a picture i love... and a sneak peek (have i mentioned i like to paint)

this would be the picture I love...

and this would be the sneak peak... the master bathroom is in progress.

anniversary weekend

this is what greeted us upon our arrival at the tides inn.  ice cold lemonade and a plate of cookies!  i took full advantage of this while john david checked us in.  when no one was looking i went back for a second cookie ~ shhhh!

 

after settling in, we explored on the grounds on bikes, then relaxed in rocking chairs over looking the water.  what is it about a rocking chair and water that is refreshing?

 

this was the view from the rocking chair and below is the view from our room.  loved the plantation blinds!  it was cloudy and rainy, but that was just fine.  they usually have s'mores on the patio at 8:00 each evening.  due to the weather, we had to settle for milk and cookies in the view room which was a large room with a grand piano in the center, and plenty of seating for reading and chatting. 

golf while it was misting... not heading to the lpga anytime soon!  but we did have fun. 

sunday night we ate at this place ~ merroir ~ obviously a hole in the wall. but so delicious! the crab cakes were the best we have ever eaten! we went back by on our way home to snap a picture and the owner and another guy were out on a crab/oyster shanty working on that evening's meal.  talk about fresh seafood!  they have also been featured on the food network several times.  seriously. good. eats!

the second night we dined at the tides inn.  it was pricey but delicious.  i had shrimp and grits which was amazing.  john david had salmon.  they had gluten free biscuits too!  (jd is gluten free, most people do not know that though.)  happy anniversary to us!  it's been a wonderful 14 years so far and here's to many more!

helping daddy move

jd moved from his old office into a newer more professional space over the weekend.  a few friends helped but so did the family.  m2 was given the task of scrapping tape off the old wall.  little man and m1 were supposed to help moving boxes, but found it more fun to move each other instead. 

the new space...  

this is not a super great pic of m1, but i love the action of m2 jumping in the background.  she was actually enthusiastically helpful.  she wanted to carry the printer, but accepted the work bag instead. 

oops, you can guarantee at some point m1 will find the camera and start shooting pictures.  daddy's head got chopped off.  measuring the wall so we can get pictures and the white board hung up. 

little man's basketball coach

my latest facebook update:  i think little man's basketball coach is handsome. 

rumor has it he's hot for the cheer leading coach ;-0

i've been a mommy for 10 years.

 little man ~ our first born is ten years old.  this little guy was the one to first call me mommy.  that makes me very happy.  he loves to get lost in a book (his words, not mine), build with legos, ride his bike, eat pizza and play soccer and basketball.  he does not like haircuts, homework or peas.  john david and little man spent the weekend away.  they went to a carolina basketball game, spent the night in a hotel and had some great quality time together.  we hope for this to become a tradition when the girls turn ten also ~ an overnight trip* with mommy and daddy.  (i could not go because of m2's ballet recital). 

little man's favorite carolina player ~ james mcadoo



great seats!

john david saw james' dad during half time (john david helps out at a basketball camp mr. mcadoo runs for inner-city youth during the summer) and mr. mcadoo got them into the players lounge after the game.  that was super nice of him.  james was gracious and posed for a picture.  good thing mommy sent the camera!

on the court after the players lounge.  little white boy trying to jump! 

one day he will be able to reach!

*m1 has planned and re-planned her trip several times, even though she still has 18 months until her 10th birthday!  after us vetoing a "quick day trip" to disney she is looking into more reasonable options. 

a weekend away

.  john david and i drove over to the eastern shore and caught a ferry to tangier island.  the island, home to about 500 people, is only accessible by ferry or small plane.  choppy water and these life jackets made up our view for just under two hours.  this is actually a trip jd has made for work since he has some schools on the eastern shore and one on tangier. 

this is a crab shanty with a pier full of crab pots.  crabbing is a way of life on the chesapeake bay.  we were guaranteed fresh seafood!      

once on the island your transportation choices are limited... walk, bike or golf cart.  we had already decided on bikes.  there are less than 15 cars on the island ~ one belongs to the police chief (there is only one law enforcement agent on the island).  there is also a fire engine, ambulance and the other various cars belong to volunteers that man those positions.    

this is a gift shop named "sandy's place" and my bike is parked in front.  so very cute!   while riding to the bed and breakfast (they did pick us up with a golf cart at the dock so we dropped our things off before picking up bikes) we got a chuckle at the speed limit sign... as well as the fact that speed is checked by radar.   

the mail boat... the way mail is brought back and forth to the island daily.

i love looking at maps, which is great since my car does not have gps.  does that really surprise anyone?  it was fun looking at the map and the markers crossing the bay and knowing exactly where we were. 

 

thanks to nana for watching little man and my parents for keeping the girls.  they love spending time with you all! 

one last image: this one is for my brother in law dane... don't you just love it?

where did you get those shoes?

john david's birthday was in may, but jane could not come to town until this weekend so we waited to celebrate.  don't you just love bowling shoes?  actually, i do!  i think they are kinda cool... except for the fact that like a gazillion people have worn them, too.

john david hitting a strike... i guess it helps if you took bowling in college p.e. class!

 

 the kids had fun.  m2, m1, and i bowled on one lane (bumpers were up).  little man chose the more competitive lane with john david, nana and jane.

after bowling we headed to nana's for dinner and to open presents.  taco salad and fruit pizza followed by a round of spades for the adults.  happy birthday hubby ~ you are catching up!