Weekend Fun

Talk about a whirlwind of a weekend!  I need a few days to help me recover.

Friday night was a trip to the new baseball field to see the WV Black Bears game.  The boys enjoyed themselves and Heidi and I stayed awake (baseball = not my favorite sport).    The fireworks were nice though.

Saturday was spent at the Pittsburg Zoo.  It was HOT but we had fun.

Sunday was spent cleaning house and visiting family from out of town.  And suddenly the weekend was over....

I'm sad to see summer slipping away....and even sadder to see the college kids return ugh.   At least we had one last great weekend :)

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted.....

We ventured on another memorable family vacation last week to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  The trip was amazing from start to finish. 

Sunday: Arrived, unpacked, grocery store and take out High Cotton BBQ for dinner.

Monday: Duck Donuts!  Pool time!  Sun, relaxing, reading and my dear friend, Chirleen and family came down to say hello and join us for dinner at Rundown Cafe.  They brought us an awesome goodie basket!  It was SO cool to finally get to hug her and squeeze her!!

Tuesday: BEACH.   Pool, outlet shopping, Black Pelican for dinner.

Wednesday: Pool, dinner cooking and more pool.  Chris dropped off some fresh Mahi for dinner YUM!

Thursday: Said goodbye to Bob,  beach, pool, and date night with my husband.  Hello crab-legs.

Friday: Pool, more shopping and Barefoot Bernies for lunch.  Cooked some picnic food for the arrival of Scott and Jenn.

Saturday: Maybe another Duck Donut run happened.   Pool!  Chirleen, Chris and Gabby rejoined us for the day.  We did another pasta night and enjoyed the awesome company.

Sunday: Packed up and drove home in nasty traffic.  Hated saying goodbye to everyone :(

Beach Life

We're loving beach life and our "adults only" trip to Myrtle Beach.   I deep down hope it's the last childless trip we ever take (my step kiddo is back in school or he'd be here with us now). 

The first day here was rainy and dreary so it gave me too much time to focus on the should have beens: I should be avoiding the hot tub because I'm pregnant.  I should be able to buy the cute baby stuff in the gift shops.  I should be relieved that the whole world finally knows we're expecting.

But after that day, I've tried so hard to focus on the positives.  We've laughed, swam, spatted, ate and sunbathed our way through the week.   The weather has been great and we had a fun date night (dinner and a show) last night. 

The pool is calling my name so I'm off to work on my tan (with sunscreen, Jenni).  :)

Running Away

This weekend we ran away from our lives.  We packed a bag and my husband booked us a room in a historic hotel an hour out of town.  I'll forever be thankful for the masterminds behind this great idea. 

Saturday we did some shopping in antique stores, Christmas shops and other craft stores.   I completely melted down over Raggedy Ann dolls and Amish baby furniture.   One minute you're looking at Christmas decor and the next minute, BAM baby stuff. 

We had a nice lunch at a quaint Italian place and then checked into our room to relax.   We rocking chair rocked,  Keith swam (I'm not allowed in water for 2 weeks) and we got dressed up for dinner.  We had a nice meal on the veranda and called it a night. 

Sunday we played some checkers and had breakfast and quickly realized we weren't feeling great.   We spent the majority of the rest of the day battling mild food poisoning.  Apparently sharing my crab cakes wasn't such a sweet idea ooops.

My favorite part of the weekend was dancing with Keith in our hotel room (I used to gag at mushy stuff like this lol).  There was a wedding below us so we took advantage of the thin insulation and danced to their music.   I can't explain why but in those minutes I knew we'd be OK.   I love him now more than ever. 

So now we're back to reality.  Back to work and life,  but at least we got a little break.   I still lose my breath sometimes because it hurts so bad.   I'd run away again at the drop of a hat, but that isn't an option so we keep moving forward.   Slowly.  Very slowly. 

Beach Bums

The Riggle clan went on the first family vacation they've ever taken together.  We rented a beach house in Emerald Isle,  NC and set out for a week of fun in the sun.

We arrived late Friday night and crashed with Keith's brother who lives nearby.  Saturday we ran errands and checked into the house.  The rest of the family arrived over the next few days and we all got settled in.

This was my first "stay in" vacation and I didn't properly pack.   We only went sightseeing one day and ate out once as a group.   Luckily right before we left I threw some extra lounge clothes in my bag or I would have been way overdressed all week.  I finally kidnapped Keith for a date night on Friday because I was going stir crazy.  

We did tons of pool and hot tub lounging and thanks to my stupid knee slipping out,  I only walked in the sand twice.   I did at least get a little sunshine and glow.  My kiddo also developed a major bed wetting issue while we were gone,  so that was super stressful! 

At the end of the week,  I was more than ready to come home.   I'm thankful for the experience,  but I now totally understand why they don't vacation together more often lol.  

Oh Canada

Another business trip this month only this time I got to leave the country, but only to go as far as Toronto.  We made the 6+ hour drive on Monday and got home late Thursday night.

Not really much to say about the whole trip.   Crossing the border made me nervous.   The food was good.  The company was good.   The site we visited was cranky.  

The street signs and candy definitely caught my attention.   I didn't get a pic of the 100 km/hr signs,  but did remember to snap one of the candy (priorities!). 

I don't plan to add Canada to my dream vacation list,  but it was neat to see the area, meet the people and leave the country.   I guess Canada just isn't for me,  ey?

Business travel

How do people travel for a living?  How do they live their life out of a suitcase?  

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the places my company has allowed me to see.  So far Puerto Rico has been my favorite....I definitely plan to go back one day.  But right now, as I eat another breakfast in a hotel lobby,  I just want to be home with my husband and cats. 

We have a young kid in our class (27ish) and we were all making small talk about our lives.   He blurted out,  "I want to get married and have something to miss."  My heart broke for him because I remember being in his shoes.   Now that there's someone waiting for me, I'm dying to pack up and get back.

I will however admit I'll miss my morning Starbucks.  He's my business travel husband and I'll definitely experience some separation anxiety when we're torn apart haha