Jenny Snyder

Seems that Kevin can't simply take a seat on the edge of the bed without being bombarded by the kids.

It's quite possible the dogs enjoyed the 3-day weekend better than we did.  We woke up every morning and took them to the dog park for a couple of hours to run around before it got too hot outside.  We love going there because the dogs are able to get their pent up energy out... but we go regularly enough now that we know many of the dogs by name and people know our dogs.  Its a great "social camaraderie" centered around everyone's passion for the 4-legged children.

These shots are from Sunday's trip:

Due to all of the rain and a broken water pipe at the park, there's a huge mud pit near part of the fence.  Kieran loves to head right for it when we get there because it cools her off.  Notice in the picture above, you can't see most of her back legs or the bottom of her front legs... and it only gets worse when she lays down!  One of the other dog owners laughed when he saw that someone from Parks & Rec came out during the week to put cones in the mud pit and commented "They're dogs... they don't know what cones are for... they just pee on them."

Kelly Kelly celebrated her first and only true 29th birthday a couple of weekends ago with an afternoon gathering at her pool.  Lots of food, yummy adult lemonade, good stuff for the grill, 80's music (of course), and pool toys!  And good company:  old friends (Paul and Rodena) and new ones (Lisha and Alisha).

One of the things I gave Kelly was in honor of my favorite comedian that we love to quote, Mike Birbiglia.  If you've never seen it, be sure to watch his Wiffle Ball Tony skit (which, at some point, I will post on here!).

The weekend after Charleston, I went back home to Raleigh for Tracy and Jason's wedding.  This has been a much anticipated event as they have been together for 9 years!  Everything was beautiful and it was nice to catch up with old friends that I haven't seen in nearly a year.  (And I have to commend Tracy on having mini BBQ sandwiches at the reception buffet - that was the best!)

 

Tracy and Jason Kait... the first dance

 

Nina, Renee, Jennifer, me, and Michelle

After the reception, Renee, Fred (her man), and I took a journey downtown into our old stomping grounds.  Coincidentally, our friend Niall was opening a new 3-story bar/restaurant/club that night called Solas, so we popped in to see that and congratulate him.  Niall does everything top-notch and this place was no exception - the most amazing feature was a "see through" dance floor on the 2nd level (NOT for those afraid of heights!) that allows you to see what's happening on the 1st floor beneath you.

 

Renee and Fred

 

Sooooolllllaaaaaassssss!

The final stop was the Deep South bar.  Since I'm a music junkie and pop culture fanatic, I've been dying to see this place.  We stayed there for a short bit, then decided we were all whipped and it was time to call it a night.

Stop hiding from me!

I couldn't believe how much "the scene" had changed since the last time I had been out about a year and a half ago.  It was fun - definitely neat seeing some of the new places - but it all felt different.  Renee pointed out that "it's all time and place for each person"... she's right.  And it made me smile to think of my little corner of the world at home in LKN.

 

 

I joined Kevin a few weeks ago on a business trip he had down in one of my most favorite cities in the US... Charleston, SC.  We're fortunate that Charleston is an easy and quick trip from Charlotte, so I rode down with my friend Kacie (who works with Kevin - and her beau is living down there for work right now). 

It was a relatively low-key trip... we ate, we walked around downtown, we shopped.  Its just one of those places that I never get tired of! 

We stayed at the Mills House Hotel right on Meeting Street.  Apparently General Lee was here during one of the city's "Great Fires" (they've had 5, I believe) and - not wanting his hotel burnt down - suggested hanging wool blankets out of the windows on the wood casings to prevent the fire from encompassing the building. Lee's men followed his orders, the building was saved, and the city called Lee a hero!

  

 

 

One of the guys from Kevin's company who lives in Charleston, our friend Bob, had rented a deep sea fishing boat on Saturday morning.  Being that I get nauseous just putting a toothbrush in my mouth in the mornings, I figured deep sea fishing was NOT for me!  So I went out to explore the city by myself and ended up on one of those horse and carriage rides with 11 strangers... where I learned a lot of random factoids about the city.

  

Above is the Miles Brewton House - and the iron spikes on the fence are called "chevaux de frise".  Rumored to be invented by Napoleon (which I couldn't find proof of), he used it to keep horses from jumping over fences.  In Antebellum Charleston, it was used to protect homes from revolting slaves.

 

The black bolts on the brick building above are earthquake bolts.  Since Charleston lies on an active fault line, bolts were installed on many homes after the Charleston Earthquake of 1886.  The bolts connect to the supporting frame of the house and can be tightened or loosened for stability.  The more interesting thing is that "faux bolts" can be purchased for the outside of newer structures to create a more genuinely historical appearance.

 

King Street (above).  Truly historic homes with beautiful gardens and welcoming front porches.  I imagine neighbors share a pitcher of mint juleps here on the weekends and gossip about the bridge club that meets on Wednesday night.  I would move to Charleston just to be in this area - it was absolutely beautiful.

After my carriage tour was over, I walked up and down Market Street for a bit and did some shopping.  I found a few goodies in the open air market, stopped at a local deli for lunch, found a black and white golf print for Kevin's new "man room", and then - Oh Happiness! - stumbled upon this store:

 

YES - a store full of nothing but pirate stuff!  AND - even better - they offer a tour that centers around pirate lore as it relates to Charleston.  Mental note for next time we're there.  I wanted a picture WITH the pirate, but couldn't bring myself to ask a stranger... anymore than I could bring myself to stand on a busy street and take a self-portrait next to a wooden statue. Next time.

My last stop on my excursion was back up King Street right behind our hotel.  It's mostly lined with expensive boutiques, but I came across a Ralph Lauren store that was having a HUGE sale for tax-free weekend and wanted to pick out something for Kevin.  Thanks to the wonderful customer service of one of their sales people, I came back with this:  (minus the green sweater - only the pants)

He loved it.  And imagine how excited I was to say to the sales guy "I know this is a crazy request, but is there any chance you have a belt with lobsters on it?" and have him reply "Actually, yes, we do... and it's on sale!"  Amazing.

And Kevin had good luck that afternoon, too, on his excursion.  Check out the loot behind him.