Book 25

I finished Book 25 this weekend:

This one was another book club read, and it tells the story of Jim from Huck Finn from his perspective. It goes well beyond Twain, and it has an interesting take of slavery. It wasn't an easy read, but it was a really good read. 

This also marks my reading goal for the year! I was going for 25, and now I'm excited to see how many I read this year!

 

A Weekend of Happy

This was a weekend of lots of little happies.

The boys spent Saturday and Sunday at Lake Quest with the Raleigh dojo:

They had a ton of fun training, and they got to use their black belt swords, which is always exciting.

I spent the weekend recharging my batteries a bit. Work has been a lot a lot lately, and I was pretty burnt out. I finished books 23 and 24. Book 23 was the second of a trilogy we started in book club:

I liked book two far more than book one, and I'm anxious to see how the saga ends in book three!

Book 24 was another of Kaitlin's manuscripts;

I can't wait until this girl is published. I will be at the launch party.

Saturday night, I went to see the Downton movie with Mom and Shannon which was fun. I spent a chunk of time working in the yard, and another playing with Bella. And I finally made it back to the pottery studio:

I plan to put little flowers in the opening. I didn't make time for pottery this summer, and I realized this weekend how much being there and working with clay fills my soul. I am scheduled for time through November, so I am very, very happy.

 

Happy Birthday, Issa!

It has taken me a week to have enough breathing room to actually write the post, but we had a great time celebrating Issa's 19th birthday last weekend:

Her big present from Brad and I was her second tattoo, which she managed to actually get on her birthday:

The flowers were each drawn by one of us, and she drew Inks:

I honestly think Evan's pitcher plant on the far left may be one of my favorites. Friday night she cooked her own favorite meal and we had a quiet night.

Saturday we went to Antonia's for lunch, where she opened her new camera from Nana and Aunt Shannon:

We spent Saturday afternoon shopping for her first black cocktail dress for ring dinner this fall. We finally found the perfect dress but didn't take a single picture. We did have some good laughs about some less than perfect dresses.
 

18 was a great year for Issa, and I have a feeling 19 is going to be even better.

Feels Like Fall

We had a lovely weekend doing as very little as possible. Issa came home for the holiday weekend, and we did one last round of burgers on the grill to celebrate the end of summer.

I spent a lot of time in the backyard with Bella and my book:

 The weather finally feels like fall is coming, and Bella is loving being outside. I put the pumpkin on the front door and did my first fall manicure. It's time.

I think Evan and I will take the pool down this weekend, and I think that will quickly be followed by a fire in the fire bowl and full dive into fall.

Book 22 and a Weekend with my Boy

Issa is all settled in at school, and Brad went to a meditation workshop this weekend, so it was just Evan and I. Our whole weekend revolved around eating. Friday night we went to the Nickel for wings, Saturday we went to a local pizza place that only has gluteny pizza, and last night we got his favorite Taco Bell. My stomach may never recover, but it was so fun to just hang out with him all weekend. A lot of it was spent outside with this girl:

Bella will play fetch all day, and I think we just about did. She also crushed her training class this week, which was really nice. We are seeing so much growth!

I also finished book 22, a book club pick:

This was a Hallmark movie with a cover, and I loved every page of it. It was a nice break and fluff after a few heavy reads!

Book 21

Book 21 was a hard read:

This book captures of the 44 laws of capturing or holding power. It is a really insightful book that gives examples and counterexamples from across the world and time. I want to be angry about it, but it is so very true.

Given the context of our world, it explains a lot, and it certainly is a handbook for playing the game. I'm just trying to think about how to play it for the greater good.

 

It Explains So Much

Bella has been with us for three months, and she just keeps getting bigger and better:

She is so smart, and she loves to play. She is also incredibly stubborn and vocal. We have been incredibly curious about her breed, so we finally did the DNA test, which explains everything:

 Evan got his Husky. The energy and the sass come straight from that section of the breakdown. Now we just have to figure out how to channel it all!

He's Off!

Evan is having a very big month. Although school doesn't start for another two weeks, he sent me this first day of class picture:

He is doing two college classes at Durham Tech this semester, and he started Monday. He is loving the flexibility of a college schedule, and so far the homework is minimal. We are super proud of him for taking this leap, and we hope pre-calc and Java go well this semester!
 

She's In!

We moved Issa in last Friday! Year two was so much easier emotionally but a bit more complicated in the packing department. So many things were in nice flat boxes last year, and now we were moving built furniture and stuff to outfit a whole room since she has a single, but we managed to do it in just two cars!

Since Issa is an RA this year, she got to move in early and was the only one on her floor doing so! We had the elevator to ourselves, and we could load everything into the other half of the suite and then unpack slowly in her room. It made for a very happy move:

Her room is so cute, and I know she is going to be a great RA:

She brought back fabric from Italy to decorate the room, and she's divided her room into zones. This is her sleeping bed:

And this is her lofted couch bed for relaxing or studying:

She has her own bathroom, which is incredible:

And she set up her little kitchen again:

She has one desk for studying and another for beverage preperation:

It was nice to be able to get her fully settled complete with everything on the walls:

Even if it was a bit much at times:

We did learn we needed the good tape; tacky tuff just didn't cut it:

It only took us one Staples run to finish, and we were able to have a nice long lunch at Postino's halfway through.

