Beach in November

Yes, Natalie, that smile shows how I felt about our trip to see Emily, too.

My cousin moved to the beach a few months ago. Once she moved she no longer had a wall to hang a mirror that my mom and dad used to have hanging in their living room, so she offered it to us. I'm so glad I have a wall to hang it on, and I absolutely loved being able to visit with Emily for a little while last Thursday and Friday. She is so fun to be around!

We drove out to see the wild horses in Corolla, but they weren't cooperating that morning. The kids thought it was pretty cool to be driving on the beach, anyway, so it didn't matter that we didn't see any horses. Then we stopped at the Currituck lighthouse on the way back to the house. I have a picture of the last time I was there taken in this exact same spot in this exact same pose. In it I am holding Hannah who was just about this same age as Natalie. Now she's taller than me and there are three more people in our family! Wow!

 

 I think they tried really hard not to go swimming, but in the end they just couldn't resist the water. It was a beautiful day, but I was glad it wasn't my pants that were soaking wet! We even saw some dolphins.

The beach is so therapeutic for me. It seems so easy to feel God's presence standing on the shore listening to the waves, feeling the breeze and the cool sand. I love the beach in the fall when there are no swimmers. It's deserted and peaceful. Wonderful!

On the way home, we drove through Edenton and stopped for a tiny bit of time. We drove by the home I grew up in on Paradise Rd and Grandma and Granddaddy's house, and I showed them my piano teacher's house that was just a mile down the road. I still can't believe Mary passed away this past year. What a gift she gave me during all those years of piano! Then we drove to the cemetery and walked around for a while. I enjoyed telling family stories and wished I had paid better attention every time my grandparents would talk about family history. I was really surprised at how interested the kids were in the people whose graves we were visiting. Even Ryan paid really close attention and asked some questions. We also had a great discussion about death and resurrection. I was so happy to be able to tell my children that while my parents' bodies may be buried in that spot, their spirits are not there. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, one day they and all of us will be resurrected, and we will be reunited with them. What a beautiful doctrine! After the cemetery we drove to the waterfront and saw the cannons and the old courthouse and green and Barker House. We had been driving for a while, so I let them play on the playground that I used to play on as a little girl. It has been improved quite a bit over the years, though. The flat metal slide that got burning hot in the sun was thankfully replaced! Then we drove out of town past Grandma Bass's house. I wish we could have had more time to stop and see Aunt Ruth and more sites, but I was glad for what I got. It was a great trip, and I really enjoyed being able to share it with my children.