Next I went to meet our newest family member Nathaniel for his baptism. He is cuddly and adorable as I knew he would be. Rumor has it he is up in the 97% for height and weight...must take after his dad and Uncle Buddy! I had so much fun spending time with him and Kate, and loved catching up with the family at lunch after the baptism.
After a few days of lounging around with the family and Heather, who I consider family, I headed up to North Carolina to spend the afternoon with Erika and Adelaide. Adelaide was delightful and a true sweetheart!
After a wonderful lunch together and nonstop talking between us, I rushed to Raleigh to pick up Andrea for the next part of my trip, our beach getaway. We drove to just south of the Outer Banks and stayed at a romantic bed and breakfast on the water. The scenary and food were fabulous! We started each morning with dessert, and Drea was a trooper and ate everything containing fruit for me.
The next day we went out to Drea's favorite beach spot, Hammocks Beach. It's a state park that we hired a boat to get to. There were only 7 of us lounging on the island, and we were able to find a few whole sand dollars, take a cold swim, and soak up some sun. We even saw a deer and a snake on the island!
For our final leg of the tour, we headed back west to Wilkesboro for to meet up with Drea's parents and friends for Merlefest. Drea's parents Jean and Bob set us up in a great house, and we spent three days hearing good music. 120 bluegrass bands played, and we couldn't see all of them, but my personal favorites include Old Crow Medicine Show, The Waifs, Bearfoot Bluegrass, The Lovell Sisters, The Avett Brothers, and The Wilders so you should check them out. 
Our motley crew...
The last picture is of Drea and me trying to ward off the drunk college girls attempting to reach the stage of the Avett Brothers. Believe it or not, there are only a few rows of people ahead of us and they are all sitting!!! That's right, we are in the front of the action...
As we were driving back to Atlanta for our flight out, the Blue Ridge Parkway provided us with stunning views of the North Carolina mountains. I had such a good time traveling through my homeland and thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. Thanks to everyone for your splendid hospitality! Although Drea and Paul are heading to the Peace Corps next year, I might have to meet up with Jean and Bob again next year for more great music! 
