Santa Visits Early

Friday night, Biltmore Park was having a tree lighting and Santa event. It turns out Maggie, Justin, and their two boys were the only ones that could make it. I dropped off Pattie to play with Chloe then headed over to meet the Anders. We walked over to the festivities; stopping to get some free hot chocolate, cider, and cookies first. After our treats, we got in line so the boys could see Santa. He was sitting on a bench outside of the new Barnes and Nobles store. While waiting, there were carolers, a juggler, and a man singing and playing the mandolin. The local weatherman was also out in the middle doing his 6:00 weather reports.
We were two kids away from seeing Santa when he stood up and said he would be right back?! Turns out, he stood right in front of us to conduct the countdown to light up the trees. I think we might have been on TV!!! Of course, I forgot to call anyone especially the 2 friends I know that have DVR. Oh well!!! There are trees that line the middle of the square and they were filled with Christmas lights. So, at 6:30 the lights were turned on for the first time. It was beautiful! Santa sat back down and the boys were able to talk to Santa. Well, Miles talked to Santa at least!
After walking back to the cars, I said goodbye to the Anders, picked up some dinner, and headed over to Ann and Brad's to watch the Carolina basketball game. With 3 minutes left and a terrible looking team, Pattie and I called it a night and headed home. Can't win them all right?!

A walk in the woods

Sunday morning, mom and I sat around for about two hours talking and enjoying our cup of coffee. We enjoyed having leftovers from Saturdays breakfast before heading to church. After church and a quick snack, we decided to take Pattie into the Pisgah for a walk in the woods.
I haven't taken her on this small trail since early summer, so I was interested to see what she would do. Plus, mom has been in the Pisgah but has never walked around. So, we loaded up the car and went out to enjoy the beautiful weather! At one point in the walk, I let Pattie drink some water. The water must have had some hidden drug in it, because she turned crazy! It was hilarious to watch! I think maybe the slap of the water with her paw or maybe her reflection was making her flip out! Either way, we let her play for a bit. We finished our walk then headed back to the house for lunch outside before saying goodbye to mom.
It was a perfect, relaxing, mother/daughter weekend.

Christmas at Biltmore

Mom and I have been talking about doing this for a few years now. This year just finally felt right! So, Friday evening mom came up to the mountains! I fixed dinner for us Friday night so we enjoyed talking, eating, and having a cocktail. Saturday morning, we went to the yummy breakfast place I discovered a few weeks back when my friend Becca came into town. After a delicious breakfast at Sunnypoint; we ran a few errands, took Pattie for a walk, then showered for our evening plans.
We had tickets to the 6:00 entering at the Biltmore! I haven't been there in several years and mom hasn't been since high school (I think that's right). Neither of us had been at Christmas before which I recommend. Even though it was November and I usually try not to do Christmas things until after Thanksgiving, it was worth the exception! It certainly got me in the Christmas mood..well, minus the mid 60 degree weather! We arrived around 4:45; leaving plenty of time to take some pictures, walk around the grounds, check out the shops, and buy a few bites of chocolate. We needed some energy for all the walking we were about to do!
We entered the house around 6 and exited about an hour later after seeing the house all decorated for Christmas. The main Christmas tree was amazing, but I was almost more impressed with all the smaller trees throughout the house. While touring the house, we heard a harp, saw some dancers, and heard some singers in the distance. It's just amazing how massive the house is, how small the beds are, and how huge the rooms are! Of course, the swimming pool and bowling alley in the basement was pretty typical!
After ending our tour, we went back into one last shop. It took about 20 minutes to exit the grounds after a quick stop in front of the house for a picture with the trees lit up. As we exited the grounds; we did see at least one deer, were 15 minutes late for a tour of the winery but did see it all decorated, and listened to Christmas music on the way out! We were certainly ready for some yummy dinner. So, a trip to Brixx pizza on the way home made the evening complete. We were both certainly tired after finally arriving home and called it an evening after playing with a playful puppy.

