Carolina Beach Camping

We took a short trip with our Young Believer's group at Church and left Saturday afternoon and came back Sunday afternoon. We camped on the beach so you need 4wd to get out there. We left our car at church and everyone piled into the vehicles. Jon and I got to ride down in a jeep! I suggest though that if you are in flip flops and a skirt you should not jump down without assistance. My knee still hurts from the landing.

We arrived and got everyone out on the beach with 2 trucks and a jeep. Apparently I was the only one that had set up a tent before and helped set up the 6 tents we had all brought. Jon and I got all of our stuff ready so all we had to do was roll in the tent and go to sleep. We all had fun talking, playing volleyball, and playing in the water. We had pizza until one of the guys arrived with firewood and then we roasted hot dogs and smores. Yummy! Some people went to bed early and some slept part of the night outside. I woke up around 6 and realized it was raining. It had started around 3 according to the few who were sleeping outside. We were told around 9 that we were not in the camping area and that we had to pack up. It was pouring so we raced to get packed up and get everything back to the van in a parking lot. Of course as soon as we finished the rain stopped. We decided to stay for an hour and play on the beach. Half the people were still in pajama's and only a few had a bathing suit on. We made it work though. We hit the road stopped for food and got home in time for Jon and I to go to the gym.

Carnival of Madness Concert

We set a temperature record with 102 on the day we decided it would be a great idea to see 5 bands play in downtown Raleigh. We saw 10years, Sevendust, Chevelle, Puddle of Mudd, and Shinedown. We actually arrived after 10years was done playing but we saw the rest. It took an hour to get a beer or water. The lines were ridiculous. Sweat was pouring off everyone and everyone was miserable. We still had a great time and we really started enjoying the night when the sun started to go down. Shinedown was amazing and it was cool to hear them play Simple Man live.

Get it done

This weekend we enjoyed Saturday wiht no plans and did absolutely nothing all day but cook stuff from the pantry and freezer so we can clean everything out and restock soon.

I cleaned out the pantry and fridge this week.

I cleaned everything out of our master closet that we don't wear. 3 bags of clothes. The big black HUGE bags full of clothes.

I think I might have pulled a muscle in my back yesterday though lifting the spare bed upstairs. I have the same pinching pain as when Stoli pulled my muscle.

I started putting our new spare bed together and so far it looks great!

Fun weekend

Jon and I at Top of the Hill


Jon and his mom



Jon walking on the moon

Jon's mom came to visit this weekend. It feels like forever since she has been here.

Friday- I got home from work around 7ish and we headed to one of the mexican restaurants that we frequent. After we were so full we rolled out and went home. Jon brought home a monopoly card game and taught us how to play. Well he told us a few things and left out a few things so he could win. We played 4 games and we all won a game and I won 2.

Saturday- We all talked about not being able to sleep in in forever so that was the plan. Jon and I got up around 11 and Jon's mom got up around 12. Sleeping in was great. We lounged and slowly got ready and then we headed to Chapel Hill. Even though Jon and I have lived in Raleigh for a few years now we have never really ventured into Chapel Hill. We walked and walked and walked. We ate at Spanky's restaurant for lunch and it was sooo good. Jon had bbq, I had a steak sandwich that was very similar to a real Philly Cheesesteak, and Mary had a salad. We walked in and out of shops and I got a pair of earrings. We stopped at a place called Sugarland that had beautiful cakes and the most delicious gelato. Jon had banana and Mary and I had Tiramisu. Yummy! We then walked around some more and found the arboretum on the campus. As we were walking I was being eaten alive by mosquitos. We checked the time and hurried to the Planetarium. They were showing a selection on the sun. I have not been to a planetarium in years so it was cool to see. I wish they had shown more of the stars at the end though.

We ended the night at Top of the Hill restaurant where we all shared appetizers. They were all good. Once home we all got ready for bed so we could wake up early for church.

Sunday- We woke up and made it just in time for first service. We then headed to Ruby Tuesday's for their sunday brunch. We sat next to the rudest couple complaining about the coffee. At one point we all laughed out loud at how ridiculous they were being. We then headed to Best Buy to pick up my new baby. For our anniversary I got a new Canon Rebel T1i. We ventured home and watched two movies. One movie I picked and one Jon picked. My movie won out for being the better movie. Jon's was so bad I started playing with my camera and Mary had to leave the room. After eating all weekend we heated up our leftovers and watched some dvr.

