This year for our family vacation we went to the Outer Banks. It was an 8 hour drive from our house so I made sure the kids electronics were fully charged before we left the house.

Our first pit stop was at a rest area about 3 hours into the drive. We took some pictures and played tag.

We stopped for lunch at Wendy’s in Plymouth, North Carolina when we were just a few hours away from the Outer Banks.

We were so excited when we saw the Welcome to the Outer Banks sign! We drove through Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, and Duck and arrived at our hotel at 3:30.

Changing into our swimsuits that afternoon was the happiest moment of the entire day! We went to the ocean for a couple hours and then to the pool.

That night we went to one of the places on my bucket list for dinner– Uncle Ike’s Sandbar and Grill. It was overpriced, but the food was extraordinary!

Jordan and I had their Smokehouse burger and fries.

Klara and Koby both had macaroni and cheese that was to die for. Seriously, it was so delicious!

Kylan had chicken tenders and fries.

After dinner we stopped by Harris Teeter for some groceries for the hotel room.

On Tuesday morning we had breakfast by the pool. Breakfast was included with our hotel stay so each morning all we had to do was go downstairs for a hot breakfast.

After breakfast we changed into our swimsuits and went to the beach. There was splashing, sand castles, and baseball.

Around 1 o’clock we went up to the room for lunch. To save on time and money, we ate sandwiches and chips in the hotel room.

After lunch Jordan and the boys went to the pool while Klara and I took a nap. When we woke up, we joined them in the pool and floated in the lazy river.

That evening we went to Cosmos Pizza for dinner. The kids split a half pepperoni half cheese pizza and Jordan and I split their white pizza.

Once we made it back to the hotel we set up a “movie night” for the kids. We put a movie in the portable DVD player and made them some popcorn so we could watch the season finale of The Blacklist.

On Thursday morning we had breakfast by the pool then went to the ocean. We saw hundreds of crabs and watched dolphins glide through the water.

We went to the pool and the lazy river before we went up to the room for lunch.

I kept putting off dinner that evening because we had a big surprise for the kids. My aunt and her son, Aaron, had made reservations at the same hotel and drove down from Maryland to spend the rest of the week with us!

With happy hearts and hungry tummies we went to Mama Easley’s for dinner. Me, Jordan, and my aunt had fish and chips and it did not disappoint. Klara had a cheeseburger, Koby had mac and cheese bites, and Kylan and Aaron had chicken tenders.

When we got back to the hotel, we went to the indoor pool until it closed at 10 o’clock. The kids had so much fun!

On Friday morning Jordan went out to get a few things while I showered and got myself and Klara ready for the day and he suprised me with a Dunkin Donuts coffee. The man of my dreams.

We met up with my aunt and Aaron for breakfast before we went to the beach, pool, and then to the indoor pool.

For lunch we went to Oh My Dog. I had the Corolla dog, Jordan had the Storm n Norman, and my aunt had the Deputy dog. Klara had a corn dog, Kylan and Aaron had plain hot dogs and added ketchup, and Koby had mac and cheese bites again.

After lunch we walked across the parking lot to an ice cream parlor. Both me and my aunt had butter pecan in a waffle cone, Klara had bubble gum, Koby had chocolate, and Jordan and Kylan had chocolate peanut butter.

That evening we went to Corolla Adventure Golf for a game of mini golf and bumper cars.

That night we ate at Tomato Patch. We all split an order of mozzarella sticks and loaded fries, the kids had pizza, and Jordan and I split a steak and cheese sub.

On Saturday morning, even though I was on vacation, my alarm was set for 5:30 so I could watch the royal wedding coverage. I can’t get enough of Harry and Meghan.

Later on that morning we went downstairs for breakfast then spent our last morning on the ocean. We got beach chairs, sat under an umbrella, walked the beach, found seashells, and enjoyed every minute of having our feet in the sand.

We spent hours by the pool and lazy river then got dressed to go out for the number one thing on my bucket list– Duck Donuts. Y’all, they were incredible!

We went to a playground and then went to dinner at Barefoot Bernie’s. Their spinach and artichoke dip was phenomenal. My aunt had their honey glazed salmon, Jordan and I both had fish tacos, Klara had steak and mashed potatoes, Koby had pizza, and Kylan and Aaron had chicken tenders.

That evening Jordan took the boys to the pool while me, Klara, and my aunt had a “girls night” walking the beach. We stopped downstairs for some candy and popcorn and went back to my aunt’s room for a movie. Later that night we went to our room and packed up our things to make our morning a little less stressful.

I woke up early Sunday morning to watch the sun rise and to soak up the smell of the ocean breeze before we had to leave. We got ready, loaded the car, and went to breakfast. We snapped some family pictures and said our goodbyes.

After turning in our room keys we went by Island Smoothie to check the last thing off of my bucket list.

We went next door to Duck Donuts and got a dozen donuts for the car ride home and then we took the kids shopping for souvenirs.

We stopped by Smithfields for lunch and had to make a coffee stop. We made it home just in time to watch American Idol. Yasss!

Have you visited the OBX? If so, what were some of your favorite things to do?