November 2022

 November started out with a work conference in Greensboro.   Bev and I both got to attend and take classes to help us better implement a full MTSS program at school.  The day was packed with classes and we learn A LOT!  We were so excited to get to work and help some students and teachers.  

November 2, Steve was cleared after surgery.  He had his stitches removed and he can start to move it a little more.  He was super excited to have permission to be out of his sling for a little bit each day.  

Avian and I went to Hiddenite with the Honors Geology class.  We got to sluice for gems and then were taken on a tour of the property.  It was a really fun day.  After all the adventures, we had a picnic lunch, loaded back onto the bus and headed back to school just in time for the bell to go home.  

Avian looking for gems

Success!!

Learning about the two ponds that furnish the water for the sluice.  

This is a private dig site where the owner found a HUGE piece of hiddenite.  

Exploring and finding rocks and gems. 

We ended up in the river looking for more gems.  

Later that night, Nick came in with an electric keyboard he purchased.  He is really enjoying playing the piano and wanted to have one of his own.  Now he just needs a place to put it.  That is in the works for Christmas.  

November 3rd and 4th I got to do the chicken lab with the 5th graders again.  I love seeing their curiosity when I show them how a chicken leg has all the same features as a human leg.  They especially like it when I show them the different muscles, we find some ligaments and we break the bone to get to the marrow.  

Dissecting a chicken leg

Cool muscle layers

Avian was really excited after school to tell me that they got a 94 on their APUSH test, 100 on their Spanish 2 test and 95 on their Geology quiz.  Jeremy is really enjoying school as well.  

November 5, me, Steve and Avian drove to Chapel Hill to go to the Chloe Moriando concert.  We got a hotel room so Avian and I did not have to drive home late at night. Steve came with us just to get out of the house and enjoyed a quiet evening at the hotel while Avian and I went to the concert.  We went to dinner at a Thai place around the corner from the hotel and then walked across the parking lot to The Cat's Cradle, which is where the concert was. We bought VIP tickets which got us into the concert 45 minutes before everyone else.   Avian bought all the merchandise they wanted (2 t-shirts, a sweatshirt and a poster) and I ran it back across the parking lot to Steve at the hotel so we didn't have to babysit it while enjoying the concert.  We were in the second row of people from the stage.  The concert was really good, but I had more fun watching Avian enjoy themself.  Happy Birthday, Avian.  

We were right up front

Avian got a ton of really great pictures and video.  In fact, at one point, they had to use my phone because their storage was full.  I have included a few of my favorite pictures below.  

November 8 Jeremy and Nicholas voted for the first time.  It was quite an experience.  They feel so grown up now. 

November 10 we really got dumped on by tropical storm Nicole.  It was not enough rain to keep us from having the Young Women activity of shaping bread.  The girls enjoyed learning how to make several different types of rolls.

You can't have a youth activity without a treat.  This is orange blossom bread.  
It was yummy AND beautiful.  

November 11 the Knight Watch marched in the Veteran's Day parade.  I had a stake meeting in the afternoon.  I gave Nick a much-needed haircut (which is always the way it is with his haircuts.  He is a busy boy!).  Jeremy's arm just started hurting.  It was really weird because it looked bruised and was one inch in diameter bigger than his other arm.  Definitely keeping an eye on that one.  Avian took the truck for the first time.  I was pretty nervous until they got back home safely.  

We celebrated Avian's birthday a little early so that Jeremy could be with us.  Avian wanted sushi, potstickers, egg rolls and cheesecake.  

November 13 - Avian is officially 17. On a not so fun note, we ended up in Urgent Care with Jeremy because his arm was more swollen and painful.  They sent us home and told us we needed an MRI.  Steve and Biship Arias gave him a blessing to help calm him down.  

November 15 Jeremy saw Dr. Moll.  Dr. Moll sent him in to have an ultrasound of his arm to rule out blood clots.  By the time we got back home he was in so much pain that he was having a hard time breathing.  I have him some Tramadol since the Ibuprofen wasn't working.  I didn't realize until after I had given it to him and he started getting sick that he should NOT take Tramadol while taking Zoloft.  I immediately called my dad and he talked me down.  He said that Jeremy throwing up was a good thing in that he was getting the medicine out of his system, but that I should watch him for the next 24 hours for signs of seratonin syndrome, but he wasn't too concerned.    My dad can always calm me down. 

