Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from the sandy shores of Florida!  We spent the day on the beach with ours...hope you had a wonderful day with yours!  Michael, Dawn, Ramsey and Bradey

Bradey's Date with Daddy

Michael and Bradey got all dressed up this evening and went to a Father/Daughter dance sponsored by the Girl Scouts.  Don't they look pretty ?:)

Ramsey had a piano event and then she and I had a little "girls" night until they got home.  

Fun in the Mountains

We retrieved Ramsey from camp last Friday evening, much to her dismay.  We made a weekend of it since we were already in the mountains. 

We spent Friday night in the quaint little mountain town of Brevard and took in a movie at this quaint old movie theater.  If you haven't seen "Despicable Me" yet, I highly recommend it!  Only Ramsey is in the picture because Michael and Bradey were in the restroom...as usual.

Saturday morning, after a good ole' healthy breakfast at "Huddle House", we rented tubes from the Davidson River Rafting Company at the entrance of Pisgah National Forest.

We floated down river for about an hour and then walked back to our starting spot to float back down again.  We all had a great time.  The weather was beautiful and so was the scenery.

After our two trips tubing, we ate lunch at Sycamore Flats Recreational area and then headed for Sliding Rock.  Sliding Rock is a 60' waterfall that is not very steep so you can slide down it.  You can see a video of folks sliding down it at the bottom of this website page http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/sliding_rock1.htm  

That's Bradey sliding down above and Ramsey sliding down below

Here we are at "Looking Glass Falls".  Bradey was the only one that got in the water at the waterfall.

That evening we headed over to the Chimney Rock/Lake Lure area and spent the night at the Mountain Meadows Motel.  The motel has a pond for swimming, fishing and boating.  They have a picnic area, basketball court, volleyball, horseshoes, jacuzzi, etc.  There were a few other people there Saturday night but we had the whole place to ourselves on Sunday.  Love it there!

Saturday night and Sunday the girls went swimming and "peddled" around the pond in a little peddle-boat.  We all went fishing (only Michael actually got one on the hook and out of the water), played volleyball, and played HORSE in basketball.  Michael won both times...but barely.  It isn't fair when he stands directly underneath the net and uses his 6ft tall body and long arm to one hand it in compared to my 5ft 4" height and short arm!  Cheater.  I got him with the 3 pointers though (well, where the 3 point line would be for that little court  :).

We went home via Chimney Rock and Lake Lure and walked around the shops and lake...and the ice cream parlor :) 

It was a great weekend!  We are planning to visit again in the fall.  In the meantime, I'll be working on my under the net shooting!  

Bye, Bye Baby Girl

There she goes...

I took Ramsey up into the mountains today and left her there :)  She is spending the next couple of days away at Girl Scout Camp.

Ramsey's camp program is called "The Mane Event" and is based on horses.  She will be learning to care for and groom the horses, as well as, enjoy riding time while she is there.  This is her camp counselor, "Pudge".  Ramsey's cabin holds 5 girls, so, she'll be meeting 4 new friends tonight...hope none of them snore!

Once she was all checked in, it was time for mom to check out.  She is standing in the "Goodbye Circle" where the parent(s) say goodbye.  She hugged me and then kissed me 3 times quickly in a row which is what she does when she is not ready to let me go.  Her eyes were a little red and I held her until she said "okay, I'm ready" and that was it, she turned and left the circle and joined the other girls heading off to the next step - without their parents.  I stayed strong for her but barely made it around the corner before the tears started flowing as I thought about how proud I am of the young lady she is becoming and how in a small way I miss the little girl she used to be...but then, she'll always be my baby girl.

 

As I drove away, she waved at me from down there in the meadow where she was playing games with the new friends she had already made.  She had a big smile on her face and I still had a tear on my cheek.  Bye, Bye Baby Girl.

Birdhouse Cove

See the birdhouses in the trees on the left?  We went to Florida last weekend to pick the girls up from their 2 weeks of fun with Mamaw and Papaw.  We played on the St. Johns River one day and found a pleasant surprise down one of the coves.

