November

We had a great month of November! It started out on the 1st with a fun lunch at our house with Grandma and Grandpa F. We enjoyed catching up with them! We watched an exciting Wolfpack football win over Georgia Tech from home that evening. On the 2nd, Erin and I bravely attended the BRAKES defensive driving course in Raleigh that morning. It was really helpful and fun, too! 

The girls gave tours to prospective families at school that afternoon at the annual open house. Bob went to Boston on the 3rd, followed by a train trip from there to NYC on the 5th. On the 4th, Erin had her first tutoring session with a freshman that went very well. He's now got his twin sister attending their sessions to get help, too, and she's got another student/client! The girls were off school on the 5th for a teacher workday, which they spent at the dentist, followed by a hair appointment for Anna. Anna had an 8th grade shadow student on the 6th, and I enjoyed spending some time volunteering at the Gibbons school store on the 7th. Bob and Danny watched a Wolfpack basketball victory that evening while the ladies and Joe and I watched the game from home.

Erin enjoyed a rare weekend day off on the 8th; she was originally planning to take the SAT that day, but her schedule ended up changing. We enjoyed a super fun family hike along the American Tobacco Trail that morning. 

We all went to mass at 5pm, followed by a fun dinner at the delicious new Japanese place in town, Arita. Bob headed to Atlanta on the 9th for a few days. Anna and friends spent the afternoon at Southpoint while Erin worked. I went to Adoration at Gibbons on the 10th, followed by a very nice daily mass. Erin went to StMM with Service Beakers that afternoon and had a great time! Erin had her advisory service trip on Wednesday the 12th, which was organizing and helping out at the Boys and Girls Club in Raleigh. Bob and I went to the NCSU basketball game that evening and had a great time! We had a special evening on the 13th for Erin's Junior Mass at the cathedral. It was a really nice mass with Fr. Luke (Gibbons chaplain) and each kid was called up to receive a class ring or other special jewelry item. She got a necklace from Grandma Harvey! 

Erin had the next day off school, but Anna still had to go. Erin and I enjoyed watching She Loves Me, the Gibbons fall musical with the McGees on the evening of the 14th with a froyo stop after while Bob, Anna, and Joe hung out at our house. 

On the 15th, Bob, Anna, and I had a blast at Lyla's family's "Novemberfest", which was a belated Oktoberfest celebration. The food was outstanding, and we really enjoyed catching up with church/school parent friends who we don't see as often now that the kids are in high school. I had a fun book club on the 17th and spent 2 mornings at CPO that week, Wednesday and Thursday. Thursdays are my usual day most weeks, but some people were out of town that week. Anna had another shadow on the 20th, and she stayed after school to watch the fall dance concert with her friends. Her friend Stella was in the show. I had a nice brunch with my friend Gina K. on the 21st. 

The weekend of the 22nd-23rd was pretty quiet, with just Erin working and Anna's youth group. Bob, Anna, and I did a little car research at Carmax on Sunday which ended up being wild when the gray Accord wouldn't start when we went to leave. After an interesting Uber ride back to our house (the driver had her dog in the front seat), Bob picked up a new starter at Autozone and got it replaced quickly on Monday morning. It's better than new! 

I was back to CPO on Monday the 24th. Anna and Bella went to see the new Wicked movie on Tuesday. Wednesday, we ladies went to Concord for a very fun day of Thanksgiving prep and Christmas decorating with Grandma and Grandpa A.! We also got some games in! Thanksgiving was full of delicious food and great family time. 

We had a fun visit with Tom, Jimmy, and Danny on Friday the 28th, including a yummy Mellow Mushroom dinner. Saturday, Bob and I had a fun time at the Kavanagh's Michigan/Ohio State party while Anna shopped at Southpoint with Bella and Erin worked. We watched the Wolfpack beat the Tarheels that evening! Sunday was Christmas decoration day, whew!

It was a busy month but not too crazy. We enjoyed lots of family fun and worked hard, too! Bring on the hoildays!

October!

October was busy! Anna started out in the first by having her first "shadow", an 8th grade student who is applying to Gibbons follows her around for half of the day. She enjoyed it and is looking forward to having more shadows soon. Erin had her first shadow of the year the following day. I got to hang out at Gibbons for an hour of adoration that afternoon as well. We went to the JV football game at Felton Grove that evening, which Gibbons won easily. Felton Grove is a new high school that just opened this year, and they only have 9th and 10th graders this year. So, they were treating the game like a varsity game, complete with marching band, smoke cannons, and a giant banner that the players ran through. Their stadium is really nice, and we liked having our own visitors' concession stand! Friday, I finally got to volunteer at the school store (which cost me quite a bit of money in shopping), Anna babysat for the Lemons, and we had Liz and David over for a Butcher's Market dinner. Erin took the SAT on Saturday morning, which went well, and we watched a Wolfpack win over Campbell that afternoon.

