23 Students

Our oldest came home from college with 22 of her friends from the cross country club.  There was a XC meet that Saturday morning nearby, so they all decided to crash at our house.

We used all the blow up mattresses, sheets, blankets, and pillows we had...

And still only found space for 11.  The rest slept on the floor with whatever they brought.

For entertainment, the group decided to attend a Faith Hill & Tim McGraw concert.  

Of course, I wanted to go, too!  So did my co-workers.

Then the little one wanted to go, and we couldn't leave her behind.

Seats were a little high up, but when you had to get that many block seats at the last minute, you take what you can get.  Still a good view, though.

Later in the show, I stopped by to say hello to someone I knew with a suite!  Then decided to hang out there a while.  The views were amazing!

Fabulous night.  Totally worth it!

Violin

With our youngest now in 5th grade, she has the option to take violin lessons at school.  She jumped at the chance, which worked out well since we still had the instrument at home.

She's first learning how to care for the instrument and the sound each string makes. It's so wonderful to hear those first few sounds.  (Pluck, pluck, pluck....)  I can't wait for the first concert!! 

Cards

Occasionally we feel like having game night.  But for us, it's usually a card game like hearts or spades.  The stakes are high, with the winner obtaining a package of twizzlers or coca cola gummies.

With brownies, milk, and popcorn to enjoy throughout the game, there really are no winners or losers.  But for those interested, the prize went to the little one!  (Hint, the guy in green usually feeds cards to her.)

First Day

We now have a senior in college (not pictured), a senior in high school, and a 5th grader.  All top dogs on campus! 

And off they go!  My precious babies start another school year.  The little one is so excited!  She's sticking her head out of the truck for a better picture.

Here's our 5th grader with her teacher.

Eclipse!

One of the coolest things we have ever seen was a total solar eclipse pass over our house.  My brother flew in from Texas to commemorate this awesome event with us.  The girls made a poster to welcome him!

Since it had been 12 years from his last visit, we took him to downtown Greenville.  Our little one had to get a photo with her favorite statue.

After we got home, we tested out the eclipse glasses right away.  Check!

About 30 minutes before the majestic show, we reclined in the yard for our front row seat of the spectacular event we would witness.

We watched the moon take a small bite out of the sun, then gradually cover a quarter, then half, then three-fourths.

At this point, the crescent sun cast neat images on the ground from trees and other small holes.  The animals also started to make noises.  Cows were acting wierd and mooing.  The temperature became noticably cooler, although the daylight was quite bright outside.  I was amazed how this much of the sun could be covered and yet give off so much sunlight.

At almost 90% covered the cows stopped, but the birds were going crazy along with gnats and other flying pests.  The temps contintued to drop and the air became still.

Just before the total eclipse, and I mean literally 30 seconds prior, we saw dark wavy lines dance across the pavement.  No picture or video adequately captured this, eventhough we tried.  It happened again immediately after the eclispse was over.

And then the climax....https://youtu.be/5z41SdEvTYQ.  We gave applause, then paused with silence and awe to absorb the moment, well except for the crickets and locusts.  We took off our glasses and observed the sun with our naked eyes.  At no other time is it safe to do this!

There was a 360 degree sunset, the streetlamps came on, and the sun's corona was completely visable for 2.5 minutes.  Temps continued to drop for another 10 min or so because even after the eclipse was over, the sun's rays took time to arrive on Earth's surface.

It was truly an experience that can't be captured by camera!  If our spring break in 2024 concides with the next eclispe in Texas, we're definitely going to try to make it.  San Gabriel, here we come! 

Senior Time

Our son is now a senior, and with that comes senior priviledges like the front parking spaces at school.

After drawing a spot number out of a hat, he had 2 weeks to select a design, get it approved, and paint his spot for the year. He even let us help!

He was pretty clever with his design, and did a nice job.  

Rapids & Orchards

We usually take a trip just before school starts, and this year was no different.  Although, we did stay closer to home than normal.

The family decided to go white water rafting in North Carolina down the French Broad River.  It's one of the few rivers that flow north.

After suiting up and grabbing our paddles, it was time to hit the river.

Our guide took us 9 miles down the river over several class 2's, two class 3's, and one class 4 rapid.  Since it had rained earlier in the week, it only took us about 2 hours.

Our son and his friend were behind us in another raft, so here's a picture of them going down the 5' waterfall.

After success with no one falling out, it's a big high five with the paddles.

Now, it's calm waters until the take out.  Time for a quick dip in the river.  The little one went first.

There were hiking trails at the take-out point, and we couldn't resist.  Our trail met up with the Appalachian Trail, then circled back to the car.  At one point, we got separated which was a bit scary.  Here's a view from the top of the trail looking down at the river.

On the way home, we passed by an apple orchard and again couldn't resist.  We picked a bucket full (actually overflowing) with the most crisp and fresh galas, granny smith, and macintosh apples I've ever tasted.

Glad to be back home, though, safe and sound.