November!

My favorite month is over!  So sad...it was a good one, or as good as possible considering the circumstances (Covid).  The good news coming out of this month is that 2-3 companies have promising vaccines in production/testing and are awaiting final approval to distribute them.  In fact, I saw today that the UK will begin distributing theirs within a week.  The bad news is that it will be awhile before healthy non-essential employees get them.  Also bad news is that "the numbers" are going up, though rate of fatalities isn't increasing as quickly.  So, we shall see.  It's really confusing and hard to know what to believe in the news...we hear that there are 4 million cases, yet we still only know 3 people locally (two of them are husband and wife) who had it...and we know a lot of people!  

Anyway - November.  The kids had off the 2nd-3rd for virtual parent-teacher conferences (due to time constraints, we were not contacted to have one, which is good news!).  I enjoyed going to book club on the 2nd at friend Kate's new house.  Then, the school was closed for cleaning on Wednesday the 4th after being used as a polling site.  We closed on our refinance on the 2nd - one good thing out of this is low interest rates!  Erin had her first consultation at the orthodontist on the 4th, and after getting some pictures, they said that her 12-year molars have not come in enough to start any kind of treatment.  We will go back next summer and see how things are looking.  I am still somewhat skeptical of if she really needs it, but we might see what the regular dentist says in December and possibly get a second opinion in the spring.  

Anna played futsal each Friday in November (except for the day after Thanksgiving).  At first, she wasn't sure about it because it is more fast-paced than outdoor soccer, but she now says she might like it even more than outdoor!  It looks like they are working hard on skills that will be helpful in the spring.  Erin continued ballet and piano in person and all is going well (with masks, of course).  I am swimming in Covid-19 health declaration forms between school and activities!  We invested in a forehead thermometer, and it has been worth every penny.

Anyway, the weekend of the 7th-8th was fairly low-key with the usual cooking for Bob (they are up to 36 weeks and over 17,500 meals served!).  The next week was fairly routine, including a used uniform sale at school on the evening of the 10th.  We had a fun afternoon crafting on Saturday the 14th after some morning yard work.  

On the 15th, we had the honor and pleasure of being baby Sawyer's godparents at his baptism!  It was at the beautiful cathedral, and we had a fun and yummy lunch after at Amy and Erik's house.  Sawyer is so sweet!

The 16th and 17th were fine, and then Anna woke up on the 18th with a low-grade fever and runny nose.  Here we go!  Any other year, that would be no problem at all.  However, this year is 2020.  Both kids had to stay home until they both got a negative Covid test.  They were none too pleased about getting the test, but we did get both negative results the following day.  Erin went back to school on Friday, and Anna did on Monday due to still being congested.  I can't imagine that wearing a mask would be too comfortable with a runny nose!  Thankfully, they were able to keep up with school virtually.

Anna had fun at friend Sofia's painting party on the 21st while Erin and I helped prepare tortillas with Bob's cooking crew.  Then we had a fun shopping outing before picking Anna up.  Erin was back to altar serving on the 22nd, and she did a great job with her first time on "bells"!  We had a short school week the following week, with the kids getting out at 11:30am on Tuesday.  Sarah hung out with us that afternoon, which was fun!  

Bob was off Wednesday-Monday, same as the kids, and it was great to have that time off to get house stuff done since he is normally busy either working or cooking the meals on the weekends.  We went Wednesday and got Anna a new mattress (and they disposed of her old one); he and Anna also spent some time building new roof trusses for the nativity at church.  Erin and I took Finley on a hike, as well.  Thursday, we had a great family day at home, complete with the "traditional" beef tips, spaetzle, green beans, apple pie, and ice cream sandwich pie for our Thanksgiving feast!  Yum!

Friday, Bob and Anna did more construction work and picked up our Christmas tree while Erin, Finley, and I did some house work and started baking for the weekend's meals.  Saturday was some yard work and chores, then Sunday was our fun trip to Concord for Thanksgiving!  We had so much fun and loved all the yummy food.  We had fun playing family kickball, too!  Monday was Christmas decorating day, and it is not quite finished, but almost!  Finley is still interested in the tree, but can be redirected so far (it's only been decorated for less than a day).

So, that was November.  It was a beautiful month weather-wise, though we did have a bunch of rain in the middle of the month that probably messed up our fall foliage a little bit.  We enjoyed a fairly successful Wolfpack football season, which ends this coming Saturday.  All things considered, it was a pretty good month. Now begins the Christmas fun!

October!

Well, October is now behind us.  Despite missing some of our usual activities and events due to...you got it...Covid, we still managed to have some fun.  There were not many "official" changes this month regarding the pandemic, other than North Carolina being moved to "Phase 3" on the 3rd.  I think the only changes associated with this were that large outdoor sports venues could allow 7% occupancy and movie theaters, bars, and amusement parks could open at 30% capacity.  So, none of this really meant much to us.  There was much angst towards the middle and end of this month surrounding "the numbers going up", which I think means that more positive cases were reported.  We had three people close to us be diagnosed with the virus - Olivia's mom and dad, and the girls' science teacher.  All 3 did fine and did not require any hospitalization or anything special.  

