This year, we tried something different! Instead of heading to a State Park in October, we decided to enjoy the beach and stay at First Landing State Park. We wanted to enjoy the warm weather at the beach, so we went in September. Our dates were September 15, 16, and 17. The weather was BEAUTIFUL BEYOND WORDS! Cooler temperatures, a gentle breeze (except for Friday during the day), blue skies, and, as my youngest used to call them, “fluffly” clouds.

Friday Agenda

Check-in, chill, and Grandma Lorrie makes her rounds to the cabins to offer a goodie basket. We all arrive at various times, so we text and check on each other, but usually, we are settling young ones in and setting up our space to inhabit for the weekend. Thursday night I finished my book with Parish. A two-act play called, “Anna in the Tropics.” The quote below is from the book. Parish found the purple flowers and put them in a “vase” for me.

Valentina and Drake came down after work! Loved getting a text from Laura that she saw my girl!

Saturday Agenda

Breakfast with your family and early morning visits. Parish and I usually join the Lambs for breakfast, do crafts and invite folks to stop by for coffee and a visit. Adelaide and Spencer, Jr. were excited to find so many pine cones, so we decorated those with glitter glue, ribbon, and paint.

Breakfast was our famous pizza on the grill, cheesy eggs, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, and bacon.

After breakfast, we went for a nice walk around the cabin loop!

We had lunch as a family around noon at Parish and Anna’s cabin. John Hebb made a fantastic pork roast, and families brought their picnic items to share. We always have leftovers! This year, we brought Tie Dyes for the pictures.

After cleaning up, we went to the beach for the afternoon! A great time playing in the sand and the sun. Parish and I enjoyed time on Friday at the beach and were able to watch kite surfing. It was an exceptionally windy day and prime weather for the sport. We could see the air show from the beach! Check out Alfred Hitchcock’s “smoke.”

Dinner was our usual hot dogs on the grill, leftovers, Smores, and Spencer’s famous Fall hot toddy. I also made the Mexican Bean Dip with Cream Cheese. We had baked beans, and Linda brought cookie decorating for the children. We celebrated Jax’s baptism with a cake and sang to him. What a great decision of faith, Jax.

Sunday Agenda

Time to go and check out is at 10:00 a.m. We celebrated Sorelle’s two-year-old birthday at 9:00 with cupcakes!

Then, off to the Oceana Air Show.

We missed seeing Vivian, Cody, and Autumn. They could not attend due to work hours. Vivian shared Autumn’s Tie Dye outfit to be included!

Family Group Pictures

Video Happenings:

Of note about the Park:

Take your bikes to ride trails and get to the beach.

Excellent hiking trails. Pack your running shoes.

Camp store for items you forgot and gifts.

Excellent facilities for large group events and weddings.

In comparison to newer modeled cabins, these are rustic. Take air fresheners, bug spray, and items to make the cabin more comfy. Also, take a bath mat.

Food Lion is about a mile away from the cabin.

Fun restaurants nearby, and the campground has a snack bar.

Some cabins have T.V. with DVD players. The DVD player is built into the T.V. on the bottom. Consider taking some old DVDs or visiting your local library to check out some movies to watch.

Limited wi-fi. You can text and make calls, but internet surfing and logging onto things like Netflix is next to impossible.

You have to bring all the linens and towels. Beds are either twin and/or full or queen. Most of our beds were “full.” Snuggle up!

Because the Park is a high-traffic area, park rangers are available and monitor traffic and activities.

When you get there, go directly to your cabin. Check-in is at 4:00. They put your envelope and code to the door at your cabin. Go into the screen porch to the main entrance. The box is there.