Blog - Life in the DayngrZone

Fresh Seafood and Southern Hospitality at Crab Shack

{ February 15, 2020 } - Trish

Fresh Seafood and Southern Hospitality at Crab Shack

If you’re looking for extra fresh seafood and good ole’ southern hospitality then put the Crab Shack, in Salter Path, on your must-visit list. We stopped in for a celebratory seafood dinner and not only enjoyed the food but we loved the atmosphere, as well. In fact, Kenn enjoyed it so much, he decided to vlog about it below.

Located on the island in Salter Path, on the sound side of Highway 58, Crab Shack serves up fresh seafood and southern hospitality daily. Their restaurant is a 40-year-old, family-owned business run by commercial fishermen so you know they’re delivering the freshest seafood in town. In fact, when you visit you can enjoy waterfront dining and see their fishing boats docked right outside. The kids were delighted to see a real, working fishing boat, right on the water and close enough to touch.

Fresh Seafood on the Menu

The food was delicious. During our last visit, we had clam strips, scallops, shrimp, flounder, and the kids had chicken tenders – some of which you can see featured in the video above. In addition to the wide variety of seafood available, there’s also traditional landlubber fare like burgers, barbecue, chicken, and steak. There are plenty of kid-friendly items on the menu making this a family-friendly restaurant. But don’t take my word for it, check out their full menu and see if there’s anything on it that appeals to your tastebuds.

Visit Crab Shack –

The Crab Shack Restaurant

146 Headen Lane

Salter Path, NC 28512

Phone: (252) 247-3444

Open daily from 11:00 AM

Have you been to the Crab Shack? What did you think? What are your favorite spots here on the Crystal Coast?

3 Tips for Keeping the Social In Social Media

{ January 1, 2020 } - Trish

The best part of social media is being social. So don’t limit yourself to being social only on the web; nurture your connections by taking them offline. Today, I’m giving you 3 tips for keeping the social in social media.

1. Help Connect

It’s not just about your product, brand, or organization now that the conversations have kicked off and you’ve made all these amazing connections. The people you’ve been communicating, interacting, and engaging with really need to connect with each other, too. Events are really important for community building. Create meetups, tweetups and other offline events to get your community together and interacting – not just with your brand, but with each other. Facilitate introductions to help others get connected, and build their networks both online and off.

2. It’s All About Relationships

Think of social networking the same way you think of networking offline. It’s all about relationships. People want to do business with people they know, and support the people they like. Make time on your social calendar for attending industry events. That will provide an opportunity to meet your followers one-on-one, reconnect with clients, meet new prospects, and deepen your relationships within your community. The personal connections you make at these events will also help drive referrals to your social media channels and corporate website.

Platforms like Eventbrite (see: others like Eventbrite) can help you find and share events to attend. Don’t stop there though. Let your community know where and when they can find you, by sharing this information on your website and in your blog.

3. Close the Circle

Once you get back to the office, be sure to close the circle with all those great people you’ve met. Let them know it was great to meet them and thank them for chatting with you. Also, take a moment to think about projects you can work on collaboratively. When you genuinely take an interest in what others in your online community have going on, they’ll be more inclined to check in and see what you’ve got going on as well. Real connections help you to feel more invested in people’s projects.

Cement these relationships by meeting routinely. If you’re bound by geographic restrictions, pick up the phone (or use FaceTime, Zoom or Skype) and connect. Face-to-face connections are wonderful, but when that isn’t practical, hearing someone’s voice is the next best thing.

Do you connect offline with the people you met online? What’s one simple step you would add to help keep the social in social media? Let me know in the comments below.

Date Night at Nu Asian Bistro in Jacksonville, NC

{ October 27, 2019 } - Trish

We all have these restaurants we never notice until we’re on our way to somewhere else, right? Well, Nu Asian Bistro in Jacksonville, North Carolina, has been that place for me for quite a while now. From what I can tell, they’ve been open for almost 2 years now, but for some reason, they never come to mind when the hubby and I are ~~fighting~~ discussing where to go for dinner.

