There’s something magical about the beach. It brings out the best in everyone. I don’t know if it’s the sound of the waves or the sand in your toes or the complete abandonment of time and routine… but every time I visit the ocean I feel totally at peace. We spent this past week at my aunt and uncle’s home in Wilmington, NC and it couldn’t have been a better family vacation. We left feeling like a Lucky Dog! Keep reading, you’ll get it!

The Lucky Dog is the name of the house where my aunt and uncle live. They are total dog lovers and always have 2-3 dogs at a time. Since I was a young girl, I remember them with their Golden Retrievers, who always had the best names… It started with Rio and Nugget, then River and Boulder and now the newest member, Salty! Which if you ask me, is the best name yet because who doesn’t love a Salty Dog!?! (If you don’t know what that is, you have to look it up! Best. Drink. Ever.) Their dog Boulder just recently passed so River was lonely and needed a friend so in comes Salty. And then, my cousin rescued a dog from the shelter so now they also have Wendy (who is not a Golden but still a very Lucky Dog!)

But that’s only part of the reason they named it that. My family has this whole thing about luck. My uncle worked extremely hard to build the business of his dreams but if you ask him about it he’ll inevitably mention that luck was on his side. I love to talk business with him because it inspires me. (An added bonus is that my aunt has a doctorate in education so her and Adam have lots to talk about too so it's not all boring business chats ha ha!) Being a young entrepreneur, I naturally look up to him. He came from the same place I did and has achieved so much success and it totally lights a fire for me. Like him, I also believe that luck has something to do with one's success and I’m feeling lucky these days!

Especially after my trip to this amazing beach side home away from home! My aunt and uncle were the perfect hosts and it felt so easy to be there. We enjoyed so much time as a family. Life has been really busy lately and we really needed to reconnect, slow down and just be. We started the trip of by jumping right into the pool and pretty much lived in our swimsuits the whole time. The girls loved playing in the sand and chasing the waves. We took a couple boat rides around the inter-coastal which was breathtaking. One night we took the boat to a restaurant and had the best blackened Tuna of my life. There was only one rainy day and we made the best of it by visiting the North Carolina Aquarium in Fort Fisher which Lydia really enjoyed and the original Wilmington area microbrewery, Front Street Brewery, which Adam enjoyed even more!

We learned that Emmersyn is part fish and absolutely loves the water. She has no fear and wanted to run straight into the ocean! We had to chase her around a lot but it never felt exhausting because she was pure joy to watch. Her eyes just lit up at the sight of the water and she was determined to explore it. Lydia wasn’t as keen on the waves but had a blast swimming in the pool! And when Emmy napped, we had the best time playing on the beach with just Lyds. She found the most beautiful seashells and was the first to spot a jellyfish, which she bravely poked before I realized what it was and swiftly smacked away...but it was too late and we both got stung! It wasn’t as bad as I had expected and only hurt a little for about thirty minutes.

Now that we are back, I can officially say, that is the only vacation I’ve ever come back rested from. We usually way over do it and come home needing a vacation from our vacation. I can also say that if you haven’t visited the beaches in North Carolina, you need to! It was such a beautiful place full of smiling happy people. Who knows… maybe this little business of mine will have an extra stroke of luck and I can buy us a beach house… you’ll be welcome to visit of course ;)

The timing of our vacation was perfect because I am now heading into busy season and needed a boost of inner peace to carry me along! My schedule is rapidly filling up...so exciting!! Thanks for hanging with me today… cheers to a wonderful summer! Tell me about your adventures at jennifer@jenniferbridgephotography.com … I love to read your emails!!