November 17th Steve and I hear a weird sound in the middle of the night.  We could not find anything out of the ordinary and all the doors were still locked so we went back to bed.  Steve called me at work and asked if I had noticed anything weird in the closet that morning while I was getting dressed.  He then told me that the sound we had heard was his clothes rack falling off the wall.  I was so tired getting dressed that I hadn't even noticed it on the floor behind me.  We got a good laugh out of that.  

After school, Avian drove me home and then took the truck so they could help paint the birthday rock in front of the elementary school.  Someone had contacted Mrs. Matocha, the HS art teacher, and asked if she had any art students who wanted service hours.  Avian volunteered!   They called me on their way home to tell me they were stuck in traffic and might be a little later than anticipated.  It was their first solo drive in traffic and they handled it really well, but were a bit frazzled by the time they got home.  

Later that night we went and got Jeremy a new chair for his computer desk.  The ultrasound had come back completely normal.   We were looking for other possible sources of the bruising and swelling.  One idea was that it might be from the arm rests of his chair.  He spends a lot of time at his computer with his arms on the rests...maybe?  It was worth a try.  (in case I forget to mention it, his arm did return to normal size about two weeks later.  We still do not know what caused the bruising and swelling)

Sandra and I saw this monster while on our Saturday walk. 

November 18th was the Silverbration at the middle school.  LNC is celebrating 25 years and so we hosted the 3rd and 4th graders at the middle school and had activities everywhere all day long.  The kids really enjoyed it.  Knight Watch came over and played while the elementary school kids were arriving.  A bunch of high school kids came over through out the day to help with all the activities.  It went really well and everyone really enjoyed themselves.  

That night Steve and Avian went down to the church to work on some volleyball skills.  They discovered that Avian actually hits better off the net.  This is a big change from playing middle right at the net.  Volleyball is getting fun again.  

Nick learned about economics and taxes the hard way.  He got a raise but his paycheck was not as big as he thought it was going to be because he jumped tax brackets and they are taking more out of his checks. He was NOT amused!

Saturday 11/19, Nick ran in the Feed Hunger 5K at Frank Liske Park.  This event was sponsored by our stake and the attendance was a lot higher than I thought it would be.  The entrance fee was a bag of canned food for the local food pantry.  It was a huge success and Nick got to run with his friends from the single's ward.  

Go!

At the finish line

After the race, Avian took the drove themself to hang out with friends.  Jeremy was at UNCC hanging/studying with friends.  Steve and I fixed the shelf in the closet and then Steve went to run some errands.  Nick and I took advantage of the time to go check out a new soap store.  Scent heaven!!!  We love Buff City Soap and just might be addicted to their laundry detergent.  Our clothes smell so much better!

November 20th Steve and I went with Avian to a College Volleyball showcase for prospective athletes at Johnson and Wales University in uptown Charlotte.  Avian go to work with college coaches on different skills and play with girls who are at the same level.  They really enjoyed the day!

Afterwards, we went to the gym and signed Avian up for a gym membership.  

November 21 was the Silverbration (celebrating 25 years of LNC) at the high school.  The students had school for a half day, were treated to lunch from Tacos for Life and then got to try out various activities that were spread out all over campus.  My position was at the gym door making sure everyone could get in and to monitor that no one who was not from LNC got in.  Avian went to the dunk tank first thing because their Geology teacher was in the dunk tank.  There were inflatables to play and a huge BINGO game in the multi-purpose room.  The kids really enjoyed their day of celebration.  

Jeremy also found out that he is no longer employed at Lowes.  He is actually quite relieved.  That was a HUGE stress for him.   To celebrate, we straightened his hair so we could give him a nice, straight haircut, which is really hard to do when his hair is curly.  

Curly hair is a much better look for him.  

November 23, Steve flew to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with his mom and family.  I was really worried about him flying so close to his surgery, but the airlines looked out for him and he was able to fly without any worries.  

November 24 Nick and I were up early and ready for him to run the Turkey Trot 5k.  He was excited to start his day with a little competitive run.  He came in 10th overall and second in the 20-29 age category.  We went back home and spent the rest of the day getting dinner ready, eating a great meal and then relaxing for the night.  We missed Steve, but he was having a good time with his family.

Lesssssss Gooooooooo!

And they are off. 

Coming down the homestretch

Finishing faster than he thought he would. 

November 25 I started decorating for Christmas.  I love getting all the decorations out and transforming the house.  We also watched the USA vs. England World Cup match.  It was a tie, 0-0. 

Avian and I found a dog costume and decided to dress our porch pelican for the season.  

