UNC Charlotte Parents Weekend.

 This past weekend we visited Sarah at UNC Charlotte for Parent Weekend!  

We got there on Saturday morning around 11:30 and met Sarah at our hotel. She hopped into our car and we went to get lunch.  We ended up at Landmark Diner.  She's been there several times with friends and who doesn't love a good diner on a Saturday morning?

After eating, we headed back to campus and dropped some things off to her apartment and then we headed to the football game. We were playing Navy and it was such a horrible game.  At the end of the first half the score was 0-0 if that tells you anything.  At one point I told Dan it felt like we were watching two very bad high school teams play. 

UNCC ended up losing 14-0 but we still had fun with our girl! It had been raining that morning but it cleared up in plenty of time for the game, there was lots of good people watching to do, and even with the loss, it was still a good afternoon.

 

After the game, we headed to Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas and then went back to our hotel to check in.  The hotel is about a block from the light rail so we hopped on and headed uptown.  We ended up in South End at Hawkers, a restaurant that Sarah had been wanting to try.  We got there a little before 8:00 pm and put our name on the list.  

It was going to be a 45 minute wait so we walked through the Nebel's Alley Street Market. This was a cute little alley/side stree where they had live music and vendors set up selling their goods.  It was such a nice night out and I enjoyed the whole vibe of the market.  After checking out the market we waited for our table.

Hawkers is an Asian fusion  restaurant where you can get small plates to share or larger plates for yourself.  Sarah and Dan don't like to share food so we got out own plates.  I think it would be fun to go back and get a bunch of things to share.  We did share the Roti which was a Malaysian flatbread with a curry dipping sauce.  It was delicious - so light and flaky! For diner I got the beef bulgogi and a side of jasmine rice.  They both got some sort of ramen.

 

Dan was not excited about using chopsticks but he did it anyway and was pretty successful.  You could ask for forks if you wanted but we all managed the chopsticks just fine!

After dinner we went right next door to Jeni's Ice Cream.  When we go to Hawker's there was a very long line at the ice cream shop but when we finally got out of dinner, the line was shorter and Sarah and I just had to have some ice cream.  It was so good!

Then we headed back to the light rail and waited for the next train.

The next morning we got up and headed to campus to just walk around.  I love checking things out on my old campus. 

Then we headed to lunch at a Mexican restaurant which is in the same space that the Rainbow Deli occupied when I was in school there.  I had so many good memories of the Rainbow Deli.  They had awesome live music on the weekends (Dennis Davis was my favorite!) and great beer specials like bring your own mug and they would fill it for a couple of dollars.  You should have seen the size of some of the mugs people would bring in! So even though the restaurant has changed, it was still nice being in the same spot!  

After lunch we dropped Sarah off at her apartment and gave her a big hug and we headed back home. But I won't have to go long before seeing her again because her fall break is next Monday and Tuesday so she should be home at some point this weekend!

NC State Parents Weekend.

Dan's travel schedule has been crazy this year so when I bought tickets for the NC State Parents Weekend football game, it was touch and go if we could make it.  But the clouds parted and the heavens opened and the angels began to sing and we were able to go!  Now, please note that he left for Ireland on Sunday morning but will be back Friday night.  So we were able to make it to Raleigh AND his trip is a short one.  We are considering this a win-win. 

Interesting side note - as we were driving home from Raleigh Dan calculated that September was the only month so far this year that he has been home for the entire month.  That's too much travel if you ask me.

For some weird reason, the Parent Weekend football game was a Friday night game.  Boo. Hiss.  Dan and I both had to take off work to attend but it was worth it.

We got to Peter's apartment around 1:00 and picked him up.  We headed to Char-Grill for lunch.  It's a hamburger joint that's been in Raleigh since 1971.  Doesn't it look like it's been around that long?

You walk up to the window and order and then if you are lucky there will be a spot to eat at one of two picnic tables on the side of the building. The burgers were delicious!