We had a great weekend!

4th of July

Our last night


Jon and my dad



This is Bucky.





Me and my mama

Jon tubing

Once again we traveled to my parent's boat for the weekend. We were able to leave mid day on Friday and we stayed until Monday afternoon.

We spent one night outside, one night in my parents boat and one night in a friends boat. The first night the weather was great but then it was super hot and humid and we were thankful to have the a/c.

Friday we arrived just in time for dinner. My dad made reservations and there was 21 of us! He wanted to make sure I had my quesadilla's. They had a band playing calle Grove Point. They were awesome and very good looking. My mom even got to sing with them while we were all dancing. Jon and I didn't want to leave but we went with the group to see the other band across the marina. They were good but Jon and I were tired from traveling so we went to bed early.

Saturday Jon was invited to go tubing so I stayed with my parents. We walked and talked and eventually went to the pool. A combination of things led me to miss the fireworks.

Sunday there was a water main break in the street so they told us they would have to shut off the water. I rushed to take a shower and then Jon and I rested in the a/c while my parents were out. Jon got ready and went tubing again. I went with my parents and friends to Waterman's day. It was super hot and we were all miserable. We had french fries watched a few boats and took off for the pool again. After the pool we got ready and headed to the annual picnic. Super yummy food and a lot of fun socializing. We all took showers after the picnic and got ready to go out for more dancing. One of my moms favorite bands were playing and we danced and danced. We started heading back to the docks and Jon and I decided we would stay on a friends boat so we would not wake up when the sun came up and so we could enjoy more a/c.

Monday we woke up to Bucky hopping into bed with us. Bucky is half golden retriever half miniature pony. We got ready for the day and packed up our stuff. It was too hot to even talk and although we all wanted to spend time together it was too hot to do anything. We decided on the pool. The water was very refreshing and we were all happily cooled down. We had left overs from the picnic and got ready to go.

On our way home we stopped at a winery and even got to taste fresh olive oil. We also stopped at a good bbq restaurant. It was different to take a leisurely drive. I drove until dinner time and Jon drove the rest of the way while I napped in the car.

Charlotte

I baby-sat two of my favorite kids on Friday night that I haven't seen since I think before Thanksgiving. It was great to see them again. Instead of leaving from Raleigh this meant I was leaving from Youngsville.

I was up early and left shortly after the girls woke up. I arrived in Charlotte just in time for lunch and it was a good thing because I was starving. Cameron asked me where I wanted to go and in my search for penguin items I had found that Charlotte has a place called The Penguin Drive-in There was a wait to get in. It gets great reviews. I wanted to go just because it had penguin in the name. The food was great. I had a penguin patty melt and we shared fried pickles. It is the first diner that I have ever been to that served alcohol. After the week I had I decided to give something a try...Sex in the Penguin. It was yummy!

We then shopped till we dropped and finished the day with a pedicure. Lunch was so filling we weren't really in the mood for dinner but a few hours later we met up with Cameron's husband and friend and went to On the Border for dessert. We ended up getting appetizers instead and were too full for dessert. The night ended watching you tube videos and talking some more. You should look on you tube for Jacks films and Glozell. Hilarious. Watch the wtf blanket first.

Sunday we woke up and headed to Ruby Tuesday's for their 4 course brunch. Jon and I have been wanting to try it but just haven't made it there yet. Cameron and I are basically twins and we got the same thing. Steak and eggs. It started with the best sweet biscuits then a oatmeal parfait with fruit sauce, and followed by dessert which we both chose cheesecake with blackberry sauce. It was so yummy and I was so full I may never eat again.

Cameron took me to The Owl's Eye Winery next. We tried 8 wines I think and there were only 2 that weren't high on my list. I ended up buying a bottle of Niagra and Tweyelight. The Tweyelight had a cool bottle and the label is blue. It is a blend of Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc. For a person that is not a big fan of Chardonnay or Pinot I absolutely loved their wine. I have to go back and buy more the next time I am in Charlotte or try and see if they sell it here. Don't they have the coolest logo?

