My Favorite Way To Begin a Day...What Is Your Favorite Way?

 There is one place that our family, and extended family, all agree is one of our all-time favorite places to go on vacation - The Outerbanks of North Carolina - particularly, South Nags Head.  We each have our own personal reasons for loving the Outerbanks:  my husband enjoys fishing off the beach, my oldest son is a seafood lover, which is served up in fresh abundance at the many restaurants you can visit, my youngest son loves the ocean and will even swim in it in November and we all enjoy the crazy-fun miniature golf, the lighthouses that dot the coast, the ferry ride to Ocracoke Island and Ocracoke Island itself.  Me...well...lets just say, I am a beach bum - not the lay around and get a suntan type - the walk for miles, search for shells and other treasures, breathe in the salty, ocean air, feel the sun on your skin, type...when God made me he put saltwater in my veins and sand between my toes - which brings me to my favorite way to begin a day:

I wake up.  All is dark and quiet except for the muffled sound of waves gently breaking on the soft, sandy shore outside my window.  The sun has yet to peek it golden head above the horizon.  I can smell the ocean mist, inhaling the salty droplets that fill the air.  I push back the covers and swing my legs off the side of the bed, tiptoeing across the room to change into worn jeans and a comfy sweatshirt.  Maddie, our dog, perks up her ears as if to say "You surely are not thinking of walking on the beach without ME, are you?".  I pick up her leash and clip it to her collar and we head out the door.  Barefooted, she and I walk down the wooden plank pathway to the sea grass covered sand dunes that outline the beach.  The gentle, sweet ocean breeze caresses our faces as we climb over the dunes and gaze out over the shimmering, ebony ocean and down the long deserted beach.  I pause to say a prayer of thanks for being given this special, personal moment in time to enjoy some of God's magnificent handiwork.  We begin our descent down the beach to where the shore meets the sea just as the sun shines its preliminary light before rising above the horizon.  (The sunrises in the Outerbanks are the most breathtakingly, awe-inspiring sunrises you may ever have the joy to behold.  The transformation that takes place as the sun just begins to appear and then fully ascend over the ocean is unlike any other with its many bright and varying colors that only a divine power could create.)  Maddie and I stop in our stride and sit in the sand taking this early morning moment to observe the sun's graceful progress and the beauty it spreads like a quilt over the glimmering ocean as it welcomes us to a new day.

After a few pondering moments, Maddie and I head back to the house to begin the day.  Once the sand is brushed off our feet, we step back into the warmth of the house and I begin to prepare a breakfast of fried ham slices, cinnamony-sweet custard french toast, rich scrambled eggs, fresh squeezed orange juice and hot, strong coffee.  The aroma of breakfast preparation fills the air and my husband, sons, mother, siblings, nieces and nephews all gather around the breakfast table to discuss our plans for embracing this precious, new day.

What is your favorite way to begin a day?

Our favorite places bring so many feelings, emotions, smells and experiences. Each one of us holds in our hearts special memories from those places. Get out, explore, spend time with family....make new memories and experience new emotions.