So, Covid continues to be at the forefront of everyone's minds, unfortunately.  We are all very tired of it! We feel fortunate that the kids are at least able to be at school, and they have settled in to the adjusted routine there.  It's definitely not the fun, vibrant place it normally is, but at least they are there.  Wake county public schools finally started allowing 1/3 of grades K-3 back one week at a time...so they will rotate with one week in school and 2 weeks at home.  Middle school will follow the same pattern starting in November, followed by grades 4-5 (?).  High school will remain virtual through the end of the semester. 

Ok, enough whining about that.  What did we do this month?  We had a fun weekend of the 3rd-4th with soccer, birthday playdate/sleepover at Sarah's for Anna, a day watching dog friend Ruby, a fun friend reunion with Whitney and Melanie and our daughters (minus Anna), Erin's first time back to altar serving since pre-Covid, and Bob doing the regular meal service on Saturday and Sunday.  Not only was Erin back to altar serving, but she had the honor of being there for the naming of Fr. Staib to Monsignor!  The bishop showed up (did not celebrate Mass; he only did the presentation)...how cool was that?!

The following week, the kids had standardized testing for 2 days and I worked at the school used uniform sale on the evening of the 6th.  We had a really fun visit from Grandma A. and Ansley from the 9th-11th.  We stayed busy with soccer, making 10 pans of rice krispie treats for the church meals, making applesauce and a lantern craft, Mexican takeout, church, board games, and lots of fun! 

The following week was more of the usual, including a half day early release for the kids on Friday to mark the end of the first quarter.  Anna had friend Caroline over to play in the afternoon before soccer.  The weekend was more soccer, Wolfpack football (they are having a pretty good year so far, but sadly the quarterback has recently been injured), meals, and church.  The week of the 19th was preparation for Erin's birthday!  You can read all about her big birthday weekend HERE.  Anna also had a fun day at Jordan Lake with friend Sofia on Saturday.  

After returning from Concord, it was back to school for another full week, including a "Halloween colors dress-down day" on Friday (no costumes this year due to Covid).  Erin also got to wear last year's (unused) recital costume to ballet on Thursday.  

We had the remnants of Hurricane Zeta come through on Friday, but we just had some wind and only a little rain.  Areas west of here got hit much harder.  I agreed to help restart the neighborhood newsletter, so I had a meeting and a little work for that.  I think it will be fun and easy way to volunteer for the neighborhood, which I have never officially done before.  Anna's outdoor soccer ended on the 17th, but she is jumping right into indoor futsal for 6 weeks that started on the 30th.  So far, she likes that, too!

We had a good Halloween!  It was nice and less rushed being on a Saturday this year!  We had some sausage dip and carved pumpkins around noon before Bob left to do the meals.  Then we relaxed for awhile before trick-or-treating, which started around 6pm.  Erin was a watermelon and Anna was a zombie soccer player (and Finley was, too!).  The kids made their own costumes this year, which I thought was awesome!  Due to Covid, many neighbors were not handing out candy or sending their kids out, but we did both.  Finley and I sat with candy baggies on our card table at the end of our driveway, and Erin joined us about halfway through . The kids had a walkie talkie with them, which worked well for checking in.  Anna and Laney powered through until about 7:30, when everyone was cold and tired. So it was inside for hot chocolate and Hotel Transylvania.  They got LOADS of candy...seemed like more per house since many people made pre-bagged treats bags for the kids.  Also, most people were set up at the end of their driveways, so that meant less walking up/down driveways.  The kids liked that!  It was also nice to have daylight savings time clock reset that night, so everyone got a little more sleep.  I think this is the first year that everyone actually slept for that extra hour.  Score!

So, October was a fun month with Erin's birthday and Halloween, but we did miss some of our usual events as well.  We are hopeful to be back to normal next year!  Now, on to November!  

Erin is 12!

Our wonderful, beautiful Erin is now 12!  As she likes to remind us, she is one year from being a teenager...SCARY!  After much planning and buildup, she had a really fun weekend!  Her birthday weekend extravaganza started on her actual birthday.  First off was presents at 6am, followed by birthday Cheerios, fruit, and bacon.  Then was the next round of breakfast - donuts in the car for carpool.  She had a good day at school, including mini burgers for lunch.  She was thrilled to get the infamous Prismacolor colored pencils that Olivia has been touting for months.  We will see if they live up to their steep price tag!

Anna got her a gift card and a pack of gum, wrapped in a big box!

After school, we went over to the Apex Nature Park nearby, where we set up for her friend party!  It was tricky to figure out what we could do that was Covid-friendly, and after changing our minds a couple of times, we ended up doing the park thing.  It was a beautiful, warm day, and they all seemed to have a blast.  She invited 6 girls, and 5 of them were able to come - Cora, Lexi, Margaret, Lindsey, and Elena.  Sadly, Olivia's parents actually had Covid and they were quarantined at home at this time.  Olivia and Josie never got sick, and their parents felt bad for a few days, but said it wasn't too awful.  

At the party, the girls made lanterns out of modge podge and paper, then played in the amphitheater for awhile, then played charades (which was surprisingly a hit!).  Then, Bob brought Olive Garden pasta and breadsticks, fruit, and veggies for dinner, and then had pineapple upside down cupcakes.  Then we took a little walk around the park.  It was a fun time!

