Kitty Hawk, Hatteras Lighthouse, Jockey's Ridge and the OBX

This summer we thought we would do something a bit different for our beach weekend. My mom's parents had a house in Nags Head and we have been back a few times since those days. I thought it would be fun to introduce Braxton to a different kind of beach, the Outer Banks. Seeing as he pretty much grew up vacationing at Carolina Beach, this was certainly a change for him. Be it early in the summer season, the wind was whipping and the surf was a cool 55*F. The two mornings we were there we went exploring, the Hatteras Lighthouse and Jockey's Ridge. Then, we packed a cooler and spent the rest of the time sitting out in the sun. What a great kick off to summer and Memorial Day Weekend before Braxton dives head first into ER rotation with night shifts. Cheers to summer and more summer adventures!

 Nature hike around Jockey's Ridge State Park. 

 Local Ice Cream Place...Booty Treats... Pirate themed... Yum

 Maybe booty treats is named after where the treat will end up... right on my booty!

 Beach day with Hatteras Lighthouse in the background. 

 Ocean in front, Lighthouse in the back

 We climbed the lighthouse! 8 stories of a spiral staircase...got my heart pumping!

 This is why they call it the OBX. 

 The light keepers quarters. Such a neat museum!

What a lovely memorial day!

Ramblin' Rose Raleigh 2015

This weekend, I competed in my third triathlon. I had two friends that committed to run with me, but they had to back out for silly reasons. So, that left me for my first solo event. It was so much fun to get out of the pool and see my mom there outside of the transition area, next to my bike, to cheer me on. Overall, this was my personal best. This was the fastest swim and bike, yet. Though my transitions were a little slow and my legs didn't remember what to do for the first mile of the run, I am surprised that this turned out so well. I completed the race in a total of 59 minutes 30 seconds. I was 9th in my age group (out of 41 25-29 year olds) and 92nd out of 503. I almost was first place in my age group on the bike, but someone beat me by 3 seconds! If my bike chain hadn't popped off and I had to stop for a few minutes to fix it, I would've gotten first! What a good weekend. Now to rest for the next month. No more races until the fall. No more BIG races, at least. 

 The pre-race set up. Everything is ready for a smooth transition!

 First you put on the helmet and sunglasses. Then pants, shoes, and then you're off on the bike!

 The awkward clip-in shoes hobble your bike back to the rack. 

 It's on with the race belt, on with the hat, and some water to go. Now for the run!

 Two loops and 4 uphills later, I finished! Thumbs up!

 Triathlon 3 in the books! Maybe on in October to follow. :)

Mitchell's Graduation

Let me set the scene: 

Mother's Day weekend...May 2015...a beautiful mountain cabin...lots of family...lots of smiles. 

What a wonderful weekend with the family celebrating Mitchell's graduation. It was so nice to have everyone together.What a beautiful cabin and good food/spirits. It will be a weekend to remember for a long time. 

 They pronounced his name correctly! He walked across the stage and shook the official hand. He's graduated!

 Proud Parents

 Mitch and Helen

 Happy Grandparents!

 The Graduate!

 I am so proud of my brother! What a joy it has been to watch him grow into a professional young man! Way to go, Mitch!