Outer Banks (OBX), North Carolina

So here I am on the first leg of my summer adventures. This week I have been in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Jealous? Yeah, you should be. My mom's family is having a family reunion out here and it has been great. Most of the family got here last Saturday, but my friend Kassie and I got here Monday. We drove across the country in just about 49 hours. It wasn't too bad, but I'm glad I won't have to do it again until August. All week we have been sitting in the sun and working on my tan. Earlier I described myself as having pasty English teacher skin, but now I'm a little bit tanish. We are staying in a huge house right on the beach. Literally we have our own private boardwalk to the ocean. I've never been IN the Atlantic before, and I'm willing to come again any day. It is glorious. We've been boogie boarding and body surfing everyday the water is so nice. Also, Kill Devil Hills has a lot of other attractions. It's home to the Wright Brother's Monument and Museum. Apparently, the brothers didn't fly out of Kitty Hawk on their first flight; they flew in Kill Devil Hills. I learned a lot so ask away.
One day we drove out to Cape Hatteras, the home to a super famous lighthouse (see slideshow). Kassie was like a kid on Christmas. We could barely keep her in the car in the parking lot. She was already out the door taking pictures. We read up on the history of the Cape. They call it the Graveyard of the Atlantic because so many ships have met their end on the shallow waters of the coast. Also there are some really cool stories about Blackbeard the pirate and all his Bootie.
Last night we celebrated my cousin McKenna's birthday and went out dancing. I've never been to a bar/club before, so it was an enlightening experience. It made me super grateful for Utah's indoor clean air policies. We bailed at about 1 when we were all danced out and getting sick of the crowd. Overall, I had a pretty good time being one of the only sober people in the room.
Today is my last full day here. Needless to say I won't be much longer before I'm out on the beach soaking in the last rays of Carolina sun and sand. We check out tomorrow and Kassie and I head for Washington DC for a week. My uncle Doug and Aunt Sara are going to let us stay with them for a few days while we see the sights. They are so nice. So, be prepared for more updates, and more photos (with tan instead of pasty skin).