October Happenings

We've had quite the busy October. It included some pumpkin patch fun with Mary, Nick's birthday celebration, a trip to Atlanta to visit with our family, and of course pumpkin painting at Meredith College!

We tried a new pumpkin patch this year... Naylor Farms in Fuquay Varina. We kept the tradition of going with our good friends Matt, Megan, & Mary. It sure seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere, but they had plenty of entertainment and it wasn't crowded.... double bonus! The girls enjoyed riding in the barrels, playing in the corn, and going on a hayride to pick out their pumpkins. The farm even had some cute animals to look at too!

We had a short and sweet trip to Atlanta too. Abe, Christy, and the kids moved down there this summer and have settled into their new home, job, and school. We had a great time visiting and best of all, Camille was the perfect passenger for the 6+ hour car ride each way! Maybe we'll brave that again in 2014. The kids had so much fun together and us parents even got a night to ourselves too!

We also got to participate in the annual pumpkin paining at Meredith College, which Camille always enjoys! Future board member? Maybe so!

Tweetsie Railroad is coming your way.....

I only have one memory of visiting Tweetsie as a child: the cowboys and Indians attacking our train car. I don't remember being scared, just concerned. Well, there is so much more to Tweetsie!

Nick and I decided that Camille was old enough this year and we were right! After a 6 hour day at the amusement, I think we can say we rode and saw everything possible! It was well worth the pricey admission! For anyone thinking of going, I highly recommend going early in the morning when they open. For the first few hours of the morning, there were no lines and we knocked out a bunch of to-sees. By lunch, the park was packed and the line for the chair lift up the mountain got longer and longer.

Camille wanted to start her visit with the train ride full of cowboys. Nick and I had prepped her for the cowboy vs. Indian show down on the train, but to our surprise, all that is now done off of the train from a short distance. The cowboys were quite funny and entertaining, though Camille was only focused on the loud gun noises and the Indians. Her eyes were wide the entire time, but she didn't get scared or upset. After the "show-down," Camille even asked for the Indians to come back and wondered why they didn't come onto the train with her. Silly girl!

There was so much entertainment aside from the train. Camille loved sitting on the horses, putting Daddy in jail, and pretending to drive the carriage.

We got to watch a magic show, some can-can dancers, and even some entertainment from Hopper and Porter.

Camille enjoyed riding the chair lift up the mountain too. I seriously think we rode it about 6 times. It became apparent when we got to the lift and all the operators would comment "We know you know what to do." The chair lift took us to the zoo area, gem mining, and kiddie rides.

Nick and I were amazed and Camille's excitement for the rides. We knew she would like the little kid train, plane, boat, and carousel. We had no clue she would be so into the scrambler, fast Ferris wheel, and go karts. I guess we have an adrenaline junkie on our hands. I could barely see her little head over the big kid rides, but she didn't seem to mind and kept a huge smile on her face.

We enjoyed some good meals in Boone too and the weather was perfect!!

On our way home we got to visit with Gran, Poppy, Pops, Marla, Michael, and Daniel. Camille was pumped full of excitement the entire time. It may be hard to top this mountain trip! She already has asked to go back :)

Laura's Birthday Milestone

This year of the milestone birthday..... and it was the best birthday yet!

Nick did a wonderful job of making my birthday extra special... and for the first time that I can remember, he planned an entire weekend.... from start to finish..... I had no clue as to any of the plans. It was hard not to be the one in control of our planning, but felt nice to not to have to make any decisions. Nick has proved capable of planning, so maybe he can get some more changes for that in the future :)

We started out the celebration with this view of downtown Raleigh.....

How fun! Nick arranged a surprise birthday dinner with some of my best girlfriends and their hubbys at Dos Taquitos, which was in walking distance of this condo where we stayed the night. I loved getting to walk to and from dinner and enjoy the downtown life for a night. The view was so cool, but also made Raleigh look so small.

Though we had to go to work the next day...it was just one day before a long weekend away, so it wasn't so bad. I didn't find out where we were going until we were packed and in the car. Camille got to spend the long weekend with Nick's parents and my mom, while we headed to Oriental/Minnesott Beach. Jeannine & Mitch were nice enough to let us use their condo. What a great place to relax and enjoy the quiet!

We spent most days in Oriental, but did make a birthday evening trip to New Bern and then Beaufort the next day. We ate at some amazing restaurants.... Persimmons, Beaufort Grocery Co, and Baker's Kitchen to name a few. 

I even got to try a new adventure from my bucket list.... paddleboarding! It wasn't too hard and was a great workout!

And as if I hadn't had enough birthday surprises, Nick got me an iPad too! I am now obsessed!! 

So all in all an amazing weekend..... some great views, and most important... relaxation!

I did miss Camille... plus, she wanted to get in on some of the birthday celebrating.... so when we got home, we had a picnic dinner in the park, complete with cupcakes and all. 

Glad to be back home, but very thankful for an attentive husband who loves to give me a break every now and then :) 

Summer Visits

We are always on the go it seems.... but with that comes exciting adventures :)

Some recent visits in July included a day trip to Greenville, NC to visit my childhood friend Stephanie and her new baby girl, Eva Marie. Camille and I enjoyed meeting Eva and seeing that full head of hair in person! I got some good snuggle time with Eva, though Camille seemed to enjoy Brooks' (Stephanie's husband) company most. 

And here is sweet Eva sporting her new NCSU hat from us.

We also got a visit from Dad and the gang in July. Here are all the kids and grandkids. (Yes, it is hard to get Elizabeth out of my arms.)

I ventured to Myrtle Beach at the end of July for a much needed girls weekend. Here are all of the MCG's (Meredith College Girls) in action. We had such a great time catching up!! 

We also headed to the big city of Fuquay Varina for Haley's 1st Birthday.

And to think, we even found time to head to Buffalo Lake for a day on the water with The Gardner's!