November 26, I took soup into my friend, Eden.  She was supposed to start a new job in Tennessee, but ended up getting a raging sinus infection and had to delay her start date.  It was fun for me because I got to spend some extra time with her before the big move.  Back at home, the kids and I made up our traditional turkey pot pies to freeze for lunches over the next couple of months.

November 27, Steve flew back in  at 6 am.  It was a good trip and he was glad he went, but he wanted to take a nap.  Nick went to a Friendsgiving with his high school friends later that night.  I love that he is still in contact this group.  They have a good time whenever they are able to get together.  

November 28, Jeremy decided he wanted to try making a charcuterie board.  I think he nailed it!  We also had our cheeseball and crackers which means that the Christmas season has officially begun.  

Not bad for our first attempt. 

November 29 was the holiday band concert.  Avian had mentioned they had a small solo.  It was NOT a small solo.  It was BIG and they were amazing!  The concert was a really fun way to end the month of November.  

You may have to copy and past the following links into your browser to view the performance.  Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/wsevBtRZw5A

Link to "The Covered Bridge"  Anytime you hear a lone clarinet, it is Avian!!

https://youtu.be/CJSYRpuHSJY

a sampling of "True Blue March"

October 2022

 October started off with General Conference weekend!!!  I love having two days of talks from the prophet and apostles.  I feel much more optimistic about life after conference weekend.  

Steve helped Jeremy work on a wood project.  Since Jeremy started working in the lumbar department at Lowes, he has become more interested in working with wood.  I  love to see father and son doing stuff together.  Jeremy has an artists eye and a meticulous work ethic which will make him a phenomenal woodworker.  Steve spent the day in the garage, after helping Jeremy, making a carver's bench.  He is very creative!

October 3 I added Avian to the car insurance.  They are scheduled for their driving portion of the process in a couple of weeks and we need to have proof of insurance before then.  I cannot believe that my baby will be driving solo soon.  

October 4 Avian and I went to the dentist in the morning and the Powderpuff Football game that evening.  The juniors were completely crushed by the seniors, but it was fun to watch.  

October 5 I had a Zoom date with my dad.  He wanted to have a date with each of his girls and the only way we could realistically do it was through Zoom.  Thank goodness for technology.  We just sat and chatted for about an hour and a half.  I miss being closer to my parents, but it was a good chance to catch up just the two of us.  

October 7 Steve was back at Woodbadge for his last round before "retiring".  I noticed a loose prong on my ring and took it to the jewelers immediately so I didn't lose the diamond.  They got it all fixed up and looking amazing.  I had forgotten how gorgeous it is when it is all polished up.  

All shiny and gorgeous!!

October 10 Avian and I went Senior Night for the volleyball team.  There are 8 seniors on the team this year and it was a fun night honoring them.  Rachel was back for her first game after breaking her wrist.  That was fun to watch as well.  

October 11 Steve headed to Nashville for the first ever Incite company conference.  He was excited to see everyone face-to-face.  

October 12 Avian and went to the church to practice serving and hitting.  They didn't want to lose all the skill they had gained in the last six months.  It took a little bit to get back in the rhythm, but they looked really good.  Back at home, Amanda and Kenny brought their godson over to meet us.  Gabe did not want anything to do with me or Avian, but when Nick walked in the door, Gabe chose him to be the new buddy.  It was cute to watch the interaction between the two of them.  

After the Nowatniaks, Avian and went to join Rose at her volleyball practice.  They had a great time playing together.  

October 13 Avian and I were at the DMV first thing in the morning for our appointment.  I was so confident that I had remembered everything and then realized that I did not have my purse which meant my license was at home.  Thank goodness the lady who was helping us with all our paperwork realized she could just look me up in their system to verify my license.  Avian passed the driving portion easily.  The lady doing the test was impressed that Avian was driving a big truck!  

We now have five licensed drivers in our house!!!

Avian dropped me off at the school, since I had to work during parent teacher conferences, and drove themself to their chiropractor appointment.  This is going to be great having another driver in the house.  They came back and picked me up at the end of the day.  

October 14 Steve came back from Nashville with stories of how much fun he had and how much he likes his coworkers.  They had a great time connecting and got a lot accomplished.

October 15 Avian drove themself to the SAT test.   They were not nervous at all about the test.  I remember being terrified.  Avian is a much better student than I was.  They are really good at math and that is what worried me the most on my test day.  