 

We wanted to make sure we got to eat there because soon they will be tearing down this little building and the little service station next to it to put up a 20 story building.  But a new Char-Grill will go into one of the shops on the ground floor of the building.  It won't be the same though so Dan and I were excited to make it here before they tore this down.

After lunch we had to go shopping for some black NC State gear as it was Black Out.  The whole student section was in black and Dan and I wanted to be too!  We went to the Red and White Shop and ever parent who came to campus was there. We got some gear and also went to the campus bookstore to see what they had.  

After that, we dropped Peter off, checked in to our hotel, changed into our new shirts and headed to the fraternity tailgate.  That was an  experience.  There is a special parking lot designated for all the fraternities.  They all set up big tents, giant speakers. There's cornhole and die throwing and dancing.  Lots of dancing. (Oh yeah, and there's beer.)  Oddly absent was any food though.  :) 

We stayed there for a while, met the parents of one of Peter's best friends and tried to talk to them. The music from all the different tailgates was so loud we literally could not hear a word any one was saying.  It was still fun though and I'm glad we go to go.  

 

We left Peter and headed to the stadium. He had a student ticket and was sitting in the student section and we were not. At halftime, Peter left his friends and joined us at our seats.  The people sitting in front of us left at halftime so that worked out great.  

Bill Cowher (head coach of the Pitsburgh Steelers and former NC State all star) was inducted into the Ring of Honor and was at the game.  We happened to be sitting in the section where they put his name.

We lost the game but we still had lots of fun hanging out with our boy.

On Saturday morning we slept in and then headed downtown to kill some time.  There was a blue grass festival going on.  The streets were blocked off and they had multiple stages set up, craft vendors and so many food trucks.  

So many people...

I was trying to get a picture of the Capital House which you can see but it's under construction so the dome is covered.  Oh well...

We left the festival and headed to the frat house where the boys were hosting a cookout for the parents.  Peter's friend, Cal, smoked 3 giant pork butts and they were delicious.  He did such a good job.  The pork was moist and flavorful.  We were actual able to talk to his parents this time and could actually hear what they were saying!

Peter was excited to show us the composite!  (Yes, his fraternity is small but he likes that about it.  He actually knows everyone in his fraternity.  Some pledge classes in other fraternities are as big as Peter's entire fraternity.)

After the cookout, we said our goodbyes and headed home.  It was nice to see Peter in his element, with his friends, enjoying his life.  And I am so glad we got to go!

Happy birthday to me!

Wednesday, September 13th was my birthday!  I turned FIFTY-FOUR!  I have that in all caps because, wow! That's old!  I know I've said it on here before but I still feel 21 in my mind but my body tells me 54 is that accurate number.  

I was off work on Wednesday and so was my brother.  He joined me on my errands and treated me to lunch at Yamas.  Yamas is a local restaurant that is very similar to Cava but I like it much better. 

My go to order is always the 1/2 grain (basmati rice) and 1/2 salad (mixed greens is what I usual go for) bowl.  For my protein I always chose the fig and chicken salad and then I top it with marinated chick peas, pickled red onions, picked red cabbage, feta, tzatziki, and Greek vinaigrette.  I also get a few of their fresh pita chips on the side.  PERFECTION!

When I got home, I was surprised to find a beautiful arrangement of flowers on the kitchen island. 

The card read "Happy Birthday Mom and Dad! Love, Peter and Sarah."  Seeing these flowers on the counter literally brought tears to my eyes.  I immediatley texted a picture to the family group chat and thanked both kids.  Then I separately thanked Sarah, because let's face it, she's the one that orchestrated the flowers.  And I love that she included Dan because he turned 57 on the 12th. 

On Wednesday evening was our regularly scheduled Cistas get together.  (The Cistas are my old MOPS group and we've been getting together monthly since 2012 after we stopped attending MOPS) We were actually celebrating Christy's 50th but the ladies also made me feel extra special on my boring 54th. 

 

I worked on Thursday and was greeted with a host of Happy Birthday wishes, cake, and presents!  I was not expecting that as I've only been working 5 weeks.  So that was such a nice surprise!