Saturday was our day in between to regroup and prepare for Sunday!  Erin and I baked strawberry cupcakes with vanilla (pink) icing and had fun decorating them.  We had originally planned to meet at a picnic shelter at Morrow Mountain on Sunday, but the weather wasn't looking so great, so we ended up moving our shelter reservation to the spring for Anna and Logan and decided to go to Grandma and Grandpa A.'s on Sunday instead to have a birthday pizza lunch.  It did end up being a cold and rainy day, so we made the right decision.  We had a great time there with birthday and Halloween fun!

So, Erin had a really fun birthday weekend, despite Covid.  She was SO excited!  What's new with Erin lately?  Well, she continues to work her very hardest at everything she does.  We are so very proud of her for giving it her all each and every day.  She is a wonderful example for all of us in that way!  Somewhat shocking to her parents, she now speaks up in class and emails with friends often.  She still loves ballet - she is only taking one class this year, so going on pointe is not yet on her radar, but we are all ok with that.  I have heard awful stories about foot injuries related to that.  She continues to love piano, and she plays beautifully!  She's excited to be back in the saddle with altar serving once a month as well.  When she's not busy with school and those activities, she enjoys walking Finley and helping around the house.  Erin is constantly asking how she can help.  She is so pleasant and cooperative all of the time!  We just love her so very much and are incredibly proud of who she is today.  Now, let's see how the pre-teen and teen years go!

September!

Well, another month of Covid has come and gone.  I guess we have made small progress towards normalcy, but we still have a long way to go.  School has been in for 6 weeks now and all is going well.  There have not been any outbreaks or problems related to being in school.  We complete a health questionnaire every morning before school (same for piano lessons and soccer), and they screen each kid and adult who enters the school with a forehead thermometer.  The governor stated in the middle of September that schools could reopen on "Plan A", which was the least restrictive of the 3 options, at the discretion of each county/school system.  After that, he went to "Phase 2.75", which allows outdoor sports events to allow spectators at 10% capacity or something like that.  Also, as of October 2nd, the state will move to "Phase 3", which is the final stage towards reopening businesses.  I think the main difference is that movie theaters, bars, and amusement parks can now open if they choose to.

Anyway, the month started out with us adjusting to the new normal of school, my new job in the school cafeteria, and Bob continuing to work from home.  We had a really fun Labor Day weekend with cousins Logan, Ansley, Ben, and Elliott coming up to visit!  We all did a 2-mile hike around Bass Lake here in Holly Springs, then the dads and Logan camped overnight at Falls Lake while the moms and everyone else had a fun sleepover here, including swimming at the pool!  

Elliott and Finley had a blast together!  Then Sunday we watched church on TV and drove up to StMM for communion.  They all headed back home after a pizza lunch.  We got our flu shots on Monday, woo hoo!  

The following week was pretty routine, with me spending a day at school working the used uniform sale.  Since parents can't go in to the building right now, we had to lug all of the donated used uniforms out, organize them on tables and racks, and be there to take money from people.  It worked out well, but was hot!  Our next one is October 6th, and that will be much better weather!  Thursday the 10th was Erin's first in-person ballet class since March, and she was a bit intimidated by the higher level class and teacher, but the following week went much better.  The weekend of the 12th-13th was nice - we went to our friend Emilyanne's birthday parade, Anna played at Caroline H.'s house, and Bob served meals on Saturday and Sunday.  We also picked Olivia up and did a fun hike and picnic at Jordan Lake on Sunday.

The week of the 14th was a beautifully cool week, which we all really appreciated and enjoyed...especially Finley!  I had fun at my first in-person book club since March on Monday and also a neighbor mom outing to a craft place on Wednesday.  

We had a busy week with school, cafeteria duty, activities (piano for Erin and me, soccer for Anna, and ballet for Erin), and the kids got their passports renewed (technically, reapplied since they are under 16 years old).  We had a WILD time at the Holly Springs Post Office when we applied for their passports on the 16th...an older gentleman walked in to the post office while we were there completing the passport paperwork (a bunch of other people were in there too) and a gun fell out of his pocket/pants!  Chaos ensued and the postal workers were VERY upset at the guy - apparently he comes in there every day and they know him somewhat.  He retrieved his weapon, walked out, and rode away on a motorcycle without saying a word!  Crazy!   We never felt in danger since this guy was moving very slowly, though Bob said later that he was most worried about him accidentally shooting it when he picked it up off the floor.  We've had fun telling that story!

We were beyond excited for the first NC State football game on Saturday the 18th against Wake Forest, which they won!  The second game against Virginia Tech didn't go so well, but we are grateful that they are playing.  Sunday the 20th was the first official "Mass in person" where anyone could come, not just those who were volunteering as ministers of some sort.  Yay!  They continue to offer the video of the mass on YouTube and also a Sunday evening outdoor mass, weather permitting.  The next week was status quo until our big trip to Colorado on Thursday.  We had a blast!  You can read more about the trip HERE.  

After returning on Sunday evening (we dropped Bob off at the meal distribution site and he jumped right in, literally on the way home from the airport), we tried to readjust to Eastern Time, which took a day or so.  Then it was back to the grind!  

