June 2026

 June 1 - Well June started off in a rather expensive way.  I drove Val to work so that Heath could fix her starter motor.  After Avian got off work, they drove me to Nissan so I could pick up Val's car and then go pick her up from work.   On the way home, there was a monster rain storm.  We were driving through huge puddles within minutes of the storm starting.  I am not complaining though, because we desperately need the rain.  

Nick called later that day and told us that he had been let go from Mazda because of the car accident.  It is company protocol, but his direct reports are going to try and do whatever they can to get him rehired.  He is a valuable asset to their team.  It is sad to me because he is only one class away from being a master mechanic for Mazda.  

June 2 - I had my year-end review with Dr. Graham.  It was very validating to see that she and I were both thinking the same things in regards to the strengths and weaknesses of my performance as well as goals for next year.  I was offered a contract for another year at LNC and I signed it.  I could be making more money at another job, but it will be incredibly difficult to find a boss as good as Dr. Graham.  That is worth a lot more to me.  

June 3 - Last day at school before the official start of summer.  It was our Data Day where all the Student Support Leads would meet to discuss the data for the year and create plans moving forward.  Before we got to the data portion of the day, all the ELA and Math teachers were invited to a presentation about how to use MAP data more effectively in their classroom.  The presentation was amazing the teachers came away with actionable items to improve student outcomes.  

That night Nick came over.  We had a blast looking through the boxes in his old bedroom closet.  He wanted to find some of the old comics had wrote years ago.  It was a fun trip down memory lane.  

Good bye old computer

I don't know where this went.  It got misplaced somewhere between my office and home.  So glad Avian had a picture so it can be remembered!!

June 4 - I had a dentist/hygienist appointment in the morning and then taught a crochet lesson in the afternoon.

June 5 - Avian and I went shopping for the supplies they will need to complete the painting for Aleena and Bryce's wedding present.  Afterwards, we took the kayaks out for a spin around Mountain Island Lake.  The herons were very active and we found a tree full of heron nests.  

You can see three heron heads popping up at the top of the tree.  There were a lot more that are not pictured here.  It was like a heron condo.  

Avian watching all the herons in the tree

June 6 - Tis the season of graduation parties.  Steve, Avian and I attended the party for Truman Lee.  It was fun to see everyone and catch up with people we hadn't seen for a while.  

June 9 - Steve made a new wallet. His old one was falling apart and he found a pattern he liked.   Avian working on painting for Aleena and Bryce

June 10 - It was finally the last day of school for Val.  She went to school all dressed up for the graduation ceremony.  She got to walk some of her students across the stage to get their certificates of advancement.  Afterwards, a big group of them all went out for drinks and karaoke.  She had a great time.  I hear there is video of the karaoke, but I haven't seen it yet.  

June 11 - I spent the day finishing up the front yard clean up.  It looks so much better.  Steve spent the evening showing the YM what camping gear they would need for camp and how to use it.  I think he  misses being Scout Master sometimes.  We also took Avian's car in for a tune up and to see if they can reattach the front wind jam to the bumper.  

Before

After - I got rid of the weeds and all the diseased iris leaves.  

June 13 - Avian finally got the file with all the volleyball pictures from spring quarter.  Below are some pictures of their team with the championship trophy.  Avian and I also altered the pants and vest for the wedding.  The website said that the suits fit a little small and Avian was right in the middle of two sizes so we went up a size.  We ended up having to take 3 inches out of the waist of the pants and taking the vest in a little bit.  Thank goodness the jacket fit well.  Val had spent the weekend with Mo and came back sporting two new tatoos.  She quickly changed and headed out for a Y2K party with some coworkers.  Avian had friends over for games and dinner.   

June 14 - Avian and Rose went to HeroCon at the convention center in uptown Charlotte.  Avian had a portfolio meeting where they got to share their work with people in the comics industry and get feedback.  Avian said it was a really informative and validating experience.  Steve took the train into uptown and I met him there after I got done with visiting the YSA ward.  Avian introduced us to Professor Goto, one of their favorite professors this last quarter.  He was manning the SCAD booth.  There were so many artisans there.  Avian got to meet one of their favorite Wonder Woman artists and get some books signed.  Steve and I talked to a gentleman who made pictures out of candy wrappers.  They were amazing.  There was even a guy dressed up in a fully functionally transforming Bumble Bee costume.  So much fun. 

