July started off with me helping a friend clean their Air B&B and then going kayaking on a mirror smooth Mountain Island Lake. It was the perfect way to relax and get ready for the remainder of the day.
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| A Bob Ross paining in the making! |
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The angle of the sun hitting the side clouds was really cool. This picture does not do it complete justice. The little clouds, in the lower right side of the picture (above the house) were glowing white.
Back at home Steve and I tackled some projects. Steve made a bowl for our nephew for his wedding. I redid the pathway to the hose in the front yard. I then started on refinishing the kitchen table. |
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| Before picture of the table and chairs |
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| The new and improved stepping stone pathway to the faucet. |
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| I put down new mulch as well. It looks really nice now. |
July 3rd we celebrated the 4th of July as a family so Jeremy could be part of the festivities. Jeremy left bright and early on July 4th for Florida to visit a friend. It absolutely POURED rain. I had set up the canopy in the backyard so I could sand some chairs with out getting fried by the sun. It rained so hard that the canopy collapsed.
July 4th, Jeremy left at 6:30 a.m. so he could be in Florida by mid-afternoon. Avian and I decided to spend the morning kayaking. It was so much fun. The lake with a little crowded, but that made for some interesting people-watching. We watched a heron eat a snake which was cool. Avian found a rock to climb on and couldn't resist it.
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| Just paddling along. |
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| Conquering the rock! |
Back at home, Steve continued to work on the wooden bowl for Connor. Nick has spilled some milk on the seat in his car and I showed him how to use the carpet cleaner to clean the seats in his car. He really liked the results! The rest of the day was spent just relaxing and doing whatever we wanted.
July 5th I took advantage of the fact that Nick was at work and Jeremy was out of town. I cleaned the carpets in both of their rooms. I also washed all the bedding to get rid of the boy smell in their rooms. I headed to the store to get some things for the dinner with the Tufts. They were in town again for a beach trip with the family and were staying a few days in Charlotte to visit with friends.
It really rained again that evening. The skies were stunning afterwards.
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| The rainbow over the neighbors house to the side of our house. |
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| The stunning colors from the front of our house!!! |
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| Jeremy sent some pictures of his adventures in Florida. They went to a museum. |
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| Cool clock |
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| I big circle made of dead flies!! |
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Art is cool!
July 6th I decided it was time to clean out the dryer vent. The outside vent had been clogged with a lot of dryer fluff so my imagination was going wild as to how bad the inside part of the vent would be. My suspicions were confirmed when I pulled the cleaning brush out. I am amazed our house had not gone up in flames. |
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| That is a lot of dust for a short dryer vent tube. |
July 7, I went to the dermatologist and did not have to leave a sample for tests this year. That is always good. I also got some antibiotics for my perioral dermatitis. That afternoon the gutter guys came and we got our new gutters. Jeremy also got home safe and sound from Florida. He had a great time staying with his friend and is planning more road trips for the near future.
July 8th Avian and I drove to Lynchburg for the day. We spent the day exploring more of Lynchburg with Aleena and Chloe. We started off the day by visiting the local Goodwill to stall for time until the restaurant where they wanted to have lunch opened. They found stuffed snakes and kitties and bought them. Lunch was at a yummy Chinese restaurant. They took us to the coolest pet shop. There were so many different kinds of fish and reptiles and amphibians and dogs and cats. I am surprised we got out of there without at least one new pet. We went into downtown Lynchburg and looked around. There was so much to see. We took a picture in the big shoe, found the coolest boutique shop, walked the art walk and found an art exhibit that was a benefit fundraiser for the people of the Ukraine. It was a full day.
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| Chloe, Aleena and Avian |
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| Art walk on the side of the James River. |
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| More of the art walk. |
July 9th Avian played in the first volleyball game of the summer season. This team is a lot younger than the team Avian was a part of last season. They played well, but were definitely not comfortable playing together - Yet! They will get there.
That night we had the Stewarts and the Tufts over for dinner. It was great to see them and hear about their new house in Idaho. The younger girls are loving it. Callie says it is okay. The older two want to move back to Charlotte and I would love to have them as neighbors again. We had a lot of fun just talking and catching up. In fact, we had so much fun that I forgot to take any pictures.
July 12th Avian had a private volleyball lesson in the morning. Coach Ray is helping them work on their technique at the net. Avian is really loving volleyball right now.
Back at home I was really excited to get to go kayaking with Jeremy. He finally had a day he was free. He was surprised by how much he enjoyed it and wants to go back out again.
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| This heron kept playing hide and seek in the plants. He followed us for quite a distance. |
That night was the LNC Community Night. Avian signed up to help with the face painting. I was there to help out where ever they needed me. I was surprised by how many people attended. The LNC community is amazing. It was a fun night.
Nick went to the Rick Astley and New Kids on the Block concert that night with his friends. He said it was so much fun.