Folks have hung birdhouses, many with their names and hometowns, up and down the cove.  It was really neat to see the beautiful, hand-painted houses.  If we can remember to get the birdhouse, we hope to hang one ourselves in Birdhouse Cove the next time we're on the St. Johns River.

Left to Right:  Dad, Anna (a friend of the girls' from Indiana), Ramsey, Bradey, Cindy, my baby niece Lexi (Michael and I brought her down with us) and Michael.

A very friendly dragonfly hung out on the boat with us and landed on Bradey's hand.

We stopped at Blue Spring State Park for a cookout and the girls went swimming in the springs.  Here's Ramsey jumping off the dock.

It was a great day on the river with family!

Happy 4th of July!

Ramsey is on top left and Bradey is bottom left

Happy 4th of July!  Well, 3rd of July, but, close enough :)

Ramsey's Girl Scout Troop invited Bradey's Girl Scout Troop to join them in the annual Harrisburg 4th of July parade.  Their theme was "Girl Scouts Become Stars".  Every girl carried a sign showing what she would like to be when she grows up.  Ramsey's said "Girl Scouts become Authors" and

Bradey's said "Girl Scouts become Veterinarians".

Here's Ramsey walking along with her best gal friend Riley.  (Yes, I know that I said that Ramsey's sign said "Authors" but this one says "Dancers", I'm not fibbin' to ya, she's carrying someone else's sign)

Is was a family affair.  I walked with the float and Michael pulled it with his truck.  I guess that makes him an honorary Girl Scout?  Maybe I can get him to sell some Girl Scout cookies in January?  Hmmm, I'm not sure how good he'll look in a brownie uniform...

Mommy and Daddy Play While the Girls are Away!

While Ramsey and Bradey are travelling the around US with Mamaw and Papaw for a couple of weeks, Michael and I took a little trip to the mountains.  We rode up through the Pisgah National Forest on Saturday, donated some money to the Cherokee Indian tribe via their casino :), and then rode back down on Sunday through Bat Cave, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, etc.

It was a great trip!

Softball season has begun - with a win!

Ramsey and Bradey had their first softball game last night.  I didn't get any pictures because I was too lazy to walk back to the car to get my camera since I forgot to take it with me the first time I walked down the dirt path back to the softball field behind the rec center :)

The girls are on the same team this year which means only one practice and one game per week, happy!  For 2 weeks last year while soccer and softball overlapped and the girls played on different teams, we had 4 practices and 4 games a week, not happy!

Both girls had a great game, neither struck out.  Bradey hit 2 singles and had 1 RBI and Ramsey hit a single and a triple and scored a run.  Ramsey had 2 great throws from 3rd to 1st with only one bounce needed to make it to the 1st baseman.  Bradey didn't see as much action at shortstop...other than the time that she stood there and watched the ball roll past her :)

Next game I'll get some pictures.  Maybe Bradey will be sportin' her visor on her head sideways like a gangsta' again...proud moment for a mom...

Cooper River Bridge Run 2010

We did it!

Michael and I both ran the Cooper River Bridge 10K this past Saturday in Charleston, SC.  Each of us ran it in less time than we were projecting.  Michael wanted to run it in less than an hour and he ran it in 57 minutes.  I had hoped to run it in 1 hr 15 mins and actually ran it in 1 hr 7 mins.  I had hoped to be no more than 15 minutes behind Michael and ended up only being 10 minutes behind him (which was a personal victory for me :).

We both LOVED the event.  I was ready to sign up for next year's race before I even made it over the bridge!  My friend Sandi had told me that it would be so fun and beautiful that I wouldn't even noticed the big bridge (2 1/2 miles long and a 4% grade).  I thought that she was crazy, but you know, she was right (don't tell her I said that).  I didn't even notice the incline up the bridge because I was surrounded by thousands of my closest friends and we all had one common goal - to make it to the top! 

Here are some pictures that I took of the bridge on a trip to Charleston last year

I saw a bride-to-be running, a granddaughter running with her grandfather, a cow, Elvis (well, I didn't see him but mom and the girls did), a banana, men in tutus, cancer survivors, etc.  You see a little bit of everything out there.

