Family visit

Last weekend we went to Wilkesboro for a quick visit. We hadn't been up there since the end of the summer - BAD AUNT and UNCLE!!! It was my SIL, Jana's birthday while we were in Barbados, and my BIL, Derek's yesterday, so we wanted to give some birthday presents, do a little celebrating, and of course see the kids!! At least I know I will see them again shortly for Thanksgiving. I never can get enough hugs and kisses from them!! Here are some pics. Not that great, as taken with the cell phone, but of course Weston was thrilled to show off his first missing tooth!! Oh, how fast they grow up :(

Rain, rain, go away!!!

I know we need the rain, but why can't it just rain during the week when we are stuck at work and inside. Instead, it is raining and yucky out and I am trying to decide if I should go to the Elon game. My parents are coming with us, but I have officially woken up with a cold this morning. And I am not sure sitting in the rain is going to help my cause of getting better before Barbados next Saturday!!

But, at times like this, I just look at my right wrist where I have been wearing the Yellow Band bracelet everyday and remember that there is no reason for me to complain. I am so blessed and need to remember to pray for the worse things people are going through.

But the little kid in me just wants to say "WAHHHHHH, I am sick and it stinks!!!"

GPPC's 2nd Annual Lawn Party!!!

On Sunday we had the 2nd Annual GPPC Lawn Party!! A day full of good food, great music and awesome fellowship and music! I was the official "photographer" for the event, so below is a link.....beware, I am camera happy, so there are a lot to look through :) And of course you can tell who I know the best.....there is something to be said about not feeling comfortable putting a camera in just anyone's face, but hopefully I captured mostly everyone there in the other group shots!! Enjoy!!

Barbados here we come!!!

Ok, so we aren't going until October, but I am still super excited about the trip we just booked!! Our friends, Chad & Anna are celebrating their 1 year wedding anniversary the same weekend Brandon and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. They had found some great deals on trips, and talked us into going with them. We all figured this was the only year that we would have milestone anniversaries together, neither couple has kids yet, and we all feel we can financially do it - plus there are some awesome deals!!! So, why not be selfish....right???!!!

Brandon and I had always talked about doing something fun for our 5th wedding anniversary, and so now we are fulfilling that dream by heading to Mango Bay, an all-inclusive resort in Barbados. We leave on October 3rd for a 5 night stay!! Now, I will admit, a part of me is a little nervous, especially when I see how small the island of Barbados is on a map :) But, I know we will have a blast. And I am still blown away by the deal we found......both of us are going for about the price it cost just one of us to go on our honeymoon to Cancun.

We got passport photos taken today, and I am sending off the package to get both of ours renewed tomorrow. Hard to believe they are already expired!! That means that 10 years have flown by :)

In some respects, I wonder if we should be taking such a big trip....why not save it for a 10, 15 or 20 year anniversary. But, since our plans for adding to our family are not going as we had planned, and after seeing our friend, Brian battling cancer, we just figure life is too short!! I need to do something to keep my spirits up and enjoy this time in my life. I love my husband so much, and everyday Thank God for bringing him into my life. So, I am so excited to be able to share these awesome experiences with him.

Now, the question will be, how will I play catch up at work when I return after being out for 6 days???? But, you know what, who cares!!

Updates, updates, updates

Well, since I am home on my couch recovering from a nasty viral infection that has kept me out of work for 3 days now, I figured I might as well update the blog, right?

It's not that I haven't had much going on, or that I haven't had things to share, but for some reason haven't had the motivation to update the blog. I once again blame it on all the TV I am hooked on and the fact that the "crack"berry keeps me from going to a real live computer when at home.

My first question is, what is with all the pomegranate stuff??? Every other commercial has been about some new product that has to do with pomegranate scent or taste. It is in new cereals, shampoos, soaps, dressings, drinks; you name it! Pomegranate is like the new strawberry!! I wouldn't be surprised if my old at home business didn't come out with a pomegranate product soon....LOL.

