Last....and First!

So, the last day of summer vacation (yesterday) was spent doing a whole lot of nothing. Cammie spent time with friends and Brookie and I spent the afternoon at the pool with our buddies. BUT, the first day of school came early this morning. Brooke was a little nervous because it was her first day in Middle School and Cammie was just rarin' to be the 'big dawg on campus'. The day went well for all, despite the dress code change to polos. The girls still looked extremely cute (says their partial Mom!)!

Hangin' at the pool.....

Tracy, Ginger, and Amy.

Of course!!

Brooke's first day of Middle School....a few nerves, but she did great!

Ready to Rock and Roll!!!

Kure Beach!

We took off to Kure Beach last Wednesday for a short, but very fun trip with the Westmorelands and Privotts. And, while we enjoyed the typical lazy days on the beach and good eating, we also got to witness a couple of new things.....8 ft. sharks swimming at the surface near the pier. Thank goodness we were on the pier because those sweeties were swimming closer to the surf than we were swimming earlier in the day. Eight feet is no exaggeration....by any means. There were two of those bad boys. The other amazing sight....the preparations for 125 baby turtles to make their journey to the ocean. The nest was prepped, the trench was dug, and signs were posted. It actually took place Saturday evening, after we were back in Mooresville, but Michelle and her family got to witness it. I don't have pictures of these two amazing sights, but the ones that follow made our trip very worthwhile too! Thanks Westmorelands!!

Cammie, Alayna, Gracen, Brookie, and Georgia. We're missing Lily and Noah in this picture. And by the way, I had little to no charge left on my camera, so I would have to turn it on and click without focusing. Most are blurry, but better blurry than to have none at all.

Patiently waiting for more fish to be cleaned. Notice the one on the right has a fish stuck in his throat! Really though, they're just cute little beggars!

Celebrating Doobie's 45th birthday at Jack Mackerel's, which happens to be our favorite place to eat!

Alayna, Lily, and Brooke wait for a wave.

Brookie in her own little world!

At Carolina Beach boardwalk listening to a band. Michael's brother was playing in the band this particular evening!

Me and my girls.....at the ice cream shop!

Cammie and Alayna!

Road Trip!

Yesterday afternoon, we decided at the last minute to head up the mountain to Blowing Rock and Boone. Love the area and love the quaintness of the little town of Blowing Rock. 74 degrees and feeling fine!!

Beautiful landscaping all over the place. It's worth the trip just to see that! Coneflowers and Black-Eyes Susans among the many!!

A new favorite...near the campus of ASU!

And of course, the old favorite that we can never pass up! THE MELLOW MUSHROOM!

I love meandering up and down the little alley ways and streets, especially when it's as cool as it was today.

Another shop that collected some of my money....just not for a bag, but for sandals, of course! On sale at half price and no tax!

And, Thomas kicking back while I bought the sandals!! He really liked this chair....maybe I should have gone back in and bought another pair of sandals since he was sooooo content!

Checking out this coffee cup planter. I'm thinking I may NEED a couple of these too! Looks like another road trip!