The stars finally aligned for me to try out Nu Asian Bistro when a good friend of mine invited us to a sushi dinner date. Turns out she had been there many times before, and it’s one of her go-to places! It was fate. Fate for a sushi date. Fate for a sushi date with some of my mates. Feel free to stop me anytime here.

Great Food and Deals

Now on to the good stuff – We happened to go on a Thursday night which also happens to be one of their BOGO sushi nights! Finally, I could try different kinds of sushi without it costing me an arm and a leg. I’m usually a Shrimp Tempura Roll kinda gal (which, of course, I got because it’s my favorite), but I also got their Volcano Roll, which I was very excited to try. Both were AMAZING, and I almost couldn’t finish them both (I said almost).

My Volcano Roll even looked like a volcano which I loved. I admired it for a total of 5 seconds before I destroyed it. Our friends got an undeniably large platter of sushi rolls that put my little plate to shame, and they loved their choices as well. If you don’t like sushi, they also offer many other dishes, including a special Thai menu that is out of this world. I’ll definitely be sampling that one soon. The hubs isn’t a fan of sushi, but he was super pleased with his Teriyaki Beef. I almost regretted not getting it, but we’re married so of course, I stole a bite or two or three.

As if the night wasn’t perfect enough with our BOGO sushi rolls, the dinner gods continued to shine down on us with $5 martinis… need I say more? There were four of us in our group, so we asked the waitress to surprise us with four different martinis. We spent the evening sampling almost their entire menu of martinis – Death by Chocolate, Sour Apple, Washington Apple – you name it, we probably tried it.

My Favorite Picks at Nu Asian Bistro

My personal favorite was the Lemon Drop Martini complete with sugar on the rim. The Sour Apple was a close second. This chocolate lover was sure the Death by Chocolate martini would rock my world, but I suppose I’m just not a big fan of chocolate with my alcohol. Martinis and sushi; this is my heaven, I’m sure of it! The service was great as was the atmosphere of this cute little restaurant. It’s complete with some nice, low lighting to really set the mood before you chow down on some delicious food.

Perfect Date Night at Nu Asian Bistro in Jacksonville, NC

We had a great time for our first trip to Nu Asian Bistro! Yummy food, great friends, good atmosphere – it was the perfect date night. I may or may not have had one too many martinis… But hey, who I am kidding, it was totally worth it. Word on the street is they have BOGO sushi rolls Monday through Thursday, and different drink specials pretty often! We’ll definitely be returning to NU Asian Bistro for my sushi fix, but also to try some of my other Asian favorites like Mongolian Beef or a Thai Stir Fry. YUM.

If you’re new to the area or a local and haven’t tried this spot yet, Nu Asian Bistro should be on your list of places to have lunch or dinner. You can find them the next time you visit Jacksonville, NC at:

Nu Asian Bistro
2100 N Marine Blvd, Jacksonville, NC 28546

Loved this post? See more great finds along my Crystal Coast.

This guest post was contributed by Ragan Chambless. What are your favorite local restaurants in North Carolina? Do you have any places you love or haven’t gotten around to trying yet? I’d love to know what tickles your fancy so I can add some new places to my slew of places to visit. Help a sister out.

High School Begins Today

{ August 26, 2019 } - Trish

This post may contain affiliate links

It’s official. High school begins today. The Dayngrous Duo are now high schoolers. That whole sentence is too much for me!

High School Begins Today

I can’t believe my babies aren’t babies anymore. They’ve transitioned from middle school to high school and we are continuing to homeschool. This year, however, we’re switching from My Father’s World, which we’ve used since we began homeschooling in fourth grade (and loved) to Classical Conversations (aka CC).

To mark this momentous occasion I thought I’d share a little bit of what they’ll be learning as freshmen along with some of the books they’ll be using and the novels they’ll be reading. It’s a big step for all of us.