Halloween

Saturday morning, Jess and I got up and went jogging in the rain. Yes, rain and humidity galore! This was not exactly October 31st weather! Let's just say that Halloween has not been too much fun the past few years and I was looking forward to being with friends, dressing up, attending a party, and then trick-or-treating! After jogging, we showered then picked up Heather to run some errands. Eliza, Jessica's oldest daughter, decided she wanted to be Pattie for Halloween. So, we ran to get some items to make the costume. After errands, we headed back so I could meet up with Jill and her family for a bit. It was a short visit, but great to catch up with Jill! It was nice to get some good words of encouragement, hear about what's been going on, then see a sleeping baby that luckily woke up right before I had to leave! I had to cut the visit short because it was time to get ready for the neighborhood party! The party started at 4 and it was 80 degrees! So, the costumes I had taken to wear got changed at the last minute. I ended up wearing a short sleeve shirt, a skirt, and chacos; and I was still sweating! However, the party was fun! I loved seeing the kids play the games, eat some good food, and meet new people. We stayed at the party until dark, then took the kids trick or treating, then headed back to the party! I think we all finally left around 10:30 when all the parents started realizing how late the kids were staying up! After watching Anna and Eliza go through their stash, we all called it a night! It was so hot I didn't even dress up Pattie until Sunday morning. We woke Sunday to rain, wind, and about 55 degree weather! So, I got her dressed long enough for one picture! Overall, it was a fabulous weekend! (I forgot to put Pattie in the slideshow, so she made her own debut up top!)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Friday with Friends

Friday was a teacher workday at school which couldn't have been more perfect! I am a big fan of not being at school with kids on Halloween or in this case, not even the day before Halloween! Don't get me wrong, we still had our "Fall Fun Day" aka Halloween Party complete with lots of activities, sugar, and excitement Thursday! I spent Friday morning meeting with parents, then scooped Pattie, my friend Ann, and headed to Cary. After dropping Ann off in Durham, we continued on to meet up at the Bryant's house with the Lewis' family. Isn't it nice to be greeted with hugs, grilled food, and an open beer?! We spent Friday evening watching the kids play, Pattie chase them around, a little fire action, and adult gabbing. We called it an evening way after the kids bedtimes, headed over to get settled at the Lewis house where we continued our catching up. I could tell it was going to be an awesome weekend!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Best Friends

My friend, Ann, ran in her first ever marathon on Sunday!!! She finished the Marine Corps Marathon and is still walking to tell about it! While she and her husband were off traveling, running, and traveling some more; Pattie and I had the pleasure of keeping their 5 month old Chloe. We have decided that Pattie and Chloe are best friends! They played nonstop from 5:30 Friday afternoon until 7:30 Monday night! If they were awake, they were playing! There was only one accident in the house all weekend which is pretty good for two distracted puppies! These two girls had to play inside Friday night because of the rain, but Saturday afternoon had the whole yard to run and play! After breakfast with Becca Saturday, I stopped to pick up a few pansies, mums, and a pumpkin. I had an extra garden flag stand so I purchased an inexpensive Fall garden flag. The girls ran around in the yard while I did some gardening. I love coming home now to extra Fall colors! We taught Chloe all about the chuckit and the word "drop". Sunday afternoon and again that evening they enjoyed chasing each other. By Sunday night, they were both curled up together! Pattie was sad to see her friend go, but knows she'll be seeing her again.

Fall Fest

Sunday was a beautiful Fall day and was beautifully spent with friends! After church and letting the dogs out to play, I headed over to Crystal's house. Once everyone was awake and ready, we headed to Panera Bread for lunch. The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze, and the company was great making for a wonderful day to enjoy lunch outside on the patio. After eating, we went to a local church for their pumpkin patch/Fall festival. We met up with Maggie, Miles, and Liam. The boys had a blast! Kids were set in every "posed" position possible making for cute pictures! There was live music, games, hayrides, face painting, and a baby goat to pet. It was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Breakfast with Becca

Friday afternoon my friends Becca, Gabe, and their son Waver came "back home" for a wedding. They moved back to Florida this summer and I have certainly been missing them! I told her I would drive where ever needed to see them even if it's for 10 minutes! We were originally thinking that we would meet up sometime around lunch but she called me at 8:30 and said to come meet them for breakfast around 9:00. So, I jumped in the shower and headed that way! We ate at Sunny Point Cafe and man was it tasty! This was my first time there and hopefully will not be my last! This was another breakfast that ranks high on the list...right up there with the one that Gabe made us after the Hot Chocolate Race last year! So good to see them and express my happiness as they found out they are pregnant again!!! Another cutie pie is on the way!
The rest of the day I spent in the yard. I planted some mums and pansies, put up my new fall garden flag, pulled weeds, and finally mowed the tall grass! The yard looks great! Pattie and Chloe ran around the yard while I was playing in the dirt. I put them up while I mowed so afterwards I threw the chuckit for them. We introduced Chloe to running, fetching, and drop!

