Goodbyes

The past week has been a whirlwind for sure. I'm finally coming up for air so I thought I would jot down some memories before I forget.....

We had lots of goodbyes to say. For only being in Winston for 2 years we made some pretty great friendships, and that was the hardest part of it all. 

I got to have lunch with my dear friend Charise. We actually only met in September when they moved here from Arizona but we quickly bonded.  She gave me the sweetest gift, which totally made me cry because it's true. It says "life takes you to unexpected places, but love brings you home." We never expected to move to a new state, but love definitely brought us back. 

We had our last playdate with Beth and Sophia. Chloe has loved playing with Sophia, they brought her the cutest stuffed bear too. 

Later that night we went to dinner with our community group from church. They got us this cake, and  all the sweet things they said about us really brought tears to my eyes. These people have shared in our struggles and joys and it's been an honor to be apart of their lives as well. 

And our last goodbye, which was with our first friends me and Chloe ever made in Winston, Kelli and Olivia. 

These two met when they were 9 months old. We had joined a mom's group online, desperate to make friends and we did. I have loved watching them grow and play together.  

Besides the goodbyes it was a lot of packing and cleaning the house. We are glad to be settled here in Richmond for now. Until our house sells we are staying with my mom, and are grateful. 

It's hard to believe that chapter of my life is over. When we moved we weren't sure if it would be forever or temporary. We definitely thought we would be there longer than 2 years, but God had other plans. 

So here's to the next phase....back in Richmond!!

Home

2 years ago today we finished packing up our home in Richmond. As a brand new family we took the biggest risk of our married lives so far, we moved to a new state where we knew absolutely no one. We learned how to be a family and what it meant to truly rely on each other and God. Chloe has lived here the majority of her life. We helped start a new church (probably the best thing we did here). I became confident in myself not only as a mother but a runner as well (thank you hills). We made friendships and memories and learned we can be happy anywhere.

And that is why it is so bittersweet to begin this process again. The process of going home. 

Clarke accepted a job offer in Richmond and we leave at the end of the month. We are beyond excited to be going home. To be closer to family and childhood friends who we miss so much. Chloe will get to see her grandparents more and that makes my heart happy. Richmond really is home and we are ready to be back, but we are so thankful for our time in Winston-Salem. 

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a fun weekend welcoming the unofficial start of summer. Aunt Melanie came into town and we went to pick strawberries Saturday morning. 

I wasn't sure how Chloe would do, or if she would be interested, but she was really into it, picking the strawberries and helping carry the bucket. We got a ton and made all kinds of yummy desserts.

The rest of the weekend we just relaxed. Pulled out the pink pool and Chloe loved it same as last year. 

We also washed our cars which Chloe loved. Ended the weekend sitting on the couch with dad eating watermelon in our cat bathing suite which she refused to take off.

Hope y'all had a great holiday weekend too!! Welcome Summer! 

Charlotte

Yesterday we headed down to Charlotte for the day. It's a little over an hour drive, and the only time we've ever been is to Ikea and the airport, so it was time to change that. 

 We started with lunch at a place a friend recommended, Pike's Soda Shop. It was really good. Then it was off to the park, Chloe's favorite part, as always. 

We found King of Pops, which was perfect for a sunny day. I got the raspberry lime and Clarke got the blueberry lemon. Chloe ended up eating most though. They were delicious!

We had other things planned, but ended up heading home after strolling around uptown a bit. With no nap and a late night (thanks to our community group cookout) the night before Chloe was done. We definitely want to go back, lots more restaurants to try out! 

May!

We kicked off this month we some park time. Saturday was gorgeous so we headed over to Tanglewood. Chloe was all about the big slide with the tunnel. 

We brought a picnic to eat, then spent some time walking around. I think the golf course was Chloe's favorite, she didn't want to leave.

Today we went to church and Chloe actually let me take her picture before.

Afterwards we got brunch at one of our favorite places, The Porch. We ate outside and it was so nice to let Chloe just run around while waiting for our food. I meant to take a picture of our food before we ate, but totally forgot until about half way through, oh well. 

Hope y'all had a good weekend too!

Wrapping Up April

Clarke's parents have been here this weekend and we've enjoyed having them. Friday night they watched Chloe so we could serve at a spring carnival for a local elementary school. Our church has made this an annual event, and the kids absolutely love it. It's a school where 100% are on free breakfast and lunch, so they normally wouldn't get a spring carnival with bouncy houses, snow cones, hotdogs and fun games.

Saturday night we got to go on a date. We tried out Hutch and Harris and we really liked it. This is the best selfie we could get that night, ha!

I didn't get any good pictures of Chloe, I think that's a first, but she loved having her grandparents here. So despite the rainy cold weather we had this weekend, we enjoyed time with family, and hopefully some nicer weather will come with May!

Weekend Mountain Getaway

This past weekend we got to get away to the mountains near Asheville with our community group from church. A kid free weekend, it was great.

We stayed in this cabin tucked away in Black Mountain. I stayed up till 2am both nights! That hasn't happened in a looooooong time.

 Saturday night we went into Asheville and ate at this cute place, Sunny Point Cafe. The food was fabulous, my favorite was the fried green tomatoes with goat cheese.

Afterwards we went to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge, oh my gosh was it delicious. We had to wait outside in the cold but it was worth it. Their hot chocolate was like drinking a chocolate bar, yum.

But the best part was spending time with our friends and just getting to know everyone better. Oh yeah, and trying to find Billy Graham's house which was supposedly near ours. We had such a great time in the mountains, thankful my mom could watch Chloe so we could go!

Here Comes The Sun

The last few days we have been enjoying sunshine, I hope it's safe to say Spring is here!

Clarke's parents were here this past weekend, and we had fun feeding ducks and playing at the park. Although Chloe may have enjoyed eating the bread just as much as the ducks...lol.

Happy first day of Spring! Here's to more sunshine and warmth.

2014 Recap

Hard to believe it's already 2015. We've been in Richmond the past week, celebrating Christmas, my birthday and the new year. So I have a lot to catch up on the blog, but thought I would start with recapping 2014. No big life changes this year (first in awhile) and it was exactly what we needed. Lots of great memories and fun trips!

Love my little family, and thankful for sweet memories. Here's to a great 2015!