Classical Conversations – Challenge I

This year they’re going into Challenge I. The overarching theme is Discipline is the cornerstone of Freedom. Each year builds toward the next. For example, Challenge II’s theme will be Freedom allows opportunities for noble choices.

Shortest list of school supplies ever!

I love that through the CC curriculum students are encouraged to think deeply and critically while improving their reading, writing, and research skills – all while having open discussions and collaborating with each other in a community setting.

Challenge I includes thorough studies in American literature, American government, formal logic, Latin, physical science, algebra, free-market economics, and Shakespeare, students hone their dialectical skills and prepare for the rhetorical focus of later Challenges. Yes, they’re going to learn Latin.

The purpose of education is to know God and to make Him known

Here’s what the guide says:

In his famous speech “Liberty or Death,” Patrick Henry states that freedom is for “the vigilant, the active, and the brave.” The same is true of a learner and his lesson. By devoting time, energy, and attention to the lessons of personal investment, ownership, and discipline, the learner has developed a form for successful learning. Freedom is a prevalent theme in the literature that Challenge I students read; they consider how Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson manage their freedom. As the students wrestle with assignments and challenges, they travel the path of personal investment, ownership, and discipline. They can now experience greater freedom in their own rhetorical expression. Greater freedom brings expanded choices.

Sounds pretty interesting, doesn’t it? Honestly, this is either going to be a hit or a huge miss. They’re either going to rise to the challenge (no pun intended) or go into meltdown mode. I believe they’re going to rise to the challenge for a couple of reasons –

They finished their work pretty quickly this last year of middle school
More challenging material was needed
They were interested in a well-rounded and diverse study group of their peers
Previous co-ops were lacking what interested us

9th Grade – The Books

Here’s a quick peek at some of the books we’re diving into this year. I’m excited. I was able to get many of them used so I didn’t have to pay full price. We’ll see how that works out as we go. As you can see, it’s a big stack and there are doubles of some items like workbooks.

Now, these aren’t all of the books they’ll be using, just the ones I had stacked when I decided to take the picture. A few that come to mind but aren’t in the photo are The Scarlet Letter, which I read in high school, Walden, Up From Slavery, Frederick Douglass, and Billy Budd the Sailor. You can check out the full list of Challenge I books on the CC Bookstore Website.

If you’d like to grab copies of the books and educational resources I recommend every ninth grader have, check out my list “Books Every 9th Grader Needs.”

Community Day

The kids meet one day a week, at a local church, to have conversations around the work they’ve completed and to prepare with their director for the week ahead. The class is 6 teens, including both Bella and Rex. Three boys, and three girls. Best of all, they know everyone. Absolutely perfect!

Wish us luck! It’s going to be a great year.

What the Heck Are Hashtags and How Do I Use Them?

{ April 14, 2019 } - Trish

If you’re new to social media, you’re probably wondering what the heck hashtags are and do I use them effectively. You’re in luck! In this blog post, I’m going to cover those questions and so much more!

What The Heck Are Hashtags?

Hashtags assign topics to your posts, status updates, and articles. Using the pound sign # {or hash} on a social network {think Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and even Facebook}, turns any word or group of words that directly follow it, into a searchable link, allowing you to organize content and track discussion topics based on those keywords. That means, if you wanted to post about your visit to NYC like I did above, you would include #NYC in your status update to join the conversation. Click on any hashtag to see all the posts that mention that topic/subject in real-time.

How to Format Your Hashtags

The first thing you should know is that you don’t want to use spaces – even if your hashtag contains multiple words. But you do want to differentiate those words by using upper and lower case. For example, Pen Island would look better, and make much more sense, as #PenIsland than as #penisland, don’t you agree? Uppercase letters won’t alter your search results so people searching for #abc will get the same results as people searching for #ABC.

Numbers are supported, so #EasyAs123 works. Sadly, punctuation marks are not supported. So commas, periods, exclamation points, question marks, and apostrophes are out. While you’re at it, skip asterisks, ampersands and any other special characters.

