Friday, June 11, 2010

Where the Wild Things Are...

My journey to NC has begun. After a wonderful short visit with the family and enjoying Matt and Amanda's wedding last Saturday, Mason and I left to visit Justin last Sunday for a few days. I honestly did not realize how primitive of a place he was in. WOW. Though the "bunk house" is a much better habitation than his 1 room shack from last year, the closest grocery store was 40 minutes away and were were surrounded by a lake on 1 side and corn fields on the other 3 sides with a terribly bumpy road running right down the middle of it. (I promise, pictures will come soon enough. :))

When Mason and I got there on Sunday afternoon, I got to run into Justin's arms. He looks like Noah from The Notebook again and I honestly don't think Mason knew what to think of him. He showed me around the house and we went on a boat ride on the Pungo Lake, which was beautiful. It was Mason's first boat ride and he doesn't typically like water, so we had a fun time. We then went on a nice walk around the corn fields to get our legs a good stretch and let Mason get some energy out and it was so nice to just hold hands and talk with Justin in person. I missed him soooo much! While on our walk, Mason did see his first Timber Rattler though...yes, there is a species of rattlesnakes in Eastern NC.

We enjoyed pizza for dinner and enjoyed snuggling on the couch. On Monday morning, Justin took Mason "in the field" until lunch while I slept in, cleaned around the bunk house, and sun bathed out by the lake. After lunch, we drove to the Outer Banks (with a few stops along the way to see some wolves in captivity and to see some of Justin's work sites). We decided to stay in Kill Devil's Hills at a dog friendly hotel. Mason got to see the ocean for the first time that afternoon as we enjoyed a few hours on the beach before dinner.

At the hotel, we had a king size bed and needless to say, Mason thought he was going to be able to boot us out of it! Keep in mind, at home he stays in his pin at night so on vacation he just sleeps on a blanket on the floor. However, with a bed this big, he thought he could pull one over on us...he was so cute!

On Tuesday, we got to go to Jockey's Ridge, which is a state park of the largest dunes on the east coast. It was so pretty and we all enjoyed climbing and running down the dunes. We then drove to Cape Hatteres to see the light house and spend some time on the beach there. The Outer Banks really is a beautiful and historical place to visit!

On Wednesday, we spent a little time on the beach in the morning before driving to Manteo, which is where our nation truly started. It's where Virginia Dare was born, the first English settler born in America and it's where the lost colony was last located. Beautiful town! We enjoyed some some of the sites there before heading back to the bunk house.

Once we arrived back, Justin decided to take me for a drive to see what he sees every day. Needless to say, we saw black bears, foxes, raccoons, wild turkeys, more rattlesnakes...it was like driving in a zoo! No wonder my husband loves his job. It was so amazing to see all the different wild life literally in their own habitats!

Thursday morning we got up and I went in the field with Justin to help him look for scat. There is a reason I'm not his field assistant. I was bored out of my mind, it was hot as blue blazes, and the bugs were terrible, but I got to spend a little more time with my sweetie. (Mason also enjoyed playing with the turtle he found as well as the dear carcass.)

Now, I'm enjoying the my time in Wilmington with friends Haley and Lee who so sweetly let me stay with them while in town for Kristen and Cam's wedding on Saturday! We had Kristen's Lingerie shower last night at Kirsten's house and it was so much fun! The skies are blue and the weather is perfect, so I am on my way out to Wrightsville Beach!!! More fun is to come!

Blueberry Goodness--Recipe of the Week
*This is the easiest recipe and is absolutely delicious!!!
Ingredients:
-1 large can of crushed pineapple (undrained)
-1 carton fresh blueberries, washed
-1 box yellow cake mix
-1 stick melted butter

Directions:
-Pour and spread evenly all ingredients in 9X13 baking dish in the order in which they are listed above.
-Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes or until golden on top.

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