April!

April was a great month with a very enjoyable spring break! We are now heading towards the finish line of the school year. Spring break started on Thursday the 2nd, which we ladies spent touring NC State and having lunch at the new Raising Canes on Hillsborough Street. The tour was great, and we even ran into our friends the Griffins at the info session! 

Bob had a quick 2-day trip to NYC over the 2nd and 3rd, so he wasn't able to tour. Thankfully, he's already been to NCSU a time or two ;) Friday, we ladies ventured east to Carolina Pottery in Smithfield and had a lot of fun picking out and assembling flowers for Erin's friends for prom! 

We dyed eggs and the Easter Bunny came early on Saturday evening. 

We all had a nice Easter in Concord on Sunday. Monday was final trip preparations and piano lessons for Erin and me. Tuesday through Saturday was our wonderful trip to Marco Island!

After getting back, we got caught up at home on Sunday, picked up Erin's finished prom dress, and went to mass/youth group. Monday the 13th was back to normal, including soccer, a church meeting, CPO volunteering, and school meetings that week. Friday, the girls had a half day of school so juniors and seniors could have time to get ready for prom! Erin had a blast at photos, dinner, and prom with her friends. They all looked so beautiful, and I really enjoyed meeting a few of the parents who I had not met previously. 

Erin was back to work on the 18th and 19th, and Anna did some homework and other chores. Anna also began a marathon cat-sitting job for neighbor cats Louie and Lilly on the 20th which has been going well. I hosted book club on the 20th, and Anna had another full week of soccer, which is now winding down. We are excited about the conference tournament next week, as her team has a very good chance to win!

Friday, Ansley came up (by herself for the first time!) for Anna's Confirmation, and the 3 girls took themselves to see Lyla at her ice cream shop job while I was at dinner right down the street with friends Dawn and Laura. Saturday, Grandma and Grandpa A., Aunt Leslie, and Elliott drove up early for the mass, and it was beautiful! Congratulations to Anna and sponsor Ansley! After the mass, we had a taco lunch and cake at our house. It was a very nice day.

The last week of the month was more of the usual, including Erin's final Service Beakers school visit for the year, to The Raleigh School down the road from Gibbons. Coach Anna's soccer team had their last regular-season game on Tuesday and earned a playoff berth next week. The 17-day cat-sitting job continued and went well. Gibbons had their first-ever Mission Day on the 30th, so the kids stayed after school for those festivities, as well as Erin manning a table for her club. Erin has also been busy working on college application materials (essay draft and brag sheets for teachers/counselors) and is also applying for a scholarship as well as a leadership role within Admissions Ambassadors next year. Both kids are preparing for AP exams coming up in the first two weeks of May. After that, the school year will be nearly over! Erin is excited to only have 3 actual final exams due to having projects and AP exams in some classes instead.

So, it was another busy month with a very nice break for our trip. We are looking forward to the academic home stretch and a few fun things (including 2 birthdays!) coming up in May!

Spring Break 2026: Marco Island!

We had a wonderful time in southwest Florida last week! The kids' spring break was from Thursday, April 2nd through Sunday, April 12th. We decided to go to Marco Island Tuesday through Saturday, leaving some time before to do things around here and go to Concord for Easter! Bob ended up needing to go to New York for work on the 1st-2nd, so this all worked out well.

We originally booked a round trip on Spirit Airlines, but the outgoing flight kept getting bumped earlier and earlier; when it was moved to 6am, we decided to switch to a 12:15pm Delta flight. Last year, we had arrived to AMI before the house was available and found it to be frustrating to not have a place to go/unpack. So- we had a leisurely morning getting packed up and had no issues at RDU (other than the only parking available being on the highest/7th level). We got lunch to take on board, and, after a short delay getting off the ground, had an uneventful flight. We landed in Fort Lauderdale around 2:30pm, took a shuttle bus to the car rental area, hopped in our snazzy Chevy Blazer, and headed west!

The ride to Marco Island was about 2 hours. I was nervous about driving through the Everglades (pythons), but it went smoothly with Bob only seeing 2 dead snakes along the side of the road. The road was super straight with water on each side and chain link fences along most of the way. We passed through an Indian reservation and also a panther refuge. We didn't have any traffic issues, stopped at Publix on the island, and arrived at the house around 5:30pm. 

We rented a 3BD ranch about a 5 minute walk from the beach. The house was renovated and was beautiful! It was spacious, had a great kitchen, and, most importantly, had a large pool! We settled in and enjoyed fried chicken from Publix, mac and cheese, and veggies for dinner. After that, we walked to the beach for our first peek, then back to the house to the pool! 

