I am writing this post a little early because we have a super fun and exciting adventure coming up next week...Utah and California! We are super excited and ready to go (almost)! But first, July! It was, as usual, hot! We stayed busy with a variety of activities.
We started out the month by finishing up the week of volleyball/ballet camp. That feels like a very long time ago now! Erin had a performance on Friday afternoon which was very nice. She really enjoyed her experience at the summer intensive and was also most interested in the all-girl aspect of St. Mary's (haha!). Anna was very brave in trying volleyball for the first time and enjoyed her camp, but is still unsure about trying out for the school team. She still enjoys soccer quite a bit and has kept her skills up this summer with a Thursday night futsal (indoor soccer) clinic. I also enjoyed touring Raleigh that week with all of the comings and goings, and even checked out the Alexander YMCA on Hillsborough Street to work out twice between dropping Anna off at 12:30 and picking Erin up at 3:00. We also had a variety of ice cream treats that week to celebrate the girls working hard!
Anna enjoyed a day at the lake on the 4th, Bob did his usual weekend cooking, and we ladies played with some sparklers that evening.
Bob and Anna and neighbor friends Kevin and Nina and Lily went to watch the Holly Springs fireworks on the evening of the 5th, which they enjoyed quite a bit (including the Dairy Queen stop before)!
That week was pretty quiet after the busy week before. The girls visited the dentist on Tuesday and got good reports. Erin still doesn't have her 12-year molars, so braces talk is still on hold (whew). Anna enjoyed a movie outing that afternoon for Caroline's birthday. Saturday the 10th, we ladies went back to the Alexander Y's indoor pool while Bob cooked meals. Anna even took the swim test and passed to earn her black band! Sunday the 11th, we had a really fun trip to a park in Greensboro for Elliott and Grandpa's birthdays. Finley got to go too and he had a great time too!
Monday the 12th, Erin and I met up with friend Margaret and her mom to talk national parks in Utah, and I hosted my book club that evening. We had a fun day on Wednesday too with Olivia and Josie coming over! We had pizza, did crafts, and went to the pool. So much fun! The rest of the week was fairly quiet (and hot!). The girls and I had a blast swimming at Jordan Lake on Friday the 16th.
Sunday the 18th was the last day of Operation Feed Thy Neighbor, the program that Bob helped start and run for 69 consecutive weekends at StMM. The grand total of meals served was 31,084, and they raised $38,966 in donations to fund the ingredients for these meals. Wow!! We had a fun family celebration after they returned from the site that we all enjoyed a lot!
Erin had a fun visit to friend Carson's house on Monday the 19th, and Anna and I got pedicures while she was there. Thursday, we helped with a fun party at church to celebrate now-Msgr. Staib's 60th anniversary of priesthood. He had retired last summer, but we were not able to have a party until now. We Callaways helped with kids activities for the party, which was lots of fun!
Erin and I enjoyed visiting with friends Vera and Gillette and their moms for Vera's birthday at her pool on Saturday the 24th. Sunday, I helped sell used uniforms for a new kindergartener event at school.
Monday-Thursday the following week, Anna went to tennis camp at Sunset Ridge with Sarah, Rory, and Caroline. It was HOT, but they powered through and really enjoyed pool time after lunch each day! Erin got together with some school friends on Thursday for Lindsey's birthday and had a really fun time painting pottery! Tomorrow, we are looking forward to seeing friends Dave and Kristen for dinner and continuing preparation for the trip.
So, it was a good month...hot as expected, but we got through it. We spent a lot of time at the pool and also visited the YMCA pool a couple of times. We have been enjoying watching the "2020" (postponed) Olympics in Tokyo this week. As far as covid goes, it still drags on. Currently, North Carolina has 60% of eligible (ages 12 and up) people vaccinated and are pushing for more. The "delta variant" is spreading quickly among people who are not vaccinated. It seems like younger kids are still a ways out from being able to be vaccinated. We are still waiting for regulations about the upcoming school year, and still hoping this ends as soon as possible!
