Showing posts with label Stricklins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stricklins. Show all posts

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Day 3 with the Stricklins

Nanoo, Pop, Cacoo and her friend, Amy, drove up to the lake on Friday.  Olivia and McIver had just seen them, but Will and I were so excited spend some time with them and to introduce them to Gay and Don.  It's hard to believe that we were in Houston for four years and were never able to get them together.  

This is pretty much how we spent most of the weekend.

I think this was the most relaxed most of us have been for a good little while.


Will giving Don the jet ski tutorial.



It was just too hot to be anywhere but in the water.  This also explains why there are so few pictures once we got to the lake.

After another full day in the lake, we got cleaned up and cruised over to the Rusty Anchor for dinner.  Olivia, of course, wanted to be wherever Cacoo and Amy were.


McIver, on the other hand, got tired of all the chit-chat and went to sit at the bar with his Shirley Temple.  It should also be noted that McIver tried calamari for the first time ... and liked it.


So, Saturday was more of the same - hanging out in the lake, eating boiled peanuts, visiting with Nanoo and Pop, playing Mexican Train dominoes and Pass the Pigs (thanks, Gay, we're still loving all the fun games!), wishing Sam & Abby could have been with us and putting together the table and chairs that Pop gave us for the deck (truth be told, that was mostly Pop, with a little help at the end from Gay and me).  We ate at the house on Saturday night (delicious hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill) and just took it easy.

The Kehls left pretty early on Sunday morning and the rest of us just relaxed more and worked on straightening up the house before it was time to take Gay and Don to the airport.  It was a sad good-bye, but we're already working on setting the date for another visit - this time with all eight of us!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Day 2 with the Stricklins

We took our time waking up and making a plan for Thursday.  Really, there wasn't much planning - just some organizing and packing up.  (And, calming of my nerves because I didn't believe we could get everything up to the lake in just one trip - in addition to the Stricklins' luggage, our bags, groceries/cooler and the children, we also had four large boxes of new deck furniture from Nanoo & Pop, PLUS we had to stop by Lowe's to pick up two more boxes of chairs.  The good news is that it all worked out and we now have plenty of seating/eating space on the deck.  Thanks, Pop and Nanoo!)

I guess Olivia needs a camera for her birthday or Christmas.  She snapped this pic of Will and Don on Thursday morning.  She also took one of me, but since I'm the editor of this little blog, I get to choose which pictures are posted!

We decided on lunch at the Palmetto Pig - a full-on Southern buffet with SC barbecue so Gay & Don could get a taste of what we were talking about when we lived in Houston and craved mustard-based, pulled pork barbecue.


We spent many hours floating in the lake and just catching up.  The guys rode jet skis and pulled the kids on the tube.  Will also started what would end up to be 10+ pounds of boiled peanuts.  

Heading to the Rusty Anchor for 'snacks' for the kids.


McIver feeding the ducks at the Rusty Anchor.


Don & Gay enjoying RA's tasty frozen lemonade.


Really, McIver ... meditating on the sunset cruise!?


The Girls - if only Abby had been there!

Olivia is a BIG fan those cheese sticks.


Me & the kids


Our family



Monday, July 26, 2010

Surprise Visit with the Stricklins


This was the best non-surprise surprise I've had in my entire life.  Will tried to surprise me for my birthday with a visit from Gay & Don from Houston.  The surprise part just ended up happening about two weeks early.  I was still surprised AND had the bonus of two weeks worth of excitement looking forward to their arrival last Wednesday.

I was so proud of Olivia for thinking to grab my camera out of my pocketbook to snap a picture of Gay and me when we first saw each other in the driveway.

After a quick tour of our (not-so-new anymore) house and a cocktail, we headed to Mr. Friendly's, one of our very favorite restaurants.  Our waitress was happy to take our picture - we could not have predicted that she would be so happy that she would take a picture for each course!

Fried Green Tomato appetizer

Delicious salads

Main course

It was a delicious meal - one of many that we have enjoyed with the Stricklins ... and one of many that we enjoyed while they were here.  To be continued...