Parents’ Weekend, Pauley’s, HoCo, Halloween, Flash Mob, & Fun!

It’s fall, y’all, which means it’s football season and this month, there was no shortage of that. Brayden kicked the month off with an ATO chapter social and then Fran & Terry came over to watch Hanleigh for a couple nights while Trent and I went to the AOii Parents’ Weekend. We ventured to Athens and had the most unique lodging experience: we stayed in an Airbnb with a bunch of parents that we had never met before. Thankfully, one of the moms got this Airbnb the minute the parents’ weekend was announced and then posted on a big group chat if anyone was interested in staying there, to just let her know. And that’s how a bunch of randoms came to stay together. It was definitely a cast of characters, but overall a good experience. I just wouldn’t stay in that house again. There were about eight adults sharing a very small bathroom. AOii did an amazing job hosting all the parents and we started our Friday night off with dinner at Pauley’s and then proceeded to go to the Venue where her entire sorority (and parents) would converge to listen to a band and network. After that, the three of us went to a place called Sake Mama, which is known for sake bombs. When in Rome! I don’t think I had ever done one before that was as sophisticated as balancing two toothpicks and a shot glass on top of a big mug and then ferociously banging on the bar until the shot glass dropped into the mug. I guess you could call it a rite of passage. After that, we went to a place called 1785, which is another bar that played some really good music, so Brayden and her friends and all the moms shook our booties together. It was so much fun! 

The next day, we ventured to her sorority house where we were able to see a tour of the downstairs and it was next level. Sorority houses these days are nothing like what I was accustomed to at NC State. They are super bougie now, in all the right ways! We tailgated with her at the Delta Sig house, where they served delicious brisket and had an open bar. It was so fun being in her element! We then made the trek to the stadium to watch the Dawgs destroy the Wildcats. It was the first time in my life I had ever rooted against University of Kentucky and it felt kind of weird. It was a noon game, so afterward we went to El Paso for appetizers and margaritas and then ended up eating dinner at Trapeze Pub with Brayden and two of her best friends from the sorority as well as their parents. We had a great time and enjoyed getting to know the other parents. Afterward, Brayden went out with her friends; meanwhile, Trent and I headed back to the Airbnb and caught up with our housemates. The next day, we had brunch at the Athens Country Club, which was another great opportunity to get to know everyone better. Overall, was an amazing weekend! We are looking forward to having a dad/daughter and separate mom/daughter parent weekends in the spring! While we were gone, Hanleigh enjoyed hanging out at Blakeney with her girlfriends! Thanks again, Grandma and Grandpa for watching her while we were in Athens. We appreciate you!

Myers celebrated his ninth birthday with some bacon-flavored doggie ice cream while wearing a glittery red hat. The only thing that kept him from taking it off of his head was the fact that he was distracted by his treat. Time has flown so fast. I can’t believe he’s nine years old! He’s our little buddy!

Mom brag moment: A star in the making! Brayden had a project that was part of her Media, News & Consumers class to conduct a video interview of someone who manages a local restaurant. They chose Pauley’s, which is one of their favorite places to visit. Brayden produced her first news story for UGA’s daily newscast! The college of journalism and mass communication puts this show together (Grady Night Shift) and it was one of the projects she had to turn in (interview, film, produce). She got a shout out at the end of the segment. So exciting! My eyes teared up seeing her name on the screen! Check out the link to the video package that they did. I’m so proud of her and getting to see the fact that she has so many opportunities like this already as a freshman. On a related note, Brayden was officially accepted into the Grady College of Journalism!!! Basically, how it works is this: you get accepted into that school as an intended major, but you still have to apply and they don’t necessarily accept everyone. However, because she is in the Honors College, she was exempt from writing the essay as part of her application, which was very helpful. Needless to say, this is a pretty big deal.

Hanleigh had an awesome night at Hunter’s house. There were a bunch of guys and girls hanging out on the backyard patio and just chilling out. I love seeing how big and diverse her friend group is. She also joined Ray and Hunter to design and create a beautiful banner for their girls’ homecoming brunch. The amount of talent that these girls have is uncanny. I’m always so impressed! Brayden had her weekly Ruby Tuesday meeting, a Pike social, participated in the AOii run club, and had her sorority composite photo taken. Meanwhile, Hanleigh babysat for our neighbor Aary down the street. It’s good for her to start getting some babysitting clients to help fund her shopping habits!

Trent and I had dinner with Mike, Tonya, and Heather at Dunbar Social, which is a new restaurant and Topgolf swing suite that opened up at the Bowl. We had an awesome time eating delicious food and watching football, and followed that up with a walk home that ended up with a pit stop at Nora Mac’s. Any night with these friends is a good time! Later that week, I had my monthly dinner with Kendall and we went to Whitakers in Fort Mill. I always loves my special time with her. Brayden had a Kappa Sig social and her chapter meeting, and we enjoyed celebrating Fran’s 79th birthday at Mellow Mushroom, followed by cake and ice cream back at our house! Happy birthday, Fran! 

