As promised, here are the favorites from our photo shoot with Celeste Smith. I love how she captured everyone's personality. We all highly recommend her for your next photo shoot.
September 2018
September 5th Nick had another cross country meet. He is really enjoying being on the team and knocking a few seconds off his time each competition.
September 6th Jeremy had his interview with the stake president for his temple recommend. I can't believe he is old enough to be going through the temple. The closer it gets to his departure date the more excited and anxious he gets. This is a huge step toward being ready to serve as a missionary.
September 7th we took Naomi to a party and Jeremy to work. Steve and I still had not been out to dinner for our anniversary so we decided to take Nick with us to TGI Fridays. It was the most entertaining meal I have had in a long time. The waitress took Nick's order first. His was the first drink to arrive at the table (brought by a different waitress). His was the first meal served (brought by yet another waitress). All of them kept coming back and asking him how his meal was and if he needed anything else. His glass was never empty. When the check came, Steve explained the process of adding a tip to the bill. One of the waitresses was watching and had a confused look on her face. I explained that Nick was 16 and starting to date so we were explaining how things worked with the bill so he would know what to do. She was shocked and said THEY all thought he was in college. When Steve and I pointed out what had been going on all night long, Nick LOVED it!!
September 7th Nick had a cross country meet. Steve and Jeremy dropped him off at the school before heading down to Columbia to check out the different types of garments. Naomi and I went to see Nick run in his meet. It was at the Cannon School here in town and wasn't at the same time as her soccer game. This is a miracle because it is the ONLY game this season that does not conflict with Nick's meets. Steve and I will be taking turns attending one or the other. Nick did really well and had a good time. We had to leave before the awards in order to be on time for Naomi's soccer game, but Nick said their team took second place. They were all really excited about it.
Back at home I noticed that the back patio was wet. The end of the hose was next to the patio so I went to the outside tap and tightened it up to stop the water flow. Well... the handle tightened initially and then would just spin. The water was now on full blast and I couldn't turn it off. After some trial and error I found that if I pushed the handle in the water would stop. I ran to the garage and got a clamp. That did the trick. Once Steve was home we started working on a more permanent solution. Unfortunately that involved calling in a professional plumber to replace both the front and back spigots and installing an indoor shut-off valve so that if we ever need to shut off the outside water from the inside we could. I liked this idea because several of our friends have had pipes break during cold spells and having an indoor valve would have prevented a lot of the water damage that occurred. The issue was, of course, the expense. It was well worth it and the gentleman from Morris Jenkins was so friendly and professional. He and Steve took a field trip to Lowes in the middle of the trip to get one more part to complete the job. They were buddies by the end of the job.
After that crisis was averted, we got on the LDS store website and ordered Jeremy's garments because the store in Columbia didn't have his sizes. At least he got to feel all the fabrics and try different styles on so he knew which ones he really wanted.
The day ended with Naomi going to Lucy's party and Lucy's brother coming to hang with us (aka escape all the girls) during the party. Ben fits in really well at our house so it was a win-win situation.
September 9th Jeremy and I took a trip to the local CDC to get his vaccinations. I know they have to tell you everything to expect up to the worst-case scenarios, but Jeremy and I were feeling pretty apprehensive once we left the office. Jeremy got his Yellow Fever shot and the pills for Typhoid. Both of these are required for entry into Brazil.
September 11th - the best thing about this day is that I got the bathroom cleaned. The other stinky events of the day included finding out the Bradden and Sunny were moving to Colorado in October and Nick hurt his knee during Team Sports. The cross country coach sent Nick to meet with the team physical therapist to find out how bad it was. The PT thought maybe Nick had stretched his PCL and it needed to be looked at by a doctor ASAP in order to determine when Nick could return to cross country. I got the call to come pick Nick up early since he would not be able to run that day. Luckily I was able to find a doctor at OrthoCarolina that could see Nick the next morning.
September 12th - Thank goodness it wasn't his PCL. Nick had sprained his knee and would be out of commission for one week. He also needed to take some prescription NSAIDS and ice his knee regularly. Between his infected in-grown toenail and this he was having a tough season. Thankfully it was nothing serious and he would be back up and running (pun totally intended) in no time.
