Tami Brothers's Blog

*The Georgia Aquarium*

The Georgia Aquarium is one of my top favorite places to visit.
https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/

Georgia Aquarium

Growing up, I don’t remember a time in my life when we didn’t have a personal aquarium or fish tank someplace in our home.

My mom was a huge personal aquarium person. We had rooms of tanks and not all were the same water type, so that made it extra hard to maintain. I remember the work and time she put into these incredible worlds. I also recall how many times I got roped into packing five-gallon buckets of water. But I loved sitting in front of a huge tank watching the fish swimming in their underwater empire.

My Mom at the Ga Aquarium

That might be one of the reasons I love touring aquariums so much. Or why one of my favorite colors is blue…

The Georgia Aquarium was actually the second aquarium I ever visited. I took my youngest son to this aquarium when he was five years old for a Christmas treat right after it opened in 2005. He loved it! And so did I. This resulted in me going back again and again. I’m sure I sold the trips as educational for my son, but we all knew it was me who wanted to go back.

For this aquarium visit, my mom came out to Georgia for a week from Wyoming. I knew she would love seeing something like this, so I surprised her with a day trip to Atlanta. I was not wrong. She was so fun to watch and I got more of a kick out of seeing the delight on her face than I did from the actual aquarium itself.

Me and Mom

We also invited our kids, who are all grown and out on their own. They had a pretty good time, too. I think…

Us and the kids at the Ga Aquarium

This aquarium has a great breakup of individual encounters and exhibits. I love how well they represent each of the different themes with incredible details.

Ga Aquarium – different habitats and exhibits Ga Aquarium – different habitats and exhibits

For me, the facts are so much fun to read.

Do Sharks Snore?

I also enjoy the different shows and 4D movie experiences.

Ga Aquarium Show

Every time I go, I see something completely new.

Ga Aquarium Fish

For those that can’t make it in person, there is another very cool feature. The Georgia Aquarium allows fans to view live webcams through their website.

Georgia Aquarium WebCam
https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/

My favorites are the Puffins and the Jelly Fish.

Jelly Fish

This place is huge and there is so much to see. You can’t see everything in one visit. We left exhausted but ready to go back again.

The whole crew

It really was a good time for all of us.

Noted Bucket List Item: Do one of the Behind the Seas tours – or even a Shark Cage Dive. Who knows what it might be. But you will be the first to see the results.

Cheers!

Tami Brothers

*Video review and tour of Seven Seas beach house*

After our super fun golf trip to the Outer Banks last year, we made the unanimous decision to return again in 2021.

Life at the beach – Outer Banks NC

There were just so many incredible things to do in the Outer Banks that we barely broke the surface on our first trip.

To be perfectly honest, the amazing sense of peace and tranquility we all took with us from last year played a huge role in this decision. On top of that, there was…

Watching the sunrise over the ocean.

Breezy morning walks on the beach.

So many beautiful golf courses at our fingertips.

Afternoon sun-kissed strolls down the boardwalk by the Sound.

Shops and restaurants that fit our every want and desire.

And so many other reasons. This place truly is incredible.

Morning walk on the beach

Wanting to recreate that feeling after another hectic and crazy year, we tried to rent the same house. Unfortunately, we were too late in booking, but we were more than lucky to find another oceanfront house that was just as incredible (again, super thankful for off-season prices).

Welcome to the Seven Seas in Southern Shores, NC.
https://www.southernshores.com/outer-banks-rentals/1300-seven-seas

Seven Seas Seven Seas from the front [image error] Seven Seas from the beach

With 5 bedrooms and 4 full/2 half baths, we were more comfortable than we could ever have expected. Each room had it’s own private balcony entrance, some with sunrise views and others with sunset views.

Sunset view from the 3rd-floor master bedroom

I truly enjoyed the deck again this year, sitting outside each morning to take in the sunrise.

Morning sunrise

And with telework being an option, I spent several comfortable workdays sitting in this sunroom.

Sunroom aka Tami’s office

Even though we didn’t get to enjoy the pool because it was way toooo cold (it was October…), we did enjoy a couple of afternoons out here while we were grilling dinner.

This pool view was so pretty!

Last year we created a photo scavenger hunt where couples teamed up and had to find as many things on our tailored OBX list. This year, we decided to host our very own Murder Mystery 50’s Themed Party.

(Murder Mystery Night – not telling who did it…)

As you can see, we went all out for this and each of us dressed (and acted) our parts.