Anyway, now onto all things Inscores.....

Since I have not done a blog update since mid-June, I will just give the highlights.

At the end of June, we helped celebrate with my good friend, Rachel as she joined the "30 club"!! Her boyfriend, Ken and I planned a surprise birthday party for her at a nearby High Point park. Ken snagged a shelter by the lake, which was really nice. Of course a blog update wouldn't be interesting without pictures, so here are a few to share (of course those on Facebook, this will be a repeat).











July 4th - this year, I decided that I wanted to just have a quiet evening at home. We had been invited to do a couple of things with friends, but just didn't feel like going anywhere. So, I spent some time at the pool, and while there ran into some neighbors that said they had gotten some fireworks and that we should join them later when they set them off. I figured, ok, cool, a chance to hang out with some of the neighbors we have lost touch with and we don't have to drive anywhere, bonus! Well, the quiet evening plans, turned into a lot of fun and a late night ;) But, we had a blast hanging out with everyone and enjoying the sights of fireworks set off by boys who were like kids in a candy store playing with fire....the jello shots weren't so bad either...LOL!!

The next weekend, we headed to Topsail Island to hang out with friends, Chad & Anna. Anna's parents have an amazing beach house on the inter coastal waterway. Chad's brother, Justin and his girlfriend, Ashley were there as well. And everyone brought their dogs, which made it even more interesting!! Chad and Anna just got a new golden puppy named Jake. He is only 3 months old, and absolutely adorable!! Ashley had a little lap dog that was a cutie pie too; Bailey, who held up really well around the big dogs. And of course, we brought our precious Chelsi, who is not all the time precious, but overall did great! It was so nice to just relax and hang out without a care in the world.



Since we weren't sure how she would react, we decided not to take Chelsi out on the boat so that we could relax and enjoy it more. But, we made sure to take her to the beach on Saturday morning before heading out so she could experience the sand and ocean. She wasn't sure what to think?!?


Newlyweds - Anna & Chad - too cute!!


...and their cutie pie - Jake :)


New love...Justin and Ashley :)




and of course the awkward but always necessary, self portrait shot :)


Then came a harder trip. We headed to Connecticut the following weekend to see our good friend, Brian from college that has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is currently undergoing chemo. Even though we are all devastated about the news and still trying to process it all, we were determined to have a good visit and to catch up with everyone. So, Joey drove up from Greenville, SC on Thursday night and crashed with us, and then Friday morning, the three of us started on the road north. We made a stop in Delaware to pick up Pat and Jennifer and continued north to Connecticut. Brian, Brandon, Pat and Joey were all fraternity brothers at Elon, and even though we don't see them as often as we like, we have all remained really close. Since I was already dating Brandon when he joined the fraternity, I feel like all of these boys are my brothers too. They are a really special and hilarious group!! Of course when others are added to the mix, it can get even crazier, but these 4 guys were just the laughter that we all needed. We got to meet Brian's girlfriend, Melissa, who is awesome!! It makes us all feel a lot better knowing he has such a great girl and support system right by his side 24 hours a day. And even though Brian was not his normal self, he still managed to smile and laugh, and I think the trip did us all a lot of good. I don't have any pictures from this trip, but I do have one of my favorites of these boys from a wedding a few years back in New Jersey.

Nick, Brian, Mark, Joey, Pat, Alan and Brandon


This past weekend was a much needed weekend at home on the ranch (Reedy Fork Ranch that is!). I was pretty lazy, enjoying a day by the pool on Saturday and movie outing on Sunday. Brandon on the other hand, was hard at work again on the Habitat House, but as usual, really enjoyed his time there. He even thinks he learned enough that he can install our wood flooring himself!! Yeah!!!

This next month we are looking forward to celebrating Brandon's birthday as he joins the "30 club", and then a week-long beach trip with my family. So, more updates and pictures to come soon.....