Cameron has one less pet than we do and they are no less cuter. I got to meet Wolfwood, Jewel, Knight, and Neko. If Cameron wouldn't of killed me or Jon divorced me I would have taken all of them home with me. I used to pet-sit for a greyhound and I forgot how much I liked them. They are sweet, soft, and gentle giants. Wolfwood approved of me also. He didn't bark at me except for when I entered and he didn't get too excited and pee on me. He even got close for a few pets on the head.

Jewel and Knight taking a break on the couchNeko testing out my new picnic blanket I got at Bed, Bath, and Beyond

It was a fun trip and a big thanks to Cameron and her husband for having me. :-)

Let's get together

and feeeeeel alright...

okay what happened to summer and why is it already planned to the last second?

This weekend...well today I get to see my kids I have not seen since November? and baby-sit them.

Saturday I leave for Charlotte to see my friend Cameron and meet her husband Brandon. I am super excited!!!! I have never been to Charlotte and it is on my 101 in 1001 list too. Cameron is an amazing cook and I look forward to good times.

Next weekend we are headed back to my parent's boat! woo hoo! for 4th of July. I went last year and Jon is coming this year. Thank you to my friend Bobbie and her husband David for agreeing to take care of the zoo while we are gone. :-) I think we will be making this a family tradition perhaps? I am really looking forward to it because I will also be celebrating a year at my job and I will possibly have some extra time off that week to relax and not clean the house.

The following weekend Jon's mom is coming. I am also super excited about this because it feels like it has been forever since she was last here.

The weekend after that our yb group at church is going to Wet N' Wild at Emerald Point in Greensboro. Hopefully we will have fun yes?

The weekend after that I believe we have a concert?

August we have a beach trip for the weekend with our yb group. We have our week trip to Asheville!!!! for our annivesary trip. That week I also start my insane 4 classes for school!

We also have a concert in August.

Again I will ask what happened to my summer?

Fresh Blackberry Cobbler

If you are ever near a Red Hot and Blue restaurant you must try their blackberry cobbler. I have been dreaming about it ever since I had it there. I love fruit and eat fruit every day with the kids at work. Jon does not like fruit. I went to Sam's Club and got a huge thing of blackberries and was dying to try a new recipe.

Fresh Blackberry Cobbler from cooks.com

1 stick butter

1 c. milk

1 c. sifted flour

1 c. sugar

1 qt. blackberries

In bottom of baking pan or large baking dish, melt butter. Add milk; do not stir. Sift flour and sugar; add to dish. DO NOT STIR. Add blackberries. Bake at 325 to 350 degrees until crust rises to top and browns.

If you are like me you do not have time to sit and watch your cobbler bake until it browns. I found another recipe that said bake for 30-40 minutes so I used that. In the last 10 minutes though I realized that it also said 375... so I upped the temp and cooked it about 10 minutes longer. I had issues with being told not to stir and I will admit I didn't stir the milk and butter but I did pour the sugar/flour mixture over the blackberries and coated them before adding them to the mixture.

It was super easy to make and I let a 3 year old help me. It turned out great and everyone loved it. In fact I left it on the counter at work for my boss and I got a text a few minutes later with 1/4 of it gone.

Happy Father's Day!

This weekend we were able to sleep in on Saturday. Sunday we woke up and headed to second service at Church. We ran a few errands and headed home to wait. Jon's dad arrived and we took him to Texas Roadhouse for Father's Day. The night was complete after Jon said "I feel sick." We talked for a few hours and watched Mythbusters and everyone headed to bed.

Monday morning I have to have an Upper GI to figure out where the blood came from.

Hope everyone had a Happy Father's Day!

