North Carolina Trip to see Byne!

We had a great time visiting Byne!

We left on Thursday to travel to North Carolina to go visit Byne. He is up there playing baseball for the Catawba Valley Stars. He left on May 22nd, but it seems like he has been gone for months. We stopped in Auburn to pick up Byne's girlfriend, Cayla. Then we were off with the plan of driving above Atlanta then sleeping before going all the way to NC. I am a planner (that is an understatement)! I usually plan every minute of our trips, book hotels, print google directions - a regular Mrs. Organization. This trip Mark did not want to book any hotels. He begrudgingly let me print directions, but he wanted to just fly by the seat of our pants and find places to sleep! This worried me, but I obliged. I told him that it would be cheaper to plan ahead, but he ended up being right (I hate when that happens)! We stopped the first night at the Best Western. The girls and I were unsure - the bed linens seemed a little stiff and "crusty" but the room was clean. We made fun of Mark endlessly for his choice of hotels, but he was a great sport.

We woke up on Friday morning headed to NC. In the slide show you can see where we stopped at the rest areas in SC and in NC to document our trip. The girls climbed a wall in SC to get a picture with the flag, that was too funny. Lakyn had no fear and Cayla was scared half to death, but she did it! We arrived in Monroe, NC for the first game right before the start of the game. Byne played first base and did a great job! You could tell he was so happy to see us, and we were thrilled to finally lay eyes on him! After the double header, we headed the 1 and 1/2 hours to Hickory (where Byne lives). Mark let us pick the hotel this time since we teased him such about the Best Western. We picked one with soft linens (a Marriot)! We were finally settled in to our spot for the weekend. More ballgames, shopping, dinner, swimming,and two days later we left for Athens, GA to watch our final ballgame. Aunt Cathy, Uncle Tom, and Hannah met us at the ball field to watch him play. It was a great day at the ball park. The weather was fantastic! We had the best time visiting and Byne did GREAT! We left from Athens for Macon on Sunday evening. We spent the night with Aunt Cathy in Macon. We stayed up late talking and then woke up Monday to more eating and shopping. We returned home Monday! We had the greatest trip! We spent a whole lot of time in the car, but everyone was so glad to see Byne and we had fun together. The slide show is a picture walk of our trip - ENJOY! Byne didn't even whine about taking too many pictures, I think he was just so glad that we were there! We are now rewashing and packing for our annual Fourth of July trip to the Lake. I hope you all have a fabulous Fourth of July!

Peace and Quiet - Good or Bad?

Lakyn insisted that we take this picture the other night. She had gotten ready earlier in the day for us to go and buy her Dad a Father's Day present, and I had just gotten home from playing tennis. As a result, she looked beautiful and I looked sweaty. I love the picture anyway - we look so happy. I wonder when the "teenager" stage is going to hit and we don't "like" each other anymore. I am terrified that it will happen any day!!! I am praying that Lakyn and I will be an exception to the rule and continue to love to be around one another!

All of the children are gone this week. Lakyn went to visit her Dad, Dalton went to the beach with a friend, Byne is in North Carolina, and Kyle is at his Mom's house this week. The house is sooooo quiet. I am trying to enjoy the quiet, but it is kinda sad. I am accustomed to a house full of hustle and bustle. We are always getting ready to go somewhere or coming home from somewhere, or having friends over! I looked at Mark last night and said, "It's just you and me babe!" He just laughed, you know Mark loves the peace and quiet. I was having trouble deciding whether or not peace and quiet was for me, when the phone rang. The first ring was Byne for the fourth time today just checking in and making sure I remember to bring his baseball pants to NC this weekend. Then I settled back in, and the phone rang again. This time it was Dalton from the beach asking if it was OK for him to get a tattoo. I promptly replied, "Have you lost your mind?" That question is characteristic of my Dalton(a little on the wild side), but he will have to wait until 18 or older!!!!!! Then I settled back in and the phone rang again, this time it was Lakyn checking on Harmony and calling to say good night. After all the phone calls, I decided - maybe I will enjoy my few days of peace and quiet. Moms deserve a day off now and again, and I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Dad in his new boat

Dad in his new boat
Originally uploaded by susanne.goodin

My Dad retired after 42 years from Aldridge Borden and Company. He has a Lake Cabin on Lake Martin and loves to spend time there. I bought him this pedal boat as a retirement gift. He seems to be enjoying it and Aarron really loved it. We all had a great time at the Lake this weekend trying it out!

Father's Day

WOW! A weekend to be thankful! I can not put into words how very important my Dad is to me! I found a quote the other day that made me think about my Dad,

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." ~Clarence Budington Kelland

That is so true! He lives everyday by the Word. You will not hear him spout bible verses, or TELL you the good things he does for others. He just leads by example. He does for others, including me, and never expects any praise or anything in return. I am so thankful to have two God fearing parents who have always loved me unconditionally. The older I get the more thankful I am to have this special relationship with my parents. They have been married 44 years and have been such an example of what a Christian marriage looks like! Thanks Mom and Dad, and especially Dad this weekend at Father's Day! Thanks for pushing me to always give my all and do my best, even when the odds were so terribly stacked against me. Thank you for always leading us in the right direction. I am eternally grateful to have such an incredible Daddy :) Happy Father's Day to all!

5th Anniversary

Our 5th Anniversary is Saturday! Mark has to work 3-11 shift, so we will be having a daytime celebration. I can't believe it has already been five years. It sometimes seems like just yesterday that we met (except when he is on midnights, then it feels like we have been married for 25 years LOL). I know you can relate Nancy :) I am very thankful that God sent me this incredible man to be my partner! I am a lucky girl, INDEED! Happy Anniversary Mark!

Aunt Annie Pearl and Grandad

Aunt Annie Pearl and Grandad
Originally uploaded by susanne.goodin

My Aunt Annie Pearl passed away yesterday. My grandmother and Aunt Annie Pearl were very close and she was always at our family functions. She has taken good care of my Grandad since
Grandma' s death six years ago. The funeral is tomorrow and our family will miss her dearly - especially my Grandad. I know she is in heaven right now getting to see my Grandma again. They were the two youngest girls of five and I know they are glad to see one another. We have a Mother's Day celebration every year at my Uncle's lake cabin. This year I took this photo, not realizing at the time how important it would be to me. Thank you Aunt Annie Pearl for all the special memories :)

Lake Trip 018

Lake Trip 018
Originally uploaded by susanne.goodin

We went to the lake for the weekend. It was great weather and we all had a great time. We only had one minor mishap. We went over to a friends house across the lake and then when it was time to leave - the boat would not crank. I am so glad that Mark came with us because he saved the day. It was an easy fix, just a dead battery! We got a new battery from the marina and we were good to go! It was Allie's first trip to the lake. She kept asking us if there was salt in the water, or if the lake had jelly fish. We tried to explain the difference between saltwater and freshwater. I think she understood by the end of the day! My first vacation of the summer is over. I made good use of my vacation time. I hit the beach twice and the lake. Back to work tomorrow!