So, September was a good month.  We are still not back to normal, but I guess we are getting there, very slowly.  It's hard to know the real situation with the virus because of media distortion and politics.  We can basically go anywhere now as long as we have a mask on, and there is no longer any concern about touching surfaces (I guess...?).  Clorox wipes are the hottest commodity in the stores, but masks, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper are now stocked in full.  Restaurants are open, and people can eat at tables without masks on.  I still don't quite get how that is "safe" if other similar settings are not, but I won't complain!  Public schools are starting to go back in a phased/rotating schedule beginning in mid-October (elementary and middle schools).  We aren't sure if/how Halloween will go as of now, and the state fair is not going to happen.  Despite that, October will still be a fun and busy month with Miss Erin's big 12th birthday!  She can't wait!

Rocky Mountain National Park 2020!

We had a really great visit to Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, and Denver this past weekend!  With all of the events of 2020, we had two trips canceled this year (Aruba for spring break was moved to July and then canceled, and our trip to Banff in June was also canceled), and we really wanted to go somewhere new!  Also, we could fly directly from Raleigh to Denver on Southwest, and we still had the kids fly free as companions.  We could be outside hiking and not in a busy city/public transit/museums, so it seemed like a good trip to try.

We left Raleigh at 10:30am on Thursday, September 24th and had no issues with the flight.  The airport was not crowded, and Southwest was keeping the middle seats open for social distancing, so that gave us more space to spread out.  We landed around 12:10pm mountain time, got our rental car (Jeep Cherokee), and drove the hour and 20 minutes or so to Estes Park.  Since we arrived before our 4pm check-in time, we made a quick stop to see an elk swimming in a small pond at the edge of town, and then we stopped again at Lily Lake and walked around the lake.  This lake is at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, but did not require an entrance ticket (we possibly broke the rules by entering, but there was no ranger there checking for tickets).  It was a really pretty 0.5 mile flat path around the lake.

After that, we checked in to our cabin at the Rams Horn Village Resorts.  This place was really awesome!  It was a property with 50 or so detached or attached cabins...by cabins, I should say cottages.  They were heated, had fully equipped kitchens, and were really nice!  It seemed like they normally have lots of activities for visitors, but of course none of that was happening due to covid.  I went to the grocery store nearby (which was super busy) and picked up a yummy pizza from a local place.  We ate, and then the kids did schoolwork outside at the picnic table and hammock at our cabin, followed by s'mores. 

Friday morning, we were up bright and early due to the time change!  Bob made omelettes and sausage and we loaded up on protein before Day 1 of hiking!  We had 8am park entry tickets, so we got ready, packed our lunch, made a quick stop at a convenience store at the park entrance, tried to visit the information center (it was closed) and took obligatory pictures at the park entrance sign (Beaver Meadows entrance).  

Then, we were in!  We drove to the park and ride, found a parking spot, and hopped on the shuttle bus to the Bear Lake stop.  From there, we hiked around Bear Lake, which was a fun 0.6 mile easy hike around the lake, with lots of rocks to climb on and very pretty photo ops.  After Bear Lake, we were back to the ranger station and had our first experience with the composting bathrooms (Anna did NOT like them, but we visited them often because we were trying to stay hydrated in the high altitude).  Then was our long hike, which was 3.6 miles round trip and passed by 3 lakes (Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake).  This was long, but we took lots of breaks and admired the views.  After that, we rode the bus back to the car, drove to a picnic table at Tuxedo Park and enjoyed our lunch.  

After lunch, we began our driving adventure along Trail Ridge Road, across the northern end of the park.  This was gorgeous and a little scary at times!  We got out many times to take pictures and admire the view.  Towards the western end, we got out at the Trail Ridge store and cafe, looked around in the store, got snacks and souvenirs, and then walked up a path to a peak there that is 12,005 feet above sea level!  

We were above the tree line and in the tundra.  It was amazing!  From there, we drove a little further west to the continental divide at Milner Pass.  After that, we headed back to the cabin, picked up Mexican food for dinner, and the kids swam in the pool, even though it was probably in the low 70s by that point.  What a day!

Saturday, we were up early, had pancakes and sausage, packed our stuff, and headed out to the same park entrance via the same convenience store.  Even though we were there by 8am, other people had secured a 6-8am park entrance ticket and had filled up the park and ride lot.  So, Bob dropped us girls off at Bear Lake and went back to search for a parking spot.  

He did find one, rode the bus to where we were (we hiked around Bear Lake again), and we all rode the bus to Glacier Gorge, where we hiked to Alberta Falls, which was a really pretty 1.4 mile hike.  

Then we took the shuttle back to the car and drove to Sprague Lake, which was a neat little lake that had formerly been a summer vacation property before being purchased for the national park.  From there, we drove through Moraine Park and checked out a visitor's center and then had lunch in a meadow with elk in the distance, which was extremely windy!  Erin ended up in the car at one point.  

We then drove to the St. Catherine of Siena Chapel on the Rock, which is just outside RMNP on the southeast side.  This was a beautiful little church, and has the honor of being visited by St. Pope John Paul II when he was in Denver for World Youth Day in 1993!  There is also a big Christ statue outside the chapel.  