Vacation/Business trip to Texas

My kids are at the beach from Tuesday-Friday this week so I have vacation. I am trying really hard to actually take a vacation but it is hard. So far I have:
1. Cleaned the kitchen
2. Laundry- clothes, towels, sheets, dog stuff. You name it I washed it
3. Vacuumed and dusted
4. Cleaned out our pantry
5. Cleaned the carpets
6. Cleaned out the fridge and freezer
7. Put away said laundry
8. Cleaned out the spare room that has been used for storage
9. Scrubbed my friends dining room carpet -I have rug burns and my hands are still swollen
10. I watched all my dvr downstairs (I was under orders from Jon)
11. Scrubbed all the floors, and bathrooms
12. Organized stuff to donate to church yard sale
13. Cleaned out and washed my car
14. Mailed Mother's day stuff
15. Cleaned off the Entry table

Jon has been on a business trip to Texas. It is hard being away from him especially since he is in my home state and currently where I used to live. I would love to be there showing him around and doing fun things instead of cleaning my house.

There is good news with Jon being in Texas though and that is he was able to talk about getting more money. Yay! They are still working on getting him a raise this year but he was able to get more money each month until then so we are both very happy with that. This might also mean another Campbell in the family will have a DSLR sooner rather than later. :-)

Friday has been deemed a day of rest so I can heal all of my injuries related to cleaning. I plan to get a pedicure, lay in my friends pool, watch movies, and a take a nap.

Charleston/Savannah

Every time Jon goes to Savannah I am sad I cannot go. I told Jon the next time he had to go to try and tell me in advance so I could take off work. Luckily he picked a date and the kids grandparents were in town that weekend too.

After waking up early I drove most of the way to Charleston. While Jon worked I read my book in the car. Eat, Pray, Love starts out a little slow but it does get better for those interested in reading it. Jon was done in no time and we headed downtown with Cupcake as our destination. We got key lime, red velvet, mint chocolate chip, and a black and white cupcake. We ate at a nice little tea shop and were on our way to Savannah.

Reading in the car in Savannah was not as nice as it was in Charleston. The sun was beating down and there was little to no breeze. I had to ask Jon to move the car and park me in the shade. Finally we were done and headed to the hotel. We checked in and headed to our room. They said Jon couldn't have his regular room because of a golf tournament and the hotel was full. They were lying as there was no golf tournament till the following weekend but our room was still awesome. A quick shower and we got ready for dinner.

Before we headed to dinner Jon had to help with a family computer emergency. I took pictures of myself making funny faces and looked at the what to do in Savannah book. We then started walking towards The Lady & Sons-Paula Deen's restaurant. We headed to the side and got a little card and headed up the elevator. We were told we would be seated at the bar. We had a little bitty space to eat. I saw a couple leaving and told Jon to ask if we could move to the table. Jon asked and the bartender said he would see what he could do. He also said they were booked until 10 and to not get our hopes up. 5 min later he came back and said it was our lucky day! woo hoo! The buffet was amazing. Green beans, Lima beans, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, fried chicken, yams, cornbread, and the dessert! Banana Pudding was super yummy even though I don't eat bananas and I always pick them out.

We walked back to the hotel and while Jon continued his computer fixing on the phone I fell asleep.

The next morning I was up early after falling asleep at 8:30-9 so I decided to look online and try to plan our day. I knew Jon wanted to hit up Tybee Island so I looked it up first. Tybee Island lighthouse-check, Tybee Island Wine festival-CHECK CHECK!. We also wanted to do a carriage/trolley ride and a ghost tour like in Charleston.

Finally Jon woke up and we headed down to breakfast. There were about 10 people ahead of us and no one was being seated. We waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally I asked if he wanted to just go upstairs and do room service. That way we could eat and relax and perhaps we would be done sooner. So we did. The guy on the phone was rude and totally clueless. He came to the room and brought food and boy was it wrong. Not only did I not get what I ordered they decided to charge $2 more for it.

We headed off to the City Market for our carriage ride. (It was cheaper than the trolley) We bought our tickets and browsed shops until it was our time. They had the coolest candy/ice cream shop. We got to watch them batch taffy and the conveyor line that dropped it into the sales bins. After the carriage ride (Charleston was soooo much better) we went and had homemade ice cream. Jon had birthday cake I think and I had Key lime.

Traffic to Tybee Island was not as fun and we arrived later than we had planned. We had time to see the lighthouse and surrounding buildings but we wouldn't have time to do the museum. The first couple sets of stairs were fun...the last couple not so much. It was hot and we hadn't really had anything substantial to eat all day. Did I mention I am scared of heights? After making it to the top of 178 steps I was quickly ready to head down. We took a few pictures and headed down.

