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July 13, 2020

Surf and Sand: Part 1

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We’re back in DC after a really wonderful week in the Outer Banks (Duck to be specific)! 

We rent a house in Duck, NC for one week every summer with Matt’s family and friends and it’s the best week. We are so grateful we were able to go this year – the change of scenery and the break from work was such a treat.

We had a much smaller crew than usual this year (we missed you, Chris and Jess + the boys) but we all made the most of it! 

We lucked out with great weather last week – only one partially dreary day – which meant we spent pretty much all day every day either at the beach or at the pool at our rental house.

Don’t worry, we all used a LOT of sunscreen! Here is my fave non-toxic, reef-friendly spray sunscreen, and this is the one I use on my face which I’m thrilled to have found because it doesn’t irritate my super sensitive skin (I have rosacea) like a lot of other sunscreens do… def buying it in bulk. (affiliate links)

Here’s what one of our typical days looked like while at the beach. Take me back now, please!

The mornings started by either hanging out at the house, or with a workout! Matt and I made it out for two runs with our friend Thomas which were really fun despite the heat. 

running in duck nc

We didn’t actually run on the beach, but on the trail along the road because let’s be honest, beach running is too hard. 😉 I’ll stick with beach walking, thank you!

We did end our runs on the beach, though, so we could put our hot feet in the water and it felt amaaazing. 

jumping above the ocean

I was excited to run my longest distance in ages one of the day last week – 4 miles!

My running has tanked since I haven’t been able to run in person with others for so long – I still get out twice a week for virtual run phone dates with friends, but I usually walk a lot of it without the in-person motivation. So this was a nice change and encouraging to show myself I could still do it!

(Super fun American flag shoes are an old fave from a few years ago gifted by Brooks – looks like they have some cute different variations of patriotic shoes on their site now, too, FYI! – affiliate link) 

Two of the other mornings I went to an outdoor yoga class with my sister-in-law Morgana, hosted by Duck Village Yoga.

It was absolutely lovely – the views of the water were gorgeous and it was in the shade with a nice breeze. They kept the classes super small and had everyone spaced out properly!

outdoor yoga duck nc

I always had a snack first thing before any workouts, and then when we got back to the house we’d have a more legit breakfast.

Matt and I made some epic english muffin bacon, egg, cheese, tomato, and avocado sandwiches a few of the mornings – delicious. 

biscuit with bacon egg tomato cheese

And another day Matt’s dad made us some sourdough pancakes!

I made scrambled eggs and we had them with blueberries and ham. 

sourdough pancakes with blueberries bacon and scrambled eggs

Other breakfasts were more simple – I did overnight oatmeal one day and had some toast with nut butter a couple of the others!

After our big breakfast, we usually all headed to the beach!

Riese was absolutely terrified of the water until the very last day, when Matt and I finally convinced her to put her feet in and what do you know – she LOVED it.

She started jumping and splashing and laughing and it was so sweet to experience it through her eyes!

Riese’s favorite beach activity was looking for shells in the sand. We have quite a collection of shells that came home with us – I’m thinking we can use them for some fun arts and crafts and games here at home!

Around 12, we came back to our house to make lunch and get Riese down for her nap. Lunches were usually either some sort of sandwich…

sandwich and a pickle

sandwich with turkey, avocado, cheese, tomato, lettuce

Or dinner leftovers, or leftovers on top of salad. 

quinoa salad with chicken

We also had peaches almost every day with lunch.

What is it about “beach peaches”, as Riese calls them, that are so much more awesome than peaches you buy at home?! I’m obsessed. Riese was too! 

We brought a bunch home – thinking of making either my Heirloom Tomato and Peach Caprese Salad or Honey Lime Chicken with Grilled Peaches this week. Or maybe we will just eat them all as-is… 🙂

best peaches in the outer banks

After lunch, we would get Riese down for her nap and then hang out by the pool at our house with the monitor next to us. So nice having the pool right there so we were able to use it during Riese’s nap time!