From there, we drove to the Wild Basin entrance to the park, on the southeastern side, which was a much less crowded and smaller area.  We took a long dirt road to the hiking path to Copeland Falls and enjoyed the lower and upper falls.  Then, we bid farewell to RMNP, drove into Estes Park, and walked through the downtown area for a little bit, including an ice cream stop at the Sugar Shack.  We left in time to get to 4pm mass at Our Lady of the Mountains, also in town.  It was a very pretty church and was full (within Covid restrictions).  

After church, we started driving back to Denver and stopped about halfway in Longmont for a BBQ dinner at Smokin' Dave's.  Then we continued on to our Residence Inn at the Denver airport, brought all of our stuff up, and spent awhile getting it all repacked.  Then it was bedtime after digging a splinter out of Anna's foot and watching a sad NCSU football game.  We got up Sunday morning, had a disappointing hotel breakfast due to Covid. and had time for a quick swim in the hotel indoor pool, then hit the road across the street to the airport.  

The Denver airport was crowded!  We had no issues getting our bags checked or through security, though.  We got pizza/pasta in the airport and got on the flight.  The return flight was a little shorter than the westbound, due to jet streams, I guess.  All went well, and we got home to meet Finley, who Ms. Kellie had picked up from the Pooch Pad for us that afternoon. 

So, it was a wonderful trip!  We had perfect weather - lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s both days and no rain/snow, though Sunday morning was a LOT colder.  We had perfect timing that way!  Trees were beginning to change color, and that was beautiful. 

We didn't see as much wildlife in the park as we expected - mostly chipmunks begging for snacks, birds, and trout in the creeks.  However, we saw lots of deer and elk in the town and around our cabin!  People seemed to not think twice about that, so it must be common.  It was a really great trip and we had a wonderful first experience with the kids at a national park.  Erin is already talking about Yellowstone next!  The full photo album is HERE!

August

Well, things are slowly becoming somewhat more normal...or at least a little closer to normal, with still some things being definitely NOT normal.  But, baby steps!  Let's see...August started out really great with a super fun trip to Hilton Head (again!) where we met the Summer family and Grandma and Grandpa A. We got a hotel room at the new Courtyard by Marriott for 3 nights, and they were all in a really nice house down the road for the week.  We had a blast at the beach, riding bikes, pools at the house and hotel, and also did a really neat kayak tour one morning where we saw lots of dolphins, birds, and even a manatee!  So much fun!  

Finley tried the pool at the Pooch Pad while he was there, and it sounded like it was kind of a bust. 

We came back and had a yummy anniversary dinner a day late at Town Hall Burger and Beer right by our house while the girls stayed home alone (freedom!).  The following week, we stayed busy with school prep and also watching the Tierney birds (we had no casualties on our watch this time, thank goodness) and the Sauls guinea pig, plants, fish, and hermit crab.  Anna had a fun sleepover with Sarah, where they did their last virtual summer hip hop class and also went to paint pottery!  The girls and I laid a bunch of mulch and pine straw on the 10th in record time, supervised by Finley.  

Erin had her first piano lesson of the year also on the 10th.  It is back in person (with a virtual option), with her and the teacher wearing masks and sitting 6 feet apart.  The teacher got a cool new electronic piano that is more cleanable than her baby grand, so that is fun to play on!  I had my first lesson on September 2nd.

The week of the 17th, we had virtual meet the teacher and then the big first day of school on Thursday the 20th.  School is very different so far this year, but overall they (and I) are happy that they are back.  It feels good to be more in the normal routine and for me to not be trying to teach them everything.  The class sizes are smaller, they have to wear face masks all day except when eating, and they have to stay in their classrooms other than going to the bathroom, recess, or PE.  So, there is some grumbling about not switching classes, not eating lunch in the cafeteria, and missing out on some freedom, but overall I think they are just happy to be there, and they are adjusting to all of the changes.  Just being at school in itself was a big change after being home for over 5 months!  Luckily, Olivia is in Erin's class and Sarah is in Anna's, so we are all relieved about that.  Erin reports having fewer "bad boys" in her class this year, and Anna seems generally pleased with her class, so they really can't complain too much.  They have several new teachers this year, and all of them seem to be really great!

I am excited to report that I now have my first real "on the books" paying job since 2009!  Ha!  The cafeteria manager at StMM asked me if I would help cook/pack/deliver lunches to the classrooms.  Between the school not allowing parents or volunteers in the building and the requirement that kids eat in the classrooms and not the cafeteria, she needed to add some more staff.  I am just working two lunch shifts a week for a grand total of 6 hours a week, though this week I did pick up an extra shift because two people couldn't be there.  Anyway, it has been a blast so far and I am enjoying having the time in the building and getting to peek at everything.  It's also a really fun group to work with - we stay busy and work hard!

Some family excitement is that Dale and Maria and their boys moved to Orange County this month!  They had a big adventure driving cross country with the 3 boys and dog.  They got there, closed on their house, and are now moved in and settling in to a totally new area!  They are lucky to be close to the beach and are enjoying the gorgeous southern California weather.  Their house looks beautiful and we can't wait to visit!