Wednesday morning, after having pancakes, eggs, and bacon for breakfast, Bob attempted a bike ride with the bike that came with the house (it was a little small for him) and then tried to rent another bike, but they were sold out. During all of that, we girls hit the beach! After enjoying the beach for a couple of hours, we came back to the house for lunch (subs with stuff from Publix) and pool time. Then it was time to shower and mini golf, followed by ice cream, shopping, and driving past fancy homes before a Mexican dinner (after trying 2 other places that had very long waits).

 After dinner, we went back to the house and the girls did some photos on the beach. 

Thursday morning, Bob and I took a walk and tried to pick up donuts, but the targeted donut shop was closed and two other breakfast places didn't have donuts. We wanted to check out the famous Tigertail Beach on the island, which was a short drive away, so we solved our donut cravings at Dunkin, then parked at the beach and ventured a short way to the smaller beach area along a creek. After watching other people, we realized that the actual beach required a short ford through the creek. After some encouragement, we did that and enjoyed a very nice time there, complete with football! Then it was back to the house for another sub lunch, pool time, and showers. Today, we made reservations at CJs on the Bay for dinner which was very good food with fun live music and dancing that Erin joined in! Anna did a little shopping at a boutique across from the restaurant. After dinner, Erin, Bob, and I checked out the JW Marriott near the house and the (short but entertaining) fire dance show. 

We did some laundry at the house that evening.

Friday was boat day! We drove over to Goodwin, off the island, about 20 minutes away. We found the marina easily, hopped on our pontoon, and drove for about an hour around Keewaydin and Marco Island to Keewaydin Island (Bob had found this ahead of time). 

Here, people beach their boats and set up camp for the day on the long, narrow island that is only accessible by boat. An added bonus: food and drink boats set up there during the day! We raced over to the drink boat when it arrived and got ourselves some beverages, and then got burgers at the burger boat (Bob and I got Island Burgers as seen on Food Network; they were delicious!). 

Otherwise, we hung out on the boat, picked up some shells on the gulf side of the island, and swam for awhile. We really enjoyed the boat ride; the water was calm and clear, we saw many dolphin and birds, and traffic wasn't too crazy. The water was well-marked as well. It was a great day! Upon returning to the house, we nursed sunburns, swam/played in the pool, and showered. I got pizza from a pizza place nearby for dinner, then Bob and I took another walk while the ladies rested and packed.

Saturday, we needed to be out of the house by 10am, so Bob took another bike ride while we ladies packed/cleaned up. We hit the road north to Naples, about 45 minutes from the house. We enjoyed walking around the beautiful Old Town area and seeing many fancy cars. 

We also drove by some $40-200 million dollar homes in Naples. After a lunch at Moe's, we headed back east along Alligator Alley to Fort Lauderdale. The kids needed to wait in line to check their bags, but it was no problem as we had a quick car drop-off and shuttle bus ride. After picking up bagel sandwiches for dinner, we took our first Spirit flight home, and it was just fine, but definitely economy! The flight was delayed about 20 minutes, but they made it up with quick boarding (fewer bags and the flight wasn't totally full) and we landed close to on time. We got home to a happy and relaxed Finley.

So, it was a really great week! The beach and island were beautiful, and the house was one of the best that we have ever rented. There was lots of wildlife on the island: we saw many birds and rabbits, and saw signs for "low-flying owls" and gopher tortoises (?). We thoroughly enjoyed seeing a new area of Florida and would definitely go back!

March!

March was quite busy! It always feels like it's a long month without a major holiday or break from school. We started out with a Sunday of church, Erin working, and Anna going to youth group. Erin went to The Raleigh School on the 2nd with Service Beakers, and Anna started her new gig as assistant soccer coach for the StMM girls' team. She is really enjoying being there 3-4 afternoons per week helping the coaches and cheering on the team, which is off to a really great start! Bob and Jeff went to a sad Wolfpack loss to Duke that evening, and I enjoyed a monthly book club meeting. Erin helped at the Gibbons Welcome Night that Wednesday, which is a really fun event for the 8th graders who will be joining the school next year. Bob had a blast at an Eric Church concert in Greensboro with Chris on Friday the 6th while we ladies and Joe watched poor Gibbons fall in their Final Four playoff game. Saturday, I went to a funeral for my neighbor friend's mom, Erin worked, Anna hung out in downtown Clayton with Joe, and then Bob and I watched a nailbiter of a last home game for the Wolfpack where they ultimately fell to Stanford by 1 point. It was, as usual, an emotional roller coaster of a Wolfpack sports season! 

Anna tried something new on Sunday the 8th. She went to a Greek Orthodox church service with fellow students from her theology class (and other classes with the same teacher). It earned her quite a bit of extra credit on the final exam, and she enjoyed the experience! The rest of that week was fairly routine with the added excitement of Erin's Junior Meeting with her college counselor on Wednesday morning. Bob and I went with her and discussed her college search and everything associated with it. Exciting times! We introduced Joe to the KofC fish fry on Friday, which he enjoyed quite a bit. The kids' third quarter of school ended on Friday. Erin took the SAT on Saturday the 14th, and we all enjoyed a beautiful evening at a Wolfpack softball game; thanks to Anna for the Christmas gift! 

