slip slidin' away

We met up this morning with a couple of friends from playgroup and hung out at the pools at the Woodcroft Club. Thanks for the hospitality, Kelly! The highlight was taking Madeline down the water slide. I was nervous the first time we went down the slide, especially since Miss M had a death grip on my swimsuit and was setting me up for some indecent exposure, but by the time we reached the bottom we both were enjoying the ride.

rained out

Late this afternoon, the NC Bartel clan (minus an under-the-weather Abby) journeyed to the über-mall in North Raleigh (one of three in our area) for what we thought would be a rip-roarin' good, summer evening outdoor concert. General Johnson and Chairmen of the Board, a Carolina beach music band, were going to be performing and I had heard rumors from some cute old ladies that they would be showcasing their shagging skills while the band played. We made it to the venue, found parking and quickly grabbed a bite at Moe's. As we headed out of the restaurant to check out the scene and hopefully find some comfy places to sit, a thunderstorm rolled in and we were drenched! The babies were troopers through all the lightning and thunder (they should be ready for any fireworks displays on the 4th!). Sadly, by the time the skies cleared and the roadies were setting up the stage again, we all needed to head home to put the little ones to bed. We were happy to see Jonathan and Chelsea after their long trek here from the motherland -- we just wish we could have showcased a fun NC summer evening to them!

Jonathan, Chelsea, Josh, Adrian & Linus taking cover from the rain

(the haze in the background is actually a drenching downpour!)

lunch bunch

Miss M and I met up with our friends Rebecca and Zack for lunch today. Back in the day, Rebecca, Zack and I used to walk over to a joint called Taza during our DOT lunch breaks. But these good times were not to be forever. Taza fled the high-rent district of downtown Raleigh, Rebecca left the DOT and went to work for the City, I just plain left, and Zack and the DOT office were relocated way, way out of downtown (in fact, our former workplace was razed). But we remain fans of the Taza and venture to Raleigh's northland every so often to meet up and enjoy some pita.

M put on a good show for them, including an entertaining demonstration of her newest skill, her gangsta pose:

parent of the year

M was "helping" me fold the laundry and became fixated on playing with/wearing a dish towel. I tried to capture some of it for posterity. I'm sure what you will see in this clip (actions, reactions, background scenery) may horrify many folks, but so be it. I think this stuff is darn funny -- especially since this was a game of her own creation.

swim group

Today's playgroup was hosted by one of the lovely moms at her neighborhood pool. We swam, we floated, we lounged... we took a break for some lunch... and then resumed our leisuring in the water. It was wonderful.

On lunch break

Satiated

thetas in miami

I spent the last 5 days attending Kappa Alpha Theta's biennial convention with the representatives from the Duke collegiate chapter as well as members from our local Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill alumnae chapter . There were over 560 Thetas in attendance this year representing collegiate and alumnae chapters from across the US and Canada -- we basically took over the Doral Resort and Spa in Miami! I am continuing to volunteer as the Advisory Board Chairman for the Duke chapter and being able to attend the convention this year with the Duke girls was uplifting. I also immensely enjoyed reconnecting with Theta friends from across the country. I was so proud to be connected to both the Duke chapter and the Kansas State chapter -- they both were award winners at the collegiate level for their overall excellence (Duke got a bronze award, K-State a gold).

The Duke girls (Erika, Gillian, Kristyn and Cate wearing the award medal) and me

Rachel McKay (friend/business partner of Heidi's) and me at the beach just before a storm swept in and caught us in a downpour -- can you tell it was a little windy?

A snippet of the South Beach Art Deco architecture

Jami (Nelson) Leahy and I were both in the K-State chapter at the same time. It was so fun to catch up with her!

All of the Delta Eta chapter (K-State) Thetas attending Grand Convention

big 4-0

Gma and Gpa B marked their 40th anniversary while they were here visiting. We celebrated by taking them to the Angus Barn (the NC version of Stephenson's Apple Farm at it's heyday, for those of you familiar with that now closed KC institution) for steaks and ribs. We were so full from our tasty meals that we took the whole lemon-glazed pound cake (their complimentary dessert when you're celebrating such occasions) home without even sneaking a bite. The table next to us was celebrating a major birthday and when the birthday gal's dessert was delivered, it had pyrotechnics in it! Impressive!

happy father's day

To celebrate Father's Day, we trekked to The Fractured Prune for breakfast. Mmm... fresh doughnuts. Since FP offers a flavor combo called the Myrna Medley, Gma B just had to try it.

Our choices: one each of Pebble Beach, Trail Mix, Black Forest, Myrna Medley, French Toast, Ms. Prunella, and Banana Nut Bread, two Sundaes, and three O.C. Sands. Yum!

par-tay

We waited to celebrate M's big birthday (and our survival of her first year) with our family and friends until Gma and Gpa B made it into town. We had a big cookout and topped it off with homemade cupcakes for dessert. This was M's first foray into the world of frosting and she really enjoyed it -- she didn't even realize that she was holding a cupcake until she had sucked most of the frosting off it!

(clicking on the photo collage will open it up to true size on a new page)

thanks for coming!

Gma and Gpa B arrived on the 9th for a week-plus of fun and sun with us. We're so glad that they were able to spend a good amount of time here with us. We had made many plans for outdoor activities and projects while they were here, but with the long run of 95°+ days we spent most of our time indoors. Can't wait until you're back here again!

hotness

We spent all afternoon today at Gma and Gpa L's. We immensely enjoyed the pool. Immensely. Nothing beats a heat wave - it was 99 today - quite like lounging in a big tub o cool water! Wish the camera battery hadn't crapped out on us so that we could have recorded the fun. Madeline had a ball "swimming" around the pool with Josh and blowing bubbles in the water with cousin Beth. Other moments of sweetness from today: giant grins the whole time Gpa pulled her to and fro in the swing, Eskimo kisses with cousin Cameron, "sharing" toys with cousin Peyton (as much as one-year-olds can share toys) and an unprompted bye-bye waving to Gma as we left. Next time we'll get pictures, I promise.