Avian's Portfolio Link - Check out Avian's work!  This is best viewed from a laptop)

Avian and Rose checking out the booths at HeroCon.

Candy wrapper art. 

One of the major reasons Steve did not drive himself uptown was the Xterra is not starting regularly.  Once we got back from HeroCon, Steve got the Xterra started after multiple attempts and we dropped it off at Nissan to have them take a look at it before we head to the beach.  

Back at home, Ari and Nick stopped by on their way back from visiting a friend in Virginia.  Ari commented that it was really warm in the house.  I hadn't said anything because it could just be menopause for me.  We did a little investigating and discovered that the downstairs AC unit was not turning up.  YAY!!!  

June 15 - Nissan called and said the starter motor in Xterra needed to be replaced.  YAY!!  

One of our neighbors works in the HVAC industry and we had him come over and help up install a new contactor and capacitor in our downstairs unit.  Parks wanted $1,800 to replace these two items in both units.  NOT!!!!  We got them successfully replaced and Mark verified that they were both getting electricity, but the unit still did not come on.  He checked the upstairs unit and couldn't figure it out and suggested we call Parks to see what they thought.    

June 16 - I called Parks and they sent someone out that day to look at the unit.  It ended up being the overflow sensor we had installed in case the system backed up.  It prevented water damage upstairs and did its job.  Money well-spent.  Upon further examination, he found that the drainage pipe going to the outside of the house was completely blocked.  He tried to flush it and use the vacuum, but nothing worked.   We are having them come out tomorrow to reroute the pipe so that there are not so many curves and it won't get backed up again.  

June 17 -  The pipe was completely blocked with sediment.  We got it taken care of and things are now working like they should.  We also learned that we need to flush the pipes regularly with a cup of vinegar and a gallon of hot water at least every three months.  Everything is back up and working.  Mark is going to help us replaced the contactor and capacitor on the other unit in exchange for Steve's help with fixing his fence.  I love having such good neighbors.  

After all this chaos, I go to go on a nature walk with Liz at Latta.  We always have fun when we are together.  The world problems all get solved during these walks.  

I love the bee balm.  

Me and Liz

June 18 - It is the month to get all the cars checked.  I took the truck in for a oil, lube, filter and tire rotation before heading to the beach.  I also had them check the windshield seal as it as been coming loose.  We have a solution for that now.  Heath had them look over the truck and they found that the brake fluid needed to be replaced.  I had them take care of it.  That is the least expensive repair we have had done all month long.  

Back at home, Avian was doing laundry and discovered that the dryer was not working.  Steve and I had to laugh after the month we have had so far.  We immediately went to Plaza Appliance and bought the matching dryer to our Speed Queen washer.  Luckily we knew this one was coming, but the timing wsa just smack in the middle of a bunch of other expensive repairs.  

That night, to relax, we watched the new PBS version of the Count of Monte Cristo.  It did not disappoint.   SOOOOOO good. 

June 19 - I think I may FINALLY be getting the hang of remaking men's shirts into something amazing.  I worked on the shirt for a little bit and then went to pick up the dryer at the warehouse in South Charlotte.  I really love Plaza Appliance Mart.  They are so efficient and friendly.  The process of picking up the dryer was pleasant and quick.  

This was a men's shirt we turned into this new beauty.  

Avian helped install the new dryer after Steve got off work for the day.  They got it all put together and discovered that we had purchased a range cord instead of a dryer cord.  Steve  went to Lowes and got the correct power cord.  They got it all hooked up again, plugged it in and...nothing.  Steve checked the breaker box and found that the switch had been tripped.  SUCCESS!!!! Our other dryer probably still worked, but...  I felt bad, but Avian pointed out that if it tripped the breaker, maybe it was time.  The poor thing was 15 plus years old and had served us well.  

Later that night, while watering the front and back gardens, I discovered that the HVAC guy had left both hoses on but he didn't know that they weren't off because of the head on the hose.  You need to pull the trigger to know that the water is on.  We now know to check both the breaker box and the hoses after the HVAC guys leave. 

Installing the new dryer

Avian navigating the small space for us.  

June 20 - One really good thing about having the clog in the AC pipe was that Steve realized we needed to move the woodpile from the side of the house to the back corner of the yard so we had better access to the pipes.  I helped Steve load the old dryer and some insect-infested logs into the truck in the morning and he took them to the dump.  He spent the rest of the morning helping a friend with repairs around their house and then another dump run to get rid of stuff from their house.  We also got Avian's picture hung up in the Grandpa Gallery.    It was a good day.  