Those are really the main highlights for the month.  We have spent the last two weeks mostly settling into the school routine.  We are doing a carpool with two other families this year, even though it was "strongly discouraged" by the school (they check the kids' temperatures each morning, and if one kid in a car has a fever, the whole car gets sent home to quarantine/"go virtual" for an extended amount of time), and that's going well so far.  Bob has continued cooking meals every Saturday and Sunday with the Knights of Columbus to donate, though things look to be changing there regarding funding from the county/state, so they may be changing their plan in the next month or so.  I have still been baking 8 batches of various bar cookies every Friday to him to put with the meals, and the girls and I have helped here and there with dinner prep and bagging donated groceries and produce to distribute.  

Erin had her first two ballet classes for the year at home virtually, but since the governor moved us to "Phase 2.5" starting tomorrow evening, they will now start meeting at the dance school on their regular schedule beginning next week.  She will have to wear a mask and parents can't be in the studio, but otherwise it sounds pretty much like normal.  Anna started soccer at the Y last week with neighbor friend Nina, and she had a great time!  They won't be playing other teams this year, but will be doing some drills and scrimmages within the team.  I think it will be a great season for her, and a good way to get started, since she hasn't played since she was 4. 

So, other than the coronavirus saga continuing, it was a fun month.  In between everything else, we have spent some time at the pool and have gone on a few hikes plus our daily neighborhood walks. 

It's been hot lately, though we did have a little reprieve at some point during the month.  Fall will get here eventually, right?!  We are looking forward to continued improvements on the situation here and hoping for better times ahead!  As of now, the ACC is still playing football, though the first NC State game was delayed until 9/19.  We are hoping that still happens!

July!

Well, the coronavirus situation is still happening, but we tried our best to have some fun and normalcy in July!  We started out by having a special neighbor gathering on the evening of the 1st in remembrance of our good friend Mr. Tom who passed away one year ago.  It was really good to have that time together, and thanks to Karen for organizing it!  Erin was the prayer leader, and she did a great job.  

Erin also did a great job taking care of the neighbors' plants that first week of July, as well as the fourth week of July.  On Saturday the 4th, we ladies went to the Sauls house for a fun neighbor cookout while Bob cooked and delivered meals (which he did every Saturday and Sunday in July, except for the 12th).  We also walked to see some exciting fireworks being set off by various people in our neighborhood.  The town of Holly Springs had theirs on TV on the 5th, and they were good too.

We had our dog friend Carter with us from June 27th until July 11th, and we all really enjoyed having him, with the exception of probably Erin and Finley.  Carter is a very sweet and gentle little guy, and we were happy to see him in the "going home" video with his new mom the week after we took him back.  

Sunday the 5th, we girls went to friend Luke's birthday parade which was fun, but of course we all would have rather had a real party!  It was still great to see him, Enzo, their parents, and Mel!  The week of the 6th was Erin's virtual Summer Intensive with the Carolina Ballet.  She had auditioned back in January (aka pre-Covid) and was so excited to learn that she got in to this program!  What was originally going to be two full week at St. Mary's school in Raleigh learning lots of ballet, conditioning, and other types of dance, turned into one full week at home dancing via Zoom.  However, Erin was a very good sport and enjoyed it.  The school did a great job of trying to make it as interactive as possible.  Go Erin!

Other than that, the rest of us stayed busy with work, friends, the visitor dog, outdoor cycle classes at the Y, book club via Zoom, and a church meeting via Zoom.  None of this would have happened in the same way in a "normal" summer, but it is what it is.  I guess I should say that I am thankful that we still got to do these things, but of course I wish it was back to the old way!

Saturday the 11th, Anna got to go to Caroline's house for her birthday mini-party and really had a blast with Caroline, Sarah, and Maddy.  Caroline's parents were very smart and rented one of those huge inflatable water slides for the whole day and had 3 mini parties (one for each of their kids) during the day.  Brilliant!  On Sunday the 12th, we had a super fun time in Concord for Elliott's birthday party!  It was SO good to see everyone after 5 months apart!  It was also the last time we were going to see Dale, Maria, Cole, Cooper, and Vinnie before their big adventure moving to Orange County.  So that was sad for us, but we are also so excited for them and can't wait to visit! 

We didn't have much planned the week of the 13th, but really it was our first week in 5 weeks that we didn't have something scheduled all week (tennis camp, Joey and Quint here, hosting Carter, and ballet camp), so it was nice to have a little freedom that way.  We had Sarah over to go to the pool one day and just tried to keep ourselves busy.  Erin and I finally got to the Holly Springs Farmers Market on the 18th. 

We girls finally had our first time helping in the StMM kitchen on Sunday the 19th.  We helped assemble bags of groceries and cook for the meals that Bob had been helping with.  It was great!  

On the 21st, Grandpa A. brought up our wonderful new furniture piece, a sectional that Dale and Maria could not move with them to CA.  We are loving it in our bonus room already and are so thankful to have it!  Grandma and Ansley also came up from Tuesday-Thursday that week, and we had lots of fun at the pool, cooking, doing crafts, and even had a frozen yogurt outing to My Berry, which was the first time we Callaways have eaten in an establishment since early March!  

Anna had the first of 4 hip hop summer dance classes via Zoom on Tuesday evening.  We had a pretty quiet weekend of the 25th-26th other than the meals and we girls went to help on Sunday again.