I took my mom in for surgery, which as expected, she did exceptionally well. Well. Her recovery is another story that I’ll touch on in next month’s post. Let’s just say that she is a trooper with such a positive mindset. Mom, you’ve done all the good energy work to make this whole process a success. I just know it! Terry and Fran watched Hanleigh again while Trent and I went to Athens to see Brayden for her birthday weekend while she stayed home to go to her homecoming parties. They do it so much differently now. Apparently, going to the dance is not even a thing. Everyone still gets up dressed up like they’re going to a dance, but instead they just go take pictures at the golf course and then go to a nice dinner. This time around, they went to Piper Glen and then over to another girl’s house for a party. Hanleigh looked absolutely stunning!!! Meanwhile, Trent and I arrived to Athens on Brayden’s 19th birthday. Earlier that day, her roommate had decorated their room with banners and balloons that I had ordered on Amazon and had secretly shipped to their dorm room. Thanks for being my partner in crime, LG! I can’t believe this is the last year that she’s a teenager (check out this video of her over the years!) Trent and I took Brayden out to dinner at Ted’s Most Best (she had never been there and the food is really good, plus they don’t take reservations and it’s order at the counter service, which means you don’t have to wait hours to be sat) and then she went out with her friends while Trent and I went to the Last Resort for a cocktail. The next day, we met up with Brayden and her high school friends, Grant and Sejal, to tailgate at the fraternity houses, and then made our way into Sanford stadium to watch UGA beat Ole Miss, who was undefeated. The game was incredible! After the game, Trent and I went to The Local 706 for dinner, and then called it a night. The next morning, we took Grant, Sejal, Drew, and Brayden out to brunch at Farm Cart, which is probably one of our favorite places to go because it’s so delicious and unique! 

Brayden gave a persuasive speech in her public speaking class, which of course, is a critical skill if you want to have a career in broadcast journalism. Trent, Hanleigh, and I had dinner at Toscana with Aunt Patty and GG. It’s hard to believe that it was the first time we had been there after living in Charlotte so long. It was so tasty! Hanleigh went to Luca’s chorus concert, Brayden spent a weekend in the mountains (near Gatlinburg) as part of a Sig Ep getaway, and I went to Amy’s house for my monthly facial! Then, it was off to Orlando for my annual work conference! This would be the 24th one that I’ve planned! But, what I like most is that myself and a bunch of close colleagues that are equally great girlfriends, fly in a few days early and attempt to relax together and just exhale. Paige has a timeshare through the Westin and so she always hooks us up with a good rate at one of her places. So, we went to the Sheraton Visitana Villages for two nights. We had a delicious fish taco dinner at the house, followed by dancing and the next day, we all did a bit of work, found some time to lay by the pool and play bingo, and then all went out for dinner at Hampton Social. Paige and Fani headed back to the hotel while Stacy, Chris, Becky, and I went out to Cuba Libre for a cocktail where we ran into Jerry Rice, one of the most famous football players and best wide receiver ever in football history. He was really nice and looks pretty good for being 63 years old! After that, we went to the Blue Martini, which is our old stomping grounds anytime we are in Orlando for a conference. The next day, it was time to work, so we checked into the JW Marriott and began prepping for the event. We enjoyed an amazing dinner that first night at an onsite restaurant called Primo, which has probably the best grilled octopus I’ve ever had in my life! It was absolutely incredible. So much so, that we ended up eating there twice over the course of the week. In between all of the breakout sessions, executive forums, meetings and other events, the event was a success. One of the highlights was the the Monster Mash Bash party on Tuesday night, where we broke into a Thriller flash mob in front of a thousand people! This was something I had been managing since July and we had about 25 people participate. We had met about once a month for an hour each time virtually on video conference calls to practice the moves and spend about three hours on site in Orlando rehearsing. I think we may have started a tradition. It was so much fun! Maybe we’ll consider a line dance of some sort for Houston next year to embrace the country-western theme! 

While I was gone, Trent went to our neighbor’s house for their annual pumpkin carving party, Brayden had more chapter meetings and fraternity socials, as well as her advising appointment so that she can register for next semester’s classes. She attended her weekly Grady Night Shift, which is the video broadcasting production studio that students have access to in the journalism school. Hanleigh is now part of a volunteer Club called PAWS, which has a mission to help find homes for pets in need of adoption. My Aunt Carrie is extremely talented in terms of quilting and had many of her quilts on display at a recent exhibit. Check out the video. The month culminated with the annual Halloween party at the Whitcomb’s house, which is great because most everyone dresses up and then we combine all of our candy together to hand out to all the kids in the driveway. Brayden went to Frat Beach during her fall break, which fell over Halloween and she dressed up as Kirby Smart. More pictures to come for that in the next post. Hanleigh dressed up as a piggie.

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