Reality TV

I used to make fun of it, and vowed never to watch it, but now I am hooked on just about every reality show. Tonight is another night of "So You Think You Can Dance". I got teary eyed watching it last night! However, I could do without the judge, Mary. Her voice is like nails on a chalk board!! I am also hooked on "The Bachelorette", and can't wait to see who Jillian ends up with (akem....REID! - love him!!). And I am already looking forward to the next "Big Brother" coming this summer :)

I was trying to think about why I liked all of these shows. Maybe it is because I am very lucky and live a pretty drama free life, and therefore feed off the drama of others? Or is the nonsense that is comforting after a hard day mentally at work. And of course the "eye candy" isn't too bad either :) (check out some pics of my favorites)









Whatever it is, the networks have a viewer in me! Keep them coming.....

Cancer Sucks

Cancer knows no age......it takes the ones we love, it comes out of the blue, it causes pain, it is scary, and it just plain sucks. I am not saying anything new or anything that anyone else doesn't already feel. Everyday it seems we all learn about someone who is faced with cancer, or we may be ourselves. Well, last weekend, Brandon and I were faced with the news that a good friend of ours from college has cancer, and he is ONLY 28!! The news is still fairly new as he is still learning the challenges that face him ahead. However, this was the first time I really felt the dagger to my heart of sympathy and pain for him. My grandfather had cancer, but he was older, had lived a full life, and I was too young to really understand. Since then, I have prayed for countless others as they have dealt with cancer themselves, or with a loved one. But, this is the first time that I can say I truly felt the anger. Anger that cancer could attack someone so kind, so young, so full of life and promise. But, this also gives me hope, because I know he can fight, and together with his friends and family's support, I pray we can beat this! It is not going to be easy.....but you have to have hope.....sometimes that is all there is in life.

Wrong side of the bed

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today (figuratively...not literally)....or in other words, in just a plain BAD mood. So, thought maybe writing about it will make me feel better so that I can go on with my day.

As Brandon keeps teasing me about (since he doesn't turn 30 until August), I am not a spring chicken anymore, and when caffeine never used to affect me and keep me awake it night, it does now. So, my diet pepsi with dinner last night (which happened to be at 8:30pm) didn't allow my eyes to feel tired until midnight....plus I had to finish watching Bachelorette on DVR!! So, no night can start off that good when you know you are only max going to get 6 hrs (I know, I know....all those Moms out there would say 6 is awesome, but this one is milking getting 8 a night still whenever possible!).

As I was trying to close my eyes, my stomach was hurting, and my thoughts kept drifting to a friend who received bad news over the weekend. I must have fallen asleep because that is when the dreams set in.....

As a prenote: Last night Brandon was forewarning me not to take anything personal today at the DMV, because the people there have to deal with so many nut jobs and people who don't speak English, that they tend to loose their personalities. I guess that set me up for my dream......

Of course I can't remember the details and order of the dream, but I was definitely at the DMV trying to renew my license. However, in my dream, you got the card with the information on it first, and then had to make a separate trip to get your picture added on it. I went for the first visit and waited in line, finally got to see someone and they asked me a bunch of questions. I got my new license (without the picture) and headed home. I was kicking myself in my dream (again figuratively and not literally LOL) because I didn't double check that the information on the license was correct before I left. I get home and start looking at it, and realized that instead of my name, they had put some "jibber jabber" that didn't even make sense....something like my name was "XRarnjut Thsamal"....so, knowing I had an appt at 9am to get my picture taken and added to the license (at least my brain knew I had an appt this morning in the real world LOL), I arrived at 8am, which should have been plenty of time for the correction to be made. Well, anyway, as you can imagine, that wasn't the case, and I was told it would be 9 hrs (what is it with the number 9???) for the correction to be made. I threw something at the clerk and said "I have to wait 9 hrs for you to fix something that wasn't my fault!" Yeah, and I never yell at anyone at stores or offices, etc, I usually just grin and bear it. So, I have to wait for a phone call so that someone who can barely speak English can interrogate me as it was somehow my fault that the name was typed in wrong.....