To make it a bit more fun, we had the evening catered by High Cotton BBQ. Yummo!

https://www.highcottonbbq.com/

We also treated ourselves to the “free family portrait sitting” option offered by Southern Shores Photography through the Southern Shores Realty website. We’ve taken multiple candid group pictures over the years, but this was a fantastic opportunity for our group of long-time friends. Plus, we each did individual couples photos, which was another treat that many of us have not done for ourselves in years.

https://www.southernshores.com/free-family-portrait-sitting

[image error]Our group What we are normally like [image error] Me and my sweetie

To add to the experience, we brought a golf puzzle that turned out to be harder than we expected. But it was definitely entertaining… LOL!

Our trip puzzle – led to HOURS of fun FINISHED!

And of course, there was lots of golf!

Love this guy!Right after the last round for the trip

I have to give a shout-out to Southern Shores Realty for helping us find another stunning rental. They are extremely helpful whenever we reach out and their website is super easy to use.

https://www.southernshores.com/

This company is incredible

As you can tell, we had a blast! Not only did we enjoy each and every moment we spent in the Outer Banks, but we felt so at home here at the Seven Seas. It truly was a comfortable place for us to hang out and be ourselves. I would love to bring my family here. Might be an idea for 2022…

As I wrap up this fun beach house review, I can’t leave without mentioning the many times I sat outside on the back deck enjoying the breeze coming off the water. The sense of calm this brought to me was so incredibly needed and appreciated. I will be taking this sense of peace with me throughout this new year. And especially remember these moments while I’m dreaming about my next OBX trip.

Come back again to check out the posts I’ll be adding that highlight some fun things we did in and around the Outer Banks. We truly fit a lot into that one week.

Cheers!

Tami Brothers

*Video review of the 5th Avenue Coastal Retreat*

The Outer Banks North Carolina is one of my favorite places to visit.

The serenity of this incredible location has drawn me to the OBX shoreline several times a year. With some of our family living in the area, that does play a big part in the attraction. But the beach… This is definitely my happy place.

Me and my sweetie

After the craziness of 2020, I knew the Outer Banks would be the perfect place for our annual golf trip. We were looking for a house big enough to fit us all. On top of that, with the bonus of off-season prices, we were able to splurge and grab a house right on the beach. Our goal was to cook most of our own meals, enjoy each other’s company, and try to beat each other at a few rounds of golf.

Win-win.

With all that in mind, we found the perfect place.

Welcome to 5th Avenue, Southern Shores, NC.
https://www.southernshores.com/outer-banks-rentals/1328-5th-avenue-coastal-retreat

[image error]5th Avenue Coastal RetreatThe front of this incredible house is so welcoming View of the back of the house from the beach

I had never stayed this close to the water before. And who doesn’t love having a private entrance to the beach? The feeling of having our own private oasis was incredible.

Our private path to the beach

We were looking for a place that would fit us all and this home fit every need (and want) we had.

With five full bedrooms (3 oceanfront master suites) PLUS a bonus suite with an incredible view of the sunset, 5th Avenue was perfect for our group. Each room was over-the-top comfortable.

The kitchen and dining room were comfortable and equipped with everything we needed. This made our decision to eat most of our meals at home very enticing.

[image error]We had some amazing meals

The inside of this house is super posh. I was in awe each time we entered a room.

The wonderful living room with the most amazing ocean view

But for me, the outside is the best part.

We had our own swimming pool and hot tub, plus the added bonus of an outdoor shower and bathroom.

The incredible outdoor living space

With a golf group, who wouldn’t love their own private putting green? This got quite a bit of use while we were there…

Our own putting green

I have to admit, my absolute favorite part of the house is the two decks that overlooked the ocean.

Morning Mimosas

Several of us sat out here every morning drinking Mimosas (and coffee) while watching the sunrise. Then we relaxed in the afternoon with a glass of wine, soaking up the soothing atmosphere.

Chillin with a glass of wine

I can’t tell you how incredible this beach house truly is. We had wonderful spaces for group get-togethers.

[image error]Watching one of our previous get-togethers

And with private office space in most of the rooms, several of us were able to actually telework while we were here.

My private teleworking location

Another bonus was the fun welcome gifts we received.

Amazing welcome gifts from the owners of the house. We love the wonderful rental company where we found this gem. Southern Shores Realty

https://www.southernshores.com/

As the week came to an end and we packed our things, we started thinking about where we could head next year. There are so many places yet to see in this world. But I don’t think any place will beat our Outer Banks experience.

Our crew [image error]We did fit in a couple of days of actual golf

I’ll be honest, this week only increased my desire to spend time by the ocean. I love coming to the Outer Banks, but it wasn’t until this week that I realized how much peace I gain when I’m here. After the ups and downs of 2020, I was able to finally let some of the stress and worry go.

Thank you 5th Avenue Coastal Retreat for bringing back some of that peace.

Cheers!

Tami Brothers