Lighthouses

I just love lighthouses, don't you? When I was in college I spent one summer working at a camp on Oak Island. I spent every night of that summer in a room in an old building that served as the barracks for Ft. Caswell, a fort dating back to the Civil War. The warm ocean breeze lulled me to sleep every night, as did the constant flashing of the Oak Island Lighthouse. With four flashes followed by six seconds of darkness, its consistency became a rather soothing presence in an otherwise dark room.

Since 1958 this lighthouse has been guiding ships safely through the night off the shores of North Carolina.

Even though I have been vacationing on Oak Island for over 20 years, I had never climbed to the top of the lighthouse until this summer. My lovely daughter, Catie, volunteered as a tour guide while working a summer job as a waitress on the island. This gave me the perfect excuse to visit. (Isn't she one of the prettiest guides you have ever seen?)

The climb to the top was not an easy one. The lighthouse has 131 ship's ladder steps making the trip to the top quite laborious. However, the view at the end of the journey is well worth the labor.

It was a little overcast on the day that I visited, however, Catie said that on a clear day one could see all the way to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.

Although the view of the vast ocean is amazing; I love the view of the intercoastal waterway and the marsh surrounding it.

After my visit to the lighthouse I was thinking about why I am so drawn to this structure. It finally dawned on me that, in a world where nothing ever stays the same, this lighthouse continues to give the same guidance that it has for many years. The same consistent four flashes and six second darkness that eased me to sleep every night over twenty years ago still continues today. Thankfully, I serve a God who is consistent in a world that is continuously changing.


Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Hurricane Irene

One of my favorite places is starting to feel the effects of Hurricane Irene. Although these pictures of Oak Island were taken on a beautiful summer day, our good friends are now experiencing rain bands from the storm.



Please join me in praying for all of those on the east coast in the path of this large storm.



If any of you are in the path of Irene, please stay safe and know that I am praying for you and your families.

Oak Island, North Carolina

Do you have a favorite place to vacation? I sure do. Fortunately, one of my favorite places is only about three hours from home making it easy to visit often. Oak Island is a wonderful North Carolina island where summer days are spent on the beach enjoying the salty breeze.



Beach days for our family consist of bike riding, beach sitting, game playing, picnicking, and dolphin watching. We don't spend a lot of time watching television or shopping. My girls have never experienced the beach any other way. What about you? How do you enjoy spending your vacation?



This week my girls are at Camp Caswell, a Christian camp on the island. John and I are going to have a little beach time to ourselves. I think I'll plan a couple yummy meals to enjoy on the beach...any ideas??

The Simple Pleasures of Summer!

It's summertime! And I don't know about you, but I just love the lazy days of summer and all of the simple pleasures that come with those days. Simple pleasures like...


...fresh blackberries


...homemade cobbler


...homegrown tomatoes


...with fresh green basil


...taking a plunge in cool water


...beautiful


...blue hydrangeas


...boardwalks and beaches


...breathtaking reflections


...and summer sunsets


What simple pleasures do you enjoy during the lazy days of summer?

Beach Fun and Back to Reality

Last night I returned home after a wonderful long weekend at Oak Island. Coming home from a trip to the beach is always a little bittersweet. Although I love my home here in the country, there is something special about the time that our family spends at the coast. It seems as though life is a little sweeter when we all leave behind our everyday distractions to take a vacation.

Our time spent at the coast is relaxed and very unstructured. Most of our time is spent on the beach with friends that we have made on the island over the years. We were very fortunate to have some of the most beautiful weather I can ever remember having at the beach. The high pressure that was bringing North Carolina such hot weather finally moved out and left us with very comfortable breezy days.

Our Fourth of July weekend brought us everything that we hoped it would.

It brought us...


...an evening on the beach watching the crowd getting ready for the fireworks.


...ladderball games on the beach with friends.


...teenagers having fun without ipods, cell phones, computers, or TV!


...beautiful sunsets to enjoy on the beach.


Doesn't the water and sky look magical while the sun is setting?





Who knew teenagers could have so much fun without cell phones, ipods, computers, or TVs?



Of course, what would the fourth of July be without a little fireworks?


I hope everyone was able to enjoy some of their own.




But as they say, "All good things must come to an end." Today I am back to a reality of unpacking, loads of laundry, grocery shopping, and according to the weatherman, another high pressure. But even with all of those chores to do and hot days coming...it is still good to be home!

Oak Island, NC

All of you know how much I love my home and where I live, but there is another place in North Carolina that comes in at a close second- Oak Island. Growing up, I always went to the South Carolina beaches for vacations with my family. I didn't think I would ever love any other beaches until I worked at a camp on Oak Island when I was in college. I fell in love with the natural beauty of this place. After visiting me at camp, my parents felt the same way. They eventually bought a home there and the love affair continued. All of my children's beach vacation memories center around this wonderful place.

We were able to go this weekend to have our yard sale which turned out very successful despite the threat of early morning rain.



After getting rid of some of the clutter in my house at the yard sale, I felt free! Everyone should declutter once in a while. It's a good feeling.



But an even better feeling comes from standing on the dock overlooking the beautiful Inter coastal waterway that separates our little island from the main land.



Some of my girl's earliest vacation memories are of bike rides to the crab dock to watch the sun shimmer on the water.



When the tide is high, the view is magnificent. When the tide is low, the birds and crabs steal the show.



The other side of the island overlooks the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. In the fall we enjoy some of the most beautiful sunsets over the water. Most people that I share that fact with don't believe me since the sun sets in the west. However, because of the curve of the beach it is possible.



When my girls were little we would spend weeks at the time at the coast. Most of that time was spent on the beach or riding bikes. They didn't need to shop or go to arcades to have fun. They were pretty content to just be.



Occasionally, we might go antique shopping in Southport or throw in a game of Jungle Golf, but who needs that when you have an entire ocean for a playground?



When my kids hear friends talk about going to the beach to do things like shop, go to amusement parks, or go to water parks, they don't understand. I am thankful that they have always been content just wasting the day away under an umbrella, reading a good book, while listening to the tide roll in and spending the evenings under the stars waiting for a turtle nest to hatch. I can't imagine a day at the beach spent any other way.