topsail island - part 3

while we were in topsail island, we got to enjoy some boating.  our friends have a few different boats at their beach house, and on one of the days that we were there we got a chance to sail aboard their yacht.  it was absolutely beautiful, and my mom even got to drive it!

we also took a ride aboard their skiff to set crab traps in the marsh.  we picked up the crab traps the next day and caught a bunch of blue crabs, so we had a crab boil for dinner.  it was tasty (and messy) and a lot of fun.

in addition to fresh crabs, our friends also caught a ton of shrimp in their shrimp traps.  one day they caught 800 shrimp, then on another day they caught 200 shrimp!  needless to say, we had shrimp several times for dinner.  (my mom even ate shrimp for breakfast one day!)  the crabs and the shrimp were absolutely delicious.  you just can't beat seafood fresh from the ocean.

you can see more photos from our trip to topsail island here and here

love, laurie

topsail island - part 2

we had such a great time in topsail island this past week.  while we were there, we kept busy with a lot of activities.  in addition to swimming in the ocean and walking up and down the beach, we rode bicycles on the beach one morning after breakfast.  it sure was a good leg workout to pedal on the sand, but it was a lot of fun.  

ryan and i also went boogie boarding in the ocean a few times.  we had a blast riding the waves.  we couldn't believe how warm the water was, it felt like bath water!  

we even got a chance to go kayaking too.  when we got in the kayaks, we crossed over the sound and into the marsh in order to get out of the way of the big boats that were sailing up and down the channel.  (seeing a big motor boat heading straight for you in a kayak sure is good motivation to paddle fast!)  navigating the kayaks through the marsh was like trying to find your way out of a corn maze with water in it.  while we were in the marsh we saw several jumping fish and a few egrets.  the first time we went kayaking, ryan went in a single kayak while my mom and i went in a tandem kayak.  later in the week, ryan and i went back out in the tandem kayak.  it was a lot of fun, and we got a good arm work out for sure!

you can see part one of our trip to topsail island here

love, laurie

topsail island - part 1

this past week, ryan and i took a trip to topsail island, north carolina with my mom.  we drove down to north carolina to visit family friends who have a beach house in the town of surf city on topsail island.  it has been several years since we have been to topsail island, so it was really nice to be able to go back again.

topsail island is such a cute little island.  it is only 26 miles long, and very narrow.  our friends have a beautiful beach house on the island.  the ocean is just a few steps from their front door, and their back yard is the sound.

the weather was absolutely beautiful while we were there.  we were able to spend a lot of time at the beach walking on the warm sand and playing in the waves.

it was such a nice getaway.  we really enjoyed visiting our friends and spending quality time with my mom too.  we had a great time!

love, laurie