Five Brown Kids

 Raleigh is magical.  

Dear God, I have an endless stream of amazing dates. Hard to keep up.  Just having so much fun! Shopping, eating, live music, shows, drinks, hikes and paddles on repeat.  Friday Night on White in Wake Forest Nikos in Durham with Scotia and Friends Old Dominion at White Oak Amphitheatre in Greensboro.  So good!  Love their music! String quartet with candles in Wakefield Barn.  Heading to NC Symphony at Koka Booth Amphitheatre.  Baseball Game with some of Mark's friends Cypress tree swamp paddle, Wendell, NC.  Back porch reading and snacks. So many lovely restaurants.  I've been on a scallop kick - any time they are on the menu they are in my mouth! Weekly coffee dates at Jubala.

Blythe and Hannah spent a week at a nearby summer camp.  They opted to just do the day option for the first test run.  7:30 am - 9 pm everyday.  Except for the dance day which didn't end until midnight!  These are the pictures I paid for of Blythe, but oh my gosh - every picture is just so full of happy, cheering kids.  The lake and water slide and field games, cafeteria food, and snack shack and endless competitions and games and so much cheering.  Just a dream week. On the last night riding home Blythe declared it her "funnest week ever!"  She won the frisbee event. Wild and crazy dance night.  One night she walked in the door after camp. Drank one and half glasses of water, ate 3 cookies and then climbed into bed.  Not another word.  Total exhaustion. 

Mark and I celebrated our six month anniversary! I headed to his place for the weekend. We did a four mile paddle down the Dan river, stopped for a swim half way down and then a lovely end of paddle float in the middle of the river to cool off.  Went out for a dinner with his son who is home for the summer.  And then had a six month check in.  His spreadsheet shows that since we started dating back in December we have been together on 52.2 percent of all the following days.  His consensus... more please! The next day we toured through the Reynolda House and Gardens in Winston Salem.  Lovely afternoon.  I feel so lucky to be in a relationship where I am loved and adored and cared for.  Mark enjoys spending time with me.  We like the same activities.  The first six months felt like what I always imagined marriage would feel like.  Yes, more please. 

 I had such a fabulous long weekend celebrating the Fourth at Courtney and Matt's house. Mark and the girls and I drove up on Thursday.  Rosie came with and was a super chill travelling dog.  John and Carrie and their kids met us too!  All my favorite people.  So fun.  Friday morning we hiked to the top of Mount Minci. The waterfall on the way down was fabulous.  Everyone had so much fun taking a shower.  Stopped at a famous little pie place for lunch.  Then home to chill by the pool.  We ate all the yummiest food for supper.  Rand was learning to roll a kayak for a Saturday morning white water adventure, but it was cancelled because the water was too low.  End of day fireworks in the yard. Saturday morning we went downtown to the farmers market, soap shop, consignment shop, used bookstore and a grownup drink on the sidewalk.  Then home to relax. After supper Mark and I went paddle boarding on the Delaware. Gorgeous evenin...