After Avian got home,  Shea and I went out for one last kayak before the weather turns.  It was a stunning day.  The sun was shining.  The leaves were turning all sorts of brilliant colors.  It was so peaceful and much needed.  Shea and I came back home much more relaxed and ready to tackle whatever came our way.  

Perfect water, perfect temperature and the leaves were stunning. 

October 18 Nick got a promotion to a semi-flat rate mechanic.  He is starting to get more responsibility and is learning all sorts of new things.  He is also only one year post graduation from UTI.  You go Nick!

October 19 Bishop and Laura came over to give Steve a blessing before heading in to surgery in the morning.  It is always comforting to have the priesthood as part of our lives.  It really is God's power here on Earth.  

October 20 Avian drove themself to school so I could get Steve to the surgical center for his shoulder surgery.  It was a much nicer facility.  Last time we were at the main hospital and this time we were at a smaller surgery center.  The staff was much nicer, from the front desk ladies, to registration, to the nurses and anesthesiologist.  Dr. Connor was even more relaxed when he came to talk to me about the procedure and what they had done. He said everything went well and Steve should heal just fine and have full use of his should within six months.   Last time I had to go back into recovery and help Steve go to the bathroom and get him dressed and wheel him to the car.  This time they called me and told me to pull the truck around and they helped load him.  I will definitely want to do a smaller surgical center any time I need surgery.  It was a MUCH better experience!!!  We were home by 2 o'clock.  Steve felt great because the nerve block was still in place.  He and Avian wanted to go get a drink and walk around Walmart when they got home from school.  I didn't let Steve stay out too long because I knew that if he over did it now, when the nerve block wore off he would be in a lot of pain.  

October 21 was a rough day.  The block wore off about 3 am and the narcotics were not working to control the pain.  We spent the day just trying to get him comfortable.  Mostly he just sat in the big chair downstairs, with the ice machine keeping his shoulder chilled.  Occasionally he would doze off for a little bit and wake up in more pain.  I cleaned the kitchen so I wouldn't be too far away if he needed anything. 

Getting a little relief with the ice machine.  

October 22 was another rough day (which was expected).  Both of us only slept for 4 hours in the last 36.  The pain was still out of control, even with the Lortab.  We just have to make it through days 2 and 3 and then things will get better.  

October 23 things started to get a little bit better.  He slept a lot better during the night.  I, however, did not get much sleep. I got Steve settled and then Jeremy woke up vomiting.  Once I got Jeremy down, Nick was up with a sore throat.  I got Nick taken care of and was just laying down and Steve woke up needing me to help him change positions because his shoulder was sore.  This was like having toddlers in the house again.  I survived it once, I can survive it again.  I went into work completely expecting to have to run home and help Steve.  I got him dressed before I left and made sure he had food to eat during the day.  He did okay by himself.  Jeremy was home all day sick as well.  At least we are to the point with Steve where he can start to alternate Ibuprofen and Tylenol which seems to work much better at controlling the pain.  

Avian's newest art project.
 It is hanging on the wall at school.  

October 26 was a busy day for Steve.  Work was busy.  The passive motion chair was delivered.  Parks Heating and Cooling came to do our annual furnace check up and discovered that the roofers had knocked one of the vents that gets rid of the CO2 loose during the roof install.  We were lucky that it had been warm and we hadn't been running the furnace a lot.  That could have been really bad.  We got it all fixed up and don't have to worry about CO2 anymore.   

October 28 Steve is getting more self-sufficient and he is sleeping better as well.  He even came to the last football game of the season for the first two quarters to hear Avian perform.  The band performed a new song and everyone loved it.  Here is the YouTube link if you want to hear it.   Hey Baby!

Marching onto the field for the last game of the season.  

It was finally cold enough for the full uniform.  Handsome looking crew!

October 29 both Nick and Avian had Halloween parties.  We spent the day getting their costumes together.  

Nick as Ned Flanders from The Simpsons

Avian as Beetlejuice. 
We were painting the lines on the pants up until party time.  I used a blow dryer to dry them while Avian put on their make up.  

They look amazing and had a great time at their parties.  

Preview of Avian's Junior year photos

September 2022

September 3, Avian and I went to the Apple Festival in Hendersonville with Rose and Jill Licastri.  I love the small town festivals.  There are so many fun shops and displays.  I found a hand made long bow for Steve and bought some apple jam from a local farmer. There was one antique shop where we spent a good deal of time.  They had the coolest stuff.  Avian found some gorgeous bird posters.  There was also a great boutique that had the best incense.  We bought a hand made hummingbird ornament for the Christmas tree.  It was made in Peru.   Such a fun day with fun friends.  

