Be still, my heart! Today is the day! It's the start of vacation week for our family, and my heart couldn't be more ready. For some, going to the beach is just one of those things... you go a couple of times a year and it's no big deal. I'm very blessed to live so close to the beach. It's just a three-and-a-half-hour drive from home. I try to keep in mind, however, that there are many people who live nowhere near a beach- some who have never even seen the ocean. Gosh, that's hard for me to imagine. I have lived on the East Coast all of my life, and I made my husband promise that we'd never move away from the coast. I don't know if my heart could take it!

While we've visited many different NC and SC beaches as a family, and I've visited my fair share from NJ to FL, there's one beach in particular that holds a special place in my beach-loving heart. Oak Island, NC is a special place for my family. We've been vacationing there for well over a decade, and it just hits the spot in my soul for fulfillment.

Oak Island is sandwiched between Wilmington, NC, and Myrtle Beach, SC. It's such a convenient spot due to its location. Spend the day exploring along the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, and enjoying all that downtown has to offer. I lived in Wilmington for a year in college and loved the community- especially the downtown area... it's so beautiful. Plus, you never know what movie or TV show might be being filmed in the area!

Southport, NC is my favorite coastal town in the world! Its adorable small-town charm can't be beaten! We usually spend a whole day in Southport, just walking around and looking at historic homes. We love the Maritime Museum, walking through the cemetery, hitting up Port City Java for coffee, visiting Bullfrog Corner for souvenirs, shopping at The Christmas House for ornaments, sitting by Battery Park and watching the boats, walking out on the pier, and so much more! There's so much to see and do within just a few blocks. We love hopping onto the ferry and enjoying a day at the aquarium at Fort Fisher, too! It's a must for us every single time we visit this area.

If you want to do all the 'tourist' things, head south to Myrtle Beach, SC. It's the #1 family beach destination. We usually spend a day shopping, playing, and dining in Myrtle Beach, just for the fun of it. Mini golf and a trip to Taco Mundo are always on deck!

Oak Island is where we spend the majority of our time, though. There's nothing I love more than waking up early at the beach house and sitting on the front porch with a cup of coffee. There's a rocking chair waiting for me, and I can't wait to say 'hello' again. We'll make our way out onto the beach mid-morning, with too much gear that takes forever to set up, and a cooler filled with snacks and drinks, and stay out there until we're too tired to stand anymore kid-chasing. We'll explore all of the new shops and places to eat on the island, visit our favorite bookstore, and plan to go see a movie (but never actually go- because we want more beach time!). We'll hang out at the beach house, take naps, plan meals, but wind up ordering take-out or going out, and drive to the lighthouse past bedtimes. I might even get my wish- a late-night crab walk on the beach down near The Point.

All this to say- I can't wait to be at the beach... toes in the sand, sand tracking into the car & into the beach house, and ultimately back home with us. 

Thank goodness beach week has arrived!