North Carolina

We left last Wednesday morning at 6:40 am for Monroe, North Carolina to see Aunt Kathy, Uncle Dave, Rox, John, Bella, & Jack :-) After two stops, we made it there at 3:20 pm. It was a long drive! Alexa did not handle the drive as well as she had back in February and April -- I suspect because she is mobile now. But she does seem to enjoy her new car seat. Here she is Wednesday morning while we were waiting for Daddy to get Starbucks!










Bella was so excited to see Alexa! They played together so nicely (minus Alexa pulling Bel's hair -- so I had to put it in a ponytail for her). We all ate dinner together and just hung out on Wednesday night. It was really nice :-)










Alexa and I woke up early enough to see Aunt Kathy before she left for work on Thursday morning. Alexa really loved pulling herself up on the stool in the kitchen and using it is as a make-shift walker :)~ The three of us went out to lunch with Rox in downtown Monroe. I had these amazing "gourmet fries" with my sandwich. We then did a little shopping, and I went for a pedicure while Alexa avoided taking her afternoon nap (she also skipped her morning nap that day -- so she was awake for 14 consecutive hours on Thursday and was in a surprisingly good mood).










After my pedicure, we went to visit my brother's best friend, Jeff. Him and his fiance, Allison, just bought a beautiful home in Monroe (about 5 minutes from Aunt Kathy & Uncle Dave's house). It was really great to see them!!










We had dinner on Thursday night at Rox and John's awesome new home (in the historic district of downtown Monroe). Alexa enjoyed playing with Jack in the Playroom while Bella was still at karate. After dinner, we hung out with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dave for a little bit. Alexa loved Uncle Dave throwing her up in the air!










Once Alexa was in bed, Dan and I went back to hang out with Rox and John some more. We had a really great time with the two of 'em, enjoying their front porch and good conversation :-) I feel so blessed to have such amazing extended family members! And I'm so thankful that we have seen our NC family so many times this year!! To check out all the pictures from our time in Monroe, click here.

On Friday morning, we left for the mountains at 9:00 am. The 3-hour drive seemed worse then the 9-hour drive on Wednedsay. It was raining and foggy through the curvy and hilly mountain "highways." We were the first to arrive at the Blueberry Villa. We settled into our suite, the Chardonnay room, before anyone else showed up. Once everyone arrived, they decided to go out to lunch and run to the grocery store, so Dan went off with his family while I stayed with Alexa so she could take her afternoon nap. When they returned to the B&B, we went down to the winery (seriously a stone's throw away from the B&B) for our complimentary wine tasting. It was mostly red wines, so I thought it was gross, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Here are Dan and Alexa sitting on the huge fire pit outside of the winery.










Like how Dan's tie coordinates both mine & Alexa's dresses? The rehearsal dinner was at an Italian restaurant in downtown Banner Elk. The Spinach Dip appetizer was A-MA-ZING! So was my Tortellini dinner :-) (In fact, I think this food was way better then the food from the reception -- Dan brought a plate to me at the B&B on Saturday night since I couldn't go to the reception because of Alexa not being allowed).










Andy, Cathy, and the kids arrived after Alexa was already in bed on Friday night, but they all got to play bright and early Saturday morning (6:45 am) when Alexa (the late sleeper, lol) woke up. The kids really enjoyed playing with one another! I enjoyed my time talking with Cathy :-) As a mother of two, she had a lot of "words of wisdom" to offer me!










The 7 of us enjoyed lunch together at a cafe in downtown Banner Elk. Thanks to my dad (who was at the OSU v. Toledo game), we had BUCKEYE score updates throughout lunch!! When we returned to the B&B, David & Natalie went down for nap while Dan & Alexa went on a mini-walk around the villa and winery before her nap.










During Alexa's afternoon nap, Dan and I walked around the villa and winery taking some scenic pictures. Here's the front of the B&B (from a distance) and the front patio (up close).










The back of the B&B. The winery.










Dan in the blueberry fields. Me in the grape fields.










Aunt Nikki and Natalie hanging out listening to the BUCKEYE game at the B&B. It was right after this that I taught Natalie how to climb the stairs :-) She picked it up right away! Alexa better learn from her cousin ;-)










Alexa with Uncle Dan before the wedding. When Aunt Maureen walked out, Alexa wanted to go to her right away, but we didn't want Maureen's dress to get dirty before the ceremony.










Like how we coordinate again? I did LOTS of shopping so that we could have coordinating outfits for both Friday and Saturday!! Us with the entire family before the ceremony.










Maureen & Dan with their nephew & nieces. The bride.









Mommy & Alexa (out front). Alexa & Daddy (out back).










The kids all dressed up and cute :-)










Pat walking Maureen down the aisle. Dan doing a reading from Plato (I think?) during the ceremony.










Maureen & Dan lighting the unity candle and exchanging their vows.










Cathy and I stayed with the kids at the B&B while the adults went down to the winery for the reception. I changed Alexa out of her "party dress" so that she could match Natalie! While the kids were eating dinner, David made a comment that was so sweet as he was looking out the window at the winery... he said, "Mommy, I want to go to the party." Cathy explained to him that it was adult-only and that he would see Daddy when he woke up in the morning. The kids played really well together all day on Saturday! I only wish we had more than a day together!!!










Once the kids were in bed, Cathy and I hung out on the back patio with Jaclyn (Dan's cousin). We drank some wine/beer and swapped stories. It was so wonderful to sit back and relax after such a busy day!! Don't our husbands look so cute dressed up next to us in our comfy clothes?!?! Haha.










I had packed up all of our stuff on Saturday night before I put Alexa to bed. So when I woke up, wide-eyed, at 5:30 am, I was able to quickly load the car. The three of us went to Andy & Cathy's room to say goodbye, and we were on the road by 6:30 am. After two stops, we arrived in Dublin at 2:10 pm. It was really nice to get home and have a good portion of the day to relax together!! To check out all the pictures from our time in Banner Elk, click here.

So now you are all up-to-date on our life. Will post more soon -- probably after we go home this weekend :-) Yesterday's quote in Words to Warm a Mother's Heart (a flip calendar Aunt Janine got me for Christmas last year) was: "Where we love is a home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." ♥ That's why I refer to Perry as "home." Can't wait to see my family (and Chloe-bell-asaurus Rex!!) this weekend!!! Ciao.