Ok, reading this back, it was crazier in my head than it looks on paper. Anyway, so I wake up after this dream in a BAD mood, and to top it off, Brandon's alarm keeps going off (his alarm really annoys me!!) and he isn't turning it off and getting out of bed (he went to bed late too and is tired), the dog is stretched out under the covers and putting her feet directly into my back, and the cat (who is on a diet and convinced she is starving!!!) is rubbing back and forth on the bedroom door making it creak so that I will get up, plus I have to pee. So, I throw back the covers and say "FINE, I am getting up!!" It really stinks to be a light sleeper!! I feed the cat and go to the bathroom, and found the real cause of my BAD mood....I started! (no worries, don't think any men actually read this blog LOL)

So, now I get to go to the DMV this morning and hope my dream doesn't become reality, head to work where I am sure I will be annoyed by something else, lunch meeting so that I can volunteer some more of my time away, and all the while feeling crampy and bloated.....WONDERFUL!

All this being said, I have to step back and say, it really isn't that bad.....but we all have our days where we think our life is the worst. I have to remind myself that I am very lucky and very blessed. I have my health, my family, my friends, my job and a roof over my head.....which is more than a lot of people can say these days.

Whew.....I already feel better :)

Cramming for my test

Don't ask me why I thought about it, but Brandon and I were driving around on Saturday and I suddenly realized my license expired on my birthday....OOPS! So, tonight I am studying my road signs so that I can pass with flying colors tomorrow when I go to renew. I know I should know them, but it is something about them being taken out of context that I always forget! Makes you want to ride me with me, doesn't it?!? :) On the plus side, I found out today that you can actually make an appointment at the DMV to renew your license. How cool is that!?! So, tomorrow morning, I get to go and jump in front of everyone else already waiting in line and say, "Hey, I have an appointment!" Wish me luck!!

Relaxing Sunday afternoon.....

After church and lunch at Panera, Brandon and I came home and enjoyed some of our purchases from yesterday.....a new patio umbrella and chaise lounge chair.





Chelsi enjoyed being outside with us too! However, whenever the umbrella swung in the wind, she got a little nervous :)





Such a relaxing Sunday afternoon :)

Now off to listen to Elon vs. GA Tech baseball in the NCAA tourney....Go Phoenix! Beat those Jackets!!! (And catch a little of the Nascar Race too, of course!)

Ever been so stressed, that you started shaking? Um, yeah, that was me today. It wouldn't make sense to most, but it was a bad day. I worked from home last night until 10:30pm to try and make the blow easier, was at work at 7:45am this morning, and worked through lunch......it still didn't give me enough hours in the day! I was feeling a lot better around 3pm, and then had an ice cream sundae at 4:00 which made things a whole lot better, and when I got home at 6pm, I changed into PJs, fixed myself a STRONG SoCo and pepsi and chilled out! I watched my birthday present slideshow video twice and listened to the rain outside. So, I have determined how to unwind after a stressful day, so now the theory needs to be contemplated on how I can prevent it???!!! My Thursdays have got to get better!!

On a brighter note, I decided to go blonder again after a visit with my hair stylist, Heather last night :) Fun for summer!!

Now back to the couch.......

30 something

Even though I am a week overdue, I had to blog about my awesome birthday weekend!! I am officially no longer a 20 something, and now joined the club of 30 somethings!!

My weekend started off by Brandon and I meeting my parents at Chop House for dinner. Much to my SURPRISE my brother was waiting for us at the table!! He flew in from California to surprise me for my birthday!! I must admit I did feel better when I heard he actually had to be in Virginia on business all week, so at least he didn't come to the east coast just for me, but he said he had bought his plane ticket even before he knew he would have to be over on business. He is such a good brother!! And spending the weekend with him reminded me of how close we were growing up, and I loved having him here.