With the exception of the first day we were there, Riese took really good naps, which meant we had a lot of time for relaxing and reading and/or pool volleyball tournaments. 😉 

floating in the pool

Speaking of reading, I read two really good books while we were at the beach – The Last Time I Lied and The Family Upstairs. (affiliate links)

Both are perfect beach reads that I didn’t want to put down – super twisty and dark murder mysteries that really keep you guessing. Highly recommend both if you’re looking for something to read!

reading on the beach

When Riese woke up from her nap, we’d all have a snack, then usually we’d head back down to the pool with Riese in tow.

She LOVED the pool – her favorite thing was jumping into the pool into one of our arms over and over again (serious arm workout to keep lifting her back up onto the pool deck every time!). She liked swimming around with us helping her, too. 

By around 5, it was time for happy hour – but you’ll have to wait until part 2 of this recap for more, because this post is getting long and also it’s quite late on Sunday evening as I’m writing this and I’m ready to go to bed. 🙂

I’ll be back on Wednesday to share part 2 of our beach adventures – until then, stay tuned!

- anne
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14 comments
  • Ana July 13, 2020 · 10:51AM:
    I’ve been looking forward to your recap - sounds lovely and you lucked out with the weather!
    Reply
  • Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
    July 13, 2020 · 11:07AM:
    Sounds like the perfect getaway! The rhythm of your days sounded just perfect. We are going to my parents' lake home for a week in August and I can not wait. I know my mom will let us sleep in and she'll take care of Paul. We haven't seen them since late Feb when we went to FL so they miss Paul so much, but with COVID/Paul in daycare, we haven't felt comfortable going up there and risking getting my dad (who is high risk) sick. I'm basically living for that week of vacation right now and hoping/praying it's a warm, sunny week. Our little guy LOVES the water. We've been going to local beaches a lot and he is such a little fish. So I think the week on the lake will be perfect as we can just be in and out of the water all day.
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 13, 2020 · 2:11PM:
      I hope you have the best time! Sounds amazing. I love lakes.
      Reply
  • Lori July 13, 2020 · 11:35AM:
    That is the sweetest photo of you and Matt holding Riese by the water. Totally frame-worthy!
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 13, 2020 · 2:10PM:
      Thank you! :)
      Reply
  • Emily July 13, 2020 · 12:48PM:
    How did you you handle traveling with COVID-19? Did everyone get tested and/or quarantine before you traveled? Did you quarantine once you arrived?
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 13, 2020 · 2:18PM:
      We were only with our super small group of family and a few close friends, and we all discussed at length beforehand whether the trip made sense and after talking about the precautions everyone had been taking, we decided we were all comfortable with it. The exception was the few days Matt, Riese, and I were supposed to stay at a hotel on the front end of the trip - we ended up cancelling that and only doing the house rental. Once there, we cooked all our meals at home and only went into town a couple times. Anytime we were super near others we had masks on. Re: our drive down, Matt and I ordered food ahead for our one stop along the way (The Cheese Shop in Williamsburg - so good, and the online ordering was super easy), picked it up outside with masks, and ate outside not near others.
      Reply
  • Roadrunner July 13, 2020 · 9:30PM:
    What a wonderful week! So nice that you could do it, all the restrictions and challenges notwithstanding. And great that Riese had such a nice time, too.
    Reply
  • Andie July 14, 2020 · 6:37AM:
    I need to buy a booster seat and couldn’t help but notice yours. Would you mind sharing which one it is and if you’d recommend? Looks like you had a great time!
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 14, 2020 · 3:04PM:
      Sure! We have this one and recommend it, easy to clean and easy to use.
      Reply
  • Tori July 14, 2020 · 12:32PM:
    It sounds like you guys had a great trip with lots of yummy food and fun in the water!
    Reply
  • Elizabeth July 16, 2020 · 5:57PM:
    The Artful Parent has a super fun seashell craft you can do with melted crayons. I did it with my kids a few weeks ago when we returned for the beach with tons of shells. I bet Reise would enjoy!
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 17, 2020 · 8:35AM:
      Oh nice, I'll check it out! Thanks!
      Reply
  • Kris S July 22, 2020 · 10:32AM:
    So glad Riese got into the ocean eventually! :D
    Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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