Summer Adventures

This summer has flown by. I have done quite a bit of traveling and fun-seeking.  So here a few pictures of my adventures. I started the summer with a trip to the Outer Banks with my friend, Sarah. I don't have any pictures of that, but it's become a great tradition to kick the summer into relaxation mode.

After I returned home to Raleigh, I quickly packed my bags for almost two weeks at home in Arkansas where I loved on my nieces and my nephew and spent time with my parents and my siblings.   You can follow my sister-in-law's amazing blog here.

I returned home from Arkansas and accomplished something that I never thought possible a year ago. I "ran" my first 5k and I was not the last one finished!  I finished in 42:19





I was home for a week or two just relaxing and then I went to New York City with two of my awesome girlfriends!  It was so much fun. One of the things, I got to do on this trip was buy myself a weight loss prize at Tiffany's. It was one of those surreal moments. I teared up in the store at the accomplishment of achieving a little over 70 pounds lost in 9 months.

Here's a few of my favorite pictures of our trip.

These are my weightloss buddies we've lost a combined total of over 250 lbs

Yes, I did go in to buy my prize like that!

I returned home and then I was fortunate enough to be accepted to North Carolina Center of Advancement in Teacher Renewal Seminar at Ocracoke Island, NC. It was a week learning about the ecology of the barrier islands. We kayaked, and hiked and planted marsh grasses in the driving rain. It was so fun to connect with other teachers and be pampered. 

 We stopped at Beacon Island on our way to Portsmouth Island. It's one of 9 nesting places for brown pelicans. It was so cool to see hundreds of pelicans nesting.  Awesome reminder of God's creative design.

 Portsmouth Island is no longer inhabited, but the Parks Service has preserved it and we visited it to examine a natural barrier island that hasn't been disturbed by development.

 We stay in this restored Coast Guard Station that is absolutely beautiful.

 The Ocracoke Light from the Tower at NCCAT!

 Picture of me out on the tower balcony. See the lighthouse, super tiny in the background.

Well it's been a great summer even though it seemed to fly by and it was full of traveling. School starts tomorrow.   I will be glad to welcome back routine to my life even though it's kind of crazy.

I will leave you with a picture of my weightloss progress. This one literally made my jaw drop. I know I stare at myself everyday, so I don't see the transformation!

What a difference a year makes!  Here's to a "new" me and a new school year!