I'm Alive

Last weekend while I was enjoying a glass of wine and gabbing at Kathryn's house, this song came on. Kathryn told me about it, but I didn't really listen to the words then. However, I heard it a few times as I've been burning up the highway since last weekend. It has such wonderful lyrics that were too good not to share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfuMecxRfFo&feature=related

Breakfast

After arriving home around 1 in the morning, we let out a very energetic Pattie! I ran around in the house with her for a bit before getting ready for bed. I know she was ready to play, but we were all worn out! So, we finally turned out the lights a little after 1:30 and I don't think moved until 7:25 this morning when I got a text from my brother. I thought it was my alarm going off at my house! That's how tired I was! It worked out great because Laura and Grant had come into town to see Grant's parents. Laura asked if anyone was able to meet for breakfast. I had forgotten to set an alarm so the message worked out great. Mom, Kyle, Laura, and I met up at Panera Bread for some muffins, coffee, and lots of catching up. Kyle had to head back to work, but the three of us stayed at least another hour just chatting away. What a great way to start the day! It just made me that much more ready to relax with family at Thanksgiving.

Free Game

Last Thursday, a parent said he had 4 free tickets to the Carolina game. I have had the pleasure of teaching all three of their kids now that their youngest is in my room. So, throughout the years they have learned that I am a big Carolina fan. When he first asked, I said to let me think about it because I would have to take off work. However, I made it down the hallway before turning around and telling him how stupid would I be to pass up free tickets!!! So, he made a few calls and the tickets were in my hand Tuesday morning!
I took a half day Thursday afternoon, swung back by the house to get Pattie then headed to my parents house. There was a wreck on the interstate, so we ended up sitting in traffic for an hour. I don't think I've ever turned off my car and gotten out before. I walked Pattie around letting her explore and potty before we were able to take off again. We finally made it to Rural Hall, unloaded Pattie, mom played with her in the backyard, put her in the crate, then we took off for Chapel Hill!!!
These tickets came with a parking pass which turned out to be a pretty good location for getting in and out of the game. After arriving and finding a spot, we met up with some people that dad works with who have been tailgating at Carolina games for many years now. They had the setup complete with food and beer. They had Carolina tent, chairs, rugs, napkins, salt/pepper shakers, hand sanitizer, etc.., etc. This was perfect because I hadn't eaten since 10:50 that morning! We did a little walking to the game and practically jogged to the car on the way back. Unfortunately, the game took a turn for the worse, so we ended up leaving with about 4 minutes to go. Since it was fast approaching 11:30 and we had about an hour and a half drive back we wanted to beat the traffic if possible. Which we were able to do!
The seats were pretty awesome and it didn't really hit me until this morning why I looked like a true tourist or paparazzi if you will. As soon as we found our seats, I broke out my camera and my phone to take pictures and send them out! I kept wondering why no one else was being this crazy until I realized we were sitting in the season ticket holders area. People that have had the pleasure of attending many a Carolina games for many a year. The excitement of picture taking just wasn't there for them! That's okay, I made up for them! Even though the outcome wasn't how I had hoped, what a great experience. Getting the tickets for free just made it that much better. Just another perk of being a teacher I suppose.

"It's All Good"

Saturday, October 17th my mom and I woke up around 4:30ish to start getting ready for THE race! We left the house around 5:15 and began making our way to Cornelius, NC for the LungStrong 15K that I would be running in that morning. The race was to start at 7:45 and packet pickup opened at 6:45. Not knowing exactly where we would be going, we left a little early leaving plenty of time for traveling, bathroom breaks, and finding parking. Good thing we left that early, because the parking was already filling up and we arrived around 6:50.
It had been raining off and on along the drive and the temperature was not rising like I thought it was going to be. I originally thought it would be warmer since, you know, it's still early October. I was not really prepared for 47, wind, and rain.
I asked Julia Page to print a special shirt for the race in memory of Marty. You can see the shirt in the pictures. During those last few months of Marty's battle, he and Jane just kept saying "It's Good. It's All Good". So, I had Running for Ridge printed on the front and "It's All Good" with Marty's name on the back. Since I had it printed on a short sleeve shirt, I HAD to wear it! They always say when you run to add 20 degrees, so I figured I would be hot in shorts and a t-shirt. I left my long sleeve shirt on until the horn blew at which time I threw it to mom. I was sweating for sure during the race, but I never felt hot! I actually remember feeling cold a few times when the wind would blow.
I didn't walk quite as much as I thought I would, but defiantly did some walking through the water stations and around mile 7. I would say mile 6 was my best mile and then I lost momentum until that last .3 of the race! Either way I finished and raised money with lots of help for a great cause!
After the race, I grabbed some free water, Powerade, food, and a beer. Mom asked if I wanted to stick around but at this point I was freezing and ready to get warm! Plus, I knew that I would be ready to eat very soon! Needless to say, we didn't eat fast enough and I ended up getting sick in the car. Which is strange because it usually takes a lot to make me sick. Either way, we stopped at the next exit to throw away the bag and there it was. Bojangles..my lifesaver! Yup, that's right folks. I got sick and less than 5 minutes later I was eating a chicken filet biscuit combo! It was mighty tasty! After getting back to mom and dad's, I showered, stretched, filled up on some water, then took about a 3-4 hour nap! I woke up refreshed, a bit sore, and ready to eat again! Thanks to everyone who supported me through encouragement and donations. A special thanks to mom for taking time to go with me to the race. I couldn't have made it without you!

