North Carolina

We just got back from North Carolina last night. It was great like it always is. Spadone, Drew, and I took the mega minivan down 95 on Wednesday. As soon as we got to Topsail Island we unloaded our stuff at Nana's house and went across the street to the beach. The weather wasn't great when we got there, but it completely cleared up by Friday, making for a beautiful week on the island.

Topsail is a barrier island south of the main Outer Banks. It's not as touristy, commercialized, and condo-ized as the Jersey Shore is, so it's really a great place to get away from all the chaos of the North. Plus, the Southern food, accent, and atmosphere all make it a really relaxing place to be.

For the most part, we spent all our time out on the sand, building huge castles, soakin up the sun, eating barbeque, fried chicken, seafood, hush puppies, and SWEET TEA, and watching "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" pretty much every night. I met my new cousin Terry and her son Cole who are both great. Spadone and Cole are now best buds. We saw a bunch of "beach-going rednecks", and we couldn't decide whether or not we would prefer them to their NJ counterparts, Seaside Tonies, but aside from them, all the people we met were awesome. You gotta love that southern hospitality.

We drove back up the scenic route along the coast and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel last night and got in around 11:30. Everyone was finally home from school, so we got a great welcome back at my house.

It was a perfect and relaxing way to start the summer. I love that place!