Finally!  Yesterday was our first full day of glorious sunshine!

We started our morning with our usual 5 mile run with the dogs – they were so pooped when we got back.  That sun was HOT! 

I had my water bottle at my side all day long – it’s amazing how dehydrated you can get in the sun, even when you are surrounded by water all day long!  :)

We acted like a bunch of beach bums all day long – alternating between applying more sunscreen, reading our books, and jumping in the big waves.

Mid-afternoon, I needed a break from the sun, so I headed inside for a snack of delicious quinoa cereal.

Leftover red quinoa with Almond Breeze on top, mixed with raisins, cinnamon, almonds, and a little bit of stevia for sweetness.

The sun was insanely hot and intense, and I figured I’d had my share for the day, so we headed up and enjoyed the shade of our oceanfront porch.

With beautiful Topsail views…

And great friends!  Lindsey, Cookie, me, and Blake.  Cookie was one of our good friends from the summer that we lived here on the island – so fun to see her again!

While we hung out inside making dinner and catching up, we were treated to another amazing Topsail sunset over the sound side…

For dinner, Casey and I had planned a meal of healthy vegan burgers and fries.  I decided to do sweet potatoes and Idaho potatoes for two batches of fries, so that we could have a little variety.  Unfortunately the beach house oven had other plans, and was creating all sorts of crazy temperature variations and hot spots.  The sweet potato fries ended up a little mushy…

And the regular potato fries ended up a little burnt…

But they all tasted good, and that’s all that matters, right?  I set out the condiment spread so that everyone could customize their burgers.  Cookie is vegan too, so she provided the veganaise and delicious pickles – yum!

Casey made our signature vegan black bean burgers, which were a big hit – YUM!

One of our tricks for keeping meals like this lower calorie is using English muffins instead of buns – only 100 calories and just as satisfying!

Dinner was delicious, and after we cleaned up we all hung out in the living room playing a wild round of my favorite board game – Scattergories!  I LOVE playing board games on holidays and family vacations.

I think I need to invest in more board games – what are your favorites??

Ahhh today in the sun was totally worth it, but now I am totally behind on my blog posts!  Let’s catch up.  Yesterday started like many of the others – lazy and rainy.  It’s funny to think about how even just a few years ago, I would have been devastated by rain on my vacation, but now I’m just so happy to be with my friends, family, and dogs that I don’t even care.

Since it was overcast and cloudy, Casey and I decided to take the dogs for another beach run.

We covered a little over 5 miles, and I think by now my feet have officially adjusted.  It is SO fun to run on the beach – wish I could do this every day.  I did cut my toe on a shell though.  :(

After the run, I had a light lunch before heading out to the beach for the rest of the day.  Since I’m trying to stay as gluten-free as possible, I’ve been eating rice cakes instead of bread for my PB&J sandwiches – I love them!  I also had some leftover quinoa tabouli, mmmmmm.

Enjoyed out on our front porch with a nice view of the island…

And the sound.  LOVE how there is water in every direction!

I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in the beach reading my book.  Since it wasn’t too sunny or hot, I even brought the dogs down with me to see if they would be willing to just hang out and relax. 

Indy was totally content to sit next to me and enjoy the peacefulness of the beach.  Occasionally he would lunge forward at blowing sticks or tiny crabs, but for the most part he was really calm.

Huey joined us too, and sat by Casey taking in the fun and all the new ocean smells.

Once they got restless, I took them for a short walk to burn off a little more energy.  (Is this turning into a dog blog?  Bear with me, I am just so excited to have them here.)

We packed up our beach chairs a little early so that we could shower and get ready to head to the airport to pick up…Blake!  He is one of my best friends from college – remember when we visited him in Washington, DC last summer?

We headed back to the island to try out a really cute new restaurant called Just Baked – a combination bakery and bistro.  I was starving, so I ordered the vegetable soup to start.  Mmmmmm.

For dinner, I got the only vegetarian item on the menu, but that was fine because it was DELICIOUS.  I got the stuffed grilled portobello mushroom – a jumbo portobello mushroom marinated in balsamic vinegar, filled with artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, parmesan and feta cheeses. served with red bliss mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

I subbed out the mashed potatoes for double vegetables.  This was one of the best vegetarian meals I’ve ever had out in a non-vegetarian restaurant.  It was so good!

After dinner we went back to the house to find a gorgeous full moon over the ocean.  It was breathtaking – I love having a house right on the water!

Even better shared with all of my favorite people – Lindsey and Blake…

Me and Casey.

And the fabulous miss Sarah…

Before we left the restaurant, we picked up a few things from the bakery side.  Lindsey, Blake, and Sarah went for their signature gigantic cupcakes – yum!

I passed on the cupcakes because I am still completely addicted to POPSICLES!  Last night’s flavor – coconut sesame ginger!  Obsessed.  :)