Beach Week 2026

On this gloomy Monday morning I am flashing back to our very, very sunny beach week. Brad had to work after our Scotland trip and with a huge project launching next week, but the kids and I joined Mom and Shannon at our usual Kure Beach house:

A kind stranger snapped this picture of us on our last evening beach walk, but I think our groupies might have been better:

Shannon did capture some of my favorite recent pictures of the kids, though:

Our big adventure this year was a trip to the Karen Beasley Turtle Hospital. Injured sea turtles are flown here from all over the East Coast for healing and rehabilitation. We learned so much about the turtles, and our guide was truly passionate about the work:

It's amazing how much they can do for these big guys:

The kids even got matching sweatshirts:

The other new feature was family presentation night. I shared tidbits previously unshared from Scotland, but Issa stole the show. She presented her thesis:

She also presented on Mummia and 21 Pilots Lore:

It was such a fun night!

The rest of the week was a fun combination of lots of lounging:

And ocean bobbing:

And great food:

Issa spent a lot of time coloring by number:

And Evan built his biggest Lego set yet:

These are not even all of the bags:

It is a super cool Pokemon build:

Although I had to work more than I would like, I also finished book 23 there and finished book 24 this morning. Book 23 was the next in the ACOTR series:

This series just gets better and better. The next read is in the same series. She had actually written the next big book, and she realized that we needed to know more about the characters' histories and values to understand that book, so she wrote and released this book:

It moves the overall plot forward, but it also really does shine a light into each other characters in ways that I really appreciate! I will be starting the next book in the series tonight!

I love the beach, and I especially love all of the space to just be and talk with family.

Book 22

I finished book 22 this morning:

 This is our next book club read, and it might go down as the most bizarre book I've read. I didn't dislike it, but I can't really sell it. It is truly about a woman who is running a cat shelter that has some magical weirdness happening in the basement. It's a sweet love story with magical duels and lots of cats. I can't wait to see where the discussion of this one goes!

Much Celebrating

We had a weekend of much celebrating. Somehow, this is the only picture I took of Father's Day:

Brad wanted a low-key day filled with his favorite breakfast foods, so that's exactly what we did. We gave him a gift card for a massage, and we made his requested foods. Lunch was our new Scottish breakfast discovery: porridge with Drambuie. You pour it right over the porridge, and it is delicious. We also had French toast with sausages for dinner.

Saturday, we celebrating making the last of the purchases for Issa's first apartment. We were questing for a small kitchen table and two chairs. This is what Issa chose for her kitchen nook:

It's the most Issa arrangement ever, but she loves her papasan chair and end table combo. First apartment are supposed to be quirky.

I also finished book 21:

This was a sweet, quick read for book club about an orphanage for magical creatures. I enjoyed it, but I don't need to read the sequel.

New Treat Unlocked

Two years ago, Evan got a Ninja Creamy for his birthday, and we love making our own ice creams and sorbets. This year, our family kick-off to the summer was the Ninja Slushie. We have made all manner of slushies, and last night we made our first milkshake, which was awesome. Evan is still the chef, and last night he went a little rogue after it was ready.

When he was getting ingredients, he also picked up a three-pound bag of Fruity Pebbles with marshmallows:

He promptly added those to his milkshake calling it Dessert Cereal instead of Breakfast Cereal:

If nothing else, this boy keeps me laughing.
 

He Loves Me...

Brad and I have both been slowly readjusting to life back stateside. Work is insane for both of us, and we miss the uninterrupted time we had over there. As a little treat, Brad had this shipped to the house:

He hates IRN-BRU, but I fell in love with it while we were in Scotland. One bottle will last me days because I just want a little, but I cried when I opened it. It's the national soda of Scotland, and it tastes a bit like bubble gum, marshmallow, and citrus. Neither kid was entirely enthused, so I think they are all mine. He sure does love me...
 

Book 20

I finished book 20 this morning:

I started this one in Scotland, and I have hated every time I had to put it down. It's the second book in the series, and it took a turn I truly did not see coming but I love. I'm so glad that I have the rest of the series because I can't wait to see what happens next!
 

Books 18 and 19

Right before we left for Scotland, I finished book 18:

I'm not sure it was actually helpful in country, but it was a fun read!

While we were in Scotland, I finished book 19:

I found this whole series as a box set at McKay's a few months ago, and I had delusions of reading the whole thing in Scotland. I did finish book one and start book two, and they are every bit as good as I had hoped!