We've had a busy weekend so far, but I forgot my camera at all occasions. Last night we went on a date to downtown Roanoke to eat Thai. We found a great place that we will visit again! After that we indulged at an ice cream shop that is similar to Marble Slab (my favorite date spot in Raleigh), and then to Barnes & Noble to browse. Today we ran together, I had lunch with friend Lauren while Aaron cleaned the vehicles, and we played in the pool for our monthly Sunday School social. It's been fun.

We are leaving tomorrow morning for an Eastern Caribbean cruise! We'll be back the following Sunday. Pray for us!

Every day except Fridays, my dad and Aaron go to the Omelette Shoppe for breakfast. My dad has had the same morning routine for 25+ years...go in to work to let the drivers in around 6, get them out on their routes, take a shower, and have breakfast at the Omelette Shoppe (kind of like Waffle House, but more local). Aaron is picking up on this routine (except the shower thing...he gets ready here at home in the morning). Rarely do I join them, but this morning I did. Sometimes Stephen and Michael go, too. It's a great place for early morning conversation!
I know I embarrassed them by taking this photo, but these are the sacrifices you have to make for the blog. :)

On Saturday we took a road trip to Richmond to witness the marriage vows of a friend Casey and his bride Ashley. It was a great day! Casey is a friend I made from family Christmas gatherings (there is a group of several families who lived in the same neighborhood together for years). He is a fantastic photographer: http://www.caseytempleton.com/, and a committed groom. We rode there with Stephen and Michael. We played Catch Phrase the whole way there and back. If you haven't played it, you should try it out. We also had a good time getting to know Tom Tom.
I didn't get any good shots of the bride and groom...there were a lot of people there and they were so busy at the reception. They have lots of great pictures on their website, www.ashleyandcasey.com

Last Thursday I went to Raleigh to have lunch with Kristen and Allison. It was great to see them and take note of their growing bellies (Allison is due with her 2nd in Nov., and Kristen with her 1st in Dec.)! The sky was cloudy and it was chilly, but the encouraging conversation brightened my day!

"The only true intelligence I own is precisely because I know the worth of [my husband]." -former Dean at Oxford and former radical feminist, after having been freed by biblical womanhood

Today the kids came to school for the last time this year. We had a great send off. I am so thankful to be working at this school.

Yesterday our cousins Lucas and Victoria came to town with their 18 month old, Hannah! It was fun to see them...I came home from work and they were sitting in front of the house! They were up from Wilson, NC to see her grandma before she passed away. It was a short but sweet visit with them.

We took up the whole row.

"Let me rest for a second!"
He was a hit with the kids.

The beach was very crowded near the pier. On Sunday they had a DJ to play beach music.

Tanning.
Despite my efforts of shading my face with the umbrella, my nose still got red. I finally finished this book that I had been reading for a couple of months- 1776. I highly recommend it. George Washington is now one of my heroes. I also read some Francine Rivers fiction over the weekend. Bow stayed on the porch most of the weekend. We let him in to hang out with us this once. None of us really spent much time inside.Yes, I'm still working on that quilt (bottom right corner). We hope to finish as soon as school lets out!Jonathan and Joy stayed in a gorgeous Bed & Breakfast in Beaufort, the Pecan Tree Inn.

Grandpa Hunter and Uncle David live in Newport, about 5-8 minutes from the island.

Last night we headed over to the Flores house for another birthday party. Sierra turns 21 tomorrow! We had lasagna dinner and yellow cake with chocolate icing. Sierra opened gifts (I loved these potted plants that Stephen and Michael gave her), and had deep conversations about snakes. She is going to have a party on Saturday night with friends and her family. Happy Birthday, Sierra!

Tomorrow is also Grandma's birthday. We are driving to the beach tomorrow after work to celebrate with her, and spend the Memorial Day holiday (no work on Monday!). Let's hope my pale white skin doesn't get burned!

It's hard for us to make weeknight commitments because of work and needing to eat, etc. Aaron has, however, been doing the same thing every Tuesday night for several months now. He goes to the Y to join the pickup volleyball games. He's getting really good. He likes it because everyone is there just to have fun and it's not so serious. He does whatever it takes to get there on these nights! The only thing about it is that we end up eating dinner around 9 or 9:30 :(Not a great shot, but I was trying to hurry (I realized when I got there that it might be embarrassing for me to be taking pictures, so I snuck in the corner and tried to be discreet). Aaron is on the left with his back facing us.

Aaron had been gone all weekend, so yesterday I tried to make our home as pleasing as possible for him when he returned. Among other things, I lit candles to make the rooms smell good and I washed our sheets. I shouldn't have done both of those things at the same time:

I set the sheets on fire in our bedroom! Thankfully it didn't become too desperate, but it was a little scary. The sad thing is that Aaron gave them to me as a gift and they were really good sheets. The good thing is that mom and dad gave me some new sheets for my birthday last week! I need to find another way to make the house smell good.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, for the past 4 months or so, I have been going over to Maria's house after school. On Tuesdays we speak only English so that she can practice. On Thursdays we speak only Spanish so that I can practice. It has been a very worthwhile arrangement. I have become good friends with her and enjoy learning about her life.

She is moving this weekend to Nebraska :( Her husband got a job transfer! I will miss her and her daughters (I teach both of them).