Rose and Avian

Loved this sign from the antique shop.  If that is not a threat, I don't know what is. 

Back at home, Steve had the whole day to himself to get projects done.  Nick went to a YSA dance and had a great time.  

Avian help design this poster for the Games Club.  

September 4th I really needed to float.  Steve and I took the kayaks out for a spin after church.  It was the perfect way to relax.  

September 5th was a very rainy Labor Day.  Perfect day to clean the house.  Avian had some friends come over and hang out for a bit.  Jeremy created some more desk space by creating a cool table using two side tables from IKEA.  He stacked them, secured them and cut the legs off the bottom one to perfectly match the height of his desk.  He increased his desk space and got some extra storage space as well.  Nick went to a YSA pool party.  They completely lucked out in that the two hours the pool party was going it stopped raining.  The rest of the day was a complete wash out with periods of incredibly heavy rain.  

Jeremy and his new side desk creation.  

September 8, 2022 Queen Elizabeth died. It was a sad day for the world.  We lost a gracious and humble leader.  

Avian's tree drawing on display at school.  

September 9, Steve drove the drums over to the elementary school so the band could play during carpool.  It is a Homecoming tradition.  The band plays and the football players and cheerleaders help unload the kids from their cars in order to get everyone excited about the big football game that night.  

Once carpool is over, the band does a mini-concert for the kids.  The band felt like rock stars with all the cheering.  They are not used to people even caring that they are playing. 

Mr. Reavis was really getting into the kids cheering duirng the songs.  

That night the game was really fun.  Rick and EllaRene came straight from the airport with Steve to get in on the action a little bit before crashing at the house for the night.  

September 10, Avian and I got up and went to have Avian's hair died green again and have mine cut.  Steve took Rick and EllaRene to South Carolina to McLeod Farms to get peaches and peach ice cream.  They really enjoyed their trip.  

You have to bleach the roots before you can dye it all green again.  It looks really silly. 

We got back to the house a little before Steve got back with the crew.  We chilled for a little bit before the pre-dance prep started up.  The whole group met at the gazebo at the back of Highland Creek for a photo session before dinner and the dance.  I love getting to photograph the kids every year.  They are a fun group.  

Avian and Leah

Avian and Maeve (Goose)

Farm-style shot with Avian, Maeve and Anthony

The whole gang - (l to r) Rose, Avian, Maeve, Anthony, Leah, Elise and Ryland

Hiding in the trees.  It turned out a lot better than I thought it would.  I love this one because it fits their personalities.  

Maeve, Anthony, Avian, and Ryland looking extra sharp. 

After pictures, Grandma and Grandpa wanted to take us to dinner along with Avian before the dance.  Anthony tagged along with us as all the others had dinner plans already.  We went to Panda Express.  It was a fun time to just sit and talk.  Afterwards, Steve dropped Avian and Anthony off at the dance and I drove everyone else home to truly relax for the night.  

September 11 I played a violin duet with Tiffany Greer in sacrament meeting.  We found a really pretty version of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and practiced it for weeks.  I was super nervous because I haven't played my violin in public since middle school.  Rick and EllaRene were surprised when I walked down the stairs with my violin.  I hadn't told them about it.  I think it went well.  I didn't completely panic and mess up, so...  I will call it a success.  Back at home we had chicken and waffles for dinner.  I gave Jeremy a haircut.  He wanted an undercut to get rid of some of the bulk and we trimmed the ends so get rid of some of the frizziness. It looks really nice now.  His curls are much more defined.  

September 12, I took Avian to school and then came back home to spend the day with Rick and EllaRene.  We went on a hike to Buzzard Rock (on Mountain Island Lake).  

At the Buzzard Rock.  You have a great view of the lake from here.  

We picked up Jeremy and headed to Gibson Mall so Rick and EllaRene could have a look around.  They love to go antiquing and Gibson Mall is amazing for that.  We went to Maple Biscuit Company for lunch and then headed home so Rick and EllaRene could get themselves packed up and ready to go the airport.  

