this past weekend

sweet roxie, a misty sunrise, imagination

sunrise on the day of the ella grace race, the runners, support

what wes wanted to wear to his friend nicolas' superhero party, wes at the party swinging with lizzie (glad he wore pants), callie in a basket

bending forks in dad's shop, yet another sunrise, sleepy boys

music

music has always been a part of my life. 

i started playing the violin when i was 12 years old. i was in the 5th grade and i joined my school's string orchestra. i also took bluegrass fiddle lessons. my dad took me to my weekly lesson. it was a special time with him that i always looked forward to. my dad played the guitar and my brother eventually started taking banjo lessons. we had our own little family band. too band non of us could could sing :)

this past summer, my dad organized a get together in lake lure where people could gather and play music. every saturday evening from memorial day until labor day people got together and it was lots of fun. last night, we played at a little get together that the town of chimney rock organized. 

my dad, and his friends joe & steve live in chimney rock. my dad is the one wearing jeans. he always sets up the sound equipment.

 me and my brother, tim.

my fiddle

 timmy's banjo

the stage, tim & his buddy jerred, who has become a member of our music family :)

 joe & steve

this is the view from the seating area that the town has created. such a beautiful place!

music

i love 'the infamous stringdusters'. they are a bluegrass band that i can only describe as pure awesomeness. listen and enjoy :)

three weeks...

well, we're 3 weeks into kindergarten. i'm not going to lie and say it's been peaches and cream. we've been learning and adjusting. i'm finally to the point where i don't look at the clock every 10 minutes to see how much closer to 3:00 it is. i don't daydream about installing a webcam in the class room, so i can watch what's going on all day. i'm letting go... a little bit. 

wes is still adjusting too. 7 hour kindergarten days are a lot longer than 3 hour pre school days. he's working on staying on task and knowing when not to talk so much :) by the end of the week, he's been completely drained and rather cranky - so we decided to dial back bed time a little bit, to see if that helps. wes has always been a big sleeper. he doesn't nap, but he sleeps all night long. A good 10-12 hours. he needs that to refuel and be productive and happy. 

(he took me on a little drive while dad went into moe's to get dinner)

this morning i asked him if he was excited to go back to school this week. he said, "i'm happy, but not excited". i can handle happy.

early to work

i leave my house for work at 6:50 am. ouch, right?

there are a few benefits to leaving so early... like missing traffic (especially school buses), leaving before the evening rush hour and seeing the beauty in nature that can only be seen in the early morning hours. 

For instance, 2 horses grazing in a misty field...

(these are our neighbor's horses. they rent gary's brother's house and share a driveway with his parents... which is where i drop wes off every morning)

and, the sun peeking over the mountains. the most beautiful sight in the world :)

(a picture really doesn't do it any justice)

when i get to work at 7:30, i am one of the first people there. i enjoy the time before everyone else starts to arrive. it's quiet and peaceful. no trucks, no phones. the warehouse is still dark, except for a single row of lights. i make a cup of coffee, sit down and get to work just in time to see the last glare of the sunrise move across the window.

on cool mornings, i leave the door in front of my desk open. it leads out to the warehouse and they always have the big bay door open to the dock. i love the cool air... and the visitors. 

love

i love this little guy, like crazy. he's growing like a weed, but seeing him in his pawpaw's big hat makes him look so little. i love that. 

yesterday, the weather was GORGEOUS. we opened the windows and enjoyed the cool breeze all afternoon. i love having our windows open. listening to the sounds outside & feeling the fresh air... it's the best. 

wes loves his callie. he carries her around (awkwardly) and snuggles with her (sometimes, against her will), and she tolerates . she is so mild mannered and i love that. 

we had a homemade waffle breakfast at work last friday morning. it was fun and delicious. i loved that. i also loved the idea of having an after waffle nap time, but the powers that be didn't go for it. hence the sad face. 

the fair

 we took an impromptu trip to the fair this evening, after work. we meet some friends there and had a great time. i think we've been every year, for the past 9 years... well... the past 7, for sure. we started off with squeals, at the pig races. we (me, donna, wes & allie) got our thrills on the 'black widow', which wes loved. but ferris wheels? no thanks, i'll pass. those things creep me out. 

nick (8), wes (almost 6) & allie (7)

i specifically remember going in 2006 when i was 8 months pregnant. NOT a good idea. it was hot and horrible feet swelling was involved. it was memorable, but not in a pleasant way.

our chicks, checking out the chicks. allie, clay, wes & brylee

i also specifically remember the 2008 trip. gary, wes and i were there watching rhonda vincent perform one evening and i got a phone call from my best friend donna... she was in labor with her 2nd daughter, brylee. i can't believe she's almost 4. 

the gigantic 'blueberry'

above is a magician, whose show we watched tonight. it was called 'the magic of agriculture', and it was really entertaining! he was funny and i enjoyed watching wes laugh. 

wes, allie and nick spinning. it made me dizzy to watch. 

2012 WNC Mountain State Fair from Amy H on Vimeo.

wes and allie were tall enough to ride the 'flying ride' this year... which is awesome and sad all at once. 

captain clay (2 1/2) & miss brylee (almost 4)

tonight was a fun way to bring an end to the summer. it was great spending some quality time with dear friends. now... bring on the fall! i'm ready for pumpkins and corn mazes (another yearly tradition that donna and i have).

rest & relaxation

we spent this labor day weekend in holden beach, nc. we arrived late friday night, spent 3 days chilling out and then came home on tuesday. it was the perfect. not too short, not too long. 

 

gary, wes and i spent the long weekend with gary's parents (who graciously rented the house) and their 2 dogs bernie & dolly and aunt tracy & her dog, tipper.

 

several times over the weekend, i looked at wes and was amazed by how much he's growing up. 

 i can't believe he's in kindergarten. i feel like he's going to graduate and move off next week. i might have had a little panic attack last week. i want to slow time down, just a little bit. 

 

i was so proud of wes for going into the water alone. he's a brave little guy. he even pitch a fit about his face getting wet, which was a first for him!

 

gary and pawpaw helped him boogie board. he really loved that.  

 

we also did a little bit of vegging on the couch. we watched the lorax and megamind. 

  

aunt tracy went home a day before we did. gary and pawpaw spent the last night out on the pier, fishing. neena, wes and i went out to say hello before we settled in for the night.

   

i am thankful for in-laws who let us tag along on their awesome vacations and also to my mom & dad, for taking care of our furries at home. 

  

roxie stayed at my parents house, where i'm sure my dad spoiled her rotten. my mom came over to check on marlee, abe & callie. she always sneaks and cleans my house... which is the best surprise ever.

when roxie came home tonight, she and callie had a moment on the couch where they just sat and looked at each other sweetly. i think they actually missed each other :)

it was a lovely little vacation, but there's no place quite like home.