A Little Work and a Little Play

Wednesday afternoon mom drove up to help me put together my classroom. Since the building only has air two hours a day (except on Fridays) we worked through the heat, enjoyed our packed lunch during the cool air, and worked until we were worn out which was usually between 4:30 and 5:00. We spent a few hours Friday morning pulling weeds in the garden outside my door and did last minute work inside the room. We called it a done deal before lunch and headed home to enjoy a relaxing lunch under the shade of the trees. It was time to reward ourselves for the work done so we headed out for some fun! We made stops at two Goodwill stores looking for superhero costumes for Sawyer's upcoming Superhero party at the beach. The final products will be revealed in a few weeks! After grabbing some good finds, we made our way downtown for dinner on a patio before introducing mom to the drum circle. I'm not sure she's quite ready to grab a seat with the rest of the drummers, but her toe was tappin'!
A HUGE thank you to my sweet mom for taking time out of her days to spend them with me.

It's a hot one!

As I was driving home from Ohio, my friend Dana called me. She had flown into NC from CO and would be eating at Papa's for dinner. We visited over chips, salsa, and guacamole while her sweet son provided the entertainment. Friday I drove down to Hickory to spend the afternoon with her, Grayson and her parents on the lake. It was a perfect day to be around water even if the water was almost too hot to be refreshing! We said our goodbyes in hopes that we would meet again around the holidays. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a move back to NC in their near future!
Saturday morning I went running with some friends in the woods and the puppies. That afternoon, I headed downtown to Bele Chere. It was the hottest day of the year but worth the free entertainment once you got over the pouring sweat. We enjoyed an afternoon and evening of music, food, new friends, and new places.
Now it's on to puppy playdates with friends and sisters! Oh and did I mention that I went for a trim Thursday evening and walked out with a super short, sassy summer hairdo?! Oh me!

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"I two"

On Wednesday, July 14th Caroline Alice Gribble turned 2!!! She said, "I two" while holding up five fingers. So, according to her voice she turned two, according to her hand she turned five! We celebrated with a special breakfast at the house, play time, story time at the Library, present opening before and after rest, and a dinner in downtown Toledo at a pizza place. Caroline and Sawyer both enjoyed making their own pizzas! Friday afternoon was her dog themed party! Most of Jammie's family came down from Michigan and a few other friends from the area joined us for the festivities! Jammie baked the cake and I did the decorating and a dog cake was created! Caroline got lots of dog and "my Ariel" presents! Pattie was the free entertainment!
The green dog dress in the pictures is one that Grandma Gribble made for me when I was a little girl. It's almost too small for Caroline, but she happily wore it long enough for pictures! Happy Birthday Sweet Caroline!

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Family Fun

By Tuesday afternoon, dad had arrived in Ohio so now we were together...even Pattie Gribble! We spent the mornings discussing the plans for the rooms over breakfast. After breakfast, mom and I took off to hang pictures and move things around while the guys worked outside, went to meetings, Jammie unpacked boxes, put things away, and all while entertaining two children! Whew! Most nights we called it quits around midnight making piles and plans for the next day. We did take some time on Wednesday to celebrate Caroline's 2nd birthday! Friday after her party, we relaxed and we dedicated the entire day on Saturday to hanging out as a family. We did spend some time each day in the pool out back, playing with Pattie in the yard (she was in heaven with the fenced in yard and children to chase), and enjoying meals together. The new house is amazing and Phillip and Uncle Dave-o did a fabulous job finishing the basement! I'm looking forward to going back sometime in the Fall/Winter to relax with the big screen! After driving 9 hours back Monday and hitting only a little bit of traffic I was whooped! I got in my bed at 8:52 to read and was out before 9! I slept until 7:15 and I'm pretty sure I didn't move a muscle!

