A Week of Sun & Fun in North Carolina [VIDEO & PHOTOS]

From beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the ocean, to hundreds of fish in the waves and deer in our front yard, now that's a vacation. We spent a week at Emerald Isle in North Carolina, where it was sunny and 85 every day.

WAVES of FISH

The waves filled with fish blew my mind.  You could see the tiny minnows and fish as each wave rolled in.  One day when we came home, one of the girls who'd been swimming in the waves, found two minnows after she took off her bathing suit.  You may have heard her scream from here.  Watch the cool video.

SUNSET & DEER

Every year I walked the beach in the morning to see the sunrise and pick seashells.  This year I vowed to see a sunset and it was worth the wait. We walked to the point one night and watched it set over the ocean.  On our return, we found a family of deer in our front yard.  They arrived most nights after the sun went down and didn't seem to mind all the people around.  Watch how close they let me get before walking off.

I've been on the lookout for the perfect shell for the last four years and I finally found it.  While walking the beach during the sunrise one morning, I finally found a conch shell buried in the sand.

The morning beach walk is my favorite time of the day.  The only people out at that time is the fishermen, the dog walkers and other shell pickers. Its so beautifully peaceful.

The only downfall of being in the sun every day is getting burned.  I did have lots of suntan lotion that I applied frequently.  However my feet, which are very white, did get a little red.  Instead of avoiding the sun, I just put socks on.  Yes it looks ridiculous, but it works like a charm.  So to answer everyone's question, yes I AM wearing socks.

The only non-relaxing part of the vacation was putting up the tent on the beach the first day.  Although we did read the directions, it didn't want to fit together.  When one pole was put in, another would come apart.  We finally figured it out after a frustrating hour.  One piece of advice: put the top together FIRST, THEN attach the legs.  It'll take no time at all.

Having a tent on the beach is perfect for those red headed, pale people in your group and the kids who can get out of the sun for awhile. If it's big enough, you can still bury the kids in the sand.

Tadpole didn't spend much time under the tent or in the sun.  He spent his daily 30 minutes in the water, then went back to the air conditioned house.  A tradition for the last 3 years.

Where is your favorite place to vacation?