Easter Brunch Uptown

I thought I had typed a little blurb about our trip uptown, but I don't know what happened to it. Sorry! We are about 20 minutes from Charlotte, but don't get down there often. We have been to a few places in the city, but in 7 months, never to this area. It is beautiful! Charlotte is 2nd to New York in the banking industry, and there are lots of bank high-rises. We were told that 15 more are under contract to be built. If you look around, there are cranes and construction everywhere. The Bobcats and Panthers stadiums are also in this area as well as a few theaters, museums and of course churches and cemeteries. It's so nice to be close to culture and history.
We found a place to eat, but they were full (hello Easter morning!) so I asked the host for a recommendation. He got on the phone and called another place who said they could seat us, but only at the bar. Since the only other option we had seen was Burger King, we decided to go for it. It was about a 3 block walk that was really enjoyable. When we got to the restaurant, the hostess was sweet and gave us a table! They had an amazing brunch buffet set up as well as items you could order. We had duck, lamb, salmon, french toast, omelets, roasted and sauteed veggies, and of course fruit and dessert. It was the best food I have had since our cruise, amazing!
After brunch we spent some time just walking around looking at all the sights. The kids were having a great time, but with it only about 50 degrees Miss Emily got too chilly, so we headed out. It was a really nice morning!

Easter Morning

The Easter Bunny does deliver to apartments, and even hides eggs outside! LOL, the kids had been pretty worried about it. They got up at about 7:30 and started their egg hunt inside before moving outside. They found all 60 eggs we had left out for the bunny to fill and hide. After that they opened their baskets full of things for fun at the beach. They both got new beach towels, snorkeling gear, sand buckets and molds, kites, bubbles, swim tubes, sunscreen, and of course snacks. It was a great morning!

A Saturday Afternoon

It was such a beautiful day we had to go out and enjoy it. We took a drive to Lake Norman State Park and hiked a bit of the Lakeshore Trail. We didn't get far with the sun beginning to set, but we sure enjoyed the time we had there.

Coloring Eggs

It's an annual tradition I hope my kids look forward to no matter how old they are!

Heeleys

The kids got Heeleys for Christmas, but only last week actually put the wheels in.















They both caught on quickly and want to ride them everywhere now. The are not allowed at school, and I forbid them from rolling through stores.
















They get the most use out of them just cruising around the neighborhood.

Happy Birthday Blake!

My little man is 11 years old. How time flies!

We had planned a party at Blake's favorite place, NASCAR Speedpark. He invited 10 friends to join him for go-karting, rock climbing, laser tag, mini golf, and arcade games. A couple days before, Blake asked if one of his friends in the neighborhood could spend the night Friday before the party and we said sure.

Friday I took cookies to school for Blake to share with his friends at lunch. While I was there, another boy mentioned a sleepover. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about! Blake explained that the other boy probably wasn't going to come and we had already said he could have someone over, he thought it would be okay to invite someone different. Okay, I can deal with that. After leaving the school I stopped at the store to pick up some soda and snacks, just in case both boys ended up coming over. After school, I started getting phone calls from other boys Blake had invited over! We ended up with 2 more before the night was over. Little stinker! I was just happy he had friends he wanted to come over!






Sam went and got some pizza and a couple movies. The boys stayed up ALL NIGHT playing video games. Not a wink of sleep was had by those little monsters! In the morning I put out some doughnuts, Eggos, Pop Tarts and fruit. Everyone got dressed, and at 10:30 we headed out.








