Mother's Day

The boys are still involved in the youth group at Hope Moravian, and the kids put on the church service for Mother's Day; so we attended church there that day. Graydon read a few scripture verses, Curtis helped with the Liturgy, and all three kids helped with the Love Feast. 

Me and my babies!

I wanted to do a little hiking, so we found a nature preserve to walk through. It was such a gorgeous day.

Afterward, we went to a park to play pickelball and followed that up with some Mexican food. They even gave me a free ice cream treat for Mother's Day!

Andy put up "20" balloons. I was confused at first, but turns out this was my 20th Mother's Day. (We'll be saving those balloons for Bella's birthday in November). The Hey Dudes in the picture were Bella's gift to me. She noticed I needed a new pair (and she was right). Graydon got me some scented wax for my Scentsy, and Curtis got me some kitchen towels, chocolate, and Starbucks drinks. Andy bought me some new sheets, wine, and chocolate. I felt so spoiled. 

This was the best day I've had in a long time. It felt absolutely perfect. It was the kind of day that I wish I could just bottle up and live over and over again whenever I needed a dose of happiness. I didn't want the day to end.

It's May!

I was so happy when the calendar turned to May. It meant that Bella would be coming home for the summer! I think sending kids away to college is a great way to ease into them leaving the nest. They go away for a while, but then we get them back for a bit. I know we'll have to release her again, but this gets me used to it in doses. She finished up her last final on Friday, May 2nd. After school that afternoon, I headed up to get her. By the time I arrived, she was all packed up and ready to load her stuff.

The funny thing is, she is living with her same roommate in the same room next year. So we moved it all out just to move it all back in again in August (they were not allowed to store things over the summer due to cleaning needs). 

When Bella was gathering dorm supplies/furniture last summer, she stored all the items on our ping pong table in the basement of our old house. She has now returned to a different house and we didn't have that bonus space to store all her things. It has since been absorbed into her closet, our closet, our water softener closet, and the garage. Losing a basement and a fourth bedroom has forced us to get creative with our space!

The following evening after Bella came home, Curtis was invited to an Academic Banquet at school. This is for all high school students who have a 4.0 GPA or higher. Curtis is currently ranked 3rd in his class, which he thinks is perfect. He's up there, but not one of the top two and therefore not expected to give a speech at graduation. We'll see if he can hold onto this spot throughout high school. 

He works really hard for his grades, so we are very proud of all his effort. 

The first week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week. Even though I'm a counselor, I'm on a teacher contract, so I get included in this - which is nice. One day, we were gifted this tea from a new business that is coming to the Hope Square. It's a fun week to be a school employee. (We have to take the perks we can get!)

Here are the proofs from the boys' track pictures. The photographer does a really great job, but I didn't purchase any, which is why they are watermarked. 

Both boys' main track event was high jump. We saw a lot of this in the recent months. 

Curtis was recognized at the May Awards ceremony at school for having the highest class average in his Spanish class. 

All the May activity is just getting started! 

A Weekend in Gatlinburg

My friend, Jennifer, turned 40 on Easter and we celebrated the following weekend with a trip to Gatlinburg, TN! On our way there, we stopped at a Buccee's. I've heard about this place for a while and had never been. Now I understand what the hype is about!

We arrived in Gatlinburg around lunchtime. This Bloody Mary was delicious.

There were so many free wine/cider/moonshine tastings, so we took advantage of a few.

A different Jennifer (Jennifer R.), not our birthday girl (Jennifer W.) spearheaded the weekend and she included so many special touches like these personalized shot glasses.

Cheers to Jennifer and a fun weekend together!

Taco 'bout 40 years!

The cabin we rented had an indoor pool!

Jennifer R. also included these individualized mimosas for each of us. (Not pictured was another box of charcuterie snacks. I felt like it was MY birthday!)

All ready for the day's adventures. 

Our birthday girl in the middle!

We booked a Jeep tour through the Great Smoky Mountains.

These bathroom stalls cracked us up. As soon as you stood up, you could see the people next to you as well as the people waiting for a stall. It was the closest to what I imagine a men's room feels like. 

The higher in altitude we got, the more foggy and chilly it was.

Standing in two places at once! 

It took a while, but we did see a few bears!

Back at the cabin for a little bit of downtime.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon on The Island in Pigeon Forge mostly window shopping. Later that evening, we had a dinner scheduled at Alamo Steakhouse.

I didn't know all of the girls heading into the weekend (several were Jennifer's family members). I wasn't sure if it would feel like separate groups, but it wasn't like that at all. Her family is great and I want to hang out with all of them again!I t was such an amazing weekend to get away and celebrate Jennifer.