Cotillion Holiday Dance

Tonight was the Daddy/Daughter Cotillion Holiday Dance.  This girl was super excited and couldn't wait for Dave to get home and take her to the dance.  I think Dave was a bit nervous about the dancing, but Mrs. Cohn assured the parents that she would give them a tutorial before the dance began. :)  This may be Savannah's favorite session all year . . . what could be better than holiday refreshments and dancing the foxtrot with your dad?!?

Thanksgiving 2017

Thanksgiving was celebrated many times by our family!  We started on Wednesday when Aunt Cherry came to celebrate with us.  We closed on the new house that morning so there was much to be thankful for!!  Although we had planned to enjoy dinner in the new house Wednesday night, the plan didn't quite work out so we ended up getting Jersey Mike's and enjoying dinner in the current house . . . but we made a fun memory as we toasted marshmallows on the grill and made s'mores!

Thursday Dave and I ran in the Turkey Dash and then came home to get ready to travel.  We headed to Greenville, SC for a late lunch celebration with Dave's family.  It was very casual with everyone wearing our race t-shirts.  Before we knew it it was past 5pm and time to load back into the car and drive home.  We didn't even get to stay for dessert as it was getting late!

Saturday we ventured to Elon to celebrate with my family.  Again, it was a nice casual day with amazing weather.  The kids played and played and played outside enjoying much overdue time with their cousins.  We all ate until we were stuffed and then still enjoyed a selection of chocolate desserts. Before heading home we took a walk to see Uncle Mark's new house, which should be completed soon.  And of course we made it home in time to watch Clemson destroy SC. :)

We have so, so much to be thankful for . . . from family and friends, to good health and all of the many blessings the Lord has provided our family. . . we are truly grateful and blessed. 

Bachmanns to Berkeley!!!

Well, this is the big week!!  For over a year we have searched for a house in Berkeley and just a few weeks ago we found it. October 21 we first walked into this house and really felt like the space would work.  We went back on Sunday and decided that although it was a bit "rough" it was exactly what our family needed. So the offer was submitted on Monday, negotiated, and just like that we were under contract.  Now here we are, several inspections later, bathroom remodels planned, vanities ordered, contractors scheduled, utilities set to transfer, insurance policies started, and numerous other tasks done and we close on November 22!!!  Although there have been lots of emotional days, we have a peace from the Lord that passes all understanding. . . there is no doubt that this is our house!!!

This afternoon we took time to drive over (1.8  miles across Providence Rd from our current house) and take some fun pictures before the sign comes down on Wednesday!

Savannah's First Band Concert

We were so excited to attend Savannah's first band concert tonight!  The room was crowded and there was lots of craziness, but it was a super special night for our little trombone player. 

Mr. Moore has done an incredible job with these kids.  I was highly impressed that in just one quarter he has taken this massive group of 6th graders and taught them not only how to assemble each of their different instruments, but actually how to play music too.  They played a variety of little songs and even pulled off one incredible song in rounds.  This mama left proud and impressed!!! 

Savannah's Y Guides Fall Longhouse . . Extended Version!

Once again, Savannah opted to just attend Y Guides for one night . . . but they made the most of a long Saturday and Sunday!  Leaving bright and early at 6:30am gave them plenty of time for activities at Camp Harrison Saturday.

Although it was pretty cold they had a great time doing lots of activities!  As a tribe they opted out of the Sunday morning activities and decided to hike Grandfather Mountain instead.  Mr. Roy was able to use his pass to get everyone in for free so they accepted the challenge and extended the Y Guides trip most of the day today as well.

It was very cold but they still did the strenuous hike . . . Savannah said she fell multiple times and face planted once.  Nevertheless, what a cool adventure to do as a tribe together.

All in all it was a great trip, but both Dave and Savannah were glad to arrive home today to a warm house and a nice shower too.  They also can't wait to sleep in their own comfy beds!

I had to share this funny picture of Preston.  His fun activity for the weekend was Chuck E Cheese.  Ugh!  I still haven't been feeling great so at least that was a way he could have fun with minimal work from me.  We made our trip before lunch and then enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at home together.  We did some yard work, watched the Clemson game, sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine, played some card games and of course had Chick fil A for dinner.  All in all we've all had a great weekend!

PSE Fun Run!!

It ended up being a nasty, cold, rainy day so PSE's first fun run had to be moved indoors.  Thankfully, they had planned accordingly and made it super fun for the kids.  Instead of running outside they had a glow run inside.   Only part of the grade level could run at a time, but they still had a blast running and then cheering for their classmates. I was able to leave my class upstairs and come down just for a bit to see Preston run a few laps.

 These are the best pictures I could get because 1. it was dark and 2. Preston is fast!

Waiting to get a lap marked off

A huge thank you to everyone that donated for this cause!  PSE raised more than enough money to finally provide shade covers for all of their playgrounds.  Woo hoo!!

Just Another Jam Packed Saturday

Our morning started bright and early today with a race that was sponsored by Dave's dealership.  We couldn't run last year because of Y Guides, but Dave encouraged me to sign up this year since we were in town.  I had hopes of doing pretty well since the race was super small, but I didn't finish as well as I would have liked.  I did the 5K in 27:45, coming in 11th overall and 2nd in my age group.  There was no time to waste as we had to hurry across town just after I crossed the finish line to head to Preston's last soccer game of the season.

Unfortunately, they lost another heart breaker, but it was cold outside and we were all just glad to be done for the season!  He did get his trophy, which he loved!

They had a hard working little team this year and we appreciated their coaches dedication too!

Afterwards we made a quick stop at Harris Teeter to do one mystery shop . . . and there are 3 more shops to go today . . . along with catching up on a weeks worth of mail (snail and e-mail), chores, and yard work.  Thankfully Dave and I plan to enjoy a nice quiet dinner out tonight!