Trips, Tillery, & Teachings
May was filled with a lot of fun activities and great trips with friends and family! We ventured to Greensboro for Leslie’s baby shower, followed by a Cinco de Mayo/Derby party at the Bryan’s house. It was a fabulous day. Trent celebrated his 38th birthday with dinner and gifts as well. Two more years until the big 4-0! He neither looks nor feels 38 and is always young at heart, which is what matters. I enjoyed getting to know some new people here in Charlotte with a girls’ dinner out, we had dinner with GG & Dadaw, and had a great Mother’s Day. The 5th annual Triple B’s beach trip took place in Topsail and everyone had a great time hanging out, dancing, and eating delicious food! That same weekend, Trent had his 3rd annual guys’ NASCAR weekend by attending the All-Star Race.
I made two trips to Raleigh for work and was lucky enough to have dinner with Leslie and go running with her. This was the second time I have done any exercising since the Cooper River Bridge Run. I’ve been a total slacker in my exercise routine due to all the moving stuff. Once we get settled in our new house, I am determined to find another race to register for, join the YMCA and get back in the swing of things! We went to the Burd’s lakehouse for Memorial weekend and had an amazing time. Brayden christened The Snack Shack during its grand opening with lunch specials for $1 (sandwich, chips, drink, dessert) and ended up making $33 thanks to a notoriously good tipper (Dadaw). We learned how to paddleboard, did some skiing, and lots of laughing. It was so great for all the cousins to hang out together!
Brayden and Hanleigh had their parent/teacher conferences as well. Brayden is excelling at school and had all As, which didn’t surprise us at all. Hanleigh is the youngest in her class so there were some things that she still has yet to learn, but will get around to them in due time. They noted that she wasn’t walking on tip toes or singing to herself, but she does both of those things in our presence, so we know she is right on track. I can’t believe she is going to be two in just a couple of months! The two of them continue to get along very well 99% of the time, but sometimes there are issues with sharing and hitting, which is to be expected at this age. Hanleigh copies EVERYTHING Brayden does, which is so sweet.
We are still ironing out some issues with the contract on our new house (A/C and crawl space), so once those are fixed, we should be good to go. We are anxious to get some of these things fixed as it has been a lovely source of tension for us. Ahh, the joys of home ownership. We all (with the exception of Trent) rounded out May with the stomach bug. Unfortunately, it lasted longer (four days) for me and Brayden ended up getting sick one day. Thank goodness that is over. For all you Spaceballs movie lovers out there, my belly sounded like Lonestar’s when he’s in the diner and the alien emerges from his stomach. Scary!
For those of you that know me, you know I am the least political person and can’t stand all the drama, hypocrisy, and unethical behavior that accompanies politics. This was one example where I had to make my voice heard, no matter what the result. Midway through the month, NC’s Amendment One was passed which basically stated that “marriage between one man and woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized.” While some people feel that is fine, there are many more implications to this amendment getting passed. So many people voted without being educated on how this amendment would impact others. Domestic partners (regardless of sexual orientation) would not receive the same benefits as married couples and neither would the children of these domestic partnerships. All of this culminated on the day I mailed my absentee ballot in to vote against this amendment. Upon doing so, I noticed that I (unintentionally) had placed an “equality forever” stamp on it. The irony of this put a smirk on my face. The fact that there would be people voting in favor of this amendment, when our country is based on equality, made my stomach churn. This epitomized irony! Even though the amendment was passed, I am proud that both Mecklenburg and Wake counties voted against it. For that, I am thankful.
Brayden-isms:
- “When I graduate from school, I won’t have any school until kindergarten and will get to hang out with mommy.” She thought she had the summer off, but little did she know that graduation was just a rite of passage and she still will go to school throughout the summer.
- Something you never thought you’d hear your five-year old say: “Mom, when you are doing reading that chapter of 50 Shades of Grey, can you come look at how my stuffed animals are sitting on my bed?” Oh my! Since she can read now, I better keep that book hidden!
Hanleigh-isms:
- She continues to say her prayers/thankfuls at dinner with “mommy, daddy, baydee, haee…ammeeeh” and then laughs.
- She is constantly telling Peapod and Indiana to stop and even kicks them sometimes. We are trying to teach her that is not nice.