30th Birthday Party in the Outer Banks, NC

After working for 6 days in a row we decided to get in the car and drive just under 3,000 miles across the country to Corolla, NC.  This happens to be the end of our road.  Just in case you don't think we actually went from coast to coast....yes, that is the Atlantic Ocean on the right.

Here's a look at our route map.  We took I-40 for all it was worth!

 

All sixteen members of the Laning family got together to celebrate Elise turning 30 this year.  (She is the only one not pictured here! Hey, someone had to take the picture.)

 

The weeks activities included many things.... Like a ton of surfing.

 

.....Wild horses.

 

....Playing in the sand.

 

....Lounging by the pool.

 

....Watching scary movies.

 

....Bird watching, or "birding," depending on how serious you are about it.

 

....Playing in the pool.

 

....and drinking coffee.

 

....Too bad vacation has to end. Time for a quick 17 hour ride home. (hey, after 45 hours, 17 doesn't seem so bad.)

5 down, 1 to go

Nurses are wearing these pins at the hospital we are working at. 

The pin is in reference to the possible strike coming up, but we feel it is a good motto for our 6th night of work in a row.

Well, it looks as if our time in Oxnard/Port Hueneme is coming to an end.  We had to get a few of our favorite activities in on our last free day.  That meant some surfing in the morning for me.  We think that my surfing nickname should be TBW (Tumbled By Waves).

Trisha wanted to go for a bike ride up into the Ojai Valley.  It was about 14 miles one way and up about 1000 feet.  It sure was easy on the way back.  

 

We'll be leaving Oxnard/Port Hueneme in about a week or so, but we have to work until then, so there won't be much fun until then.  That is, unless you consider taking care of heroin overdoses and crack addicts as fun.

Enjoying 62 degree weather on our last night here. Yes, there was a heat wave. It is usually 55 degrees, regardless of rain or shine.

Being almost done with our assignment in Oxnard, we are able to reflect on the things we like... and dislike about the area.  A definite like: the strawberries. Kurt has eaten one of these boxes in one sitting! (Yes, we are working on moderation in his life)

A dislike: the traffic. Whenever we go into LA, it looks like a parking lot... any time, every day. 

 

And we get to do really COOL things like go to the Ronald Reagan Library. It sounded so exciting, our friend, Megan, just had to come along! (...we really bribed her to come with us)

Air Force One (not as great as what they make it sound)

Kurt doing his best impression of George H.W. Bush. "A thousand points of light..."

(I am not sure why he was quoting H.W. Bush... he probably was having so much fun he forgot we were at the REAGAN library)

 

Marine One. We don't know why we are smiling. I guess that's what you do when a camera is in front of you. Habit.