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?

How to Stay Healthy on Vacation

Location: Hatteras, OBX | a throwback to Finn's first time at the beach!

Today, I am off to the beach for a much needed vacation.  My family has been exchanging group emails and messages all week long preparing for this trip. With how much I have researched and delved into health and nutrition this year I don't want to have a week that does me more harm than good.  That got me thinking.  We are texting about our packing items and events that are being planned so why can't we prepare to have a healthy vacation as well?

I am sharing some of my favorite ways to stay healthy while taking a necessary break from the every day life and routine.

1. Get moving. Go for morning walks with your coffee first thing in the morning.  You will get to explore your vacation spot and get your metabolism kickstarted by moving early before the rest of the world wakes up!

2. Do what you can. If you don't eat 100% clean and workout for an hour and a half every single day while you're on vacation; know that it's totally okay.  It's better to do a little something than nothing.  Change your mindset about your workouts and focus on what you can/ are able to do and do that!  Every little bit matters, no matter how little.

3. Focus on nutrition. We are bringing some already prepped meals [go mom with the zucchini lasagna!] lots and lots of healthy snacks, and healthy options that we can't live without daily.  Bringing items from home will help you stick to your meal plans as well as save money and the hassle of beach grocery stores on check in days. We are also renting a beach house, meaning we can cook more meals at home rather than eat out.  If you have to eat out just make sure your meals are lean, clean, and green!

4. Enjoy your vacation + rest. Our bodies need sleep and rest just as much as they need movement and fuel. Don't be so focused on your fitness goals that you miss life.  Eat that local decadence.  Spend time with your family or friends.  Take a nap in the sun on the beach.  Being present in the moment and taking in the adventure as it comes will do wonders for your overall wellness.

5. Think outside the "gym".  Find some fun ways to explore and be active. When I am at the beach, I love trying things like standup paddle boarding or kayaking.  If you are vacationing on a budget; running up and down the beach with the pup is always a fun adventure.  Be active in your experiences.  You will not only stay happy and healthy you will make some fun memories in the process.

What are your favorite ways to stay healthy on vacation?

Beach Trip Essentials

My family is heading to the beach right after my last teacher workday at school and I could not be more excited.  I may or may not have a countdown going as well as packing list running through my brain.  I need the beach so bad right now, so I thought I would put together a little list of all the things that I am bringing!   These are items that you can all throw in a bag and use for a day trip to the beach too! I never head to the beach without a few essentials!

1. Sunscreen This stuff is a no brainer but it's important.  I can't tell you how many people my age still don't use sunscreen all the time. I use a high SPF at the beach because I basically am out in the sun roasting but want to protect myself from the harm of the sun too.

2. Beach Towel I don't know about you but I need to have a very large towel at the beach or the pool.  A good towel serves so many purposes when you are at the beach - you can lay on it but not have to be in the sand - dry off from swimming - and later in the evening when it gets chilly you can use it as a blanket!

3. Cover-Up Typically I don't want to wear full clothes over my suit but the walk from where we are staying to the beach I need something to cover me.  I love this tee because it's oversized and comfy but also cute and the saying definitely hits all the beach favorite high points!

4. Bikini A girl has got to look cute and feel cute right?!

5. Beach Tote How else are you going to get all of your fun goodies from the house / car / condo to the beach?! I always throw a little baggy in my tote to hold my phone to protect it from the sand and water too.

6. Sea Salt Spray You can't be at the beach without gorgeous beach waves right? The picture is the beach wave spray I currently have from my Tone it Up bundle - but I linked another fun option!

7. WaterBottle When you are spending all day in the sun and being active it's so important to hydrate! I typically bring a billion nalgenes but I love the fact that these options claim to keep your water cold all day long but aren't as expensive as a yeti.

8. Lip Balm Something that a lot of people don't remember but you need to protect your lips with an SPF too.  They get burnt too and when your lips are burnt it's miserable.  Let's just say my days as a life guard taught me what not to do when protecting your body from the sun and now I am so careful to not get burnt and experience that pain again!

9. Bikini And another suit because we all need options!

What can't you live without at the beach? 

Peru Trip 2015 | Arica, Chile

This is the third post in my Peru series, you can read the first two parts here:

Tacna: Part One 
Tacna: Part Two 

Y'all this was my first time seeing the Pacific Ocean! One of the days we were in Tacna we drove over the border to Chile.  When I say drove I mean my whole family, all of Emily's roommates, and one of her roommates whole family piled into 3 cars we hired for the day.  We headed the 30 miles south to Chile having to stop halfway at the border, get out of the car - go through customs, which reminds me of airport security, get our passports stamped, then hop back in the car on the other side of this random building in the middle of no where that is set up like your typical rest stop and toll booth that are littered all over the north eastern states back in the US.

This day was so fun, well because beach day in December, I never get the chance to do that.  The water was freezing but I had to stick my toes in, it was the pacific ocean after all.

We walked along the beach for a little while stretching our legs before getting back in the car and driving up to the top of a cliff that over looked the city.  Up here there was a war memorial dedicated to the land that is now Chile.  Apparently Peru and Chile have fought back and forth over the land that is between Tacna and Arica before calling truce and settling on the current borders declaring such with memorials in both cities tall and proud.

We stopped at this fun beachside restaurant for lunch and ice cream before heading back to Peru and another fun customs adventure.  Funny story; apparently Chile is more expensive than Peru so people hop the border all the time but it ends up looking like everyone went on a crazy huge costco trip at border patrol.  You have to declare everything you buy and send it through a conveyer belt.  These customs workers must love staring at gigantic rolls of toilet paper all day long on their screens, ha! Imagine going on a shopping trip - loading your car - having to fully unload halfway - load back up - then unpack at home. Whew, that's dedication to a sale!

It was such a fun adventure, especially being able to get more stamps on my passport!

Up next in the series, trying Peruvian cuisine & Christmas celebrations!