The last week of the month (July is SO long!), we just hung around the house and tried to stay cool...some days the high was 95 or higher!  Anna and Laney played a lot, and we did a few evening pool visits when it was more bearable than during the day. We have had our share of boredom and general unhappiness with the situation, but we are trying our best to remain positive.  

Our school did announce that they were going to open full-time while implementing all requirements as mandated by the state of NC, so after much deliberation between sending them to school in masks, doing block scheduling, and lots of other changes versus staying at home and doing school virtually...we all voted for them to go.  I just hope and pray that wearing masks all day isn't a huge problem, and hopefully things will change soon (or even before school starts).  NC was in Phase 2 through July 17th, at which point the governor extended it another 3 weeks and also issued the mask mandates for schools among other restrictions.  So, maybe at that 3-week mark (August 7th), we will get some good news as far as easing the restrictions.  I hope!!  Wake County schools, after a few iterations, are now going all virtual to start with plans to reassess a few weeks in, with the option to stay virtual through December.  

We had come up with a wild idea to do a road trip with the kids and Finley if they had to do distance learning and even came up with routes and looked into some details (travel trailer/RV!), but that is on hold since we ended up deciding to send them to school.  That is probably the best (and is definitely is the easiest) outcome, but it's a little sad to let that fun idea go.  Who knows what will happen - and there's always next summer!  In the meantime, we have a long weekend planned to Denver at the end of September to give us all a little something to look forward to...and we are also meeting the Summer family and grandparents back in Hilton Head next week, so that will be a lot of fun, too!

June!

Well, we spent another month in various degrees of "quarantine".  However, we have still tried our best to make summer as fun as possible!  We spent the first 5 days of June not in Banff as originally planned, but instead in Hilton Head!  We had a blast on the beach, in the pool, and riding bikes all over the island.  The weather was wonderful and it wasn't too crowded.  It was also great to get away from the house/dog!  We stayed in a condo in Shipyard Plantation and brought Bob's and Anna's bikes.  We rented a tandem for Erin and me, and it all worked perfectly!  We could ride the bikes to the beach on a paved path, and also biked around the island.  We discovered the northeast end of the island one morning, a really neat secluded beach with views of nearby islands/mainland.  It was a wonderful week, and we can't wait to go back in August with family!

Once we got home and got Finley readjusted from the Pooch Pad (he was exhausted and under the weather as he always is after going there), it was time for summer mode!  We tried to stay busy with neighbor friends, Sarah, and had a fun week watching the Tierneys' parakeets while they were in Branson (other than one passing away on our watch...apparently he was at the end of his lifespan and they were not upset.  Whew!).  We also got window films put on the front windows of the house on the 8th.  They look great and make a huge difference in heat inside the house in the afternoons.  Yay!  I finally got to go back to the Y on Friday the 12th for cycle class, but it had a twist.  Cycle class was outside!  They have been moving the stationary bikes outdoors for the classes!  It was warm but really not bad at all.  I was so happy to be back.  I signed up for class the following week, but it got rained out.  I was able to go on the 26th.  Between those, Bob has been sharing his stationary bike at home, plus we have been doing lots of dog walks and a few yoga videos at home.  I should try to branch out a little more!



We had friend Caitlin over on the 13th in the morning, then enjoyed a belated pool opening day on Sunday the 14th.  As with everything, there are changes to the pool this year.  There are no chairs/tables and no floats/toys allowed, but we are nonetheless thankful for it to be open.  The 15th-18th, Anna had tennis camp over at Sunset Ridge.  She and Sarah had a blast, despite 2.5 out of the 4 days being really rainy.  That may have been better than 90 degree humidity, though!  Erin went to the dentist while Anna was at camp, and I got a haircut that week as well.  Bob had a nice Father's Day complete with bike ride and a belated grilling out due to helping with the meals on his actual day.  We got him some more bike accessories!



The 20th-26th, we got to spend some time with neighbor friends Joey and Quint while their mom and Laney went to see family in Florida.  They were over from 9am-2pm and we had lots of fun playing here, going to the pool, having a pizza party, playing outside, etc.!  It kept us busy as an added bonus!  Anna also had her 10-year checkup and dentist appointment that week.  One went better than the other, but we are cutting back snacks and working on some improvements ;)

Saturday morning the 27th, Anna and I drove up to Wake Forest to pick up our first-ever host dog for the week!  She has been asking to host a dog for a week/weekend, and we were finally able to do it.  We got the sweetest little young adult German Shepherd mix who must be mixed with something small, because he is only 34 pounds.  He is wonderful!  Finely was NOT pleased the first 2 days, but seems to be calmer now.  The host dog (we are calling him Carter to go with Finley) is quiet, well-mannered, house-trained, and great on the leash.  We could not have gotten a better dog.  The good news is that he has been adopted, but for some reason he can't go to his new home yet, so we get to watch him this week.  That's even better news because we won't have to be sad about taking him back!  So, that's been something fun and new to try.  I don't know how often we will host due to how far Saving Grace is from our house, and also Finley's attitude.  But, we will see!



So, that was June.  Other than all of this, we have been trying to get outside as much as possible and also have done a few more home improvements.  In addition to the window film, Bob replaced one toilet and has a second one on order.  And, we got a new mattress for our bedroom.  Bob managed to convince me to try a latex foam one, and so far, it is great!  Finley seems pleased, which is what really matters.