Additionally, Bob took a little road trip to Columbia, SC that morning to pick up our new 2023 Toyota Rav4! It is super fun and easy to drive, and we are all (especially Anna) enjoying it very much. We bid a fond farewell to the 2014 Accord which had served us very well for many years.

The kids had another weather day on Monday the 16th for forecasted high winds and potential tornadoes that did not end up happening. No complaints from them, though! I went to a group penance service at St. Bernadette on Tuesday for Lent and was quite surprised at how organized it was! Gone are the days of the free-for-all at these things. I enjoyed another shift at the Gibbons school store on the 18th. Anna and I had a couple of cat-sitting gigs over the next several days, both of which went smoothly. Olivia came home with the girls on Friday for a shrimp scampi dinner and then she, Erin, and I met her mom and Josie at the musical at Gibbons. They put on "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat", and it was amazing! The froyo trip after was also great!

Anna had a fun night out on the town on the 21st for Lyla's Sweet 16. They had a party bus that they rode to a restaurant in downtown Raleigh and then to get ice cream in Apex.

 Bob and I enjoyed a nice dinner out at Serafina in Apex that evening while poor Erin was stuck at work. Sunday, Anna went to Drive Shack with Joe's family and a couple of his friends for his birthday, then on to watch his brother's soccer game. Anna had a great weekend! The kids were off on the 23rd for a teacher workday, which we used to get Erin an orthodontic consultation (still don't know what to do about that) and Anna a hair appointment. After that, Joe came over to hang out and have birthday cupcakes. 

I had a first on the 25th: my first colonoscopy! They now recommend to start them at age 45. I was nervous about it, not knowing what to expect, but it went fine. As everyone says, the prep is the worst part! I did not like following the clear liquid diet the day before, but I had a lot of chicken broth that was delicious. Our other excitement that week was that our formerly-beloved basketball coach, Will Wade, quit after 1 year and is moving back to LSU. Drama! Anna also had a couple of soccer games that went well, and she also interviewed several cast members of the school musical for a newspaper article. 

We, plus Joe, went to the last fish fry of the year on Friday, and Anna and Joe enjoyed the Gibbons play on Saturday afternoon, followed by an NC Courage game with his family. She shopped with Lyla on Sunday, enjoying some freedom with Lyla's recently-obtained driver's license. Erin worked hard all weekend, drafting her college essay, doing school work, and working 2 shifts.

So, it was a bit of a wild month, but we accomplished a lot and everything went smoothly. The final two days were routine as we all look forward to Easter and Spring Break! Bring it on!

February

February flew by, as it usually does! We had some excitement on the first of the month with a much-hyped snowstorm. What started out as a 24" prediction ended up being about 1.5-2" here. We had a fun day sledding, making snow cream, and working on a puzzle.

However, our family in the Concord area got a lot more! Because of the snow, the kids had 2 more days off at the beginning of the week. They didn't have any complaints about that! Bob avoided all of the excitement while he was in Brussels and then London that week, which went well. Erin had to work on Thursday evening which isn't usual for her, but it went fine (despite it being Senior Day at Harris Teeter; the discount day brings out lots of senior citizens). Bob got stuck in DC on Friday night due to a flight delay (mechanical), but made it home midday on Saturday. Sadly, we had to sell the basketball game tickets because of his flight delay.

I enjoyed a nice dinner with friends Dawn and Laura on Saturday, and Anna had a big night on the town at the Snow Ball dance at Gibbons (rescheduled due to the ice storm 2 weeks prior). She had fun with her friends at Lyla's before the dance, and closed it down with Joe! 

Erin went to Cathedral School on Monday the 9th with Service Beakers. Bob had a quick trip to Detroit from the 10th-11th. I enjoyed helping at the Gibbons Store on the 11th. We had a fun birthday dinner out at Colletta on the 12th, and some Smithfields and board games at home with Joe on the 13th. Bob and I watched a heartbreaker basketball game on the 14th while Anna and Joe hung out at the Downtown Cary Park and had dinner for Valentine's Day. Erin worked that afternoon/evening. 

The following week was Winter Break, so they got more days off of school. We had a really fun day visiting UNC Charlotte on Monday, including meeting up with Logan on campus for a fancy and delicious lunch and stopping at Grandma and Grandpa A.'s for visiting and dinner on the way home.

Charlotte was a hit! Anna and I had our first-ever golf lesson on Tuesday the 17th where we learned that golf is a lot more difficult than we realized. We had a wonderful lunch and enjoyed catching up with Grandma and Grandpa F. that day, followed by prom dress shopping for Erin (!) and Bob and I watching the Wolfpack beat the Tarheels that evening (yay!). 