There Are No Presets

There isn’t a master list of hashtags, but you can search your social networks {and search engines} to see if there’s a hashtag already in use for a particular subject or topic. You can even check services like HashAtIt, Hashtagify, and Hashtags.org. Remember, every time you add a hashtag in front of a word or phrase, you’re creating a hashtag. Try it out!

How You Can Use Hashtags

Hashtags are supported on Twitter {where they started}, Instagram, Pinterest, and even Facebook, now. There are so many different ways you can use hashtags, the possibilities are almost endless. However, I wanted to give you a few ways you can use them, along with a few tips.

Don’t forget, hashtags turn words into searchable links
Always start with a # and leave out spaces
Use upper and lowercase to differentiate words
Use them during conferences and events
Use them in conversations around specific topics
Use them for Twitter Chats
Use them during television shows (#CNN, #GreysAnatomy, #JurassicWorld)
Hashtags can be used anywhere within your post or update
Use them to find like-minded individuals
Use them to find people discussing the topics you’re interested in
Use them to create a following for your brand/blog/business
Use them to complement photos you share on Instagram (This helps you discover new accounts and pick up followers)
Use them to show off your personality, brand voice or tone
Use them for fun!

Again, these are just a few ways you can use hashtags while you’re using social media. What would you add to this article to help people trying to understand hashtags? How are you using hashtags? Let me know in the comments below!

Three Tips for Finding your Brand’s Voice

{ April 13, 2019 } - Trish

Thinking back to the last time I was at the South Florida International Auto Show in Miami Beach, FL. I’m struck by the similarities between the car show and determining your brand’s voice – specifically for the social media content you’re producing.

It dawned on me that the obvious differences between each brand’s beautiful car models bore a striking resemblance to how your content paints a picture of your brand. I’ll elaborate with these three examples for finding your brand’s voice:

1. Corporate: Luxurious and Established

The luxury brands like Mercedes, Ferrari, and Maserati had leggy models wearing black and grey, hair perfectly coiffed and dressed to the nines. They had lounges with comfortable seating, big screens, and candles on the tables for ambiance. There was no doubt; they knew their target audience was folks who were established and could afford something that said: “I’ve made it.”

2. Casual: Fun and Flirty

Honda, Mini Cooper, and Scion were the complete opposite. Their models were fun and flirty, wearing younger, hipper clothing (think Chuck Taylor All Stars and tees), and their lounges had plush seating, vibrant colors, club music, music videos, and video games. They were clearly looking to attract a younger demographic, perhaps those looking for something a bit sportier.

Though each brand nailed it, and the audience that gathered made that clear, they were all very different in how they represented their respective brands. The same holds true for you when you produce and share content.

3. Find Your Voice

The social media content you produce says as much about you as it does your audience. If your tone is casual and laid-back, does that represent your brand? And if so, then does that represent the audience you’re trying to reach? If your tone and voice aren’t appealing to the people you’re trying to reach, then it’s time to change it up. Though it’s important that your approach to content curation and creation be as unique as your brand, it’s also important not to stray from your brand’s image.

If your tone and voice aren’t appealing to the people you’re trying to reach, then it’s time to change it up.

Click To Tweet

Let your corporate culture be your guide. Writing in a more casual tone, for example, doesn’t mean your brand isn’t professional. You can use words like “you” and “I” more than “we” and it’s perfectly acceptable. It doesn’t make your brand any less credible. As long as the content you produce is authentic to your brand, your professionalism will shine through and you’ll be on the road to success.

Has your brand been able to find its voice? Is your content more corporate or casual? What advice would you offer a brand looking to create content in its own voice? Need help finding your brand’s voice? Reach out. I’d love to help you.

Experience a Wild Horse and Dolphin Scenic Tour

{ August 1, 2018 } - Trish

One of the best parts of coastal living and life along the Crystal Coast is getting to experience a wild horse and dolphin scenic tour anytime we want. My kids and I are big nature lovers, so any chance to see wildlife in a natural setting is just magical.

