Whatever it Takes

Just yesterday, we returned from a week-long vacation celebrating the Fourth of July holiday with family at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. One big beach house with 11 adults and 5 kids and a whole lot of sand, sun and fun! The boys had a blast playing with their cousins, (three of my nieces) spending quality time with grandparents, and discovering the beauty of the beaches I grew up going to every summer.

We go through great lengths to share our traditions with our kids, trying to recreate the best of our own childhood experiences. Some of my favorite memories are of the beach, spending time with family members while collecting seashells or catching waves. Every 4th of July I get a little homesick thinking about summers back on the East Coast. Arizona has fireworks, but they're just not the same in 110 degrees. 

It took six months of planning and 2-thousand miles of traveling, but this trip allowed me to share those memories with my own kids and create new ones. Here we all are on the steps of the beach house, appropriately named- "Whatever it Takes."