"Phase 2" statewide restrictions got extended from June 22nd to July 17th, and the governor made masks mandatory in NC until we hear otherwise, so that means masks in public with a few exceptions and no gyms or bars opening.  We are still doing TV Mass and "drive through" communion, but our wonderful pastor, Fr. Staib, is retiring today (!) and we are getting a new pastor, so we shall see what he decides to do as far as church.  As before, it is hard to know what all to believe about all of this, but we are trying to hang in there and hope and pray for school to start in August.  The governor is supposed to make an announcement tomorrow regarding school requirements.  People seem to think that they will open with some modifications, so we will see.  Our principal took a survey in June, and 94% of respondents said they'd send their kids back if it was "reasonably safe".  Sooooo...that's a good sign!  Erin the optimist has already bought most of her school supplies.  Let's hope they are put to use!

May

Well, May was another month of quarantine!  Things did ease up a little bit towards the end of the month, but we are still far from "normal".  Bob and Anna had a fun campout in the backyard on the night of the 3rd.  We had a Cinco de Mayo dinner at home on the 5th, which Anna especially enjoyed. 



The highlight of the first week of May was Bob's birthday!  He had a nice day, even though he had to work from home...we had yummy ice cream sandwich cake and he opened a few gifts, though he had gotten his big gift, the bike, a few weeks early. 



We also had a fun time on Wednesday the 6th delivering teacher appreciation gifts on behalf of the PSO.  It was fun to "sneak attack" the teachers at their houses!  Our list wasn't really any of the girls' teachers, but we still knew most of them and had fun.  Anna also went to the eye doctor on the 8th, and her prescription changed a little bit.  She went with tortoiseshell frames this year, and we think she looks very grown up in them!

We had a fun weekend over the 9th-10th, starting with a family rosary call with cousins and grandparents organized by Erin.  She did a good job!  Then there was the neighborhood graduation parade, where high school and college graduates (and a few preschool and kindergarten ones, too!) drove through with their parents and we all sat in our driveways and cheered for them.  Sunday was a fun Mother's Day, complete with family nature hike/bike ride. 



The following week was a little more busy with some dance virtual classes, a flower-watering job for Erin at the neighbors' house, gift drop-off by Ms. Margaret the piano teacher, and ending the week with Anna's virtual birthday party on Saturday morning! 







She opened gifts from cousins and grandparents and we all watched and admired.  Right after that was Erin's virtual (again) piano recital, which was really nice.  Margaret had each student record themselves introducing and playing their songs, and she then compiled it into an hour-long video that we all watched together (virtually).  The most amazing part was two group songs where Margaret had kids play a little part of a song and she compiled it all together...some parts had up to 4 kids playing/singing at the same time!  I have no idea how she did that.  Super neat!



Monday the 18th was Anna's big day, and she celebrated to the max with Sarah staying over, playing with Laney and having lots of fun and special food!  Her favorite gift is her hoverboard that she got with money from Grandma and Grandpa A.  She rides that thing all the time! 

 

 

The rest of the week was more of the same with virtual school and activities.  Erin had her final piano lesson on the 18th, and then we were able to put away our ladder/webcam setup for the summer.  North Carolina officially went into "Phase 2" of restrictions on May 22nd, which didn't mean a whole lot for us other than the church is now offering outdoor communion services on Sundays after we view Mass at home on tv.  Also, more stores have opened and I guess people can gather in larger groups (?).  But, since school and activities are still not back to normal, our life is not either.  At some point in May, Laney was allowed to start playing with Anna again, and all of our lives vastly improved at that point.

We didn't do much over Memorial Day weekend other than the usual, but it was nice to have that extra day off.  We did have a fun bike ride/hike around the lake at Apex Community Park on Monday evening. 



The girls' last day of school was Friday the 29th, and then we were able to put those workstations away as well.  I went to school to return books and clean out the lockers. Anna's teachers had cleaned the papers out for us and put all of her stuff in a big envelope, so I totally feel like they went above and beyond taking on that job for all 65 kids! 



We had a fun final weekend of May with beautiful weather.  Each weekend in May, Bob has spent both Saturday and Sunday afternoon/evening cooking, packaging, delivering, and distributing meals to those in need in a neighborhood in Apex as a part of the Knights of Columbus.  I make 250 desserts on Fridays and bag them up for them to distribute as well.  The recipients are very thankful for this food during a very stressful time.  So, a lot of our weekends have included this time for Bob and us ladies usually hanging out at home.

So, that was May.  It was still far from normal and far from how we would have wanted to spend the month with fun end-of-year activities, field day, birthdays, Mother's Day, cousins' First Communion with my grandparents visiting, a Garth Brooks concert in Charlotte, piano and dance recitals, but at the same time, it strangely felt "normal", since this is our new normal. Some days it was nice to not feel as busy and frantic as May normally is, but we would have given anything to have the usual hectic month.  We have come up with creative ways to stay in touch with family and friends from afar.  But, it is what it is, and we continue to hope for better days ahead this summer!  The summer shall be interesting with the same restrictions but also without school to keep the kids somewhat busy.  Our pool is scheduled to open on Friday, June 12th, so we are keeping our fingers crossed for that.  Hopefully we will have a better report next month!