What’s the perfect cure to a paint and primer hangover? A trip to the beach. And what’s the perfect way to spend your fourth wedding anniversary (yup, today’s the big day)? Why sharing those beach photos of course (since we’ve pretty much covered our wedding/anniversary stuff in the last three years of Wedding Week). Off we go…
In honor of the long holiday weekend, we said goodbye to our freshly grellow-ed kitchen and hello to sand and sun thanks to a little road trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We usually do the beach thing in Delaware at my parents’ place, but since my siblings, cousins, and I insist on having babies and expanding the family (the nerve) we’ve outgrown it a bit. So instead we all pitched in to rent a place in Duck, NC where all 21 of us – which included five kids under the age of two! – could clock some nice family R & R. Well, as much as you can clock with five babies around…
Even if rest was limited, fun certainly was not. Clara and the beach continue to become BFFs – she was equally happy in the sand and the surf, which made her water-lovin’ mom and dad very happy. We found a sandbar that kept the waves calm and the water shallow enough for lots of time in the water (most of which was spent “jumping” waves and laughing hysterically).
The house we rented also had its own private pool in the backyard (as did all of the homes on our street – which was really nice) so there was lots of calm water play going on away from the beach too. Clara has recently learned to say the word “ball” so she was thrilled when my aunt supplied a huge bag of them to hoard play with in the pool. They seriously are her new most favorite things in the world.
Except for some crazy humidity, the weather was generally great the whole time. And we used the only overcast day as an excuse to visit the Wright Brother’s Memorial in Kitty Hawk. It was surprisingly fascinating to walk around the grounds where the first flight actually took place (even for two non-aviation buffs like ourselves). There’s Sherry sitting on a stone to mark where the first flight ended after just 12 seconds and 120 feet (the stones behind it mark three other flights that day, the last and furthest being 852 feet and 59 seconds long).
Oh, and there I am standing in front of part of the monument that seemed, well, fitting. Just look at my smarty pants pose.
And did you notice the ball that Clara was holding in the pic above? Yeah, it’s a bit of a theme this trip. She extended her new found love of spherical objects to balloons as well. My sister Emily and my cousin’s daughter Elsa celebrated a shared birthday during our trip, so Clara broke out her party dress and went absolutely bonkers watching the balloons float around while grandparents and aunts and cousins looked on. We have about twelve more photos just like this.
If you’re still itching for more beach photos, we’ve got a bunch more on Flickr. And while we secretly hoped our beach house would be worthy of a House Crashing post (like these), it was sadly pretty generic. And understandably so (since not-too-precious rental decor seems to make the most sense – especially when 5 babies and 16 older kids/adults come flooding in and make themselves comfortable). But one design choice that did catch our eye was this fun shaker shingle treatment in the interior stairwell:
It mimicked the shaker shingles on the exterior of the house and served as sort of a beachy twist on wainscoting. Probably not a look that we could pull off in our own house, but it was right at home in this seaside setting:
And since our beach house didn’t fulfill our design cravings for the trip, we headed out to troll some local thrift stores and home furnishing places while we were there. Let’s just say there were lots of things that we wanted to bring home… and then there was a giant curly haired bear nutcracker (we’ll be back with a post about those finds a little later on). For now we’ll leave you with the first photo of all four of us that we’ve ever taken. As in since Clara was born. Shame, shame, shame.
Only took us 13.5 months to accomplish.
Anyway, has anyone else hightailed it out of town after a big slash tiring house project? Did you pick up any souvenirs for your home while you were gone? Did your kid develop a strange ball obsession while there? Did you finally take a family picture after waaay too long?
Happy anniversary!!
Happy anniversary :)
Now I can’t wait to get to OBX next weekend! Clara is adorable and all the photographs came out great. When I grow up (haha) I want to take pictures like the Petersiks.
That family picture is adorable!! Maybe it will be on the frame wall soon?? The beach house sounds heavenly even if it was not house crash worthy! :)
Great post! I’ve been dying to get out to OBX for quite some time! Happy Anniversary!
First… Happy Anniversary!
Second – that looks like a great vacation! Glad you enjoyed yourself. For our Fourth of July, we decided to stay home (and go to a pool party/bbq) and watch the Macy’s Fireworks from Fort Wadsworth.
Third – I oddly like that shingles-in-the-house look. Maybe it could work in a mud room? Perhaps this will be a laundry room make over??
