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The OBX Connection's 2007 Great Vacation Giveaway, sponsored by our friends at
Village Realty, was a huge success this year! The winner of the 2007 Grand Prize was Maureen B. of Cleveland, Ohio and what a great winner she is.
Maureen was notified that she had won the contest and was entitled to a free week's stay in the beautiful Nags Head oceanfront home
Princess of the Sea.
Maureen was a gracious winner and hosted a party with an open invitation to all members of the OBC. Friends were made, pictures were taken and Maureen
proved herself to be an amazing person.
As a new feature this year, we asked Maureen to write a few paragraphs detailing her week in Nags Head as the Great Vacation Giveaway winner. She was kind enough to agree and the
trip report, in Maureen's own words, is below. We also have pictures to help put faces with the names. Enjoy the report and thanks for participating.
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MAUREEN'S GREAT VACATION GIVEAWAY TRIP REPORT:
I guess I can no longer say that I never win anything! The Great Vacation Giveaway House was,
by far, the most extravagant "gift" I have ever received. And after figuring out that it
would not be a family vacation due to my dear husband’s work schedule and our two wonderful
children, Michael and Clare, just beginning their freshmen years in college and high school,
I was able to extend that gift to other people. What a joy it was asking other family and
friends to join me!
From start to finish, it was the perfect vacation. Traveling with me from Cleveland were my
sister Kate and two of my best friends, Karen and Mary Jo. We left our families, our work and
our cares back home. Joining us at the house would be my beautiful niece Erin and her husband
Andrew, who is in the Army and stationed at Ft. Bragg. Now for the strange part! Two women, whom
some would say were complete strangers to all of us, were also going to be staying with us…OBC
and CLOBC members Erin and beachbum 98 (Dawn). I extended the invitation to a great group of
ladies from the OBC board and Erin and Dawn both accepted the invitation. And am I ever glad
that they did!
Our first night, after 13 hours in a car, was dinner at the Beach Club affiliated with Village
Realty. We had delicious North Carolina BBQ and we met the wonderful Jeannie (also an OBC member),
Stuart (our photographer) and a whole bunch of the crazy "Village People". It was wonderful!
There were also great gifts back at the house…I felt like it was my birthday! My two most precious
gifts were a Hatteras Lighthouse pillow from Dawn and a beautiful bracelet from Erin; both handmade
gifts from the heart. I will cherish them always as I will their friendship!
Our days were filled with lots of laughter, sunshine, great eating, easy conversation, the stars
and the moon and plenty of relaxation!
Shortly after winning the GVG House, I thought it would be great to host a cocktail party of sorts,
with the intent of getting together as many OBC members as possible. Everyone pitched in at the house
and we all had a wonderful time. It was great to meet so many people from this great board! I wish
everyone could have an experience like this!
One of the best parts of the trip was furthering my friendship with a great lady (and OBC member),
Eve Turek. Eve and her husband Pete are the owners of the Yellowhouse Gallery in Nags Head. They are
incredible people and I will be forever grateful for all of the kindnesses they extended to me. I
believe that God places certain people in our paths for a reason and I feel blessed that he put Eve
in mine! If you ever have a chance to visit their gallery, enjoy their wide and varied selection of
art. But know that the true treasures to be found behind those magical gallery doors are indeed
Eve and Pete!
While we did tour the area, Nags Head and Jeannette’s Pier, Sea tree Gallery, Bodie and Hatteras
Lighthouse, the unpainted aristocracy up close, Cape Point, The Blue Whale (heck my screen name is
salvo... had to go to the Blue Whale!), The Lone Cedar, Sam and Omies and Tortugas Lie…the absolutely
best place to be was our "little" pink house…the Princess Of The Sea! What a beautiful house! Never missed
a sunrise! Also got to see the moon rise right out of the ocean a couple of nights and it was just
spectacular! And the stars…oh my…beautiful!
It was a perfect week in everyway! I will never be able to thank Will and Village Realty enough for
their collective generosity! I wouldn’t change one thing about the vacation…okay, TWO weeks would
have been the penultimate (nod to UJ) prize…but you’ll not hear me complaining. It all happened
exactly the way it was supposed to happen and I will be forever grateful for the experience. If you
are ever lucky enough to win this GVG contest, my advice would be to trust your heart and do what
feels right for you. I know that I’m glad that I did!
Maureen B.
Cleveland, Ohio
2007 Great Vacation Giveaway Winner
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