Sunday, Bob, Finley, and I enjoyed a nice morning out on the lake. That was our only visit in October; sometimes we can squeeze in one more warm day in November (fingers crossed). 

Erin worked, and we all went to youth mass followed by Anna's youth group that evening.

I had my annual training for Duke on Wednesday, which I enjoyed quite a bit. It is so nice to feel like a grown-up with a "real" job for a few months per year! Finley got a clean bill of health from his liver value blood draw on Thursday, so we can finally end the twice-daily meds with food. He's probably missing his extra chicken and rice, but my life is easier now! We went to the JV football game at Holly Springs on Thursday, checking out another stadium for the first time. It was nice, but sadly there was no visitor concession stand. Gibbons won solidly again. Friday, Erin went to the varsity game which was another big win, while Anna and Joe opted to eat chili at our house, walk to Smoothie King, and play a little football and volleyball in the backyard. The 11th was quite busy: Erin worked, Anna went bowling with Lyla, Bob cooked at the parish picnic (which was sadly a bit rainy and cool), and I did yard work for the first part of the day, and then the girls, Joe, and I went to see the Sound of Music at the DPAC that evening! We also had dinner at Luna and did a little walking around the area (with a stop at the Milkshake Factory). It was lots of fun, and the show was great. Happy early birthday to Erin! After the parish picnic, Bob watched an initially-hopeful but then sad Wolfpack loss to Notre Dame.

The girls had a nice mini-break from school the following week that coincided with the end of the first quarter. Erin got her ears re-pierced on Monday at Ulta, and it went well. 

I hosted book club that evening. Tuesday, Anna took the PSAT at school and I attended a very nice parent prayer breakfast at the same time. Anna then went to Defy (now SkyZone) with friends in the afternoon, and Erin had piano in the evening. Wednesday was Erin's turn for the PSAT, and Anna went to Lyla's to bedazzle their Tate McRae jerseys for the upcoming concert. Thursday was back to school, but Anna had a fun field trip to Elon with her Journalism class for J-Day (high school journalism event). We watched Gibbons JV beat Middle Creek that evening at home. Friday, Ansley and Aunt Leslie came up for the weekend! We had chicken chili and then all went over to Middle Creek for the varsity game, which was successful for Gibbons. Saturday morning, Anna and Ansley got some school work done, then Grandma and Grandpa A. came up for a yummy Bojangles birthday lunch for Erin. It was a lot of fun! Ansley had a swim meet in Chapel Hill, so after the lunch, Grandma and Grandpa went home, Erin went to work, I took Bob to the airport, and Anna and I went to the meet, followed by a Mexican dinner. What a fun day! 

We girls all went to mass on Sunday morning, and then Erin worked and Anna caught up on school work. Bob spent the week in Goeteborg, Sweden, for work. The trip went well, and he enjoyed the Swedish food and seeing a new city. Erin was inducted into NHS on Monday evening in a very nice ceremony. 

I cat-sat for Liz and David's newly-rescued Pepper that week; he slowly got used to me. Thursday was Erin's actual birthday, which was a fun day (post HERE). Bob returned from Sweden just in time for presents and cupcakes!

Friday, we all went to Friday Night Lights at Gibbons, which was a bit chilly but otherwise fun. Saturday was another busy day with everyone going in different directions: Erin to work, Bob to Erik's surprise 50th birthday party, I to a moms' dinner in Cary, and Anna and Lyla to Tate McRae at the Lenovo Center! This was her first time going to a concert without an adult, and it went very smoothly. Lyla's parents dropped them off in the designated drop-off area near Carter-Finley, they navigated the merch stand and found their seats without any problems, and I picked them up after my dinner. Other than some congestion in the parking lot, it went great and they had a great time! 

Sunday, we all went to church in the morning and then Erin worked in the afternoon while the rest of us went to the Buddy Walk in Kannapolis, which was lots of fun! 

Erin went to Cathedral with Service Beakers on Monday, and Anna checked out a new club, Women's Empowerment, on Tuesday. Wednesday was the JV football team's last game (they won and ended the season undefeated!), and Friday was a half day of school for Halloween. Erin had a blast with friends at Vera's house that evening, and the rest of us, plus Joe, enjoyed neighbor Karen’s annual party and seeing trick-or-treaters.

So- we got a lot in this month! It was busy and fun with lots of fall and birthday excitement. We are looking forward to November with a little bit of time off, amazing weather, and holiday excitement!