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A Trip to Michigan

Mom and I arrived in Ohio late Sunday afternoon after sitting in traffic in Cincinnati for an hour! Yuck! We arrived at the mansion, I mean the new house in time for a tour, a little playing outside, dinner and a bike ride before bedtime. Monday morning, mom and I worked for about an hour in one room before I needed to head out. I was driving to Michigan to see Ben, Victoria, Liliana, and Annelise the newest baby girl. I arrived around lunchtime and was able to play with Liliana before the baby woke up from a nap. We enjoyed lunch outside, did some playing, and waited for Ben to come home early from work! We all walked up to a local ice cream shop for a late afternoon treat. Time before dinner was spent playing chutes and ladders, memory, tummy time, and catching up. We enjoyed a relaxing dinner outside before the girls headed to bed. Ben, Victoria, and I spent some time that evening talking about life and where it might take us one day. We're still pushing for them to move back to NC but I think it might just be in our dreams! Tuesday morning, we walked to the park before I headed back to Ohio. It was wonderful to see such great friends and to meet the newest part of our "family"!

Day of celebrating

Saturday, July 10th was a day of parties! This was also the day I spent running last minute errands and packing before leaving for Ohio the next morning. Ben turned 2 earlier in the week so I went over to the beach party themed party at 11 to celebrate. The backyard was full of water toys, kids getting wet, and wonderful cupcakes! Before the next party, I went home to finish packing and cleaning. At 4:00, I headed to the park to celebrate with Miles who would be turning 4 the next day. He loves dinosaurs so he decided on a dinosaur theme party complete with dinosaur topped cupcakes, a dinosaur hat, and digging for dinosaurs. Yes, you read correctly. I enjoyed 2 delicious cupcakes in one day!
After celebrating with him, I left to meet mom and dad. Mom decided to ride up to Ohio with me. So, we met for dinner and dad delivered mom and all her stuff. We got back here in time to relax for a bit before calling it an early night. A 9 hour drive was calling our name the next morning.

Time To Smile by Xavier Rudd and Izintaba - proud Sea Shepperd

Hanging with good friends

Monday I headed to the Cary/Apex area to visit friends for a few days. Mom and Dad offered to keep Pattie so I packed up my stuff and headed east. I arrived at the Lewis' house that afternoon and hung out until dinner plans. We headed over to the Bryant's for a cook-out which included good food, games of red light, green light; and fireworks. Tuesday morning, I headed over to walk with and spend time relaxing with Laura on her porch. From there I spent a few hours at the pool with Jessica, her girls, Heather and her boys. That afternoon I was able to catch up with Jill, Eddie, and Holly. Back at the Lewis' house, William tried teaching me an A, D, and G chord on the guitar. Wednesday morning it was one last breakfast together before heading back west. It was a short visit but always enjoyable.

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4th of July

After church and a "light" lunch, we headed back over to Grandmother's around 7 for the festivities. There were 35 adults, 2 babies, 4 dogs, and a game of cornhole. All this went along with hamburgers, hotdogs, beans, slaw, chips, homemade desserts, homemade ice cream, sangria, and sweet watermelon. I haven't been to this cook-out in 3 years and I was glad that I could make it home this year for it. It's always nice to spend time with family; and there's nothing like the family in this small town.

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Always exciting

You just never know what you're going to find at breakfast! When mom and I arrived, Jane had beads and a hat for us to wear. We were quite the festive table! It was also Lena's birthday. So upon her arrivial we began singing Happy Birthday bringing even more attention to our table. Like I said, you just never know what will happen at breakfast!
That afternoon, mom and I ran some errands before heading back to the house to play with Pattie. I headed downtown to meet Kathryn and Tom for dinner. I had the best shrimp and grits EVER at the Old Fourth Street Filling Station. When we finished up our dinner on the patio, Lena and friends were arriving for her b-day dinner. So, I moved from one table to the next enjoying a cocktail with the birthday girl before calling it a night.

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Dash

Friday morning, Pattie and I loaded up the car and headed back home for the long weekend. After dropping Pattie off at home, I met mom and dad downtown for lunch at Burke Street Pizza. It was a beautiful afternoon, so I took a stroll up to Gusto and another shop before heading back to the house. After a short walk with Pattie to pick up the tickets and a little play time, we were off to the Dash game. The new stadium was completed for this baseball season and I was interested in checking the new place out. It certainly puts the Asheville Tourist stadium to shame! Of course, I remember watching the Spirits, the Warthogs, and the Dash play in the old stadium so I suppose it was time for an upgrade.
The tickets we were able to get allowed us into the special box where food was abundant, beer or wine was free, and you could have endless amounts of popcorn or peanuts. After grabbing dinner and dessert, we walked down to our seats which were near homeplate. We helped cheer the Dash to victory before enjoying a fireworks display!

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