We were chilling at home when Nick walked in.  He was saying something about someone giving him a ride home which I thought was odd since he was out on a bike ride.  It then dawned on me that he was telling us he had been hit by a truck while riding his bike and the gentleman brought him home as his bike was not ridable.  The bottom dropped out of my stomach and I had to sit down.  Apparently, Nick had been waiting to turn left onto Beatties Ford Road (my least favorite road in Charlote!!!) and the truck had cut the corner not expecting to see a bike there.  Nick remembered what Steve had told him about standing up on the bike and letting the bike take the biggest hit.  This meant that Nick went up onto the hood instead of into the grill or under the truck.  The gentleman left his phone number and said he would take care of any medical or bike repair expenses. Once we checked Nick out and realized he was physically okay with some bruises and not much more I could breath normally again.  Nick was just made because he had just had his bike tuned up and now he was going to have to get everything done all over again. 

Jeremy came with me to drop Rick and EllaRene off at the airport and then we headed to Hobby Lobby to pick out some material for bandanas for him.  He needed something to keep his hair out of his face while at work. We picked out some fun designs and headed home.  Shaun and Kathy called and told us they were serious about coming to the beach with us this summer so we got online and picked out the house.  OBX - June 2023!!!!!  I am beyond excited!!

September 13 Steve and Nick took his bike into REI for an overhaul.  Miraculously, everything seems to be okay.  There is a slight bend in the frame, but it should not effect how the bike functions.  Nick was truly blessed throughout this whole process. God was looking out for him.  

September 14 was a breakthrough at work.  I was stressing because I needed to figure out a way to get data from PowerSchool into our new MTSS platform and the normal way wouldn't work because NC is running an old version of PowerSchool that doesn't play nicely with other programs.  I FINALLY Figured it out and we are back in business!!!!

The Nowatniak's came over to borrow some tools from Steve so they could made a shoe bench.  It turned out to be a little more complicated than they thought and they ended up staying for dinner and working on the bench in our garage.  Steve was happy to have another wood project before his surgery.  

September 15 Steve went to Woodbadge for the weekend to help train other scout leaders.  He loves doing it, but it takes a lot of time.  This is his last hoorah with BSA for a little while.  He called me at 11 p.m. to tell me he was coming home to get his ankle brace and to not freak out that someone is in the house.   He twisted his ankle while running around setting things up.  

September 16, Jeremy finished up a huge school project he had been working on since the start of school. He felt much better and was a happier person.  We all went to Ulta to get some things for Avian and Nick.  He wanted something to clean his nails and make his hands not look so rough after a day of working on cars.  I think he liked being pampered by the ladies at Ulta.  

September 17, I didn't hear from Steve all day long, so that is a good sign.  He is having fun and his ankle is not bothering him too much.  I weeded the front iris garden, which is no simple task.  It is beautiful when the irises are all in bloom, but it is a nightmare to keep weeded.  That afternoon, Avian and I surprised Rose by showing up to her volleyball game.  It was fun to cheer her on.  We did some grocery shopping on the way home.  Jeremy was at work and Nick was out with friends so it was a chill night.  Avian had something planned with their friends online and I crashed.  I was feeling very tired and needed to just sleep.  

September 18, Steve returned home from camping and said he had a good time despite spraining his ankle and passing a kidney stone.  

September 21 was Nick's new court date.  I didn't hear anything all day long, which we were hoping was a good thing.  That night I got a call from a friend who never asks for anything and she was stranded with an overheated van at Walgreens.  Steve and I went over to see how we could help.  She was stranded in the drive through so the first thing we did was help her into a parking spot.    We went and got some more anti-freeze but didn't dare open the radiator as the vehicle was still hot.  Nick came and helped us check the fluid levels.  Nothing seemed off and I followed her home to make sure nothing funny happened on the drive home.  The next day she took it to the mechanic and they said it was a small part that was malfunctioning and they fixed it and she is now good to go.  

September 22 the lawyer called to let us know he had gotten another continuance on Nick's court date.  The new date is December 14.  Nick is okay with that because each delay may mean that the DA will open up first time offense deals again.  

September 26 Nick and I finally finished sewing his pair of pajama pants we bought the fabric for back in February. It has been a little busy the last 7 months.  

September 28 Avian and I went to the LNC vs South Rowan game.  It is their biggest rival and it was a great game.  We beat them in 4 sets!!  Very satisfying. 

September 29 the Young Men came to the house to work on their Pinewood Derby cars.  You can take the man out of the Scoutmaster role but you cannot take the Scoutmaster out of the man.  Steve loved working with the boys.  

September 30 tropical storm Ian was right on top of us.  It was very rainy and windy all day long.  LNC changed the day to a remote learning day so no one would have to be out in the storm.  We also found out that Avian's SAT for the following day had been postponed to 10/14 due to the storm as well.  

It was a gorgeous night after Ian cleared out!