Meanwhile, a major hurricane, Florence, was approaching the east coast right at Wilmington, N.C. There was a lot of speculation and fear surrounding this massive storm. It was forecast to drop 20+ inches of rain on some places closer to the coast. Charlotte was projected to get 6 inches. It was going to be a wet week!
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| The wind started to pick up and huge clouds started to roll in a few days before the rain hit Charlotte. |
That night was Young Women In Excellence. The theme was "Let Your Light Shine" and it was an inspiring night for the girls to share their accomplishments from the last year. Ravyn and Sara Muller were in charge of the night and they did a wonderful job.
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| All the Young Women at the end of the night. |
September 13th and 14th CMS cancelled school in order to be converted into shelters for the evacuees from the coast. Hurricane Florence had been down-graded from a strong Category 4 hurricane to a strong Category 2. Although the wind speeds had weren't going to be as catastrophic as initially thought, the amount of moisture in this massive storm was still problematic. To complicate matters, a front was approaching from the west which would in essence slow Florence down and help her dump a ton of rain on eastern North Carolina.
We spent the evening getting the yard ready for the coming wind. Steve and I got out the chain saw and took down some heavy branches that were in danger of getting damaged in the storm. At one point I asked the kids to get the garbage to the curb, please. Nick, with his quick wit, said "Mom, don't worry about it. Florence will get the garbage to the curb for us." Funny , but all too real in the same sentence.
September 15th Florence was approaching the coast. The weather was already deteriorating in Charlotte. Everything was cancelled and we were able to stay home all day. I had planned ahead and purchased the paint for the beach bathroom. If I couldn't go anywhere I was going to get the bathroom done!! The wind really picked up throughout the morning and it was raining consistently by the afternoon.
September 16th there was flooding in Charlotte and church was cancelled. We were cautioned to remain inside. The wind was still really whipping the trees around and the rain was causing roads to flood. Some of our friends who lived next to smaller rivers were worried about their homes being flooded by the rising water.
September 17th School was cancelled again. Naomi took advantage of the day off and went to a friend's house. Nick went for a run since cross country practice had been cancelled. Jeremy and I tried to go to the DMV to take care of extending his license while he was on his mission. After waiting in line for half an hour because the sign on the door said they would be opening at 9:30 and then they decided they weren't going to open after all, Jeremy and I went back home and paid off some bills with Steve's yearly bonus. It ended up being a good day. We even had some moments of sun.
September 21st I got to sub in the 8th grade and teach the kids about MLA format. It was a fun day. I love when the teachers leave a full plan since they know it is within my major.
Steve and Jeremy drove to Knoxville to attend Olivia's baptism, which had been moved up because of their move to Colorado. I stayed home with the other two since I couldn't get out of a subbing job. Nick had a meet and Naomi had a Knight Rider's performance and a soccer game over the weekend.
That night, after dropping Naomi off to play with the Knight Riders, Nick and I went to the the Muller's house. Sara wanted to have some ladies over for a camp fire for her birthday. Nick and Carson had fun just hanging out while the ladies relaxed in the backyard. We had to leave early in order to pick up Naomi. It was a fun night.
September 22nd Nick was at a cross country meet early. Naomi and I rearranged the front room to accommodate the new treadmill. Oh yes, somewhere in all of this activity, Nick and Steve had found a treadmill on Craigs List and bought it. The funny thing is that we almost couldn't get it in the house. We had to take both of the front doors off and even then had to wiggle it in the front door. It is all computerized and Nick can simulate a hilly, outdoor run. It will be perfect for the rainy and/or cold days when he can't run outside. Back to the events of 9/22, Naomi and I went to her soccer game and the girls played their guts out. It was a physical game but they stuck it out and ended up winning 5-3.
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| Pre-game coaches pep talk. |
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| Go Pride! |
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| Naomi going up against one of this age-groups best players. She is fierce! |
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| Naomi playing goalie. This is the quarter I just yell "DEFENSE!" the whole time. |
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| She really likes playing goalie. |
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| This was a close one. |
After the game, Naomi and I went to the high school to wait for the cross country team bus. Nick was beat after a long day so we took him home to rest. Naomi got cleaned up and we headed to the mall with one of her friends. That night Jeremy went to workout with Justin. It was a productive day.