Teenager!

Well, today my world changes. Today, I begin living with a "teenager"! Pattie is 9 months old today and it shows! I could tell last week that she seemed more energetic and wasn't calming down around 9:00 or 9:30 like usual. Usually around that time she would curl up and sleep where ever I was until I went into the bedroom to sleep. Actually, she sometimes curled up as early as 8:30 for her resting time. When we threw the chuck-it after school, she seemed to be able to go forever! So, this morning I realized that today she was 9 months old and I looked it up online for some hints. Here is what I should expect from her:
* she is 80% of her adult size (she is filling out more in the chest)
* she should have all of her permanent teeth now..it's time to start brushing!
* she will be awake more and have more energy (oh yeah! this one is true!)
* she will be more curious about things; possibly eating things she hasn't eaten before. (I think she's killed and tried to eat 6 bugs just in the past 3 days...good for my house though!)
* she will shed her puppy coat and gain hair more distinctive to her breed. (I thought something was wrong with her b/c she was losing tons of hair!)
* puberty has set in and unplanned pregnancies can happen (took care of that in July!)
Either way, my Pattie is wonderful! I wouldn't trade her for any other dog!

On another note, Happy Birthday to my friend Anna! Pattie and I stopped by today with lunch on the back deck while the puppies played in the yard! Here's to a great year for you!

Football, Friends, and Fall

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to take a drive up to Sapphire to visit with some old friends. I met Byron and Meredith a few years ago and and have enjoyed my time spent with them over the years. Unfortunately, I have not seen them in about a year so it was long overdue! In the past, I have met up at their house in Highlands to hang out for the night. They have a now 5 year old son that is an awesome kid. Since they will be moving down to GA in about 2 weeks, he was spending the night with a friend so I missed seeing him.
So, early afternoon I hooked up the GPS and prayed that it wouldn't lose signal while I climbed the mountain! I met up with them at one of their friends' family mountain house. Hello gorgeous views and gorgeous house! It was like something you see in a magazine. For just a second I pretended the house was mine! It was some windy narrow roads to make it up to the top, but all worth it once I stepped out of the car! All the people there were big Auburn fans but they didn't seem to mind my Tarheel shirt! We enjoyed some wings, snacky foods, drinks, views, football, and chatting for a few hours. I left just before dark so I could make my way down the mountain safely and to return home to my now 9 month old puppy! Good times!

Turning 30

My friend Maggie (the other red head girl) joined the club yesterday. She celebrated her 30th birthday! I rode with Crystal, Danny, and their boys to meet Maggie, Justin, and their boys along with Maggie's brother and girlfriend for dinner. We met up at Brixx pizza- yum! Crystal had the great idea to stop and get balloons to do a little decorating. It was the perfect Fall night to hang outside while waiting for the table. Owen and Miles enjoyed "jumping" and "throwing" leaves they found in a small pile.
After dinner, Maggie, Justin, and I headed out to hear some music. Railroad Earth was playing at the Orange Peel. I haven't been to hear music in awhile. The last music I probably heard was at the Earth Day festival back in April. I haven't been to a show at night in awhile either. It was actually great to see some old college friends, enjoy some music, and be proud that I can still hang! It was interesting watching the whippersnappers knowing that used to be me back in the day! Either way, we left the show around 1:30 and I finally got home around 2:15. I hit the pillow about 2:30 and didn't move until 6:00. Yup, that's right. 6 a.m. Luckily I was able to go back to sleep until 8ish, but I bet there will be some napping going on during football watching!

Spider

I was in the front yard one afternoon this week throwing the ball to Pattie. I happened to look up towards my bedroom window and saw this spider hanging out there. I got closer and saw it's massive size! I'm usually okay if I see spiders; meaning I can handle them by getting rid of them. However, this one took me by surprise and sent a shiver down my spine. When I stepped closer for a look, I did notice it was pretty interesting looking. It actually has some yellow markings on the front, but you can't see them from the picture. I went inside, sat on my bed, lifted the blinds, and took the picture. Either way, as long as it stays outside we're good!