We picked up another boy and his sister. Two more boys met us at the Speedpark. There was rain predicted, so I told them to head straight outside before it started and things got shut down. I don't think anyone got more than one ride in before it started pouring. We went back in and played until 12 when pizza and soda was served. They got back to playing and before to long it was dry enough outside to start running the go-karts again. They played outstide for over an hour before the rain started again. I had told the parents we'd be done around 2, but now it was already after 3! We agreed to let the kids play laser tag one more time and while Sam and I waited Thunderstorm and tornado watches and warnings started being issued on the tv! Here we were in the mall with 5 other children just 15 miles away from 127mph winds. Acck! We started to panic a little because it was showing 90mph winds around our town. The rain was pouring and there was some fierce lightening, but we got the kids out and made it home. Here's what Blake looked like when I was parked outside our apartment.
















Within about an hour it was all over and there was no sign of damage anywhere near here. Blake stayed up until almost 8pm when he fell asleep while palying his Nintendo DS. I think he had a great time!

Cookware

The weather is amazing! It's a perfect 75 degrees! I love being warm, but not so hot you can't leave the windows open. It's been heavenly here this week!

Not much exciting going on today so I thought I'd share some of my favorite new things. I don't have completed sets of these yet because I wanted to make sure I could cook with them. I have used Teflon all my life, but it's so dangerous and constantly needs replacing. I'm almost ashamed to admit how much research I did before I began investing in new cookware. One thing I learned was that for smooth-top stoves, you must use smooth bottom cookware. I don't have a smooth top right now, but I want good cookware that will last, so just in case I end up with a smooth-top, my cookware must by smooth. You'd be amazed how many brands put grooves and things on the bottom. That criteria ruled out many options. I had been hearing alot about hard anodized, but found out it's not dishwasher safe... wha? Who wants that hassle? We have a couple stainless steel pieces that I really like to use as sauce pans, but the handles are coming loose. I see the cooks on Food Network using it all the time, so I decided to look into it more. All-clad seems to be the big name, but it also comes with a ridiculous price tag. I went to Kohl's one day to check out some Calphalon pieces. They were really nice, but I was drawn to the Food Network brand.

They felt much better in my hand, and the lids fit tighter and sounded less tin-like then the Calphalon. The other bonus was that I could get extras of the saucepans I use most often. Since the Food Network brand come with a lifetime warranty, I bought 2 pieces to try. I am in love! They cook well, clean up easily, feel great, and look beautiful! I'm definitely going to save up to purchase a whole set! Now, stainless is great for many things, but non-stick skillets will always have a place. Much to my surprise, I found out that once "seasoned", cast iron is non-stick! How cool it that? Cast iron has been used forever, it's pretty cheap, and you don't have to wash it at all! My kind of stuff! Target has these pretty red enamel-coated pieces I'm lusting over.

Carolina Mornings

One of my favorite things here are the amazing sunrises. I had kind of forgotten about them until daylight savings got us waking up before the sun again. It's like this beautiful picture painted across the sky, just to bring a smile to my face and a peaceful happy start to my day. Here are a few pictures I've taken.







It's like this every morning, with the exception of a rare cloud cover. Every time I see it, it stirs something inside me. I hope I never get used to it and always remain thankful for it.

Blake said last week that he'd like to go see the sun rise up out of the ocean. What an amazing thing for him to want to do! We will definitely have to make that wish come true!

House Update

Well, we've come full circle again. After looking at the last house I posted below 3 times and crunching numbers, we decided it's too much of a stretch for us. It would take everything we have to get into it, and we don't want to be left broke. Besides, it still wasn't just right. So, we're back to looking at lower-priced houses again, for the third time. We tried really hard to find our dream home, but it's just not gonna happen. So we'll find something to settle on, and that will be that. It will still be better than what we had before. It's just hard to let dreams go, well set them aside anyway. Everybody knows I never let go of dreams =)

Here vs There

Since we've been here in NC, I've noticed a few differences I thought it would be fun to share.


1. The buses are Freightliners with the engines up front as opposed to the rear engines of the Bluebird buses in Yakima.














2. Wild animals run all over. Deer, squirels, opposum, turkey; be ready!















3. You can buy racing fuel at the mini mart!














4. Cement trucks look like they are going backwards.














5. Cemetaries are next to churches. I didn't want to be disrespectful, so no picture. Although not all churches have a cemetary, I have yet to see a cemetary that is just a cemetary.

