Home Again, Home Again (to CK)

If you've been reading Frodo Seven lately, you know that we've been relaxing on the beach for the past week.  Specifically, we were in Rodanthe on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Summers growing up always included a trip to the OBX.  Until I was sixteen, we always camped.  That year though, a hurricane came through and my parents decided it was time to move to a beach house.  There's something magical about the Outer Banks--this year even more so because we stayed across the street from "Serendipity", the house filmed in Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks.  We had a fabulous week.  All of the 13 kids got along well and details like meals and clean-up went smoothly.  We enjoyed game nights and one delicious seafood dinner for the adults in honor of David's birthday and our anniversary--Chris made that extra special but I'll tell you about that later.  I was in picture-taking heaven and took about 650 photos or almost 100 a day.  I probably won't have time to do our trip justice this week because we are now full swing into preparations for my parents' 40th anniversary vow renewal and party but here are a few pictures from our last night and trip back.

Last picture

I always wave goodbye to the beach before I leave for the year.  It somehow looks different 

to me as I'm leaving than it did when I first glimpsed it a week before. (The dark brown house at the end of the beach is Serendipity.)

Our last night was busy.  We stayed on the beach till early evening then came back, changed and went back to the beach for a short photo shoot.  Above is a picture of me and my buddy Alex.  I told him I was going to put it on my fridge and he wanted to know if I was going to put it on the blog.  So--here it is Alex!  I love you!

After the pictures, we met three of my cousins and their families back at our beach house for a pool party.  It was a great time and wonderful to see them all.

Six of the 36 Schneider cousins!

From left:  Alice, Steve, Jen, David (wet from being 

thrown in the pool by his little sis'), Marty and Tara

Second cousins

Sunday, on the way home, we seat-swapped among the three vans until we met up in Fredericksburg for dinner and a stop at our old haunt, Carl's.  Before leaving town, 

we drove by our old house.  Grace didn't understand why we couldn't go in and take a tour.