The new placement of Great Grandpa Weenig's pictures

Avian's picture finally on the wall.  I was worried it was going to get broken leaning up against the wall.  

The corner is complete

 June 21 - Avian finished the painting for Aleena and Bryce.   They came to show Steve, in the living room, and a cardinal was at the window watching.  Whenever I see a cardinal I think of my dad.  I have no doubt it was him coming to check on Avian's art.  Happy Father's Day, Dad!

All the kids were home for Father's Day dinner.  It was a great way to finish out the day.  

The finished picture pre-varnish

I didn't realize what a different the varnish would make.  It really helped level out the colors and make them pop.  

June 24th - I got up bright and early to go help at the church with the Bishop's Storehouse delivery.  I love helping the people get their groceries and know that they have food in the house this week.  It is a good feeling. 

Avian came home briefly after work before heading up to Lynchburg for the rehearsal dinner.  Val has been spending all their time with friends so far this summer.  Nick making the most of his time off by getting doctor appointments taken care of and little projects finished.  He has been cleared by the chiropractor to start working out and riding his bike again as well.  He called me all excited and asked what I thought of Ari coming to the beach with us.  I was super excited.  She is going to be able to get the time off.  It will be so much fun to have her join us.  

June 25 - Steve and I woke up early and drove to Lynchburg.  We stopped at a little antique shop on the way up to stretch our legs.  There were some fun things in there. 

We found this in an antique shop on the way to Lynchburg.  If it hadn't been $50 we might have brought it home for Avian. 

We had some time to kill when we got to Lynchburg so we went to Hobby Lobby to get Ari a tie dye shirt.  There was a Christian store, Mardels, next to Hobby Lobby and we went in to look around.  I saw a picture that both Steve and I were immediately drawn to and we decided to buy it and add it to our art collection.  

I loved that the young Jesus is working next to Joseph and then Steve pointed out that He is playing with nails and his shadow is a cross.   Chills.  

We got lunch at Chick fil A and then called Avian to see what help was needed.  We met everyone at the wedding site to help get everything set up.  It was a beautiful location overlooking the James River.  

Avian looked very handsome in their suit.  

We had a few moment to talk with Avian before the wedding.  They said that Aleena and Bryce were blown away with the painting.  Bryce expected it to be done in Avian's signature style of more comic than the realism.  They LOVED it.  

The wedding was beautiful.  When Bryce first saw Aleena, he burst into tears.  She looked stunning!  The officiator was the right amount of serious and silly.  Their vows were meaningful.  It was a beautiful wedding.  Afterwards, while the wedding party was having pictures taken, Steve and I helped clean up, joined in a few group pictures and then headed to the hotel to check in and chill until dinner.  

Mr. and Mrs. Bryce Litten

That night we all met at O'Charleys for the wedding dinner.  It was a night filled with excellent speeches, toasts, conversation and memory-sharing.  We had a really good time.  We were exhausted by the time we fell into bed.  

Aleena and Avian.  

June 25 - Steve and I had breakfast, checkout out of the hotel and headed to Walmart to get snacks for the ride home, as well as some auto fire extinguishers because Steve really felt we all needed them in our vehicles.  We also stopped in at Mardels again to get another picture to send to Mom.  

We then drove to Hollins Mill Park to meet Avian and hike to the tunnel.  We showed Steve the really cool tree and gorgeous tunnel.  

Love this tree and all its carvings and personality

The inside of the tunnel 

Inside the tunnel looking out.  

We then antique-shopped our way home.  We found some amazing shops along the way and ended up in Eden at a place called The Blue Octopus that was amazing.  It was a fun adventure for the day.  

There are several people in both families that this applies to.  

The Blue Octopus in Eden, NC. 

This purse is made from a cigar box.  I passed this idea on to Val.  

June 29 - The FIFA World Cup has been wild so far.  Netherlands vs. Morocco did not disappoint.  It was a very physical game and Morocco won it in a shoot out.  

June 30 - I got to run errands with Val and Avian.  Val took us to see the apartments she is hoping to live in at the end of summer.  It is in the Plaza Midwood area and is really nice.  We them went to one of Val's favorite cafes which was next to a used bookstore.  It was a fun day.