It really is a great room, and it feels so much like her. I just know this is going to be a great year!
 

A Boy and His Car

When Issa got her license, Nana was ready for a new car and passed her old one on to Issa, which was still a really nice car that Issa still loves. When Evan got his license, Nana wasn't ready for a new car but she still wanted to help Evan out with his first car. So...he has been shopping. Saturday, Brad and I took him to CarMax and he bought his very first car:

The lighting is terrible, but CarMax even put a bow on his Civic for him.

He absolutely loves this carL

And his first solo drive in it was to show Nana:

Yesterday he picked up a friend and went to lunch, and last night he drove us all to McKay's and ice cream. He is so excited for this new chapter, and we are so grateful he has a safe car for it.
 

Street Legal

It was a big week for Evan! He passed the driving test and is now street legal:

 His first solo drive was to Bojangles. He is so excited to be able to go where he wants when he wants, and he really is a good driver. We start car shopping this weekend now that he can test drive, so fingers crossed!

She's Home!

Issa came home from study abroad Saturday!

 She had the best experience! She aced her classes, but more importantly she learned how to be a traveler. She truly immersed herself in the culture. She met people and explored non-touristy sites. I was so proud of how she navigated every little bump. I have loved listening to her stories, and I'm so grateful that she truly took advantage of the opportunities presented to her.

The biggest bump is her luggage got lost on the way home. Thankfully all of her most important things were in her carry on. Delta was awesome. We spoke with an agent every day, and they found her bag in Paris and delivered it to our house yesterday! Now we can start unpacking and doing laundry so we can repack before she moves back to campus next week!

Book 20

I finished book 20 this morning!

I have read everything that Glennon has written. I started following her blog years ago, and I really appreciate her honesty and heart.

This book was very different. It is more a collection of thoughts from many, many people about 20 big life questions. Once I grieved the lack of her narrative, I really enjoyed this one. There were some interesting nuggets, and it was nice to read so many of us are going through so many of the hard things together.
 

Books 18 and 19

Book 18 was our book club pick:

I didn't love it, but I'm going to finish the trilogy. This book very much establishes character and world, and I've heard the final two books are incredible. There were about six very different plotlines that very minimally overlapped, but I'm curious to see where they go.

Book 19 was another book we are reading as a campus:

This book talks a lot about the overparenting and social media use of Gen Z. I think Haidt overstates his case in multiple places, but I don't disagree with some of his findings. It makes me very grateful that Brad and I let our kids climb trees and use adult tools. 
 

And Now He's Off!

Tuesday, I moved Evan into his dorm room at NC State for their wrestling camp. He is there with a good chunk of his team, and he says he is learning a ton!

They have dual meets every day, and the first day her went 2-0:

Yesterday he went 4-2:

He said one of his losses was to a guy who placed at state and he can see why! 

With both kids away this week, Brad and I are actually enjoying our little preview of empty nest. We certainly miss them and love getting their updates, but we also are loving the time together and the ability to be a bit more spontaneous. 
 

She's Off!

Issa is officially living her best Italian life! She was supposed to fly out Saturday, but her flight was cancelled. They were rebooked Sunday on better flights, and she was off:

On the long flight, she had the whole exit row to herself, and when she landed, she immediately fell in love with the countryside--especially the trees. She is learning the two and the culture, and she is able to eat so easily and so well.

I am so proud of how she is launching herself into new experiences, and I can't  wait to keep hearing about her adventures.
 

A Quick Trip North

We made a very quick trip to Wisconsin last week. The primary purpose of our visit was to see Papa Don and Grandma Nancy:


It was the first time we had seen them since they moved up there, and we are so grateful for the time together. We also fell in love with their little corner of Wisconsin.

One of the things on Brad's bucket list was to visit the House on the Rock, which features prominently in one of his favorite books. We had no idea it was fifteen minutes from their house! We stayed at the House on the Rock Resort, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his team. It has been beautifully maintained, and we loved sitting on our balconies and watching the deer in the evening.

The House itself was built by one of the most eccentric men in history, and pictures will never do it justice. It was the perfect way to celebrate 23 years, though:

The house itself was build room by room, the last one being this infinity room that looks out over the valley:

The wobble was too much for me at the end, but it was beautiful.

The rest of the complex is his series of collections. Issa loved capturing us in the cool mirrors:

He is most known for his music boxes, which are actually whole orchestras that he has automated:

And this carousel is the largest in the world and the feature of the book:

Everything was quirky and you never knew what the next room would hold, but we loved it:

The next day we explored Cave of the Mounds, which was breathtaking:

It's hard to believe it was accidentally discovered when they were blasting for gravel:

It also features a restored prairie we loved exploring:

And no trip to Wisconsin is complete without a stop at the cheese factory:

Our final day took us to the Henry Villa Zoo in Madison, where we got to see a sloth up close:

And become friends with a rhino who has a log wubby he carries with him:

It was a fast and full four days, but I'm so very, very grateful for some family time, laughter, and rest in the middle of this wild summer.