled with unhappy faces and angry noises. Fortunately, an hour into the drive we both had already forgotten about the debacle, and we were just happy to be together and heading in the direction of family!

Matt likes flavored Styrofoam... Pork Rinds are GROSS!

Deviled Egg lunch from a convenient store...Won't do that again.
 

Big Bridge, Beautiful Sky


We spent Friday night in Rocky Mount, at Yaya's (Greek for grandma) house. She made shrimp; we ate, laughed, and had a blast catching up with my mom, yaya, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. After dinner, Aunt Arian had arranged for herself, Tatum, Heather, and me to go to the theaters and see Possessed. For those of you who do not know Aunt Arian, she introduced my sisters and me to horror films early on in our childhood. I saw Nightmare on Elm Street at age 5, Candyman at 7, and It by age 10... I like to think I learned some great life-lessons from those movies... Take for instance, I know not to explore dark, suspicious places ALONE or say "CANDYMAN" three times into the mirror of a dark bathroom. I mean, they don't teach you this stuff in school!! So, it was only natural that we watch a scary movie.

My youngest sister, Brooke and me

Dinner!

Mom and Brooke's dog, Shelly

On Saturday, Matt and I enjoyed some of Yaya's famously delicious french toast, packed, and headed for the coast. We made a pit stop in Wilson to see Matt's family and collect a few supplies. We also couldn't resist Bojangles' Supreme Dinner, so we decided not to deny our cravings and stopped in Kinston for lunch. Finally, we made it to Swansboro around 1:30 p.m.

Waiting for Matt to get in the car...

Good tunes for the ride!

This is me...Stuffing my face!

My Dad just bought a house after living in a single wide for 5 years! He always wanted more room for all of us to stay when we came to visit. I am so happy for him, and his perfect house! Dad and Ken were busy moving things when we arrived, so Matt and I quickly jumped in and helped speed up the process. The boys were able to move everything over. Even though there is still tons to do, I think Dad and Ken were able to get a jump start on everything.



Little brother, Ken... Facial hair and all! He tells me I'm old...

Dad, Flip, and Scooter relaxing in the new house!

 

My sister Heather and her boyfriend, Ben, arrive later that afternoon. Soon after they got to dad's my friends Anna and Trey stopped by! Heather, Ben, Anna, Trey, Matt, and I all went to Rucker John's for dinner that night. We had a great time It was so, so, so good to catch up with the Mintz's, but sad that it was only a short visit. After dinner they made their way back to Wilmington.

Trey, Anna, and us!

Sunday, we got up and made our way to the beach with Heather and Ben. Although it was hot and humid, we had a good time swimming in the ocean and soaking up the sun! Later that afternoon, Heather and Ben left and Matt's parents came down! They visited at my dad's for a while before heading to the hotel they were staying in for the night. Matt did get a chance to surf a little that day, but the waves weren't as good as he was hoping! Poor guy, all he wants to do is surf, and he never gets the opportunity anymore... :( That evening Matt's parents, my dad, Matt and I all ate at T&W's. After dinner, Matt had homework (He never gets a break!) to finish, so while he worked on it, I made brownies for the rest of us and we watched a movie.

Monday came WAY TOO FAST. I couldn't believe it was already time to leave. It seemed like the weekend just flew by, and I was so sad to have to say goodbye to everyone. We had a wonderful time, and love all our friends and family in NC so much! I can't wait for our next trip down.

I forgot to mention Flip in the post, but he had a blast playing with Scooter and getting even more attention then he already does! :)