July 13th Nick and I went to explore a new push-off point for the kayaks. It was amazing! There were some rocks right in the middle (which of course Nick had to climb), a floating garden with dragonflies everywhere and a crane that followed us. It was on one of the fingers of the lake so there were not a lot of boats and other traffic. Very peaceful. Definitely going to use this launch point again.
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| On the rock. |
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| Obligatory muscle shot. |
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| Exploring the river and seeing how far we could get - which was not very far in case you were wondering. |
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| It is hard to tell in this picture, but there are about 25 dragonflies just in this section. |
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| Our friend, the crane, following us along the way. |
We rounded out the day with another volleyball game that afternoon and a baptism that evening.
July 14th I got Jeremy to clean out his car. He used the carpet cleaner to do his floors and upholstery while I wiped down all the hard surfaces. He thought he was going to hate this process but he found it "oddly satisfying". His car looks and smells amazing. We were even able to get the stain out of his back seat.
July 17th I met a gentleman at church that I knew Steve would get along with really well. They both love archery and woodworking and HAM radio and...I need to arrange a playdate.
July18th I got to meet the new principal, Mr. Nick Carlascio. I really liked him. I also got to spend the day working with Beverly Schroth. She was hired back in January to be my partner in crime for MTSS but was unable to get out of her teaching contract until the end of the year. It is going to be really nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of and share the process of getting the kids the help they need while supporting the teachers as well.
Steve went to see Dr. Connor about his shoulder, which has been bothering him more and more as the days go by. Dr. Connor thinks there is a tear and sent Steve to get an MRI done to confirm it. We are looking at possible surgery again (other shoulder this time). UGGGGGGG!
July 19th we had to buy a fan to help the chairs dry. The furniture is oil-based and does not like humidity at all. I did not know this until I was two coats in. If we can get the chairs to dry, the table will be amazing.
I got a call from Steve, who was out running errands, that our friend, Adam, had called and was stranded on the freeway. He had run out of gas. I took this as the perfect time to take a break and help a friend. It was fun to catch up with Adam while we filled his car with the gasoline I brought him. It was the perfect break.
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| I also took a break from sanding and painting to create this beach-themed wreath for my front door. It reminds me of a mermaid. |
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| More cool clouds!! |
July 20th I sanded all day long. It was very satisfying to see the layers ofage-yellowed lacquer come off and expose the white wood beneath.
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| I removed all the hardware from underneath so I could sand away the rust marks. I soaked the hardware in vinegar to get rid of the rust as well. It is going to be PURDY!!! |
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| yellow before to white after |
July 21 and 22 I spent the days painting the legs of the table and putting new sealant on the top. Now I just need to let it dry.
July 23rd we took the morning to go to McBee, South Carolina, to our favorite roadside market - McLeod Farms. They have the best peaches and homemade ice cream. It has been a couple of years since we last visited and all of us were beyond excited to get to go on this day trip.
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| The traditional picture in the rocking chairs enjoying their ice cream cones. |
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| This car reminded me of my Grandma Hansen! |
We had a great morning exploring all our favorite places in McBee and headed home to be back in Charlotte by noon so we could attend Avian's volleyball game. We picked up their friend, Goose, so she could watch Avian play. Avian was on fire during this game and had a great time playing.
Back at home, we put the table and chairs back together. It looks a lot better with the new coats of paint and sanded top. We even bought some chair pads to help update the look (and to help keep the paint from scratching off).
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| I think it was worth all the headache and pain. The table makeover completes the room. |
That evening, Steve ran went to Lowe's to pick up something and ran into our friends, the Martinsons. We hadn't seen them since they moved to South Charlotte. We spent some good time catching up. It was really good to see them.
July 26th we celebrated Steve's birthday. I started off the day with helping the cheer coach at school fit cheer outfits. The rest of the day was dedicated to making a Cafe Rio-style dinner. Brother Latham came for dinner. He and Steve have been doing a lot together because they have so many similar interests.
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| Happy Birthday, Steve!! |
July 30th Avian was in a volleyball tournament all morning. It love watching them play volleyball. They really enjoy it.
While we were in South Charlotte for Avian's game, Nick went on a bike ride - clear up to Mooresville!! On the way back, he got warm and took his shirt off. He tied the shirt around his handlebars and set off again. He was almost home when the shirt slipped and got wedged between the tire and the frame which caused his bike to abruptly stop which catapulted him over the handlebars. He rolled several times before coming to a stop. Both he and the bike were torn up, but still workable. He told us the whole story when we got home. He and Steve took the bike to REI to get a tune up, new seat and new handle-bar wraps and a new gearset. Nick calculated he had put 1800 miles on his bike since he bought it. That is impressive.
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| We decided Nick needed a shirt like Grandpa Weenig's!!! |
July 31st Avian attended a pre-tryout clinic for volleyball. It was good for them to see the level of competition that is out there. It brought their level of play up. We chilled at the pool afterwards!
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