Saturday started off with some girl time at the pool with Sarah and then she treated me to a pedicure!! It was awesome. Saturday night, Brandon, Sarah, Andrew and I headed out for a night on the town. We started at East Coast Wings to watch the All-Star Race, and then migrated over to The Mix to enjoy some after dinner drinks, dancing and all around fun times. The highlight of the evening was the awesome strawberries we ate on the car ride home that my mom had sent with my bro......nothing tastes better at 2am!!

Sunday was my actual birthday. My wonderful husband planned a surprise party for me (ok, so maybe I knew something was going on, but I had no idea where, what and who was coming, so it was still a surprise!). He left the house late morning and just told me to be ready by 12:15pm, as my fashion consultant would be arriving then. Sarah arrived and made sure my outfit was appropriate for the day's activities, and then she and my brother helped me get started on a scavenger hunt that Brandon laid out at the house before he left. I am not so good at scavenger hunts.....so I had a lot of hints and help from Andrew and Sarah, but it was still a lot of fun! In my last clue I was told I would be blindfolded and needed to trust my kidnappers as they took me to get ready for my high dive.

After 45 minutes of driving around blindfolded, I had no idea where we were, and they proceeded to lead me up to the 3rd floor of Natty Greene's where my party took place in the Loft. I was excited, but also nervous from being blind folded and a little carsick. When I arrived at the top of the stairs and they had led me into the room full of my friends and family, everyone yelled surprise and blew noise makers. I took off my blindfold, but since I also didn't have my glasses on yet, I couldn't see who all was there!! It was kinda funny. So, when I retrieved my glasses, everyone yelled surprise again :)

The rain ruined the 2nd part of the day's plans, which was a Grasshoppers game, but we had a wonderful afternoon just hanging out in the Loft. I was so touched to have so many people there that I care about and to help me celebrate!! I am truly blessed by having so many wonderful people in my life, those both near and far.

Brandon had yet another surprise for me at the party. He had put together a slideshow of pictures set to music for which he played for everyone. My parents had helped him collect pictures to document all 3o years of my life. It was the sweetest thing ever, and I have been wearing out the DVD ever since just watching it over and over and over again!!

There are so many wonderful pictures from my wonderful wonderful birthday weekend, so thought it best to just include a slideshow for all to enjoy. Thank you again to everyone for making me feel so special!!

Ticks

Someone posted an email at work in the break room that talked about a new way to remove ticks. Seeing as how Chelsi gets them some, and it is always a long song and dance to get it off her (which usually involves a trip to the vet because she won't hold still for us), I was intrigued. The theory is to take a cotton ball soaked in liquid soap and swab it over the tick for about 15-20 seconds and the tick will fall off on it's own. Sounds easy.

Well, I was able to make my first attempt at this just a few minutes ago. I saw a tick on Chelsi and so I grabbed a cotton ball and dipped it in my new Pomegranate pump soap (you know, gotta get the good smelling stuff!) and held it onto the tick. It was in a sensitive area, so I didn't want to do a lot of swabbing and of course she was resisting, so it was best to just hold it there. I am not sure if the liquid soap actually worked or not, but I think it may have at least loosened the hold, because then I took my fingernails (of course covered with a tissue) and pulled it out. The nasty booger was there head and all with the legs still moving. YUCKY!!! I know you should supposedly hold onto them in case there is an illness that needs to be detected later, but I flushed that booger down the toilet real fast!

Then, being the google guru that I am, I immediately came downstairs to see if my new found theory had any negative reports. Well, as with anything, there are always two sides to the story. I found a link that said that this "old wives tale" is actually bad because it encourages the tick to release additional saliva and/or regurgitate their guts, which means more of a chance of passing on harmful pathogen's.