That would be so cute! Post pics if you do!
xo,
s
Ooooh! In 9 days my family will also be staying for a week in Duck!! We go every year and even got married on the beach there 7 yrs ago. We love carrying on the tradition of family beach trips especially with our 21mth old daughter. This will be her second trip to the Outer Banks! Looking at your pics made me all the more anxious to get there myself!!
Thanks for sharing!
Happy Anniversary guys! Looks like you celebrated in style this weekend. :)
Happy anniversary, John and Sherry! :-)
I’d say it was worth the wait, that family shot is great!
Happy Anniversary (belated) I have been obsessed with your blog for quite some time. I love the family portrait, adorable!
Happy anniversary! I’m from NY but was just north of you in Corolla while you were in Duck! We really had some beautiful weather– Looks like you took full advantage of it!
WONDERFUL family picture!!! blow it up and frame it! (could that catch on as a phrase to mean boo-yah?!) happy summer!
My family has vacationed in Corolla, NC (just north of Duck) every year since I was little. The last trip we had 37 people and two houses! We always go the first week of June, which also happens to be when my birthday is!
PS. Clara is so adorable in that polka-dot dress!
Sherry! Does your sweater match your new kitchen paint color? Almost? :)
Haha- I think so! It’s a little more neon, but I could call it grellow…
xo,
s
hey, we share a special day! happy anniversary to you guys! (it’s my birthday today, hehe)
Happy birthday!
xo,
s
Happy anniversary!! I love the family photo. Sherry, you look great in yellow. :)
We we out of town last week. Nothing crazy, just an in state vacation. No big project to flee either. But, like Clara, our son has developed an obsession. Rather than balls, he likes spoons. He used to favor his metal baby spoons, but he has graduated to our nice silverware.http://ourhumbleabowed.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/inspiring-exteriors-the-daly-mansion/
Yeah. Strange, huh?
So cute!
xo,
s
We took a vacation to London after renovating our house in DC. And now that we live in London and are sprucing up our place here, I’m about to head back to DC!
Our latest project was giving some life to our daughter’s nursery. A friend of mine painted a mural. You can see before and afters here: http://www.miltonsmanor.blogspot.com
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Happy Anniversary! That last family shot is awesome! Enjoy your special time with family. The beach house that you showed is beautiful! Happy decorating & living- Megan
http://cottagebluedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/07/plant-love.html
Oh, and I ADORE the pics of Clara playing with the balloons! They make me laugh!
Happy anniversary guys! That family picture is so perfect. I bet you’ll put it in the wall gallery :) Definitely worth the 13.5 month wait!
Your family is so beautiful, thank you for sharing your life with us all… so inspiring.. and Clara is like a lil old soul.. she is so precious! and looks exactly like YOU Sherry Petersik! ((:
and… John, always so sexy!!
Happy Anniversary! Stayed around home for the 4th, but leaving tomorrow for Dewey Beach! WooHoo! Can’t wait! We also have a house booked for a week in OBX next month. It’ll be my first trip there. Great vacations this summer!
We did the OBX beach house rental thing a few years back – we were all the way at the tip of the Banks in Corolla. We loved all the decks, especially the one that gave us a view of all the surrounding fireworks!
The perfect family photo. I think we know which wall that will be going on in the house!
Our sons are 6 and 8 and believe it or not our first family photo was just taken at a block party. The onyl down side…we are all wearing “My Name Is…” tags on our shirts!
So glad you enjoyed yourt getaway. It’s amazing how the Outer Banks has managed to keep the same atmosphere all of these years and remains unbeatable for family togetherness.
You could probably get those name tags Photoshopped off. Maybe Katie Bower could take a stab at it?
It’s my anniversary today too! How funny. We are celebrating 10 years today. I blogged about it with a scrapbook layout at http://scraplifters.blogspot.com/2011/07/10-years-of-wedded-bliss.html
Happy Anniversary!!
Happy ten years!!!
xo,
s
Happy 7-7 anniversary! What a cool #. I just saw all the flickr photos, very cute, Clara has hair!!
I know! Just some peach fuzz but I’ll take it!
xo,
s
Looks like you guys had a great weekend! I’m hoping to get to the east coast sometime soon…but a 9-hour drive just seems so…daunting. Is Clara walking yet? She is just about the same age as my niece (born Marcy 9, 2010), so I always think about their progress as being similar.