I got home from work on Friday evening and Peter came in right behind me.  I cooked Philly Cheesesteaks for dinner (one of Peter's favorite things I make) and then we headed to the Bishop Football game.  Y'all.  It was so bad.  We were playing the team that won the conference last year and it did not go well.  We left after the first quarter we were losing so bad.  But that's the nice thing about not having any current players or students.  You can leave without feeling guilty!  :)

When we got home we watched some Friday night college football and I went to bed early and left the boys to their games.  On Saturday, Peter and Dan did yard work and I did housework and Peter watched the NC State Football game.  

Then my sweet Sarah came home and we all went to Mass together.  After Mass we had dinner at Twisted Pine.  The Coal Pit (where I went with my friends on Wednesday) was hosting their final concert of the summer so we headed there.  We listened to Maiden Voyage - an Iron Maiden tribute band - for about an hour.  If you recall, Iron Maiden was Peter's very first concert. (Look how young and teenagery Peter looks in those pictures.) 

I made everyone take a selfie as we were leaving. I really appreciate the family for putting up with me. :)

A Guns and Roses Tribute band was playing after but we didn't stay.  I would have loved to see that but maybe next time.  We headed home and all hung out together.  Sarah did her nails, we watched more football, had some drinks, and before I knew it, it was almost midnight.  Of course, the old lady had to go to bed but everyone was proud of me for staying up so late. :)

On Sunday we had our BirthAversery Lunch where we officially celebrated our anniversary and both of our birthdays.  The food was delicious and so was the beautiful cake my mom made. 

 But the best part of all was the FULL TABLE!!  I love it when we are all together. 

After lunch, Peter headed back to Raleigh and Dan and I went with Sarah to get new tires on her car.  Then she headed back to Charlotte and Dan and I watched the Patriots lose.   It's going to be a long season.  The Panthers play tonight so I'm hopeful that at least one of our professional teams will win in week 2.

Dan has a ton of vacation to use before the end of the year or he will lose it so he's taking today off.  We will be running errands and just hanging out together - which is my very favorite thing.  💕

Weekend update.

We had a nice little weekend but it included every single one of our football teams losing. 

Friday night we headed to Bishop McGuinness and saw them lose by one point.  On Saturday, Dan did yard while I did work work.  It was my first Saturday and boy was it busy in that store!  So many shoppers.  I can only imagine how busy it will be at Christmas.

While I was working, Peter attended the NC State Notre Dame game.  NC State was expected to lose as Notre Dame is in the top ten but one thing I love about Peter is that for him, hope springs eternal.  So, we were all hopeful, especially since it was a home game.  But alas, they lost after a two hour delay in the middle of the game for rain.

Peter texted us that when they evacuated the stadium, he and his friends had to run through a torrential downpour to some other friend's apartment where they waited out the delay while being drenched.  They finally made their way back into the stadium for the rest of the game. After the game, Peter posted this picture to his Instagram which had been featured on Barstoolpack's Instagram.  Can you find him?  

When we saw it, Dan said, "Of course, he's on his phone!"  Ha!  

NC State has a brand new giant jumbo tron screen and it got struck by lightening during the storm but luckily it appears to still be functional.

After I got home from work on Saturday, we went to Mass and oh, I forgot to mention, it was our 23rd wedding anniversary! Last week, I told the only thing I wanted to do for our anniversary was go to a rooftop bar downtown and have a drink.  Dan said that sounded like a good plan and we went on with our lives.

On Friday evening (day before our anniversary) Dan said that he made plans on Saturday for us to meet a coworker and his wife for drinks downtown.  Whomp whomp.  He totally forgot that it was our anniversary and that we had made a plan.  Oh well.  The rooftop bar will still be downtown and we had a lovely evening with his coworker and his wife so it was still a nice evening.

And meanwhile, UNC Charlotte, who had started off strong against Maryland, proceeded to lose their game as well. And then Sunday brought a Panthers loss and a Patriots loss and that rounded out our weekend of no wins in football!