Bob had a day trip to NYC on the 18th, I had lunch with a neighbor friend, and we girls did a bit of shopping. Bob got stuck in NYC that night due to big delays in Newark that evening and got back Thursday around noon. Anna and Bella went to the movies that evening. Friday, we all toured Wake Forest, which was beautiful, but is probably not a top contender for a few different reasons. 

Bob hit the road (skies?) again on Saturday the 21st for his bi-annual trip to Sao Paulo. Erin worked, and Anna and I caught up on chores. Anna was back to youth group on Sunday the 22nd after a 4-week hiatus due to weather and scheduled nights off. We are in the home stretch before Confirmation! I got to catch up with a couple of StMM friends on the morning of the 23rd, and Finley had a vet appointment. The rest of that week was fairly uneventful. Anna is going to help coach the StMM girls' soccer team this spring, so she's all set up and getting excited for that to start! Unfortunately, it was raining and practice was canceled on her first day, the 26th, but she's looking forward to getting started on Monday the 2nd. 

Erin and I had a super fun girls' trip to Blacksburg to visit Virginia Tech with Olivia and her mom on the 27th-28th. We really enjoyed seeing it; the campus is beautiful, and the people we encountered there were very friendly and helpful. Erin has officially toured 8 schools, and has 1 more tour scheduled in April. She's done a great job of researching and considering lots of schools!

So, that was February! There wasn't much school (haha), but there was lots of fun and accomplishment! We are looking forward to spring!

January!

We started out the year with a good month! We had our traditional good luck meal on the 1st; hoping it brings us good fortune in 2026. We had a nice family dinner out at the new Doherty's in Holly Springs on the 2nd where we ran into StMM teacher/friend Mrs. Smith. Bob and Anna watched a sad Wolfpack loss to Virginia on the 3rd, but we all enjoyed a fun and exciting Wolfpack women's win on Sunday afternoon! 

It was back to school on the 5th. This week was my busiest week for Robertson interviews, and between conducting the interviews and typing up my notes, I logged 33 hours of work! That hasn't happened in 16 years! Otherwise, it was a good week back to the routine. Erin registered for an exciting school trip to Costa Rica in February 2027. It's going to be a great experience! Anna tried to register for the trip to Western Europe at the same time, but it filled up with rising seniors before the rising juniors could register. She has a plan to try to go to France with the French teacher in 2027 and hopefully go to Japan with Gibbons in the spring of her senior year. 

Anna got her hair cut on Thursday evening and helped with 8th grade placement tests on the 10th. Bob and I enjoyed a fun wine tasting class at a store in downtown Raleigh on the 11th as a part of my Christmas gift. 

Anna was back to youth group that evening, but due to holidays and weather, has only had to go once in 6 weeks (fingers crossed for another weather cancellation this coming weekend!). Bob left for New York bright and early on Monday the 12th and returned in the late evening of the 16th. We had our shower regrouted and fixed up from Monday-Wednesday that week. It looks so much better!

Anna and I went to a college planning meeting on Tuesday evening while Erin was at piano. Joe came over on Friday night for some quesadillas and basketball watching. 

Bob and I watched a sad loss to Georgia Tech on the 17th, but then the Pack upset Clemson at Clemson the following week. We can't figure this team out, but, overall, they're doing pretty well. I went to Liz's birthday lunch at Chuy's on the 18th while Bob helped drive Erin to work (weather concerns). Anna and Joe did some shopping, bowling, and then came over to our house for pasta and cookie decorating. Monday (MLK Jr. Day), I had piano and Anna babysat for her friend Foster for a few hours. 

Tuesday ended up being Anna's only day at school for 11 days (!) before she was home sick the next 3 days. I had an extra morning at CPO on Tuesday and got to supervise some Gibbons kids who were helping with their advisory. They did a very good job! Anna was better by Saturday and enjoyed a fun day at ParTee Shack North and Morgan Street Food Hall with Joe's family, his friend visiting from Florida, and the friend's family. Bob and I went to mass while Erin was at work before the "huge winter storm hit" on Sunday. 

All churches (and everything else) were closed on Sunday. The storm ended up being less than 0.5" of ice and thankfully, despite lots of warnings, we did not lose power. Anna did a lot of sledding with the Tierneys and Finley enjoyed walking in it. It was mostly melted on Monday, but due to very cold temps and the risk of freezing, the kids were out of school on Monday and Tuesday but had work to do from home. 

The rest of the week was fairly routine. Bob headed to Brussels and London on Friday. That rounded out the month! Anna and I were hoping to meet Ansley's family and Grandma and Grandpa for lunch in Greensboro on Sunday for Ansley's birthday, but they got loads of snow on Saturday while we got none! We all had some lingering sickness at various points, but nothing we couldn't handle. Let's hope for fewer school cancellations and better health in February!