March!

March was very busy!  We accomplished a lot this month, for sure.  We started out on the 1st with Erin having her second musician's meet-up of the year (driving herself there!), and Bob and I went to the countertop store in an attempt to choose one for the kitchen remodel in May, but left without a top choice and with lots of confusion.  There are so many material options, let alone colors and patterns of each!  Anna had a fun evening going to Lyla's birthday party, including dinner out and a sleepover.  Meanwhile, the other 3 of us went to a Mexican place for dinner and saw Anna and her crew at a red light on the way!  Sunday the 2nd, Bob did a practice run for the new fish fry setup this year (sadly, without any actual food to bring home).  He was off to Washington, DC Monday-Wednesday that week, then home for a day to host a meeting in Durham, and then off to Sydney on Friday the 7th for his twice-yearly trip there.  

The kids had an all-school Mass on Ash Wednesday, followed by a tornado warning that required them to hunker down for awhile.  Erin and I enjoyed Olivia's band chamber concert on Thursday evening, and Anna had a 3-day pet-sitting job for Ruby and Luna beginning on Thursday, as well as another dog-sitting job for Jack from Friday-Sunday.  Friday, we got fish fry takeout.  

Saturday was the long-awaited night of theater, where Erin and I saw Shucked at the DPAC with Olivia, Jeff, their moms, and Jeff's sister and friend.  We also enjoyed a yummy South American-themed dinner at Luna before the show.  Shucked was so funny and had great music!

Between the late night out and daylight savings time, we were dragging on Sunday.  We watched some basketball and did chores before going to youth Mass at 6pm, where Erin lectored and did a great job, followed by youth group.  Erin's in the home stretch before Confirmation next month, which we are all happy about!  

Finley went to the vet on Monday the 10th for his annual checkup, which has turned in to quite the saga.  The vet wanted to clean his teeth, which was fine because he's never had it done in his 6 years of life.  In order to do that, they needed to do blood work, so we had a second visit for that the following week.  The bloodwork showed elevated liver enzymes, so we had to go back again for a fasting blood draw.  The fasting blood draw still showed elevated liver enzymes, so it's back for an ultrasound on April 2.  I'm always skeptical about how much is a money grab and how much is real, but you can see that we have been talked in to it.  Stand by for dog medical developments!

Anna had fun attending an StMM soccer game on the 11th, watching them beat Cathedral.  Erin helped at the Gibbons welcome night on the 12th, greeting the rising freshmen.  Thursday the 13th, we all rushed down to Fuquay after school for Erin to interview at Harris Teeter, and...she got a job as a cashier!  Yay!  

Bob began his trek home from Sydney, via Fort Wayne, on Friday (Thursday, our time).  He landed in Fort Wayne (after connections in Houston and Chicago) and had relatively uneventful flights other than delays in Sydney and Houston that ended up not being an issue.

I left early Saturday morning to fly to Fort Wayne via Charlotte for Gregg and Meghan's wedding!  Despite a short delay in Charlotte and some weather entering Fort Wayne, I arrived, more or less on time.  Bob picked me up at the airport; he had landed the night before.  We went straight to Fazoli's and had a yummy lunch with Grandpa, and then all headed to visit my grandparents at their apartment.  We had a really nice visit with them and enjoyed seeing their apartment.  Then it was on to the hotel downtown to get ready for the wedding.  We were able to walk to the wedding from our hotel.  The ceremony was very nice, and the reception was lots of fun!  Both were at the historic Baker Street Station.  We really enjoyed being there and catching up with everyone.  

Sunday morning, Grandma met us for Mass at the cathedral at 8:30, then we did a short driving tour of Fort Wayne and stopped to see the houses on Kruse Drive before grabbing our stuff and car back at the hotel and heading on to the airport.  We had no issues getting back other than a short delay leaving Fort Wayne due to weather in Charlotte, which meant that we couldn't catch the earlier connection in Charlotte.  We got home around 6:15pm, and the kids and Finley were all in one piece and happy!  They went to church with the neighbors as planned and we got unpacked, hit the grocery store, and walked Finley.  It was a great weekend, and the kids did well with staying home alone for 36 hours!

Erin interviewed for a parks and rec summer camp counselor job on the 17th (when it rains, it pours!).  She had applied to around 18 jobs; after a slow start, and she ended up with three invitations to interview and two job offers (she declined the interview at the snow cone place).  She was back to Harris Teeter on Wednesday to complete new hire paperwork, and then had a rehearsal for her piano concert on Thursday.  This girl has been BUSY!  Anna had a great time on her advisory service day on the 19th, where her advisory (group of 14 kids that meets twice per week with their advisor for the entire 4 years at Gibbons) went to volunteer at a day care, lunch, and to a historical site in Raleigh.

I enjoyed an hour of adoration at Gibbons (and even got to see Erin there with her theology class) on Thursday as well.  Anna watched Ruby and Luna again from Thursday-Saturday.  Friday was the second fish fry, which Bob got to work at this time, but we ladies could not participate because Erin and I were heading to see Jeff's play, 9 to 5, that evening, which was really great!  

Saturday, we all enjoyed a delicious lunch at Red Robin with Grandma and Grandpa F.; it was so good to see them and catch up!  That evening was Erin's (rescheduled due to snow) piano concert organized by her piano friend Emmett to benefit the American Heart Association.  8 students played the piano, guitar, and/or sang and did an absolutely wonderful job!  It was so much fun.

Sunday was just church, and I helped collect kids' clothes left over from a consignment sale for CPO that evening.  The kids were off on Monday the 24th for a teacher workday, and Erin had her first shift at Harris Teeter that evening, which ended up being computer training.  I had a fun time at book club that evening.  We got our house power washed on Tuesday, which was badly needed.  Finley and I checked out the new Middle Creek Greenway near our house.  

Anna surprisingly got the call to do her 6 hours of driving with the instructor that week, so she drove Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4:30-6:30pm.  She was a little nervous, but did a great job and got a lot more comfortable.  Now she has to wait for her permit (written test) appointment on May 19.

Erin had her second work shift on Wednesday the 26th.  It sounds like she will have about 3 shifts per week - one or two during the week, and one or two on the weekends.  She has been driving to/from with us in the car because the traffic at 5pm is hectic, but I think she will be driving herself soon.  She is now driving herself to piano since it's not dark after the time change, and she drove herself to the rehearsal and performance last weekend.  She is doing great, and we are loving the independence!

Erin and I enjoyed a dance performance on the 27th at Apex High as a part of her honors credit for her dance class.  She will write a paper to critique the performance.  Friday, I went to an hour of adoration at StMM as a part of the parish 25-year anniversary celebration.  Olivia rode home from school with us, and we all went to see Shrek at Gibbons (Anna and Lyla, too) and had a fabulous time!  I must say that we have become quite cultured of late, with 3 shows and a concert in one month!  Erin worked 6 hours on Saturday while the rest of us spread mulch, and she had a fun time at an escape room hangout with her friends on Sunday.  Anna and Bella went shopping on Saturday as well.  Bob and I had to make some decisions for the kitchen project at our final meeting on Monday.  We are looking forward to the project in mid-May!

So, that was the wild month of March.  This does not include the 3 ladies having a cold one week, my Thursday shifts at the CPO food pantry, cooking dinner for families at church through the parishioner assistance ministry about once per week, workouts, school, and all of the other usual stuff.  We are enjoying the spring weather, and are looking forward to a less-busy month of April, complete with spring break!