On Sunday, Dan, Mom, and I, headed to Raleigh bright and early to take Peter to lunch.He wanted to make sure we were finished with lunch by 1:00 so he could watch the Panthers game.  We hadn't seen him in weeks and were missing him.  (I think he was missing us, too.) And Mom and Dan had not seen his new room yet and neither had eaten at the restaurant where Peter works. It was good to see my boy and get to hug his neck and talk with him in person!

Here is a picture of us on a bridge with the best view of the city in the background.

And that was our weekend!

What we've been doing and a link to "how I met my husband"....

This is my fourth week of work and so far so good!  The women I work with are all very friendly and outgoing and don't mind showing me how to do something three four five times.  The atmosphere is very laid-back which I appreciate and everyone seems to work well together.

I think the plan for me is to learn how to do several different things.  They are teaching me the inventory check-in process and how to get the merchandise ready for the sales floor.  They are teaching me how to work the sales floor (cash register, where everything is, how to best help the customers,etc), and they are teaching me how to update their website with new merchandise.  I think this is what I will be focusing on a little more each week as the person that currently does this is pregnant and will go out on maternity leave some time at the end of November. The plan is for me to take over her duties while she is gone.

Each day is different (which I like) and I'm learning new things each day (which I also like).  I just hope I don't become a "Jack of all trades, master of none." I feel like right now, I know just enough to be dangerous.  :)  But I'm sure I will feel more confident and (less dangerous) as the weeks continue to pass.

The kids seem to be enjoying their classes and are settling in to the new school year pretty well.  Peter and his fraternity just made it through Rush and I think he's glad it's over.  The first couple of weeks of the school year in a fraternity/sorority can be pretty exhausting. Also it's been HOT in Raleigh and his attic bedroom is definitely not the coolest. 

Sarah just got a new job on campus and is currently filling out paperwork and meeting with HR so she can become an official campus employee and then start her training.  The job title is Student Philanthropy Representative and I think she and the rest of the people they hired will be soliciting funds from alumnae to support programs for scholarships and academics.  

She's excited because this is currently what she's thinking of as a career. She's a communications major but is very interested in philanthropy (raising money) so this should look good on her resume and help her to see if this is something she is truly interested in.  We can thank her time working on the LLS Student of the Year campaign for her interest in philanthropy.  You never know where each thing you do in life might lead you!

We didn't do much for Labor Day weekend.  Peter stayed at school because they had a full weekend of Rush activities but Sarah came home.  She had a doctor's appointment Friday afternoon and split her time hanging out with us and hanging out with Joe.

They both joined us for Mass on Saturday evening and then we went to dinner at Twisted Pine.  It's always nice spending time with them and getting to know Joe better.  He's a big sports football and baseball fan so he and Dan have a lot to talk about. :) 

Two weeks ago, Dan and I went to Bishop McGuinness to see the home opener football game.  They won!  It was great!  We have a new coach.  He recently retired from the public schools and has coached much bigger programs so we have high hopes for the season.  If the weather holds out, we are planning on going tomorrow night too.  It's fun to be at the games but also a little weird since our kids don't go there any longer.  There are still some familiar faces in the stands so we aren't too out of place.  It's honestly just nice to go and watch a game and feel like the boys actually have a chance to win.  We didn't get that experience when Peter played.  And fun fact, the new coach actually went to my high school and was in my brother's graduating class.  

I'm sure by now you have all heard that Jimmy Buffet died.   We spent the rest of the weekend playing his music.  That felt like a great way to remember him.  Peter sent us this picture...

One of his friends made a big batch of margaritas using his dad's recipe and they were listening to his music all day too.  

I know I've told you guys the story of Dan and I meeting at a Jimmy Buffet concert once before but  here's the link in case you want to read about it. (It's short.). That link is from a post I wrote in 2007 when we were celebrating out SEVENTH wedding anniversary and now in two days we will be celebrating our TWENTY-THIRD.  My how time does fly!