Brandon hates that I do this, because of course I start bugging him and worrying if I did the right thing as he is trying to get out the door.

So, my question to the blog-world is, what is the right thing to do!??? I mean, if you have a dog that makes it impossible to remove a tick with tweezers while also trying to make sure you pull at the right angle and get the head, or is it worth the risk to have them regurgitate by using the soap on cotton ball method? The soap way was much much easier and a lot less traumatic. Bottom line, I just have to use my best judgement and do what works best, and for the Inscore's the soap method appears to be the way to go, at least this time.

Check out this link to see what I read:

http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/tick.asp

Bottom line, I don't like bugs of any kind, but TICKS are especially icky!!! They just have nothing but bad news written all over them.

Montreat

Had a FABULOUS weekend in Montreat! The relaxation, laughs and bonding time was much needed. I took my camera, but very surprisingly didn't take any pictures.....shocking, I know! The last time I had been to montreat, was many many years ago, and the memories are not all pleasant......it was Middle School, need I say more? But, I was very glad to make some wonderful memories this weekend, and can't wait to go back! There were 13 of us from GPPC that went, and it was really great to get to know everyone better. I seriously went to bed on Saturday night thanking God for bringing these wonderful people and this wonderful church into my life. And I even came home with some new and fun catch phrases.......still laughing in my head about it all as I trudge upstairs to shower and face the reality of Monday....blah!!!!

Merlefest

I survived my first trip to Merlefest and had a great time! The weather was wonderful! It was hot, but not miserable, and at least it didn't rain (that would have been a mess). We took just enough stuff, for which I am proud of us. Usually I am bogged down with more than I need or forgot something I wish I hadn't. Brandon suggested bringing a sweatshirt and blanket, and I am glad I did, because I used both! We got a later start than we wanted (what else is new!), but still made it to the grounds of Merlefest by 1pm.

After getting our chairs situated on the grass near the main stage, we walked around a bit. The first band we checked out was on one of the small side stages - "The Belleville Outfit". They were a young group from Austin, TX. We really enjoyed them. Kind of a New Orleans style jazz with a Texan twist.

Then we stopped by the all important Food Tent to say hey to Brandon's brother, Derek and his wife, Jana. They were working at their church's food station. They do it every year, and put in some major hours over the whole weekend, but it is a great fundraiser for the church. I just wish others would step up to the plate so that Derek and Jana wouldn't have to work as many hours and could actually enjoy the festival some too. But as usual with any group, the same people volunteer each year. I am learning that more and more in our own church :).

Anyway, after seeing a few acts by the main stage and grabbing a "snack", we headed to see a band Brandon had heard on the radio and really wanted to see - "The Steeldrivers". They were really good too. And the bonus with them is that they were playing inside! So, we got to cool down for an hour, which was awesome! And by the time we got out of there, the sun was already starting to go down and it was really nice out.

We checked out some of the vendor tents on the way back to the main stage. I got a big floppy hat - perfect for the beach!, and Brandon got a Merlefest t-shirt. Then we grabbed some dinner, and pretty much camped out in our chairs the rest of the evening. Doc Watson was on the main stage doing a tribute to his son, Merle, the reason Merlefest exists. It was amazing to watch him play, since he is blind. Then Emmylou Harris came on. A lot of people loved her, but I wasn't that impressed. She was older, and I guess you could say I am more into the younger more upbeat artists. Sam Bush closed out the show, and that was awesome! Just watching his fingers go on that mandolin is amazing!!

We headed out a little after midnight - Derek and Jana were closing out at the food station as well. We got to the in-laws house, said goodnight, took showers and crashed for the night. I haven't slept that good in a long time! Brandon even let me slept until 9:45am. It meant I had to rush around and get ready for church, but it was worth it.