September 25th we started the finishing touches to the backyard. I got the weed guard paper put down on half of the area a couple of weeks ago and today we finished the other half. I looks soooooo nice.
September 27th is worth recording because everyone was home for dinner! That happens very rarely around here anymore. Maybe it was because Jeremy and I fixed empanadas.
September 28th I took Sara Muller to lunch for her birthday. We went to Bad Daddy's Burgers and really enjoyed the good food and conversation. She is always so much fun. After lunch, I took Naomi and her friend, Lucy, to the mall. She came back to our place to hang out for the evening. Bradden arrived just after dinner. Tomorrow is temple day for Jeremy and he wanted to be there for his nephew. I am really going to miss having them so close.
We were up early the next morning because we had to be to the temple by 8:30. It was a busy day at the temple because there were youth baptisms and a ward primary day. That was all happening outside the temple though. It was peaceful IN the temple. Jeremy really enjoyed the session. It helped him feel more prepared for his mission.
Back outside the temple we managed to get some pictures without it looking as crowded as it was. The kids were all hungry so we took them to Rush's for lunch and then headed home. Bradden left us straight from the temple so he could get back home to help Sunny with the packing and moving arrangement.
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| My favorite picture of the day! Bradden's photo bomb is the best. |
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| Our whole family was at the temple together. This is what Families Are Forever is all about. |
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| One step closer to being Elder Cannon. |
Back in Charlotte we all got ready for our photo session with a good friend of ours from church. Celeste Smith does a great job if you need someone for your next family photo. She makes it light and fun. Her pictures are so amazing they are going to get a blog of their own so stay tuned.
After the pictures we ran Naomi over to Bella's house for Bella's party. It was a full, but fun day.
September 30th was a month for water issues. The air conditioning had been acting up. The condensation was backing up into the tray in the attic. That is definitely not a good thing. Parks sent someone right out the take a look. He unclogged the line and releveled some of the pipes that were not at optimum slope. He also installed a failsafe on each unit upstairs to prevent flooding from happening again. Would it be too much to say that we drown the budget this month with home repairs? It definitely fits. Also, while I was standing on top of the ladder answering questions for the repair guy while he was fixing things, I stood too far to one side and ladder tipped. Thank goodness the wall was there, otherwise I would have totally fallen and really hurt myself. But, because the wall was there I completely smashed my toe between the edge of the ladder and the wall. It was black and blue, swollen and most likely broken. Oh well. Our air conditioner is working again. Thank goodness for professionals that really know what they are doing.
August 2018
August was a month full of preparation for the coming year. August 3rd, Naomi and I were able to go help in the library at the middle school. Over the summer, a construction crew had been hard at work adding a green room and a digital citizenship classroom to the media center area. This meant that all the books had to be moved and stored in the back room. That was all taken care of before the year ended. The new and exciting development was that the media center was getting new carpet. We had to move all the books from one side of the library to the other so they could lay carpet on that side. Then, a couple of days later we had to move all the books to the other side of the room so the carpet could be laid on that half. Once that was all done we had to put the books and shelves where they needed to be permanently. It was a large, but fun task.
Naomi then got to spend the afternoon playing with her friend's new kitten and then was off to a birthday party that night. Steve was excited because he finally got his new stereo in the Xterra. His "truck" is finally coming together the way he has always dreamed it would.
August 4th was a work at home day. I started working on my nemesis - the back corner of the yard. I have never really had a vision for this area of the yard and as a result it has just been an area to grown weeds through the years. This year that was going to change. I was a woman on a mission with a vision. When I was all done with the corner it would be a garden for my lilac and iris as well as a meeting area complete with a table and fire pit area. I am so excited to finally have a completed back yard.
Our friend, Adam, came over later that day to do a woodworking project with Steve. Adam had a piece of cedar he wanted to turn into a bowl for his wife. They had seen this gorgeous cedar bowl when they were registering for their wedding but it was really expensive. Steve helped Adam turn his piece of cedar into a gorgeous bowl. Misti was so happy. The rest of the day Steve stayed in the garage and worked on his scout knives and I did some finish work in the bathroom. It is almost ready to paint.
