Miller Family Visits NC

Our good friends Chad and Kathy Miller made their way to NC for a visit! Their two boys - Connor, 6 and Aidan, 4 have had several visits with Jake and Dylan when we have been to Boardman, but this was their first trip to see us. We packed in a lot of activity with Brian and Chad getting in a couple of rounds of golf and swimming at the neighborhood pool a few times.

Our trip to Nascar SpeedPark was probably the highlight for the kids (and I include Chad and Brian when I say kids!!). Everyone got to ride in different levels of race cars...Brian spun out some poor teenage boy and Chad repeatedly held off a 9-year old girl...very impressive guys! Dylan was even able to ride on his own toddler size car with his big brother and in the bumper boats with Dad! They also really enjoyed their first time playing lazer tag!

We also got to visit with my friend from college, Kristin, and her sisters, one of who lives in Charlotte. We had a great cookout at their house and get caught up! We followed the picnic with a trip to see our local Kannapolis Intimidators minor league baseball team. The boys had a great time and the fireworks show afterwards was incredible!

Girlfriends Weekend on the Virginia Creeper Trail

A wonderful group of my NC friends and fellow moms went on a weekend trip to the Virginia Creeper Trail. We rode the 17 mile downhill bike trail across bridges and creeks with lots of beautiful scenery along the way.

We stayed in a cute little cottage, Creeper Trail Cottages, with a creek out back and a screened in back porch which was the site of lots of laughs. We also found time to visit a wonderful little vineyard, Abingdon Winery, for a wine tasting and some relaxing on the winery patio.

One of the other highlights of our trip, was the tubing we did on the river. It was a little unnerving because they just kind of dumped us in the river and said they would pick us up 3 hours later!!! I actually took a spill out of my tube, lost my hat and had some trouble getting back in, but one of my friends helped me out! It was a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend a visit...especially for families!

We Head to Daytona Beach for Family Visit

We went to Daytona Beach to visit my parents and had a wonderful time! We spent several days at the ocean where Jake was anxious to try out his new boogie board! He really zipped along on the waves. Dylan enjoyed the sand more, but ventured out into the ocean with his Pap Pap after a little while. Dylan's favorite part of the trip was playing miniature golf. He was very focused and would take his time...when he finally got it in the hole, we could throw his arms in the air and cheer and wave...must be getting ready for the junior PGA tour and his many fans.

It was very hot while we were visiting, so most of our activities involved water! We spent a fun day at the Daytona Lagoon waterpark. Jake went on every single water slide in the park and loved all of them! Brian and I got to go on a bunch too while Dylan took a long nap with Grandma. I was a little nervous for Jake since some of the slides were covered and very fast, but he enjoyed in thoroughly!

We also got to visit with many of Mom and Dads friends at their multiple happy hours!! Retired life seems great...how many more years do I need to work???

Perry Family Visits Lake Lure

We recently took a wonderful overnight trip to Lake Lure in North Carolina and also went hiking in Chimney Rock Park. We had a wonderful time in Lake Lure, staying at the historic Lake Lure Inn. We also took in a scenic boat ride and playing in the lake where Jake overcame his fear of waterslides by repeating going down two of them.

We really enjoyed Chimney Rock park where there are several different trails to hike. We started with one designed just for the kids that had different stations where they could encounter statues of different animals and learn fun facts. Then we hiked to a waterfall and had lunch right at the base. Jake even spotted a snake sunning himself and we all got a little refreshed from the mist!

Dylan continues to enjoy hiking from his perch on Brian's back...it's the only way to go!