1. Lake with the Wrights
Almost the whole Wright fam (we missed you Austin and Macky) was able to get together for a weekend at Lake Norman. I have to make it clear that I grew up in a beach family and Ben grew up in a lake family- so I was a little skeptical at first as my in laws noticed...mainly Pops. I've been to the lake multiple times before, but Robert is determined to convert me. I have to say, he put up a good fight :) We had perfect weather, kayaks, a boat, a jet ski, wake boarding, Ann's cooking, and family...needless to say, it was a great weekend! Below are my only pictures, I really need to get a new battery for my camera...
2. Lake Lure
For a beach girl, I'm getting pretty exposed to the lake vacation this summer. So, nothing against Lake Norman, but Lake Lure might be one of the most beautiful places I've ever been...
I am so in love with this place after spending one long weekend there. Julia and Braxton invited us on the couples weekend of my dreams. Julia's family owns the house we stayed in and were the most gracious hosts ever - and they weren't even there. They sent us with enough food to feed us the entire weekend and when I say food, I'm talking Tenderloin and her uncle's famous Ribs. One of the best parts about the food, for me at least, was picking it up. On the way, Julia and I rode together and stopped in Shelby, NC. to pick up the food and visit with her Grandma. I don't even know what to say about it, I was fascinated the whole time. She was so sweet, had the best southern accent, and carried on the most hilarious conversation. It was all too much for me when Julia told me one of her favorite TV shows is Desperate Housewives...killed me. I love her.
Anyway, Lake Lure provided the perfect setting for a lot of relaxing, reading, eating, and laughing.
3. Atlanta
We had been talking about making this trip happen ever since we found out NC State was going to play Tennessee at the Georgia Dome. The Wright's are split down the middle with State and Tennessee fans, so obviously this trip was a must. We all met in Atlanta on Friday afternoon, checked into our hotel and followed our leader, "Bulls Eye" (Ben's dad), into the madness.
The plan was to take the Marta one stop past the Georgia Dome, walk to a well reviewed Mexican restaurant for dinner, then walk a few blocks to the game. Well, the Marta was a nightmare for some claustrophobic members of the family...
But at the stop for the Georgia Dome, everyone, I mean everyone got off. We thought we were being really smart by waiting for the next stop, until we got off and there was literally no one in sight except a man who pulled Robert aside and asked, "Sir, do you know where you are? No, do you really know where you are?" The look on this man's face and the warning in his voice was enough to send Bulls Eye into full on safety/papa bear mode like I've never seen before. It didn't help matters that the next human being we saw said the exact same thing and added a "Y'all need to be careful." Dressed in our tourist, game day clothes, we did stick out pretty bad but we made it to dinner. The game was really exciting and fun for maybe the first quarter. Things started going downhill fast when NC State started playing like wimps and the Stifler's Mom situation with the group behind us took a turn from funny to gross.
NC State lost, but we still had a full weekend in Atlanta ahead of us. Well, not much was planned besides the game, so where did we end up? Target! Megan gets the best sister in law ever award for helping me register for the baby. She is the best person for the job too because she will tell you exactly what you do and don't need, her straight up honest opinion, and doesn't get her feelings hurt when I say I'm ready to be done :). I'm still working on my shopping stamina, but between Megan and Ann, I think I'll get plenty of practice! After lunch, frozen yogurt, and a short visit with Ben's aunt and uncle, everyone went their separate ways.
I think if we ever doubted it before, this trip solidified the fact that Ben and I are NOT city people. We went to the best place you could imagine after a stressful, busy, fast paced few days in a big city - Eagle Ranch to visit my friend Sally. When we pulled up to the ranch, it was like my body and my spirit could breathe again. The ranch is such a beautiful place. I don't know that I could do it justice, so if you haven't heard of it, you should read about what an awesome difference it is making in the lives of broken kids and families (http://www.eagleranch.org/).
Hearing Sally talk about her experience as a counselor, walking the grounds, and meeting some of the staff was so refreshing and encouraging. Later that afternoon we got to take Sally on a little dinner date to keep catching up. Sally is one of the friends in my life that no matter how far away we are from each other, or how different our daily lives look, we will always know each other to the core. I think I forget sometimes how thankful I am for her and how well she knows me. We have truly grown up together. We have witnessed each other's most embarrassing phases, we have fought with each other and for each other, we have eaten raw cookie dough by the gallon, and she is one of the few people in my life that I allow to snuggle with me :). I was reminded of all of this during dinner and both Ben and I were truly thankful for the blessing of her friendship, the encouragement we found in the way she is living her life, and the way she challenges us to live. We love you, Sags!!
I'm going to have to finish this post later because my eyes are closing and my pregnancy brain is taking over, there is no telling how many typo's and run on sentences are in this post...sorry! Week 25 of pregnancy here we come! More on our weekend travels and maybe some details about the baby/pregnancy...kind of an important detail about our lives right now...will be coming soon!
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