The kids and I spent the night in Darlington while Sam, Larry, and Greg headed back to NC to get Greg on a plane back to WA. I had promised the kids a trip to the beach this summer, and I was officially out of time, so to the beach we went. I've stayed in oceanfront accomodations before, but I've never had a campfire in the sand, or slept outside at the edge of the continent. With the kids on board, I made plans to camp next to the ocean. Suprisingly, there aren't many public places that allow such a thing, but I found Carolina Beach on Paradise Island. Access is by 4-wheel drive only, and let me tell you that driving in sand for the first time is an experience all to itself, lol! The kids couldn't wait to jump in the water, so we staked claim to a spot in the sand and we played, and played, and played.





The time with my kids was priceless.





And the scenery was breathtaking.





More to come...

The Lady In Black

Back in August we got to go watch the trucks race for the first time at Darlington!
We always enjoy watching Daddy "at work".
Greg's trip was short, but glad he got to see some racin'.
The night didn't turn out well for Ricky.

The Great Smokey Mountains

The United State's most visited National Park. In one word: stunning! The haze you see in the mountains is how they got their name.

Fireworks

Gatlinburg had a fabulous fireworks display on the 4th!

America's First 4th Of July parade

The fact that this Gatlinburg, TN parade begins at 12:00am has earned this parade it's title. I can't believe that such an enormous number of people can fit in such a small town! This was the first time I had ever seen one of those giant "balloons" (like in the Macy's parage) in person, pretty cool!

Pigeon Forge, TN

Took a weekend trip to TN for the 4th of July. Fun place with lots to do...

Titanic Museum

Fun Science Place

Panning For Gems




Riding Go Karts

Pre-4th Fun

Emily really wanted to light off some fireworks, so the night before our trip we set a few off.

NASCAR Hall Of Fame

Back in May we were lucky enough to be able to visit the HOF on the inaugural induction day, very cool. The kids and I really enjoyed the visit. It was more interactive than museum style, but still alot of stuff.








Hey Northwest, you are even represented!!!!!!





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