June

 June was a busy and fun month getting summer started off on the right foot!  The first day of the month was Anna’s last day of school, which she stated was one of the first years that she wasn’t sad to be ending.  I’m not sure if we should attribute that to her age or if it just wasn’t her most favorite year, but regardless, she (and Erin) did a great job this year academically, socially, and just all-around!  We are very proud of them!

That evening, Erin had her dress rehearsals for her dance recitals the coming weekend.  We lucked out by getting both classes’ rehearsals on the same night, albeit with a 2-hour break between them.  We ended up going to get Mexican for dinner nearby with Tara and Ella, so it was wonderful to catch up with them!  

Friday the 2nd was Anna’s 13th birthday friend party, which was a blast!  She invited 7 girls over for a taco bar lunch and cake (which Anna decorated herself), and then we all ventured to Jordan Lake for an afternoon on the boat, swimming and tubing!  The girls had a great time, and Bob and I were worn out!  

Saturday and Sunday were Erin’s dance recitals: Saturday at 1:30pm was her ballet class recital, and Sunday at 4:00pm was her contemporary ballet recital.  Both performances were beautiful and she did a terrific job!  After the Sunday performance, we checked out the Morgan Street Food Hall for dinner, which is sort of a glammed-up food court, but was very good (even though several of the options were closed on Sundays).  

Monday began our super fun week in Hilton Head via Concord.  There’s a separate post for that HERE.  Upon returning on the 12th, Bob headed to the airport to go to NYC for work after a quick stop at home to do laundry and re-pack.  Erin went to her first summer ballet class.  We mostly recovered on Tuesday, then Erin and I went to help organize the storage hallway at StMM while Anna had her first weekly summer babysitting job.  Anna had her checkup at the eye doctor on Thursday, and I enjoyed seeing my friend Tina for lunch on Friday.  Saturday, Bob, Erin, and I took a relaxing pontoon boat ride and then Bob, Anna, and I went to a really fun NC Courage (women’s soccer) game that evening.

We had a fairly laid back Father’s Day, including Anna holding down 2 simultaneous cat-sitting jobs (plus 2 more over the course of a couple of weeks).  The week of the 19th was Erin’s morning dance camp at Gibbons, and Anna decided to try the StMM girls’ basketball camp in the afternoons.  It was a little complicated to manage the driving schedules, but we got it done and everyone had fun!  The dance camp put on a very nice performance at the end of the week.  

Saturday the 24th, Anna went to Morgan’s house during the day and Bob and I then cashed in my dog-sitting gift card at Chef’s Palette for dinner - not sure why we always forget about this nice little place that is so close to us!  Sunday, we went to church and then met our StMM buddies the Kavanagh’s at the lake and took them out for an afternoon on a deck boat.  Their kids really liked swimming and tubing!  It was a great time!  Erin and I (and Finley) saw a beautiful rainbow that evening as well.

Anna decided last-minute to join the Gibbons volleyball camp in the mornings during the week of the 26th, which ended up being really great!  4 of her friends from school were there, and it sounds like they had a great time working on their skills before the season begins.  Each day, they focused on a different aspect of the game.  While she was there on Tuesday, Erin and I ventured to the Catholic store in North Raleigh, but sadly weren’t able to find the stickers that she was looking for.  On Wednesday the 28th, Erin had freshman orientation at Gibbons where the goal seemed to be getting to know each other and the school.  She had a good time!  Her friends Olivia and Vera came home with us after the orientation for lunch and hanging out.  Thursday, Erin and I went back to StMM to do more cleaning of the hallway while Anna was at volleyball.  Friday was Anna’s checkup and a more relaxing day.  Anna also had 2 cat-sitting jobs over this week as well.  She has been making lots of money this summer!

So, it was a busy month and it’s always got some adjusting to the summer routine (or lack thereof), but we had a great time - had some lake time, pool time, relaxation, a fun beach trip, activities, a little work around the house, and more!  We are looking forward to some more down time in July, plus a couple more trips thrown in.