She’s taking a few steps here and there but crawling is definitely still her primary means of transportation. We’re not rushing things though- both of our parents warned us that when we started walking a lot it turned into running pretty quickly. Haha.
xo,
s
Watch out. I stood up, looked at my mom, and ran full tilt without falling at 9 months old. I never took a “walking” step. Before she knew it I figured out how to climb gates.
Haha- I know, right? My parents called me The Flash. Ahhh!
xo,
s
Happy Anniversary! I love the OBX!!! We were there about a month ago and I want to go back. :)
We used to go to Duck too. Did you hike up Jockey’s Ridge? So jealous!!
We’ll have to do that next time!
xo,
s
Oh, I’m headed out that way next month! Can’t wait to hear more about the shopping…
Really? It’s the first picture since she was born? What about the pic that the Washington Post took of you guys? :)
P.S. Love your glasses here… where are they from?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/younghouselove/5909616979/in/set-72157624133612792/
Kohls (by Vera Wang). $12!
xo,
s
That’s true- it’s the first picture we took of our family. So I guess it’s the second ever taken of all of us if you could the Post one (wish they’d send us a copy of that! I asked but never heard back- haha).
xo,
s
I looove the Outer Banks! My family once rented a house for a week there (actually 3 houses, it was a huge reunion type thing). So much fun. So much in fact that me, my husband and 2 friends rented a condo there for New Year’s last year. The condo was definitely crash worthy and the highlight of the trip. The record low temperatures? Not so much. Needless to say we spent a lot of time in that condo….
Happy Anniversary, and what a beautiful picture! My daughter is 4.5 months old, and we still don’t even have a family photo of all of us together…minus when I was puffy-faced and one week postpartum. That’s definitely not frame-worthy :).
Happy Anniversary!! Mine too – 7/07/07!! Wish we would have been as smart as you two and taken annual photos. Cute idea!
We rented a home in Duck over the weekend of the 4th a couple years ago. It was right in the middle of the island and we watched the fireworks from the balcony. I love that little town- such a great place to vacation. We ate some awesome creme brule at the blue something or other??? and I bought some great art from the Gallery there!
happy anniversary! that family photo is perfect! a definite framer. :)
What a gorgeous family picture!
Clara always makes me smile.
Looks like a great trip. Can’t wait to go to OBX for the first time later this summer.
Happy anniversary! I feel all famous-by-blog-post-association, it’s my birthday today =)
Happy birthday!!!!
xo,
s
Beach vacations are the best! Where did you get Clara’s awesome polka dot dress? It’s so summery! (love the ‘genius’ pose btw lol)
That was $4 at the Carter’s Outlet!
xo,
s
noooo – that probably means it will be hard to find :( its amazing! i love how you guys dress her in clothes that are feminine yet not too girly girly (i.e. all pink and bows). I don’t know if it’s intentional or not but it’s really nice, in my opinion :)
Aw thanks! Here’s hoping you hunt one down. Maybe try ebay too in case another one pops up there!
xo,
s
Happy anniversary! It looks like you had so much fun!
Beautiful family pic!!
Happy Anniversary! You are a beautiful family and truly inspiring to me! Enjoy the day.
I totally understand! My son is 7 months and we still haven’t gotten a picture of the family together yet. There’s always someone behind the camera. Maybe by 13.5 months we will :)
Happy anniversary you two!!
Happy Anniversary!!!
I’ve been trying to get a family photo for a long time. But since our family consists of myself, my husband, a dog, two cats, and a turtle, its next to impossible. Our Christmas card picture last year was the closest we got with the dog and one cat visible. The other cat was hiding behind the tree and the turtle was in the same room. So close!
Haha- so close!
xo,
s
We already had a vacation to New England planned, when we had to make a very last minute move. So we hightailed it to Boston only two days after switching houses. I thought I’d be all stressed out being only half-way unpacked, but leaving was the best thing I could have done! I came back and felt so refreshed and ready to tackle all the projects!
We were in the Outer Banks just a few weeks ago! So beautiful and amazing weather!
http://thisnestisbest.com/2011/06/21/happy-summer-solstice/
Oh my gosh, how does Burger do on the beach? Did he play in the ocean?
He stays away from big dogs and the ocean, but otherwise he seems to love it!
xo,
s