I highly recommend this run/walk to anyone.  It is a great way for friends or family to share an experience like no other.  The Cooper River Bridge 10K is the 3rd largest 10K in the nation.  Everyone should be a part of something like that at least once in their lifetime.

Ramsey and Bradey plan to do the run/walk with us next year.  Hope to see you there too!

Cooper River Bridge Run Kids Run

We're in Charleston, SC, for the Cooper River Bridge 10K run on Saturday.  But today, Friday, was all about the kids!  

Most runs have a race following it for kids.  However, this one has a whole day dedicated to the kids!  It was at Hampton Park in Charleston, which is beautiful - definitely would like to visit it again the next time we're in Charleston.

Bradey participated in her age group's 1/4 mile run.

Bradey's in the middle of the pic, second row behind/between a girl in a green shirt and a girl with blond hair...see her?  I could add a little pointing arrow, but, I'm too lazy :)

And they're off!  Bradey is in the left edge of the pic.

In typical Bradey style...she came running across the finish line hand-in-hand with a little girl named Abby that she met while running :)

Ramsey participated in the 1 mile run.

Ramsey's in there somewhere.

Here is Ramsey as she is running by.

Ramsey just around the corner from the finish line - still going strong.  She did great!  She ran less than a 10 minute mile.  She is working her way up to run a 5K with mom and dad.

Both girls won a medal for their run and a big kiss from mom!  We're so proud of them!

Now, our turn.  Michael and I will be running the Cooper River Bridge 10K in the morning (Saturday) in mid 40 degree temps and a possible 20 mph wind.  Oh my!  Prayers are welcome and needed!

Fun with Phonics!

We had fun with phonics today!

Tuesday is our phonics flashcards day.  The girls review the phonograms in different ways such as writing them on wipe boards jeopardy style or spelling them out with their fingers in the air, etc.  

Today we had a little extra fun with phonics by adding Jelly Bellys and M&Ms.  We played "phonics bingo" and used the candies as markers.

 

Bradey blacked out her card first and won...or should I say candied out?  They each got to eat all of the markers on their card.  Ramsey had only one spot left open, so second place wasn't so bad.

It was a hard day at school today for the Shirley girls!

Bye Bob!

We had the honor of having a house guest from Japan with us for a couple of months.  It was wonderful to learn about his hometown in Japan and to show him around our town.  Bob was a wonderful houseguest.  He never made a mess and did not eat us out of house and home as you would assume most boys would.

Unfortunately, he could not stay with us forever, he had to go back home.  I sent several pictures with him to remind him of his time with us and to share with his family in Japan.  I thought that I would share them with you. 

Here is Bob with us at the park:

Here Bob with us as work:

Here Bob doing schoolwork with the girls.  He worked so quietly!

Here's Bradey reading to Bob (he always loved that!)

Here's Ramsey playing piano for Bob.

And finally, here's Bob playing with our dog Harley:

Bob was a "flat stanley" project that we participated in with a school in Japan.  Bob was from a 9th grade girl.  Bob stayed with us for a couple of months and then we sent him back along with the pictures describing life here in Concord, North Carolina.  It was a fun experience for the girls!

Bragging on the Hubby!

Just a quick brag on the hubby!  Michael blessed me with the gift of a little weekend to myself this past weekend.  I visited a place that I love that always restores my soul (and sanity :) and oh...the food!

When I got into my car on Friday morning to head off on my adventure, I was greeted by this beautiful rose and lovely card waiting for me in the car.  What a lovely surprise!

Thanks honey!  I love you too!     

A Day at the Ballet!

The girls and I went to a performance of the ballet "Cinderella" by the North Carolina Dance Theatre yesterday (Thursday).  We had a WONDERFUL time!  It was an educational performance which means that it is the exact performance that the public audience sees just without the intermission.  I thought that that would work out great for Bradey, because I figured that she would start getting fidgety after about an hour.  No worries though.  Bradey was so drawn into the performance that she didn't even noticed the time passing.  I think that all three of us were a little sad when the ballet was over...we wanted to see more!