A week away

Long time no see, eh? I highly apologize for my absence the last week, but you see, I had some very important business to attend to. Such as...

 Checking out the surf.

 Digging my toes in the sand.

 Checking out lighthouses.

 And, of course, drinking plenty of this.

In case you haven't guessed it, I just returned from a glorious week spent on the East Coast - The Outer Banks, NC to be exact.


Every other year, my extended family on my dad's side rents a beach house and we all vacation together. This year, there were 19 people in attendance! Space was tight, but it was absolutely fabulous.


Eric conquered his fear of shark attacks and braved the deep, dark ocean for some boogie boarding.

For most of the week, the waves were pretty tame and not the best for boarding, but the last beach day was intense with waves - they really knocked everyone around!

 Eventually, Eric got pooped.

After a few nights spent in, the "young adults" (though we're still referred to as "the kids") were getting kind of antsy, so we decided to check out the OBX nightlife, finally stumbling upon one of the greatest, most fun experiences any of us had encountered up to this point.

Friends, I have been to a lot of karaoke in my life, but never have I had as much fun at the hands of Mr. Alan Ross, the karaoke master of the Outer Banks. The man runs a tight ship - everyone gets a chance to sing, there's no awkward silences or corny jokes in between singers - the man has a ton of props for people to use while singing for crying out loud! Even though I personally didn't sing, I had an amazing time watching my brother and Eric both absolutely rock not one, but TWO nights in a row on the stage of the Jolly Roger.

And the best part of all, they have a live feed of karaoke every night, so my family tuned in and watched us from back at the house! If that doesn't make you feel like an instant star, I don't know what would.


All joking aside, this was a fabulous vacation - full of amazing seafood (I'd be surprised if there isn't a shortage of scallops down there after I've gone), relaxation, quality time with the family and even a little shopping.

But, believe it or not, the most exciting thing about the Outer Banks was not our trip to Wings for cheap beach novelties, it was the fact that my younger cousin Mike prosed to his girlfriend Jessie on the last night! It was a complete shock, but a happy one! I'm so excited for them both and even more excited to welcome Jessie into the family - it was great getting to know her over the week! 

(By the way, he did a very good job on the ring...)

Eric and I didn't get home until 11pm last night, so it was definitely a rough Monday for us. But we're happy to be home and back with Mr. Pancakes - he was doing great when we got home but hasn't stopped following us around and circling our legs since we got back!

So, be prepared for regular resumption of antics here on I'm Loving Today. I truly apologize for being absent, but there are plenty of fun things on the table in the next couple weeks.

Though I can't promise my mind won't be wandering back to the shores of North Carolina....