Outer Banks 2017 | A Pup at the Beach

Location: Avon, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Finn is the blog mascot, he is my best bud, and currently snoring next to me while I write this.  I will always choose getting to take Finn on a trip or adventure with me over boarding him. We have had good experiences at doggy camps, yet I think a vacation is so much more enjoyable with my pup by my side, if he is able to come with.

We rented a dog friendly house right on the ocean.  The beaches in Hatteras / Avon are dog friendly too.  I have been to some beaches where there is a time restriction for when dogs can be on the beach but not on the Outer Banks! Finn could come and play whenever he wanted.

Finn had the best time at the beach.  He chased ghost crabs, dug many many holes in the sand, went swimming in the waves, took long walks on the beach in the morning, and his favorite part sitting in the sunshine on the deck watching over all the people playing at the beach.

We also got some local treats while we were at the beach.  Finn devoured them.  I found some Sandy Paws treats at the farmers market on the island when we went one morning.  The treats were adorable and so beautifully made.  Almost too cute to eat but Finn said they were too tasty to save!

Now that we are home from the beach we are already planning our next adventure.

What is a fun dog friendly place that you would recommend? 

Outer Banks 2017 | A Clamming Adventure

Location: Pamlico Sound, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Details: Team Dempsey Guide Service 

Have you ever been clamming?  This was a first for me for sure; but it was an absolute blast! My sister and her boyfriend arranged the whole trip for us.  We headed down to the marina to get on our boat.  The day was pretty cloudy and lightly rainy; the weather didn't stop us from going and having a good time. By the end of the trip the sun started peeking through the clouds a little!

We took the boat out to the Pamlico Sound where a sand bar was formed.  We just got out of the boat to about knee deep water and walked out in the middle of the sound to the sand bar.  Basically you walk around in the water digging your heels into the sand until you hit a clam.

Did you know a clam spends it's whole life going only vertical and never moving away from their original spot?

Our limit was 200 clams.  You can't get more than that because clams, like oysters, are natural water filters and we want our earth to have nice clean water.  As a group we found way more than 200 in just the little spot we were walking around in.  We counted them out at the end of the trip and threw the excess away.

The 200 that we did catch we cooked up later that evening.  They were so fresh and delicious. We literally just had clams and wine for dinner and it was pure bliss.

If you are ever in the Hatteras region of the Outer Banks contact Team Dempsey Guide Service! This links to their facebook page.  They did a fantastic job of taking us out for our clamming trip and a little bit of fishing for my dad to test out his new pole.  They run these clamming trips and also purely fishing trips out on the sound!

This was an amazing way to spend part of our day on the island.  Clamming was definitely one of the most unique experiences I have ever had.

P.S. RIP to the hat I am wearing in these photos.  I flipped my kayak on a huge wave two days later and sadly the hat got taken away by the ocean while I was in survival mode.  Now I am in search of a new favorite hat, any recommendations?

What is the most interesting thing you have ever done at the beach?!

Outer Banks 2017 | Beach Living

Location: Avon, North Carolina [Outer Banks]

I have been hyping up summertime and my beach vacation here so much; and now I am back in Charlotte after the best week.  Going to the beach was the perfect way to start my summer off.  It was my first week off of school so being near water completely helped me hit the reset button.

My priority for the week was to create some healthy habits that can sustain me throughout the summer.  I don't know about you but I do a lot better with a routine because then I am prepped for what is to come.  But I want to be healthy and flexible at the same time this summer!  Now that I am back and reflecting on this trip I definitely accomplished what I set out to do. See my post I wrote for how to stay healthy on vacation for some of the tips I followed!

Our family rented a house in the Outer Banks in Avon, a town near where my sister lives on the island! The house was so fantastic.  Beach front property for the win [shout out to mom and dad & my sis for being the best property manager at Hatteras Realty]

We had a week full of sunshine, family board games, trips around the island, fishing, boating, driving to the point, kayaking, walks on the beach, night time fires and star gazing, delicious food, catching up, and a week full of making amazing memories.

What I love about being on the island is that time just kind of slows down.  There isn't a lot of things to do around but that is perfectly okay.  I like it better actually.  I am such a beach bum that my whole day is spent outside.  Being able to just go with the flow, slow down, relax, and not have to rush or worry about going out at night either was exactly what I needed for this vacation.

Have you ever been to the Outer Banks? What is your favorite part about beach vacations?