I haven't just been ususally lazy lately...

...we were on vacation! Hence, my lack of updates. Anyway, we just got back from a wonderfully relaxing week at Emerald Isle, NC, with Jay and Janet. We had a house on the sound side this year, which I wasn't sure if I would like...but it was *wonderful*. The best of both worlds, really. We had gorgeous views, lovely shade trees, and a dock to go crabbing from (we caught 3!), with the beach only 5 minutes away. Can't ask for much more than that.

Ella turned out to be a great little traveler. She did super on the drives down and back, and we kept her out past her bedtime almost every night with very little fuss. She tried all kinds of new foods -- shrimp, calamari, tomato, and more -- and loved it all. She didn't seem particularly impressed with the beach itself. She did eat some sand, but the rest of it didn't do much for her. We didn't take her into the water, though, since the riptides were so bad.

A great trip overall, aside from the fact that I was fairly certain on Tuesday that I had broken my ankle. We were heading to the aquarium, just leaving the house, and I rolled my ankle as I was walking down the stairs and fell (fortunately, I managed to fall on a landing about halfway down the staircase). It was bad -- I heard it pop. The pain got progressively worse throughout the day and evening, and I was sure I was going to be spending most of the next day at an urgent care center. When I woke up the next morning, though, I had almost no pain, and full range of motion! Crazy. I guess the 4 Aleve I'd taken and the ice I'd kept on it helped out.

More pictures tomorrow!