So, I think Merlefest will probably see me again :)

Artist in the family

Need to brag on my Aunt Diane for a sec......she has created a website for her work, and I just had to pass along.....she really is talented and so glad she has been able to focus some time on her true passion more in the past few years. So, check it out! http://www.dianenobleart.com/

Concerts

So, I don't know why, but I don't really like concerts.....never really have. I LOVE music, and enjoy hanging out with friends, but just not a fan of concerts. I think it is the extremely LOUD music, crowds, and craziness that usually surrounds them. Plus, just can't usually justify spending the money on tickets - since usually pretty expensive for anyone worth seeing.

Brandon enjoys going to concerts......so this has become something that I am perfectly fine having him go off with friends and do without me. We enjoy doing things together, but definitely have certain things that one of us enjoys and the other doesn't.

However, I am looking forward to this weekend. We are heading to Merlefest in Wilkesboro. This is an annual bluegrass music festival on Wilkes Community College's campus. Brandon grew up going, and it is something he really enjoys. It has never worked out for me to go before - either because I had something else going on, or just passed, again due to my distaste with concerts. But at any rate, I promised him we would go this year, and now I am looking forward to it. The weather looks like it is going to be nice, it will be a chance to slow down for a weekend and just enjoy the outdoors and time with my hubby, as well as a visit with some family (since we will be in town and all).

So, I will report upon on return, and hopefully have some pictures to share as well.

Pictures

For those on Facebook, this will be a repeat, but wanted to post some pics from the Easter weekend festivities - Durham Bulls game on Thursday night and then Easter Sunday.

Amanda and me after the game enjoying a brew :)

BI & Lucas - the Wilkes boys :)

Chelsi on Easter Sunday morning

Strike a pose :)

My Daddy - like father like daughter

Mom and me - looking more alike each day

Easter weekend

Not the traditional Easter weekend for us........but I am realizing more and more that Brandon and I need to start our own traditions and just do what makes us happy. While I would love to see the Inscore's and my niece and nephew for Easter, I am actually looking forward to staying in Greensboro and having fun with friends and doing stuff around the house. Plus, we will be up in Wilkesboro in a couple of weeks for Merlefest - can't believe I have been with Brandon for almost 10 years, and never been to Merlefest! Anyway, so we will get to see family then. We did tie down my VERY VERY busy parents and are having a relaxing afternoon with them in Winston on Sunday, so it will be good to see them, and at least we will have some connection to family during this holiday weekend. I am excited for my brother and all the awesome career opportunities he has, and it's not like we don't get to see him a couple of times a year, but I miss him more around holidays. My family was very close growing up. We always spent time together during holidays. I also miss my Nana at times like this. I would love to have her here and show her our house and have her get to know my wonderful husband more (since she only met him towards the end), and take her to church with us on Sunday so she could see the awesome church home we have found! Anyway, I am rambling.....hence the name of my blog! :)

Our Easter weekend started out with a trip to Durham last night to meet up with some friends for a Durham Bulls game. While we should probably have been in Greensboro for the Grasshoppers opening night, it was fun to see a different area of the triad and see friends. I will post some pics later. I took today off work so that Brandon and I could hang out and do some errands. We have started a wish list for things we want to do at the house, and are going to check out some paint samples and floorings today. Tonight is a dinner gathering with some people from church to welcome new members, so that will be fun! I always enjoy getting to know people from our church better. I tend to do what most do, and hover in the groups of people I do know, so this will force me to branch out and talk with more people, which is great! Tomorrow is NO PLANS day......I am determined to just play the day by ear (and not making plans....but we may actually check out a Greensboro Grasshoppers game on Saturday night if anyone is interested?!?). And then Sunday of course is celebrating the meaning of this holiday......I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL EASTER WEEKEND with those you love the most!

Fire at Richmond Hill Inn

I was saddened today to hear about a fire at Richmond Hill Inn that destroyed the 120 yr old mansion in Asheville, NC. The Inn held a special place in our hearts, as that is where Brandon asked me to be his wife on October 4, 2003.

