Soccer, Snow, & Tubing on Saturday

This weekend's soccer tournament has been a bit of a nightmare . . . as the team manager, the drama started by finding out that the Asheville tournament was actually being played in Hendersonville on Saturday (2 games with 6 hours in the middle) and in Asheville on Sunday (1 game with time TBD).  This news came after I had already booked us and the coach a hotel room in Asheville.  So several calls to hotels and e-mails to the team later and we had rebooked in Hendersonville.  Anyway, we decided that since our first game wasn't until 10:30am we would drive up Saturday morning and enjoy our beds at home one more night.  

As the weekend got closer we realized the weather forecast was less than ideal, but we would make the best of it!  Savannah did some research and found a snow tubing place relatively close to the soccer fields and we made reservations for 2pm on Saturday.  So, after a morning soccer game that we lost 1-0, we headed to Wendy's for a quick lunch and then to Black Bear Tubing.  It was SUPER fun!!!

The place was a bit mom and pop, but man, the snow tubing lanes were SO icy and fast. We enjoyed 2 hours of tubing and some hot chocolate before heading back into town for our promised Bo Berry biscuit treats.   

Only as we were driving back to town, the snow started pouring down.  We checked the weather and realized that the area was under a winter weather advisory and calling for a few inches of snow and ice on top of that overnight.  YUCK! We are all sitting in the car at Bojangles trying to decide what to do.  It wasn't' long before the tournament director called me to say that because of deteriorating weather conditions all night games had been "postponed".  He was calling managers as fast as possible but I tried to find out as much as I could . . they were unsure about Sunday games but would make the call by evening.  

So I called the hotel and found out that they would graciously waive the cancellation fee if we decided to head back home due to the weather.  BUT, we still weren't sure about Sunday games.  Meanwhile, the snow is still accummulating. :) Long story short, they did end up canceling the rest of the tournament and we headed home.  It was a bit crazy trying to notify the coach and team, call back to cancel the hotel, and high tail it out of the mountains.  But, we made it home safely and all before the game would have ended anyway.  We enjoyed dinner at home and sleep in our own beds!  Always an adventure . . . 

Our Sunday Walk

 

Preston is in NC and Savannah is in SC

On Sundays, we always go on a family walk.  Most of the time we make Savannah happy by "walking with a purpose". . . this could be walking to Lowes, Harris Teeter, to drop off something to a neighbor, or a variety of other errands we might need to do.  Sometimes we venture to the greenway but often we just walk around the neighborhood.  There is usually lots of complaining before we start, but never-the-less, we go!  So today I decided we would try a new adventure.  I saw a friend post on Facebook about a suspension bridge where you literally walk from NC to SC on the bridge, so after lunch and both of the kids zoom Sunday school calls, we headed out on a surprise adventure.  It was only a short drive to Waxhaw and then a short walk to the bridge.  We could have spent a lot more time hiking, but we walked our standard 40 minutes and then headed back home.  It was a fun way to get some fresh air, exercise, and something new to see too.

MLK Day at it's BEST!!

 

Today we celebrated MLK day by having the Marions over for the afternoon.  I am SO thankful for the friendship these kids have . . . there are never any fights or arguments . . they can literally play for hours with no parental figure needed. :)  They arrived after lunch and started with a game of Throw Throw Burrito.  Then it was outside to play for the boys (rolling down the hill, riding scooters, tug of war, football, etc) and the girls started their normal kitchen routine (messy goodness in the form of mini cupcakes this time).  I worked on taxes and enjoyed listening to their many conversations.  It was a fantastic day off school!!

Welcome 2021

Today we welcome a New Year, a chance to start fresh and with a renewed mindset.  

2020 was a year like no other, one filled with sadness and loss, but also one that caused us to reflect on the many things we have to be grateful for.  Here are a few of the things I'm choosing JOY over . . .   

Although we said goodbye to two very special women, my grandmother and Aunt Cherry, there is hope in knowing we will see them again.  I cherish the many memories we have with them and know that they are happy, healthy, and healed in Heaven.  So grateful they didn't have to experience COVID in such a weak state.

Yes, the kids have spent almost the entire last year at home doing school online, but they are still learning.  Preston's anxiety is at a low point and he is back to loving school.  Savannah was grateful not to have to dress out (ever) for high school PE.  They have a great team of teachers and have learned to use time wisely at home.  Also, Dave is a rockstar in German.  It's been so neat to see him helping Savannah with the new language.

Shipt has given me the opportunity to meet so many people and build a lot of relationships.  I'm looking for ways to love people better as I deliver their necessities.  In addition, it's been a huge supplemental income, like more than I was making teaching!  I LOVE my job and am learning to balance work with time at home with the family.

Dave's job is still going well.  He is a great boss and continues to be kind, loyal, generous, and honorable in his work.  Not only that he still works all day and comes home to love us well.  We are very thankful the shut down of the world did not affect his job!

Although the gyms were closed for months, one of my favorite aerobic instructors started posting online workouts daily from her garage.  It took some getting used to, but oh my word what a blessing it has been to have these convenient workouts stored to do anytime that is best for my schedule.  It has saved me hours in travel time to the Y and back by doing the workouts at home.

We are grateful our church was capable of providing Facebook feeds of the service each week.  We certainly miss seeing our church family (and the preschoolers we served) each week, but this has been awesome to have church at home.

Lastly, we are so blessed to be happy and healthy.  Although we have had moments that were less than stellar as we learn to be home a lot more, we are also enjoying more time to play games, go for walks, and accomplish a few projects too.  The kids have become better friends and have teamed up to avoid boredom.  

So although we say peace out 2020, we take with us many valuable lessons learned and memories made.  Here's to an incredible 2021 ~ hopefully one filled with joy, health, laughter, special memories, and a release from quarantine.