Easter Getaway

Feeling hungry for warmer climes, we headed south on a last-minute whim to North Topsail Beach, NC. The air WAS warmer. The water? 59 degrees. But that didn't stop these girls from enjoying the waves!

Amelia letting us know how cold the water is.

The beach was generously sprinkled with interesting rocks and shells. Amelia created a village of rock people.

We brought a lot of these rocks home with us. :)

We stayed in a lovely townhouse, beautifully decorated. The back windows overlooked the sound.

We could walk out the back of our townhouse and stroll onto this pier.

These are the backs of the townhouses. Ours is slightly right of center, the end unit on the row of six you can see. You can just make out the orange porch furniture on the upstairs deck.

We found a sweet playground, nature trails, and paths perfect for riding scooters.

The nature trails went out into the sound.

This strip of NC beaches is pretty quiet, and the roller skating rink (which has been here for 51 years!) was THE place to go for some evening fun!

What fun! Alan enjoyed the sunset streaming through the windows as we skated.

Sunset behind the roller rink.

One mom at the roller rink said she used to skate here when she was a kid. Now, she brings her son--he wants to skate every night. (Which will only set you back $6, and that includes skate rental! Chips or soda will set you back another $1.)

On the drive back to the townhouse from the roller rink, the moon was SO gorgeous. We stopped to walk out to the beach to see it reflect on the water.

Girls on the beach with moonlight. :)

We dyed Easter eggs and had an egg hunt in the townhouse on Easter Sunday, and visited a church called "The Gathering." I was struck with how Easter has, in so many places (churches included) lost its place as the Christian's highest holiday. I know that I have not treated it as such in my heart and in our home, and I was convicted about that. I thought perhaps I should prepare for Easter at least as much as I prepare for Christmas--setting out decorations, reading passages of Scripture with the girls, and starting some meaningful rituals that point to the weight and wonder of the Passion. So...here's to Easter 2016, and how grateful I am for the Easter of 2015, which we got to spend as a family at a beach.