Shackleford-Banks, NCPS, Wild-Ponies, Crystal-Coast-Lady, Island-Express-Ferry Service, Wild Pony and Dolphin Scenic Tour

Why See Less, When You Can See It All!

My friend, Captain George, owns and operates Beaufort’s largest, most comfortable cruise vessel, the Crystal Coast Lady. He offers regularly scheduled opportunities for locals and visitors to experience their Wild Pony and Dolphin Scenic Tour. If you’ve never sailed with Captain George or you’ve never seen the wild horses and dolphins, add this to your list of things to do while you’re in Beaufort.

If you’ve never been aboard, the Crystal Coast Lady has a fully enclosed top deck (so you can enjoy your cruise without worrying about the weather), plenty of outside seating, a fully stocked galley on each deck, bathrooms on each level and a climate controlled cab on the main salon. I’ve had some tasty treats when I’ve been on board.

Finger food aboard Crystal Coast Lady, Crystal Coast Lady Food, Wild Horse Tour Food, Dolphin Cruise Food

Experience a Wild Horse and Dolphin Scenic Tour

The wild horse and dolphin scenic tour is a 15 mile, fully narrated tour. On it you’ll cruise by Carrot Island and the Rachel Carson Reserve, you’ll see the NC State Port, Blackbeard’s House, Beaufort’s historical homes, high-rise and drawbridges, Duke Marine Lab, Fort Macon, USCG Station, Radio Island, the Morehead City Waterfront, as well as big beautiful yachts from all over the world with a good chance of seeing the Wild Banker Ponies and Atlantic Bottle-Nose Dolphins. Pony and dolphin sightings are typical but obviously not guaranteed, but either way, you’ll have such a good time.

wild-dolphin, Island-Ferry-Express, Crystal-Coast-Lady, Wild Pony and Dolphin Scenic Tour

I’d highly recommend you make reservations rather than trying to pay at the pier. This cruise fills up. Also, you can book just a dolphin scenic tour or just a wild horse tour but why not have it all?

Pick Your Own Tour with The Crystal Coast Lady

Crystal Coast Lady Cruises
600 Front St
Beaufort, NC. 28516

Phone: (252) 728-8687

Website: Crystal Coast Lady

Beautiful Wedding Invitations for the Modern Bride

{ July 31, 2018 } - Trish

This is a sponsored post

My wedding story was quite an amazing one and my invitations weren’t exactly what I’d dreamed of all my life. That doesn’t have to be your story though. If you’re a soon-to-be modern bride that’s chic, independent, and knows what she wants, then Basic Invite is going to be your new bestie!

Let’s be honest, even the savviest prepared brides can get overwhelmed with the tasks, the choices, and the budget. Luckily, being a modern bride also means having resources at your fingertips which can help put some stress at bay. From wedding blogs to online vendors and even social media for opinions and support, the endless resources today’s world provides help brides stay on track and make well-informed decisions easily.

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Basic Invite

As a truly modern girl, I’ve teamed up with an online stationery design company, Basic Invite, to give you a peek inside the world of online wedding invitation design just perfect for the modern bride.

Shopping online, designing online, and ordering online is time-saving and simple, but in order to be the most effective in your online invitation journey – you also want to be prepared.

So, for any brides searching for wedding invitations – look no further! Basic Invite has you covered and they’re bringing you three of their favorite modern methods for the ultimate wedding invitation suite – modern bride style.

Seal and Send Invites for the Modern Bride

The newest and most impressive wedding invitations are hands down, the Seal and Send. These are an all-in-one, foldable wedding invitation with a tear-off rsvp postcard included. Guest addresses are pre-printed onto the front of these invites so that no envelope is needed! All you have to do is fold, seal, add a stamp, and send! No envelope licking, no envelope stuffing, and no handwritten addressing!

All Matching Everything

Even some of the most modern couples opt for a more traditional wedding invitation, but to take this old-school style and spin it into the most beautiful invitation – choose a single design and match, match, match!