It was good we did the wine festival after being up so high. We grabbed our free glasses and tasted, tasted, tasted. The food stations they had set up were also very yummy. We tried a bunch of yummy moscato, a few whites, and a few reds. We were told the turnout this year was way more than last year so a few vendors were running low. we arrived later and heard earlier there was a dessert station. Jon was sad we missed it. We enjoyed the music, had a potty break, and headed home.

We really wanted to go to The Pirate House for dinner but when we arrived the wait was too long and we would never have time to eat and make our ghost tour. We decided once again on room service. We called to order and were told they closed even though the menu said open till 10. Ugh. Room service disappoints once again. At this point we had only had a small breakfast since they messed it up and ice cream for lunch, wine and a few appetizers and we had been outside in the heat all day. I blame this for not thinking clearly. I was not in a good mood. We headed to the ghost tour and were early. Because we were early we got the only chairs. :-)

Our guide showed up and we started our walk. I was not impressed. No orbs, no feeling on the back of my neck, no temperature change, and I wish there was more history told. They had EMF detectors for rent and we had a large group. One guy in the group was particularly annoying and would be clearly near an electrical source and think he was sensing a ghost.

We headed to bed and woke up early enough to try breakfast downstairs again. This time we were successful and had a wonderful breakfast. We headed back to the room and leisurely packed up our things. I love the South and later check out times.

Our church youth group is saving for a missions trip and we participated in the Rent a teen program where we donated money and rented a teen to watch the dogs all weekend. It was a great trip away but boy did I miss my babies. I had Jon text to see how they were doing while we were gone. Stoli was so excited to see us when we got home. The great thing is I think we now have a dedicated pet sitter when we want to get away. We have a over night trip to Wilmington planned and he agreed to do it again. Yay!

Mary's Trip to NC

The week before was pretty much hell. We have been so busy that the house was a mess, we had no food, and both of us were behind on sleep. Wednesday night I was up till about 1 cleaning the house. Thursday night I worked till 1:15 and was back the next morning. Mary came on Friday and Jon picked her up. I raced home and then we were off to Bonefish Grill to celebrate my birthday dinner. Once again it was amazing and we all really enjoyed dessert.

Saturday morning I was up early and headed to class. It was a slow day and beautiful outside so I left a little early. We had muffins that Jon made. The kind that you just add milk/water to them and bake. The amount of time it took him you would've thought he was making them from scratch...We then headed to the flea market and shopped our tails off. We had some good finds and I collected a bunch of business cards for later. We then went to a few more shops got Jon a much needed hair cut and stopped by Rita's for our free water ice. After a quick stop at home to change we then headed to dinner. Sushi! It wasn't bad but I still prefer Red Bowl.

Sunday I was up early and at church for choir practice. We also had church elections. Jon and his mom arrived for second service. We took her to Cici's for lunch. I think she is hooked just like us. We all enjoyed some time on the couch and Mary and I worked on knitting.

Monday I had off so I drove Mary to the airport. I decided to take a break from working my tail off and went and got a pedicure. Enjoyed a nap and woke up feeling like bleh. I managed to get the stomach bug my kids had. Because of my other stomach issues it was not only a 24 hr bug and I was still messed up the following weekend.

My Birthday

I worked super late on the 4th so I was able to come in late on the 5th. This gave me a little extra time in the morning to take a shower and actually put on make up. When I got to work I got a nerf gun and an itunes gift card from the kids and cupcakes! (more on the cupcakes later) E sang Happy Birthday to me and we had a great day except for one crying spell. A got home early and I headed home for surprises from Jon. So much for getting off early there was a bad accident and traffic was so bad even after finding another way home it took me about an hour and a half to get home and it usually only takes 30 min. Jon surprised me with Cold Stone cupcakes. They were amazing and what I really wanted and I was afraid Jon didn't get all of my hints. He also got me another Kathy bag, a wallet, and a picture frame. For dinner we went to Kanki (I think that is how they spell it). I hinted sushi but we had hibachi which was still very yummy and I can't wait to go back.

