Catching Up

I am still here! It's been a crazy past month! I have been in Blowing Rock for my family's vacation, home in Columbia and then back to Charleston for an amazing Bachelorette party for my cousin Lu!

I will start by recapping our family vacation to Blowing Rock - I think there were 24 of us (maybe 26?) spread out over 5 houses- we had the best time! From our annual visit to Tweetsie Railroad to our trip to Zaloo's Canoes for kayaking - it was our best year yet! I stayed at my aunt's house with James and my aunt and her Mini Doxie- Max, who served as our entertainment. We had a lots of great family meals together - one of my cousins was in charge of feeding all of us dinner everyone night save one- and even had a shower for my cousin Lu and her husband-to-be Dustin!

Our kayaking trip was an experience.  Growing up we went on "Jeff trips" (Jeff is my dad) when the mountain trip was just for my dad's immediate family - his parents, my aunt and uncle and my 3 cousins.  These trips were usually kayaking or canoeing, in the rain, in unseasonable cold weather for Blowing Rock in July. We would always have some sort of issues- keys were lost, people were hungry+angry=hangry, someone would cry.. you get the idea. So now that we are grown ups we all enjoy these 'Jeff trips' and usually there are no issues.

Well, this kayaking trip for everyone else was a nice 3 mile paddle down the New River. For me, I flipped my kayak (and I am no novice!) lost all my things - thankfully they were recovered by my cousin to be Dustin- including my monogram koozies!- in this process James was also flipped while trying to help me, bruised his knee, broke his shoes and then his diabetes testing kit got water in it. So it was a bit of a worry but thankfully we are all alive and well! Flipping aside, kayaking is one of the funnest things we do each year and I am already getting excited for our kayaking trip prior to my cousin's mountain wedding!

Last year when James and I were to couple to be married we were thrown a great surprise tailgate shower! This year it was my cousin Lu's turn! We threw them a great 'around the house' shower and Lu got some great things for her house to become a home! I know how much she loved monogram goodies so I got her a monogrammed cooler with her new last name and a monogram luggage tag with her new initials plus some great goodies for the kitchen, a frame to match her home decor and a few things from her registry as well!

We had lots of family time with my dad's cousins and 2nd cousins etc. We watched the fireworks, sang songs together, ate wonderful meals and enjoyed the much cooler temperature of the mountains! Can't wait to see everyone for Labor Day weekend for Lu's wedding!