Basic Invite has over 900 wedding invitation designs from clear to foil and everything in between. Rather than sending out a save the date, followed by an invitation, and some enclosure cards that sort of go together, order a full matching wedding suite with a matching rsvp, save the date, and enclosures for a clean, cohesive look.

Wedding Websites

Wedding websites are a great way to keep things modern and organized when it comes to wedding plans and your invitations specifically. There is no substitute for a hand-delivered invitation straight off the press, but for real-time updates and extra special details, wedding rsvp websites are a great tool. Not to mention, 100% FREE! We call that an added bonus.

Choose a design that matches your wedding invitation or compliments your style. Upload a gallery of images, write a little love story, and invite your guests to upload their contact information instantly through your wedding website. You can even provide day-of details like maps, directions, and accommodation info to keep your guests in the loop right up to the moment you say “I do.”

Sweet friends, whether you had a vision already in mind or the search for invites is finally on, head over to Basic Invite for modern affordable wedding invitations you and your guests will love! Best of all, they’re offering 15% off everything sitewide which means even if you’re not a bride-to-be, you can shop thank you notes, business cards, personal stationery, and so much more at a discounted rate! I know all you stationery enthusiasts will appreciate that!

I can’t wait to hear what you think about Basic Invite and whether or not you take advantage of their 15% discount. Be sure to let me know in the comments below. Happy shopping and if you’re planning on heading down the aisle in the near future, congrats to you!

Celebrating National Donut Day

{ June 1, 2018 } - Trish

We’re celebrating National Donut Day! In all honesty, we don’t need a national holiday to grab a donut or two. We love donuts.

We’re very lucky to live within biking distance to a Dunkin location. We treat ourselves to donuts every so often and love all the different donut shops we have access to locally and all the different types of donuts. I think my favorite may be Krispy Kreme‘s glazed, while Rex’s is probably Duck Donuts, and Bella’s is most likely Dunkin’.

Believe it or not, this isn’t a new holiday. National Doughnut Day started in 1938 as a fundraiser for Chicago’s The Salvation Army. Their goal was to help those in need during the Great Depression and to honor The Salvation Army “Lassies” of World War I, who served doughnuts to soldiers. There’s even an entire website dedicated to the day: Donut Day USA. Pretty wild, isn’t it?

Want more donut history? You’ll probably enjoy this donut history lesson, too.

Celebrating National Donut Day

We stopped by our local Dunkin’ and grabbed some tasty beverages and treats. Bella got a Frozen Hot Chocolate and Rex got a Caramel Frappe. I really wish they had coconut milk and a better selection of non-dairy choices but we made due. Of course, we snagged some donuts, too.

Don’t they look delicious? We had a great day and enjoyed our time together making sweet memories. It’s the little things that end up being the big things in life.

Did you celebrate National Donut Day? What did you do to celebrate? What kinds of donuts are your favorite? Let me know!

Fresh Seafood and Southern Hospitality at Crab Shack

Fresh Seafood on the Menu

Visit Crab Shack –

Related posts:

25 Ways Social Media is Like a New Lover

Related posts:

1. Help Connect

2. It’s All About Relationships

3. Close the Circle

Related posts:

Great Food and Deals

My Favorite Picks at Nu Asian Bistro

Perfect Date Night at Nu Asian Bistro in Jacksonville, NC

Related posts:

High School Begins Today

Classical Conversations – Challenge I

Here’s what the guide says:

9th Grade – The Books

Community Day

Related posts:

What The Heck Are Hashtags?

How to Format Your Hashtags

There Are No Presets

How You Can Use Hashtags

Related posts:

1. Corporate: Luxurious and Established

2. Casual: Fun and Flirty

3. Find Your Voice

Related posts:

Why See Less, When You Can See It All!

Experience a Wild Horse and Dolphin Scenic Tour

Pick Your Own Tour with The Crystal Coast Lady

Related posts:

Seal and Send Invites for the Modern Bride

All Matching Everything

Wedding Websites

Related posts:

Celebrating National Donut Day

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