The drive down to Surf City was blissfully quiet. My two boys (5 years old and 20 months old) each slept for half of the trip, albeit alternating halves. My dog, a 9-year-old blue heeler/husky mix, sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window in a bit of a panic. For 5 hours. Yes, it took us almost 5 hours exactly to reach Surf City from our home in Western North Carolina. Miraculously, we only stopped twice – once for gas and once for emergency donuts. But finally, we made it to the quaint beach cottage owned by my husband’s grandmother. Grateful to be out of a moving vehicle, the boys began exploring their home for the next few days while I unpacked my car. But it wasn’t long before I pulled the boys back into the car, heading…