Beach to Mountains

The month of July has been flying by as we get closer and closer to August. Each week, my posts have bounced back-and-forth between our travels on the road and our adventures closer to home. This week was no different. It started off with a girls' weekend at the beach with all of my best friends. Immediately after last year's trip, we began planning our 2019 getaway to Caroline's grandparents' house in North Myrtle Beach. Caroline, Carrie, Coley, and Casey got there Thursday evening, and then Emily, Kelly, and I joined them on Friday. We spent several hours on the beach during the day on Saturday and Sunday and several hours out to eat each evening for dinner. The no-alarm, no-rush, take-it-easy pace was so nice. It is such a blessing to have this group of friends! It was three days of laughter, seafood, sunscreen, a 1000-piece puzzle, and great memories. 

Baby Kennedy #2 - 22 weeks

While Mommy was away, Boomer and Emmy had a fun weekend together. On Saturday, they went to Trivett's All-Star baseball game in Siler City and then spent the afternoon poolside at Boomer's parents' house in Star. I loved getting the videos from my mother-in-law of Emmy and Boomer splashing around in the pool. Emmy was a lot more comfortable in the water than when we were at the lake; she was floating by herself with her puddle-jumper and even kicking off the wall to 'swim' to Daddy. She especially loved being tossed in the air, with Daddy catching her just before she went underwater. After a very full day on Saturday, they had a quieter Sunday at home. Then when Boomer had to go back to work on Monday and I was making my way back from the beach, Emmy hung out with my mom. Grammy and Emmy went for a walk, read books, and practiced learning letters; Emmy can now recognize E, M, O, and P. I'm so thankful to all my family for pitching in so that I could have a weekend away with the girls! 

After I returned from the beach, Emmy and I resumed our summer adventures with a trip to the library where we checked out Emmy's very first library books. She usually has a preference for the same handful of books at bedtime, so I was just as excited as she was to get some new ones. Emmy picked two Fancy Nancy books, and we have read them several times this week. We also went to the Science Center with Emmy's friend Lyla and Lyla's parents, Stephanie and Mark, who are teachers at Forbush. We've had several play dates over the last two years, and it is so fun to see the girls interact as they get bigger. On Wednesday evening, Boomer and I had a date night to see the newest Spider-Man movie, Far From Home. It was a rather spontaneous date night, planned just the day before, but it was made that much more special after receiving Boomer's official diploma in the mail just before we walked out the door. My excitement has not lessened over the summer; I am still just as proud of him as I was in May when he walked across the stage. After having Grammy as a babysitter on Wednesday night, she joined us on Thursday night for a summer concert at the botanical gardens in downtown Kernersville. Unfortunately the evening was cut short by a light summer rainstorm, but we were able to hear a couple of songs and have dinner from the food truck there before heading home. 

Whenever we do something fun, Boomer will ask "Is this on the Summer To-Do List?" While the library and an outdoor concert were not on the list, we have checked off a couple of things this week that are on the list. A standing item each summer has been to "Have Lunch with Daddy at Work." This year, instead of bringing lunch to Forbush and eating in the teacher workroom, Daddy took us out to eat at a local hot-dog joint in Yadkinville called Boone Doggies - it was yummy! Beforehand, we stopped in to see his office, and Emmy was once again right at home in Boomer's desk chair. Is it just me, or is his chair shrinking??

We also checked off "Pilot Mtn Hike and Lunch at Snappy's." East Surry, the high school that I work at, is in the town of Pilot Mountain, about 40 minutes from home, and there is a state park close by with several hiking routes. Knowing the limitations of our youngest family member, we opted for a few shorter trails to various overlooks around the mountain. Afterwards, we went a little further north to Mount Airy for lunch at Snappy Lunch, a lunch-counter style restaurant made famous for its pork chop sandwiches and its mention on the Andy Griffith Show. We ended our adventure with ice cream at The Dairy Center. Emmy loved getting bites from Boomer's butter pecan and my banana pudding sundae. 

 

 

 

We are resting at home this evening in anticipation of our last summer adventure: the Bakewell Beach Trip! Not long after we return from this trip, the school year will start again. What a fast and fun summer it has been!