Travel Bucket List: Outer Banks

Outer Banks, North Carolina, was never on my radar until I watched the Netflix series, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I love that show…though it was actually mostly filmed in South Carolina. Regardless of where they filmed it, the show itself caused me to research Outer Banks and now I wanna visit.

Outer Banks are a chain of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. If you read my previous bucket list post, you already know I love the beach. OBX also has lighthouses, wild horses, hiking, and kayaking (something I’ve only done once and quite enjoyed).

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Currituck Beach Lighthouse
The wild horses of OBX
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
North Pond Wildlife Trail
Nags Head Woods Preserve

Travel Bucket List: Jekyll Island

I have decided to start a bucket list of places I’d like to travel. A coworker said to me, “You’re almost 40. Stop waiting on other people to do what you want,” and she was right. There are so many things to see, just in the U.S. alone, and I have visited frighteningly few places in my lifetime. I would like to remedy that over the next couple of years.

With that in mind, welcome to my new blog series! I am going to post about places I’d like to go, and hopefully I’ll be sharing a follow-up about actually being there soon!

The first location is Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Okay, it’s not super exotic or anything, and it’s not even terribly far from home, but…

Great Dunes Beach
Fort Frederica National Monument
Abandoned Jekyll Island Amphitheater
Georgia Sea Turtle Center

There’s a fair amount to do there, and I love beaches and the water.

“Why not just go to Florida?” you may ask.

Well, I’ve been there. And there are places in the Sunshine State that will definitely be on my bucket list. However, Florida doesn’t have Driftwood Beach – and that particular destination has been on my radar since I first heard about it.

Browsing Pinterest For Cool Sights – Destination One: The Hill of Crosses (Lithuania)

Location: Jurgaičiai, Lithuania, north of the city of Šiauliai

This is a site of Catholic pilgrimage. You can learn more on Wikipedia if you’re interested.

Just looking at the pictures, I find this place to be eerily beautiful. Check it out for yourself.

My Kentucky Vacation (June 2022)

I spent four days in Kentucky with my best friends this week. They moved up there just over a year ago, and it’s been really hard. I miss them like crazy!

It was nice to get away, if only for a short while. We went out and explored some areas of interest, including the historical community of West Point and a pet cemetery that was on the way to Shepherdsville. But our big adventure was a trip to Bernheim Forest.

If you don’t know about this forest, it is located in Clermont and covers more than 16,000 acres. It is a wildlife sanctuary, an arboretum, a campsite. There are miles and miles of trails to hike and things to see. What Bernheim Forest has become known for, though, is the giants.

Created by Thomas Dambo, the trio of giants are made from local recycled wood and are positioned throughout the area. It was an absolute delight discovering each one, though the map we were given at the entrance left something to be desired – it took us much longer to find the last two giants than it should have. Still, there was plenty to do along the way.

If you’re ever in the area, I would highly recommend a visit to Bernheim Forest. We had a lot of fun, and my friends’ kids loved the giants!

Colorado (In Pictures)

We almost missed our first flight, our second one was delayed (because some genius put us on a plane that wasn’t equipped to fly/land in snowy conditions, despite the fact that we were headed to Colorado Springs), and my mom had a mild case of elevation sickness on our third day there. Other than that, the trip to visit my brother and his wife was an absolute success!!!! I had visited last year, but we didn’t get to do a lot of sightseeing, and this was Mom’s first trip – and first time flying. The whole area is so beautiful. (Raton, New Mexico, wasn’t that impressive, though. Lol.)

We’re both dying to go back already. I’m aiming for some time during the summer so we can get out and explore a little more. Below are pictures I took during our excursions, and one from the plane because I’m that person 🙂

A Quick Hi From Colorado!

I will do a longer blog about my trip early next week, but for now I wanted to drop in and share some pictures. I just didn’t want to break my posting streak while on vacation (as lame as that is).

We fly back home tomorrow, which sucks. It has been a fantastic five days – complete with much needed family time, lots of snow, some exploring, and really, really good food. I can’t wait for our next trip out here!

Central Park
The view from 12
We took a drive down to Raton, New Mexico

Recent Photos

My best friend is a hair and makeup wizard, in my opinion, so I keep asking her to doll me up and take pictures. Lol. Since it is October, our most recent “shoot” was done in Papa Emeritus (Ghost) face paint.

 

 

 

 

Playlist Challenge, Day 41

The front man for 9Electric used to be with Opiate For the Masses, and I adored them, so…

9Electric — “Beautiful”

Song of the Week: “You Haunt Me”

So I’m at the house with my husband-in-law and the tiny human and we decide to watch a movie called Another Me. Throughout the film, this haunting song keeps playing…Lisa Hannigan’s “You Haunt Me.” I’ve been obsessed since.

Lisa Hannigan — “You Haunt Me,” from the Another Me soundtrack (2014). This track was originally released in 2012 by Richard Hawley.