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| Gorgeous sunrise with an impressive cloud. |
August 5th we got a new bishopric. It was sad to see the old bishopric released, but we are equally excited about the new bishopric. That night was the Pies and Ties farewell event for Matthew Hedrick. He was leaving for his mission to Argentina later in the week and we all stopped by to wish him well. During the event Naomi complained of the right side of her face feeling funny. It was really swollen for some reason. We immediately went home and gave her some Benedryl. The next morning she was fine. Weird!!
August 6th Naomi was my support as I had to say goodbye to my phone. It was refusing to charge and was quickly heading toward dead. I hate picking out a new phone and Naomi came to help ease me through the process. You may laugh, but his is truly a mourning process for me. I don't like it one bit. I am happy to say that I am adjusting to my new Samsung 9+ phone although it will be some time before I can honestly say I like it. I am not ungrateful, but incredibly stubborn.
August 8th Naomi was invited to be a part of the elite marching band at school. Mr. Scaringelli wanted to give her a challenge and thought this would be the perfect thing. She LOVES it!!
It was a busy day of me driving everywhere to make sure that Nick got to and from cross country training, Jeremy got to and from work and Naomi got to and from band camp. It is all worth it though. I didn't realize how much I relied on Jeremy to help me move people around.
August 8th Naomi's face got swollen again. I called the doctor and they wanted to see her immediately to rule out an allergic reaction. Last time it was key lime pie and this time it was apple slices. The doctor felt that the two incidents were a fluke but she wanted me to call immediately if it happened again.
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| Poor baby! The whole right side of her face is swollen. |
After making sure Naomi wasn't in serious peril, Jeremy and I drove all his mission and visa papers to the post office and got them mailed back to Salt Lake so the missionary travel department could finish the visa process.
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| The paperwork and hoop-jumping is finally finished. |
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| This picture is just so Jeremy. I love it. |
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| We also found some time in this busy day to re-dye Naomi's hair. |
Our new bishop is originally from Sao Paulo and was so excited about Jeremy's mission call to Brazil that he invited us over for an authentic Brazilian dinner and a chance to ask questions. Another young man from a ward in our stake was also going to Brazil (just a couple of weeks before Jeremy) and we would get to meet them and talk all things missionary. Jeremy was really excited. I found a recipe for a Brazilian potato salad to add to the meal. Jeremy gave it two thumbs up. I think it actually made him more excited about everything he would experience while in Brazil. Also, that day, his Portuguese scriptures arrived.
That night was so much fun. Bishop Arias answered all sorts of questions from all of us about what to expect for the next two years. Both missionaries were very grateful for the Q&A session. Our new bishop is going to be amazing.
August 11th I had my big, annual kick-off for seminary teachers event. It is a 4 hour training to get us all ready for the coming year. I actually look forward to it. Steve was on kid chauffeur duty for the morning. He got to go to the mall with Naomi and Jeremy to pick up some more things Jeremy would need on his mission. Nick had Matt come over to hang out for the day and Naomi had all her friends over for a Voltron party. The new season had been released the night before on Netflix and they were all excited to watch it together. That night Jeremy went to Hubert's birthday party. It was a packed day for everyone.
The next several days were full of errands. On 8/14 I managed to put 100-plus miles on the truck. I was not home for more than 20 minutes all day long. I helped at the library at school, drove Naomi and Ari to the mall (and followed them around for two hours), dropped the girls off at the Wilsons, dropped Nick off at cross country, picked Naomi up from the Wilsons, picked Nick up from cross country, took Naomi to school so she could perform with the Knight Riders at the beginning of orientation, and then finished the day off driving Nick to and from basketball camp. 100 MILES!!!
Back at home we spent the rest of the day at the pool. That night Nick has his Eagle Board of Review. He is officially an Eagle Scout now.
August 15th was the first day of 11th and 7th grades for Nick and Naomi.
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| Traditional first day picture. They are smiling this year. I hope that is a good omen. |
Jeremy and I spent the day looking for good shoes to fill the needs of his mission. That is no small task, but we did find two pair that will be perfect for his p-days and sports as well as some boots for working and sloshing through mud. That night we all did a little star-gazing. There were four planets all visible. It was super cool.