Class on Saturday and some birthday shopping with Jon. Church on Sunday.

YB Ski Trip -Jon

Left at 5pm Friday to go to Winterplace Ski Resort in WV. Went to 2 vans. Got there at 10pm. We had 2 condos (girls on 2nd floor and guys on 3rd floor). Went to sleep at 11:45pm. Woke up at 6:45am, had breakfast of homemade pancakes, eggs and bacon. Got ready to go skiing, went to ski shop store to get our ski rental equipment. Went back to ski resort and got our lift tickets. Skied down one of the beginner slops with Laura, Brandon and Justin twice. Then we took lift half way up mountain and took 2 intermediate slopes to get to condo for lunch (turkey sandwich and chips). Then we (Laura, Mike, Fred, Brandon, Justin, Steve and Ashley) all skied to bottom of mountain and skied the rest of the day (until 5pm or so) and did intermediate slops. I feel totally of twice on Saturday (once was because Steve wiped out right in front of me and I tried to miss him but ran over his ski. Second time was because I was going down an intermediate slop that was super steep and was going down it fast and hit a dip so I went in air little bit and didn’t land it). We then had dinner in girls condo which consisted of homemade lasagna and garlic bread. After that we then went snow tubing which was super fun. It was really slick and icy where it had melted during the day and then froze when it got dark. So we all were going super-fast and flying over stopping hill into the net down the slope. I took out this one guy because people wouldn’t get out of the way of the bottom of the tube lanes (they would just stand in big groups and watch). We had fun tubing until Steve took out this girl not paying attention and knocked her out (she had to be carried out on a back board) and Steve had to go to Ski Patrol because he busted his face all up. We all then went back to the guys condo and watched TV, hung out, and played Mexican Train Dominos (which was my first time playing). Then went to bed at 12:30am. Got up at 7:45am and had breakfast (same thing as before) and then had a small 30 minute church service by Pastor Derek. We (Laura, Mike, Fred, Brandon, Steve and Ashley) then hit the slopes again (doing all intermediate slopes) until lunch at 11:30am (which was sandwiches again). Went back out on slopes until 1:30pm doing intermediate slopes. I only feel twice on Sunday as well (Once because Brandon ran into me, and other time was because I tried a jump with Mike, Brandon and Fred). We then went back to Condos and packed up and then returned out ski equipment on our way home and got home around 7:15pm

Valentines Weekend

Our Christmas decorations are still up. We had planned for Jon's parents to come in January but due to scheduling and snow Valentines weekend it was. I usually have class on Saturday from 9-1 but because we live in NC all you have to do is say snow and they will cancel class. We did end up getting 1-2 inches and we blamed them for bringing it from De.

We decided to hit up the mall so Carlene could use her gift card. I helped pick out a super cute outfit. :) After shopping we went home so the boys could get to work. We bought a kitchen cabinet and a section of countertop. In no time they had a hole cut in the back and the counter tLop cut and mounted. A brand new kitty box.

For a Valentines present they took us to dinner. We went to Red, Hot, and blue. A great barbeque and ribs place. For dessert I got the blackberry cobbler an everyone else got a brownie sundae thing to share. Carlene quickly changed her mind and shared my cobbler. It was amazing.

Sunday morning I was up early and went to choir practice. Jon dropped me off so we could all go home in the same car. He and his parents came back for second service and then we took them to IHOP for brunch. Sadly they had to start heading back for De when we got home. Pastor Brian talked about unplugging from the world so we decided that was a good idea and took a nap till it was time to head back to church for membership class. It was very hard not to keep sleeping. Stoli agreed.

Earlier in the month Jon was scheduled to take someone to the airport so my plans for he night were thrown out the window. Last minute he didn't have to so he made surprise dinner plans. It was Bonefish Grill. We had tried to go there a few times even with Jon's mom but they always had a ridiculous wait. Jon ordered salmon and I got the special. For dessert they had chocolate creme brûlée and it was so good we almost ordered two. All in all it was the perfect weekend!

Welcome

Since Jon and I don't really like talking on the phone and we have been oh so busy I decided to start this blog as way to keep up with us. :-)