Earthquake/Birthday/Hurricane

You all heard about the earthquake in Virginia.
It was really a non-event in our household...I didn't feel it
because I was driving a huge SUV at the time,
and Parker was jumping on a trampoline.
Jeremy was at home, oddly enough, because he is never home.
He said the house was wiggling.

Apparently we all got over it,
because two days later it was Jeremy's birthday
and we went out to eat at his favorite place ever, Texas de Brazil,
i.e., the Festival of Meats.

YAY BIRTHDAY!
Actually, Jeremy doesn't get excited about birthdays.

But he was pretty excited about getting a knife, Bose headphones, and lots of attention.

I was pretty excited about the CAKE!

This was the best present, though.

How awesome is this?!?!

All the awesomeness of the Festival of Meats, the cake, the knife,
and the attention were soon forgotten, however,
when the HURRICANE blasted through.

It was a total drag losing power when the hurricane came through.
Our neighbor rushed over in the middle of the lashing wind and rain
to tell us his generator was running,
and he and Jeremy rigged up about 5 extension cords
to get power from his backyard to ours.
We plugged in a single power strip so we could run the fridge and
could alternately plug in a lamp, OR the toaster, OR a fan.

For six days, we endured numerous tripping hazards.
And yes, that is a PLASTIC SPIKE on one of the extension cords.
We wanted to keep it interesting.

Luckily, no giant branches or trees fell on the house.
But it was a mess out there.

Look how HUGE this branch is! And it just SNAPPED OFF!
(No, that is not a ghost's foot--it is mine.)

It fell into our neighbor's yard. Yeah, the one with the generator.
Coincidentally also the one with the chainsaw.

The first day the power was out, we kind of thought it would be "fun."
We had prepared to be out for days,
so we stocked up on charcoal, ice, batteries, and non-perishables.

This is us having "fun" before we were attacked by bugs and had to move inside.

It was a long six days without air conditioning, internet, cable,
a dishwasher, a stove, or a microwave.
We took Parker to his grandparents' house after a couple days
and took ourselves to work everyday
and tried not to think about how hot and humid
the house would be when we got home.
But we survived, and didn't have to throw out
everything in the fridge like so many other people had to.
That power strip was just enough juice to enable us
to live somewhat like civilized people, and it was enough.

Seriously? Has it been that long?

Last weekend, something pretty cool happened
in the Outer Banks of North Carolina

We hit a milestone.

13 years of them, actually.

Awhile back, two crazy kids got married
and ran off together, defying the odds.

As crazy as it was, we somehow knew we'd still be here

all these years later....and thrilled about it.

Here's to lucky number 13!

I Want my Baby Back...

Two weeks ago, I took my baby to the airport
for his first solo flight to Grandma Williams' house!

It was an event that provoked mixed emotions, to say the least.

I forgot my regular wallet at home, and didn't have my ID.
TSA says apparently only persons with a valid ID
can escort an unaccompanied minor to the gate...psh!

We had to wait until Parker's plane actually left the runway
before we could leave the airport.

And away he goes!! He comes back on Saturday into D.C. I can't wait!

Kickboxing

A week ago, I joined a kickboxing class.

That was the last day I was able to walk without pain.

I went from the occasional recreational walk/bike ride
to suddenly kickboxing for an hour every other day with former Army drill sergeants.
I don't know what's come over me.
I'm like the most nonathletic person I know.

The first time, I was VERY close to passing out from the exertion.

The second time, I got only a little light-headed (but pulled my right right butt muscle).

The third time, I left some of my skin on the punching bag
and got a Charley horse in my right calf.

The fourth time, I kicked the bag with my 2nd toe instead of my heel,
bruising my ego along with the poor toe.
(P.S. That is not hair on the big toe, it is just a trick of the light.)

Later, I took my revenge by knocking the bag completely over.

I'm having a blast getting my butt kicked 3 times a week for some reason.
Here's hoping in a couple weeks I will be able to walk without hobbling!

Summer Stuff

Summer's in full swing!
Parker started summer day camp at YMCA Camp Thunderbird
and spends his days swimming, fishing, canoeing,
shooting arrows & rifles, careening down a zip line, and getting very dirty.

The annual Taste of India Festival was last weekend
and we FINALLY didn't forget to go this time.

There were a TON of dance performances.

I could have watched it for a long time--
there was so much bling on the saris and bright shiny fabrics, it was mesmerizing.

But I had to take a break for the FOOD!
This pineapple cream cake was like heaven.

It's funny how Indian food always looks like nasty baby food, but tastes incredible.

These little potato patties were crazy good!

This lady decided to just grin and bear all my picture taking.

The outdoor concerts are plentiful this time of year.
Jeremy's cover band had one last week and drew a pretty good crowd.

That's my baby!

Hooray for Fathers

Happy Fathers' Day to Jeremy!

Technically, a new lawn mower wasn't his present,
but we bought it the night before and were pretty elated about it, so here it is.

That's right, Jeremy is a father so dedicated
that he is teaching his son to mow the lawn even on his special day!

We visited the rest of the family later that day,
where Jeremy switched roles to Super Uncle/Teething Ring.

Here's another awesome dad in action!
Hudson apparently loves to be carried around the house like this all day long.

Lily & Angela

It's official--Parker is now taller than one of his aunts
(don't let the height of Angela's sunglasses fool you).

Aaaaand one of his Grandmas!

Hudson, Isaac & Katie, as we said goodbye for their big move!
They are now residents of the Lynchburg, VA area.

The Sound of Music

Parker's second (and final) band performance of the year took place last night.

Grandma & Grandpa Hancock came all the way down to see it!
These videos are kind of hilarious,
but you had to be there to appreciate how
these beginning band students had never before
read a piece of music or even picked up an instrument
before they took this class.

His enthusiastic, patient band instructor, Mr. Huggins,
beamed with pride at how hard the students had worked this year!