August 17th the day started with Steve taking Nick to InstaCare for an infected toe. They gave him an antibiotic and told him to watch it. Really? OK! Meanwhile, I was on my way to an all-day women's retreat in a little place called Meadows of Dan, Virginia. Our Relief Society president's parents live there and had invited us up to enjoy a day of sisterhood and relaxation. It was an amazing day and accomplished all it was supposed to accomplish. I love the sister in the Relief Society and had so much fun getting to know them all better.
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| The front lawn and pond. |
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| A class on the benefits of massage. |
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| Checking out the couch Misti's mother build - by herself!!! |
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| The whole group. |
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| Working on our craft. |
Sunday, August 19th, we attended a meeting to announce some new stake boundaries and wards. Our ward was not affected this time, but we did lose the Matthews ward to the South Stake which was split in two and five new wards were formed. There has been so much growth in South Charlotte and northern South Carolina. It is amazing to watch the Church growing like it is.
August 21st was Back to School night for the HS. Steve and I got to meet all Nick's teachers and Nick got to walk across the parking lot to attend his last basketball camp of the summer. I think this year is going to be a challenging, but rewarding year for Nick. He has two Honors classes and choir along with cross country. He is getting involved and is loving it so far.
August 22nd Sandra and I were finally able to coordinate our busy schedules and go to lunch together. We caught each other up on all that has been going on in our lives and just had a fun and much-needed break from being busy.
August 24th I got to sub in 6th grade science. It was the day they would be trying out their solar ovens they had built the day before. Some of them did nachos and others tried cookies. One two or three of the ovens worked the way they should have. The kids were given the chance to evaluate and correct the problems the next week. It was fun to watch the kids really learning and being able to apply what they learned.
Later that day Jeremy and I got the email from the lawyer he hired that his ticket had been dismissed. His driving record is clean.
That night was the first football game of the season. I worked the Spirit Store and Naomi played with the Knight Riders. It was so much fun to watch them come marching into the football area. They would play occasionally throughout the game as well. I can see why Naomi loves it so much.
August 25th was Nick's first cross country meet. Steve was able to go watch him. Nick ran the course in 23 minutes. Not bad for the first race of the year.
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| On the start line just after the gun went off. |
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| Nick coming down the home stretch to the finish line. |
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| So handsome in his uniform. |
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I was in charge of making sure Jeremy got to work and taking Naomi to the SoccerFest for the beginning of the fall AYSO season. This is the day where they observe the girls playing and build the teams. Before taking Jeremy to work, we went to several stores to find cilantro so we could make our Cafe Rio dinner for the missionaries. There was none to be found. We ended up buying an actual plant.
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| Jeremy and our cilantro plant. |
August 26th Naomi was set apart as the Beehive secretary. We also had the elders over for some Cafe Rio. Jeremy had been bragging at church a few weeks earlier about our Cafe Rio dinners. Both the elders and the sisters had been standing there and wanted in on the Cafe Rio action. I booked them back-to-back nights for dinner at our house.
August 27th was our 25th wedding anniversary. I can't believe that 25 years went by so quickly. It was also the first day of seminary. Nick's infected toe did not resolve with the oral antibiotics (a very sarcastic SURPRISE!) and I ended up taking him to a podiatrist to have the nail removed. He was a real trooper. Shots in your toe are not fun at all. I dropped Nick off at school and planned my lesson for the next day then went back to school to pick up the kids. At 5 I was at Latta Plantation to get Nick from cross country. We hurried home so I could finish getting dinner ready. We had invited the sister missionaries and the Wrights over for dinner. I dropped Naomi off at soccer and hurried home before our guests arrived. Halfway through dinner I picked Naomi up and she was able to join our dinner party. It was a busy day.
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| Happy Anniversary, Honey!!! |
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| Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man. |
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| With the favorite pink shirt and dachshund socks. |
August 28th Naomi fell victim to the nasty cold that was going around school. She had a fever and a really sore throat and I kept her home from school.
August 31st we got to dog sit Felix again. Naomi had to play with the Knight Riders at the football game so I brought Felix with me when I picked her up. He was really afraid of the big crowds but was excited to see Naomi. It was all worth it though because he got some serious lovin' from all the cheerleaders.
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