Here are some before and after pics I snagged from the local paper (linked to this blog entry).

March weekends - part two!

This past Saturday, Brandon and I enjoyed a night away from home. Even if it was only 20 mins away :) Our friends Jess and Richard got married, and we decided to make sure we could enjoy ourselves and not worry about driving home late or getting home to the dog. So, we boarded Chelsi at her favorite spot at Lucky's and spent the night at the Double Tree (which is where the reception was held). It was a blast! The wedding was at 3pm at their church near our house, and then we headed to High Point Road and the Double Tree for the reception. We ate, socialized and danced :) Richard is a firefighter, so of course many of his fireman friends were in attendance and livin'd things up a little too :) But us AOII girls know how to have fun as well!!

After the reception, a bunch of us headed to J.Butler's which is a bar/restaurant attached to the Double Tree (used to be the Hooter's). We enjoyed a few more beers and hung out some more with friends (new and old) while catching the end of the Duke game.

Sunday morning, we had breakfast with our friends Michele and Tony who also decided to enjoy a night away from home, and then Brandon and I caught an afternoon movie before heading to pick-up Chelsi from Lucky's at 3pm. It was very relaxing and a lot of fun! I love date weekends with my hubby and hanging out with friends!!!

The only down side was High Point Road at 3am! I woke up to all kinds of ruckass outside when the clubs let out.....bass booming in cars, car horns, and just noise in general. Luckily with the cops helping move everyone along, it calmed back down by 3:30am and we slept great! But when we went to check out the next morning, CSI was dusting for fingerprints on a couple of cars right out front that had been broken into the night before - DRAMA!

March weekends

Do I have to remind everyone how addicted I am to both TV and Facebook now that I don't even make time for my blog! Anyway, I did want to post about the past couple of weekends, because they were lots of fun, and I have pictures to share too - which we all know a blog posting isn't really that interesting unless it involves pictures :)

It up was our trip to Wilkesboro on the 13th. I took a day off work to join Brandon in his normal 3-day weekend (so jealous!). We met the in-laws for an early dinner at one of Brandon's favorite places growing up (10 years of being together and this was my first visit!) at Hadley's - good home cooking! Then we headed to spend some time at my brother-n-law's house and play with the niece and nephew for a while - we hadn't seen them since before Christmas, so it had been too long for Aunt Ginny!!!

It was so neat to see how much they continue to grow-up and for me, the best part was the excitement they had when we arrived - I dread the day that I am no longer the Cool Aunt Ginny in a teenager's eyes. After showing me everything new they had in their rooms and running around some, they settled in to play their Wii while we hung out and talked to Derek. They were so cute playing together and reminded me of my brother and me when we were younger.

We slept in late on Saturday morning, and then had our usual treat of homemade waffles courtesy of my mother-n-law - yummy!!! And then went and spent some more time with the kids before heading back home. Since it was rainy, we just took them to Walmart to give mom and dad a break, and then met the grandparents for pizza. They are such good kids! We let them each pick out a new toy at Walmart and it was so cute to see them try and figure out what they wanted the most. Here is a pic of them playing in the arcade area at the front of Walmart (too cute!!!)

In the car, Ashlyn especially had fun playing with my new blackberry and the video function and made all kinds of fun videos for me to watch when I am having a bad day at work. Most involved them singing to songs on Weston's mini-IPod (only holds like 4 songs), and they made my heart melt!! They are so funny :) I would upload one here, but it is such a pain to upload videos, so you will have to check out Facebook for the sing-along to "Apple Bottom Jeans".

All in all, we had a fabulous time! It is so hard to believe that Ashlyn just turned 8 already and Weston is almost 6! Just seems like yesterday that they were born :( Of course no trip is complete without the missing teeth pictures.......Weston lost his first baby tooth and had his first visit from the tooth fairy, and Ashlyn only has one more to go!