Thoughts on Favorite Childhood Vacation Memories

Most of us can remember that one place we vacationed at as children, that we will never forget. Maybe it was the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Niagra Falls..and to many it was Disneyland, or Disneyworld.

Yes Disneyworld was a place we visited when I was a child. It was thrilling, exciting, noisy, colorful and mind-blowing at that age, I believe I was 8 years old. But most people who know me well, know that my fondest memories come from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Back then, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, were not as commercialized and touristy, as it is today. It was quiet magic, a place where a kid could role play on the beach that they were truly a mermaid who had emerged out of the waters with legs, thus dancing and jumping about...without many people watching you make a fool out of yourself. It was a place where a kid could lay belly down on the sands while watching the hermit crabs play peek-a-boo with you, by popping in and out of their little sand holes.

It was quiet, it was beautiful...a place to daydream while watching the enigma of beautiful sunrises and sunsets, none ever the same, every single night. The sound of the waves lapping the golden sands only contributed to the magic, making daydreams more vivid. It was an island of dreams. During my visits at Hatteras, I have been a mermaid, a pirate, a lost princess looking for her knight in armor, a sword fighter, and a dolphin king. It was my Narnia.

It was also a place where we, were family. My mother's former husband, magically turned into a father during our vacations there and my sister and brother and I, all magically got along. But most of all, mom smiled the brightest while in Hatteras.

My grandparents visited Hatteras, when my mother and my aunt were children. My mother continued the tradition by introducing my sister and I to Hatteras as children. I brought it full circle when I brought my own children to see the Hatteras Lighthouse this last August, just before (and probably the deciding event) I moved to North Carolina.The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, always symbolized everything I loved about North Carolina, and my sister and I grew up in a house where little reminders of Hatteras where everywhere in the decor.

 My eyes swelled up with tears as stood at the base of this iconic symbol from my childhood, and I said hello to an old friend. I watched my children run to the lighthouse with eyes full of wonder and amazement.
I snapped a photo of my children at the top of the lighthouse that day and thought....it's been in our blood for generations, North Carolina. And after that August of 2011 vacation to North Carolina, I knew it was in my children's blood as well.

 Now, a new generation is born. A generation of children who love North Carolina, and grandchildren who love North Carolina. The only difference is....they live here now.