Off to NC!

Tomorrow I will fly to Raleigh where Z will pick me up. Z and I have a few errands to run before Lefty and our good college friends arrive. I have been trying to do extra sit-ups and crunches to prepare my stomach for the HUGE laughs we will have. Larry is about the funniest man we have ever known. Lefty and Larry were roommates in college and at the time Larry was quite the dedicated student...Lefty was a little more, shall we say, social. Now, every time we get together, it is just flat out FUN! Karen was my sorority sister, so I have packed some of our old newsletters and programs in my suitcase that we will "reflect upon". It is such fun to get together with friends we have known for over 30 years. Incredible! For those of you out there, ALWAYS prioritize your close friends. They are a huge gift and encouragement over the years. It is worth every penny you will ever spend to get together as often as possible. Much more valuable than any home, car, or doo-dad you might own. The older I get the less "possessions" mean. Can't wait to spend the weekend with the best of friends; sitting on the beach watching the waves crash in, cooking great meals, drinking some great wine, and catching up on all that is going on in our lives. Can't wait!

Our New Home

We closed today on our new house. We ended up buying in the very first neighborhood we ever looked at before even moving to the Dallas area. It felt right then, but of course we hadn't sold our house in Greensboro, and now over a year after selling our house, it was time to find just the right place. We will take our time moving in, but by Halloween we will be completely moved in. Our favorite thing about the location is that it is 5 minutes from work for Steve, and a close second is that it backs up to the Campion Trail, so we can just hop on our bikes and GO! We are going to enjoy looking out of our backyard and seeing nothing but trees and birds and a bit of the wide open spaces that pop up all over the Metroplex.

Family Things

This post is really intended for my immediate family, so if anyone else is reading this, it either won't make sense or might possibly bore you to no end. That being said, I have to clear up a couple of things.
1) I DID have Christine and Patrick as my screen saver for awhile...mostly because Steve wanted to feel like he knew him, and then I just got busy and kept it there. But, I switched it to a Montana picture of our July trip (which excludes Karl), so my next screen saver will be a picture of Karl. A mom has got to be fair after all. All of my kids are my absolute favorites!
2) After a quick visit to Edinburg, TX to visit my father's oldest cousin, Vivian (95), I have to share a few stories about my great-grandfather Hans. He must have kept people guessing. The first story Vivian told was that he took a bath once a year in the lake that I grew up on. Crazy! That's all I have to say about that. Secondly, the story goes that one winter after the lake had frozen, he decided to walk across the lake to visit his cousin and was carrying a bottle of liquor with him. He dropped the bottle on the ice and it broke. He then proceeded to slurp it up right off the ice. Crazy! That's all I have to say about that. 3) He went to bed at 6:00 p.m. every day and insisted that the house was quiet from that point on. The log cabin was all of 600 sq. feet and there were 8 people living in it. Crazy! That's all I have to say about that.
When it comes to family, sometimes you just never know from whence you came. If I hear anymore of these fascinating tales, you will be the first to know.
Have a happy Sunday! I am off to church.

Sometimes you just gotta brag.

This is probably a poor choice for a title for this blog, because technically when you brag, you are taking credit for something you have done, or something you take responsibility for. I am not doing either one.
My 4 adult children totally amaze me. My friends here in Texas keep asking me how I survive without my children living in close proximity. I have thought about it a lot since we moved to Texas and consistently answer that question with this answer: My children are all in a good place in their lives. They are productive, happy, responsible, generous, and kind individuals. I am proud that they are finding their own way in this world and are as different in many ways but so much the same in many others. They are great people with great friends and have ambition to build a future for themselves. What more could a parent ask for? We are so proud of who they are and excited for what their future holds for them. They have made good decisions for themselves and will reap the benefits of that over time. It is an absolute joy to be a parent to each one of them. Life is good.

Plan B!

Labor Day weekend is one of our last opportunities to enjoy our place at the beach before the crazy fall hunting trips to Montana begin. So we wanted to combine a bit of R&R with Louise over the long weekend. We flew into Raleigh yesterday knowing full well that Hurricane Earl was coming as well. Louise picked us up and we did what we usually do, drop off the Mr. so he could work at the hotel, and then hit Target and Harris Teeter. (My favorite grocery store ever.)
We had planned to stay in Raleigh overnight last night and now, will again tonight as they have issued a mandatory evacuation for Emerald Isle today. It's a bit disappointing to not be able to head to the beach today, but on the other hand, trying to sleep while the house is "rocking" from the wind, isn't necessarily something I want to experience, and the idea of losing power and having no AC is even worse. So, we will approach our plan B with great expectation. We will try a couple more great restaurants and hit some great end of summer sales!