#10 - I've Never Seen Sea Turtles Hatch

I have spent many of my days on this earth at the beach. My family always visits the same place every summer in Pompano Beach, Florida. One of the things that I have always been fascinated with is sea turtles and their nests. The little guys are just so cute and the fact that they live for decades is so interesting to me. And of course I have spent my summers hoping to watch a nest hatch.

Many times in Pompano we have seen their nests but I have never been able to see a mother turtle laying her eggs or the nest when the eggs are hatching. There are several conservation programs in the Pompano area that track the nests, rope them off, and at times even relocate the nests to less populated areas. After almost 30 years of visiting this area, I have been waiting for this opportunity.


While visiting the Blevins family at Oak Island over the weekend I finally had the opportunity to see a hatching. Mark has been volunteering with the local turtle group and goes out on "nest watch" in the evenings. After being gone for only a short time, Anna, Mike and myself all got the text from Mark - the sand is moving. And so were we! We got the Blevins girls out of bed, into car seats, put on flip flops and were out the door in under 3 minutes! Anna drove like a crazy woman (well not really with 2 kids in the backseat) to the location and we hiked across the sand to the area.

The little guys were just getting started when we got there. At the actual nest site a red light is used to barely illuminate the area and the red tone does not disturb them.


The turtle volunteers had already set up what they call a runway to help keep the turtles on track as they make it to the ocean.




The volunteers then use flashlights to simulate moonlight to help direct the turtles down to the ocean and hopefully on their journey to adulthood.

The sight of all these little newborn turtles was absolutely awe inspiring. It was amazing to watch how complicated but perfectly orchestrated this natural moment was as it unfolded. Even though there were people helping these little guys it makes you think about the miracle of life and how for who knows how many years the natural born instinct has led them to the first steps of their life. It really made me think about how tiny we all are, but how there is a master plan that we all fit into and how we each have the perfect talents for our role.

That night we watched 69 turtles hatch from the nest. I'll admit it - I cried. I really can't put into words how long I have been waiting to see this and how much joy it gave me to actually be able to cross this off my list. I certainly owe Mark a big "Thank You!"

So good luck little guys! I know you have a hard time ahead of you, but just know that you have already made such an impact in my life. Life is a struggle, but you just keep on going until the waves carry you off to your next adventure.

#9 - I've Never Biked the Virginia Creeper Trail

I have some awesome friends. In particular my friends Mark and Anna Blevins have been a huge part of my life since I have moved to North Carolina from Ohio. My husband and I have become very close with them and in fact I call her whole family my NC family. They have been so much fun to be around and are the type of people who are usually game for a good time.

The group has a tradition of going to the Virginia Creeper Trail the weekend after Labor Day. This year they invited Mike and I along for the fun. I immediately said yes and then thought, "Oh no. This involves physical activity. I might be biting off more than I can chew." I did a little research about the trail. I first found that it is 34 miles long. Yikes! But then I remembered they usually only bike half of it, so that calmed my nerves a bit. But I have never biked more than 10 miles at a time and I can't even tell you the last time I was on a bike so I got nervous again. But after a bit more research I found many posts about how easy and enjoyable the trail was so I figured it couldn't be too bad.

I had also been told that this was generally a weekend full of fun, eating, laughing, some more eating, and relaxation. Snacks and meals were a big conversation topic as we got prepared for the weekend. The family even has shirts made to commemorate their trip. This had to be good.

We took off Friday and headed up to Virginia. There is never a dull moment! Even on the way up little Madeline managed to bonk her head, Anna got stung by a hornet, and Issac had a bathroom mishap. We managed to make it there mostly in one piece and got settled in. We had a great dinner that evening provided by Rachel and had a great time sitting on the porch watching the kids play.

The next morning we got up earlish and headed up to the top of the trail. The weather was cool and crisp and could not have been more perfect. As we got prepared to set off, we watched 2 people take spills on their bikes in the parking lot. This did not give me a whole lot of confidence! But as we started I could understand why this is a return trip for the family. The views are awesome! The trees, streams, fields, and trails provide the perfect background for a relaxing bike ride. And for the first 15 miles there is minimal pedaling involved because it is all downhill.

We stopped frequently to enjoy some snacks and each others' company. The kids had a great time riding in their seats and pull behind trailer. And the whole ride passed with only one major incident. Anna hit a very big rock and took a nasty spill. It could have been a lot worse because she landed about 2 feet from a large pile of horse manure. But she got up, dusted herself off, and headed on down the trail.

The last 2 miles or so of the trail flatten out and it becomes a bit more challenging. The trail is also in the sun at this point so it gets a bit warmer as well. My knee decided to hurt at this point (which was wierd because I never have knee trouble) so I had to take it a bit slower and was the last one to finish the ride. I was in pain when I finished, mostly from my stupid knee and a numb behind. But thankfully I didn't have any pain the next day.

What a wonderful relaxing weekend we had! We spent the rest of the trip goofing off and sitting around. It was a great break from the stress of work. The people of this family are such wonderful, caring, and generous individuals. I cannot wait for more adventures!

Left to Right: Chuck, Diane, Rachel, Issac, Brian, Lucas, Mark, Audrey, Anna, Madeline, Mike, and Paige -- Thanks to Anna and Rachel for taking such awesome pictures!