Family beach vacations are always a blast. I spent the past week with my extended family in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was a great crazy trip that I really enjoyed. Here are some of the best parts of vacation that actually turn into the worst parts:

1. Seeing a shark in the water.

This was a really cool and exciting thing. We looked over the pier to see a fisherman catch a shark on his line. Seeing him fight to keep the shark on his line and get it out of the water was thrilling. It was great for pictures. I thought this was so great until I realized that shark was in the water where I had been and was going to be swimming.

2. The beach.

Sitting on the edge of the water just close enough to get a little bit of water on you was very refreshing. It cooled you off and was relaxing. This was great until you stood up and had a pound of sand in your bottoms. Odds are some of the people around you thought you pooped your pants.

3. The sun.

Soaking up is one of my favorite parts of beach vacations. Sitting out and feeling the rays hit your skin is the best! It is also great for getting a tan! Everyone loves the sun until they get out of the shower to see that even though they doused themselves in sunscreen they still managed to get a nasty burn.

4. Hanging out with the little ones.

Little kids make vacations tons of fun. They're excited about everything and fun to play and joke around with. However, it's only all fun and games until someone cries because joke went too far or the baby gets up at 6 a.m.

5. Being in a house with 17 people.

Because there are so many people, you'll always have someone to hang out with. Everyone being together and making memories is awesome. This is great until you want to be alone. Then you realize that there is practically nowhere to hide away because every room probably has at least one other person in it.

6. Going on a dolphin cruise.

A dolphin cruise sounds like a great idea. You get the little ones all excited and ready to see the dolphins, in fact you also get this excited. You board the boat and you wait patiently, then suddenly you realize that you're back at the dock having seen no dolphins. You start to complain and then the worker says "it's okay at least we got in a water fight with the pirate boat" but really it isn't okay to you.

7. Going fishing for four hours.

Being on the pier is great. You spend time casting your rod and waiting for a fish. You talk with your family and friends and just relax. You go to head home and you talk about how much fun you had then you think about it and in four hours the seven of you that fished caught one fish combined.

8. The waves.

Jumping through the waves and riding them at the beach is a favorite of many. I personally really enjoy this. That being said it's only fun until you get beat up by crazy big wave, dragged under and potentially lose a part of your bathing suit.

9. The pool.

Pools are good to have on beach vacations. They give an option to cool off without the hassle of going to the beach. They are safer for kids because they have a known depth and no crazy waves. The pool is awesome, until everyone blows up their floats and is drifting around bumping into each other with no room for the kids to play around because pools can be pretty small. Pools also take a turn for the worst when they are unlined and everyone cuts their feet on them.

10. Souvenir Shops.

One of the most exciting parts of vacation is going shopping for an awesome sweatshirt, t-shirt, or that special something to bring home. The thrill of picking out what you like is great, until you walk out of the store with $100 less.