Happy Wednesday! It’s the last Wednesday of the month so I am linking up with Sheaffer and Shay to share what we’ve been up to. I’m usually so excited for this link up because it’s fun to do and to read other’s posts but this month I am not thrilled. The last Wednesday of August means the last Wednesday of my summer break! Oh well, let’s get to it!
WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK…
Sunday – we ate out when we got home from the game
Monday – steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, tomato/mozzarella salad
Tuesday – beef or shrimp tacos
Wednesday – leftovers
Thursday – breakfast for dinner
Friday – out
Saturday – crabs
We are part of a CSA this year and I am loving our weekly trips to the farm. The produce is delicious and the kids have fun feeding the goats every week!
WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT…
This feels a little odd to be reminiscing since it has only been a few weeks, but I can’t stop thinking about the sea turtles. This picture is from the NEST website. This is the crawl and body pit that the mama sea turtle left when digging her nest. This nest was only 13 cm deep and most nests are about 30 cm deep. This was the second nest of the season laid in the Outer Banks but the first to hatch. We were so excited to have it close to our house.
On Sunday evening of our beach trip, Jeff and Luke went on a beach walk and discovered the turtle team there to set up and watch the nest. Luke made friends with the leader of the group and asked her approximately 1,000 questions. Michelle, the leader of this team, was so wonderful and we are so grateful for her. Jack and I went to meet them and see the nest. The NEST team has state of the art microphones and thermometers in the nest to help them determine when the sea turtles will hatch. They are working with other turtle conservation teams to share the information and technique.
Every night between 8:30 and 9, I would walk down to the turtle team to see if there was any action and learn more about the turtles. We would also walk down to the nest in the morning to see if there were any changes. On Thursday evening around 7:30 we got word that there was a sinkhole! That means that the turtles are on their way out soon! The volunteers were also hearing more waterfalls, which is the turtles moving up and the sand moving into the empty shells.
We waited “patiently” watching the sinkhole move up and down as the turtles were making their way to the top. We could even see a few little noses at the surface. Unfortunately, as the volunteers predicted, we ran out of daylight before the nest hatched. We could see it, but the pictures aren’t great. It was the most amazing night! After reading The Beach House series by Mary Alice Monroe, I felt like Lovie and Cara were right with me.
The next morning, the tracks were there to show that one more turtle came from the nest.
WHAT I’M LOVING…
I’ve been loving my pool reading time. We spent 5 hours there on Monday and 4 hours there on Tuesday. My friend Kourtni who usually sits right next to me is back to work for the school year so I’ve had a bunch of quiet time to read while the kids play. I miss Kourtni, but I’m not complaining about the reading time.
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO…
We’ve been having a lot of fun trying to check off a few more things on our Summer Fun List. We aren’t going to finish the list, but I think we’ll keep working on it this fall. We went to the Orioles/Braves game on Sunday. It was fun, but felt a little weird to go to Camden Yards wearing red. The boys were so excited for a Braves win.
We went on a new hike yesterday. The trail was easy and the boys had so much fun playing in the water. We hiked to a dam and the kids were mesmerized by how big it was.
We had a great time at the beach earlier this month with Jeff’s family.
We went to a winery last weekend and it was so fun! It is close so we definitely need to remember to visit more often!
WHAT I’M DREADING…
I’m not really dreading work because I love my job, but I am dreading the change from the easy breezy days of summer to being out the door by 7 am and running to all of our activities after school.
WHAT I’M WORKING ON…
All the things to get ready for a great school year! What is my daily routine going to look like? What is our family’s daily routine going to look like? What do I want to change in our school library? What am I going to do the first week of school?
WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT…
Camp Gigi is next week! This year my dad is retired so they are calling it Camp GigiPop. They are going bigger than ever and the boys are going to have so much fun!! In the past they’ve been to Dutch Wonderland, the Crayola Experience, played foot golf, been to Top Golf, seen the back of a police car, been to Fort McHenry, been to fun chip/pretzel/chocolate factories, and more! I love that my parents plan a fun week for the kids when I go back to work! More often than not, I’m a bit jealous of all the fun things they get to do! I wish I could attend Camp Gigi one day!
Dutch Wonderland 
WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING…
I’m still watching season one of Outer Banks. I really don’t watch much tv unless I’m on the treadmill so it’s taking me a while to get through it. I’m also enjoying watching the Today show for about 30 minutes each morning. As heartbreaking and horrible as the news is right now, I like starting my day with an idea of what’s going on.
The past two weeks have been a little slower for my reading pace. I’m not sure what’s going on, but hopefully I’ll pick up the pace again soon. You can check out my Books 2021 page to see what I’ve been reading and what I think about it. Right now, I’m reading Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty by Lauren Weisberger. I’m almost finished it and I’m enjoying it.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO…
I have been listening to Zac Brown Band on repeat! After a concert, I love to listen to the band’s music because it takes me right back to that live show. And besides that, ZBB is good mood music! It’s hard not to dance while you’re singing along.
WHAT I’M WEARING…
Pajamas, exercise clothes, bathing suit, pajamas lately. I love that clothing routine!
WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND…
Hopefully we’ll pull an all-dayer at the pool on Friday! I think we’ll be back at the pool on Saturday for a while and then probably have dinner with my parents. On Sunday, we are headed to the BMW championship.
WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH…
Both boys will be back out there doing what they love next month. Jack is playing in two golf leagues and Luke is playing with a new soccer team.
We are heading to James Madison for a football game – Go Dukes!
Also, by this time next month we will be back in our school routine. I operate well with a good routine so I am looking forward to being in one.
That was a fun link up! I can’t wait to see what everyone else is up to! Have a great day full of sunshine and books!
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The sea turtles are so sweet- can see why you are thinking about them! That winery looks so fun! Enjoy the rest of your summer 🙂
Camp GigiPop sounds like a blast! I love the hiking photos. Enjoy the pool this weekend!
Blurry or not those turtle hatching photos are fantastic! I have always wished I could see a nest hatch. We have seen plenty of snapping turtles and sun turtle lay nests in our yard but have never seen them hatch.
Looks like you guys have had such a great month! Those turtle hatching pictures are incredible. I can only imagine how great it must’ve been in person!