6. Speed limits are typicaly 45mph and you better be up to speed within 5 seconds! I have never seen a sign lower that 35. Well, aside from in our neighborhood where it is 17. Ya, not 20 or 15, 17.

I'm sure there are many more, but these are a few visual observations that have stuck in my head. I'll stay on the look out.

Job Update

Sam's still working at WRE. Things have slowed down tremendously. He's down to 2 other guys in the shop and they are looking for jobs elsewhere. We got good news that 2 of the guys Sam had to let go already have other jobs in the racing field. That's great to hear!
Sam is pretty torn on what to do at this point. They (the Lynch's) still want to run the GN car in Phoenix, so that's job security for at least a month. No word has been said about selling trucks or equipment, so that's hope. Sam is trying his hardest to protect both the team and his reputation.
He is mortified at the thought of having to go search for a job. I think that's one of the things that kept him from moving here a long time ago, and I can't blame him. When I think about having to do the same, it frightens me too. It really makes you face your education and qualifications (or lack of), and really your whole life. For a couple people who are not big on self-esteem, it's actually quite depressing. BUT...
We shall be strong, and we shall perservere! My mom asked me back when I first gave her the news of our move, "what if it doesn't work out?". My immediate reponse was, "That's not an option. We are going to make it work.". I stand by that whole-heartedly. As tough as moments get, I know without a doubt that this move was meant to be for us. We will get through this darkness to where the light will shine even brighter for us! I must stand back and re-look the big picture. Our main goal was to give our children a better quality of life and raise them in a place with abundent opportunities. That hasn't changed, and that place is definately here. Hope abounds!

Maybe??????

So, like all the others, this house is not perfect, but it's the closest we've come. It's full brick on a flat .35 acre. It has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and a bonus room. The neighborhood is small (by standards out here) and very nice. The area has lots of trees and a pond they stock for fishing. Most the homes are 10-15 years old, but this one is new construction. We wish it were bigger, but at 2221 sq ft, it's still nearly 1000 sq ft larger than we had before! Right now we're waiting to find out if there are any building/addition restrictions. If we can add on, we may make an offer on this one.

I am ready for a house, so if this one doesn't work out, we'll probably settle for something. I have a few other places in mind =)

I dug out the St Joseph figure I used when we sold our house in Yakima. You are supposed to display it in your new home, but since I haven't considered this apartment a home, he's been left in a box. I know they are marketed to sell houses, but since he is the saint of home and family, I didn't think it would hurt to say a prayer to help us buy a house. Some folks (including my husband) thought I was nutso when I told them about St Joseph, but I had faith. I buried him in the front yard without telling anyone but the kids, prayed every day, and we closed a full-price sale in less than 6 weeks in a struggling market! So now St Joseph is sitting on top of our tv and reminding me to pray (not just for a house of course). Even if that is all it does, it's still a good thing. I tell ya though, if we get this house, I might find a life-size statue to display!

Ups and Downs

Sorry I slacked on the blogging last week.
Sam was actually with us 4 days out of the past 8! That's the upside.
The down side is he's home because work is tapering off and he had the NASCAR flu that's going around. Sam is still working in the shop with 5 other guys, but as of now the truck racing is on hold indefinitely. Last week he laid off some great guys. He said it was the hardest thing he's had to do in a long time. The plan is to get a couple cars ready for Nick (Scott's brother) to race in the GN division in Phoenix April 10 but after that...? Maybe they will go truck racing again in a few months, but we just don't know. I'm hoping Sam got the chance to speak with his mentor out here and has a fresh outlook today.
On the upside again, the weather is absolutely PERFECT here. It's been in the lower 70's and we just love it! Trees and flowers are blooming, more boats can be seen on the lake....ahhhh. =)