Fifth Grade Fun & Fabulous Florida!
February was a well-rounded month for us…a little bit of time at home mixed in with some vacation. Kendall and I enjoyed a fun dinner at her house—we’ve been more diligent about getting together more often, which is awesome. Even though we only live 20 minutes from each other, we both stay so busy with work and kid stuff that time goes by so fast and we realize it’s been weeks since we’ve seen each other. Having weeknight dinners at our homes has been so much fun! My friend, Julie, had her 46th birthday staycation with a bunch of us by celebrating at the Ballantyne Spa with massages and relaxation, followed by dinner at Baku, then dancing at the Blue Olive and Brazwell’s. This group of girls (Tonya, Christina, Megan, Julie) is incredible and there’s no topic that is taboo or off limits. We had an incredible time! The next evening, we hosted about 30 people at our house for a Super Bowl party. It was a blast! A bunch of our neighborhood friends came over for the Justin Timberlake concert with some football mixed in there.
The next week, I was a chaperone for Brayden’s fifth grade class trip. How she is already in fifth grade, I have no clue! At first, I was hesitant to give up three days of work in exchange for spending that time with a gaggle of 11-year olds in stuffy cabins….but, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything for SO many reasons! #1: our cabin had amazing girls in it and the moms were pretty cool, too! #2: we had dance parties each night where I played DJ and we had glow sticks, #3: I was able to watch Brayden interact with her friends in a very mature way…it was as if I had been transported to the future when she is a young adult, #4: I witnessed Brayden push herself, try things that may have been outside of her comfort zone (letting a rat crawl on her back, touch a snake, act on stage in front of a large crowd), set challenging goals and achieve them (reaching the top of the Alpine Tower!), #5: I saw Brayden view me in a different light…her friends kept coming up to me, giving me hugs, and saying how I was “so cool”, #6: the range of activities and learning experiences was so vast and I even learned some things. They even taught all of the kids about wasting food by weighing all of the leftover food at the end of each meal and challenging them to minimize it by the next meal. Between 140 campers, they were able to have only 3 pounds of collective food waste at one point! Very impressive! I can’t wait to volunteer when Hanleigh is in fifth grade!
We had lunch with GG & Dadaw one afternoon at Rusty’s (we love seeing them and catching up!), went and saw The Greatest Showman (I cried tears of joy many times throughout…music brings me to tears!), and Hanleigh had her monthly Y Guides meeting. Then, the next weekend, we surprised Leslie by visiting her and her family in Naples, FL for her 40th birthday! Our family rented a car, drove to Asheville and then flew to Ft. Myers where Joe scooped us up. We went back to their house until Leslie, Emilia, and Chase came home…at that point, we popped out from a corner and surprised them really good! Les kept saying, “Oh my gosh! Are you really here?”. It was so great! We grilled out some delicious sea bass that night while the kids enjoyed swimming in the pool. The next morning, we rented a boat and drove it around Port Royal (where all the big houses are) and through the mangroves (where we saw SO many dolphins!). That evening, Joe’s parents watched the kids while the four adults had a tasty dinner at USS Nemo and then had drinks at 7th Avenue Social, followed by dancing at Cavo. The next morning, Les and I went running around the neighborhood and then all of us went on a nature hike at a nearby conservatory where we saw some pretty birds, turtles, and even an alligator! That afternoon, I took Leslie to get a pedicure. We grilled some mahi mahi that evening and the next day, we took the kids to the beach and to “La Ritz” before flying back home. It was such a fabulous trip with our best friends. Naples is gorgeous and they were such gracious hosts. Happy 40th, Leslie! Love you!
The month wrapped up with Nash’s first birthday party (he’s so darn cute!) and a date night to Zeppelin (delicious food and drinks!), followed by a family hike (with Myers) to Crowder’s Mountain. It was a bit of rainy day and overcast, so it wasn’t crowded at all, which was nice!
Hanleigh-ism:
- We were having dinner one evening when she farted at the table. I said, “Did you just fart?” Without even blinking, she looked at me and said, “Your welcome.” That child!!!
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