And with that update, I need to go and get ready for work! 

Moving the girl. Year 2.

We moved Sarah in to her on-campus apartment on Saturday..  I am so thankful that she was home all summer.  Dan was gone for almost the entire summer so it was absolutely lovely having her here to keep me company.  

Yes, she worked a lot and yes, she spent a lot of time with her boyfriend but she was very thoughtful and tried to be home before my bedtime so I would be able to go to sleep without worrying.  And even though we didn't finish it, we watched a lot of Schitt's Creek.  We are both sad that we didn't finish it but maybe we can finish it over Christmas break. She is such good company and I really do love that sweet girl of mine!  It hasn't even been 48 hours since we left and I already miss her.

Her check-in time was 10:30 and we were right on time. She got her key, we got everything dumped out on the sidewalk in front of the dorm and started getting everything upstairs.

She lives on the 5th floor and this dorm is very large.  It's a sort of U-shaped building with very long halls and it seems that her room is about as far from the door as possible.  (There was a side door that got you to her room quicker than the main door but it was up a very steep hill and we had a lot of stuff to carry so after one attempt at that, we powered through the long halls - at least they were flat.

We spent a bit of time deciding how to arrange the furniture and then realized that we never washed her new sheets so we had to do that before we made the bed..  We are very thankful that this apartment has a washer and dryer!  How convenient! 

She had a heavy mirror that she wanted to hang so Dan got to work on getting that taken care of and putting together her nightstand that we ordered from Amazon.  

Sarah and I got to work getting the clothes in the closet and getting things our of the big blue bags and in their correct spots. (These big blue bags are a lifesaver and I would recommend them again and again. They also have straps on the back if you want to carry them like a backpack and we definitely did that.  It's a nice feature.  Also, if you look at Peter's pile in that post, he only used 6 bags.  We have 8 and used all 8 for Sarah plus had a ton of other stuff to move in outside of what was in the bags.  If only I had about 4 more blue bags! :)  Also, boys are certainly easier than girls in this regard. :)

We stopped for lunch around 2:00 and then headed to Walmart to get a few things she needed to round out her room.  BIG MISTAKE!

Saturday was day 4 of 4 days of move-in at UNC Charlotte so guess what was wiped out?  ALL of Wal-Mart and ALL of Target.  The bathroom, kitchen, school, and college section of both stores reminded me of Covid days - all empty shelves with a few random misplaced items laying around.  I'm not sure how we did it (and it took about 2 hours) but we managed to find what we needed.  We headed back to her room and she decided to change the position of her desk.  Which meant Dan had to move the mirror and we had to make a few other slight changes but it was worth it because it turned out so cute and I think she's happy with it.

Dan really wanted to go to Mass (so we could sleep in on Sunday) so he and I left Sarah at about 5:15 so she could put the finishing touches on her room in peace. (Sometimes, I can be a lot and Sarah is too sweet to tell me that I'm being a lot.)  There's a Catholic church right across from campus and we made it there right at 5:30.  There were lots of announcements and the priest gave a 40 minute homily so when we got out, I had texts from Sarah asking where we were and why it was taking us so long.   

We had to stop at Target after mass to get a rug gripper for her little area rug and then finally made it back to her room where she had everything just the way she wanted it.  We took our pictures and then took here to dinner because by this time, it was almost 8:00! After dinner we dropped her off at her dorm and gave her lots of hugs goodbye and we headed home.  We made it back by 10:00 pm.  Good thing we could sleep in on Sunday morning because we. were. tired.

Here's Sarah's room:

Didn't she do a great job decorating it?

Here are some other areas of the apartment...

Kitchen (with bar stools on the other side of the bar)

Living room with a tiny table.

Hallway leading to two bedrooms and 1 bathroom.

The other hallway leading to the other two bedrooms and bathroom.

One of the bathrooms.

I am praying that she has a great year and that she and Gabi (her bestie) get along well with their other two roommates.  Great roommates can really make or break your year.