They left me...

Thursday was a lot of fun. Mom, Dad, and I woke up late, and went to downtown New Bern to look around at all the stores and eat lunch. Mom and I could have shopped for the rest of the afternoon, but we thought Dad might go into a coma if we made him, so we spent the rest of the day in Atlantic Beach. What a beautiful day it was! We all put our chairs down in at the edge of the water and talked for a few hours before packing up and heading back to the house. After we had cleaned up and Steven made it home, we headed off to Famous Subs, which has quickly risen to the top of mine and Steven's favorite restaurants in town. The name really doesn't do the menu justice because it offers a million different things, not just sandwiches. For example, this is what was on our table: speghetti and meatballs, bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, small supreme pizza, small super sub, chips, cheesey garlic bread, and french fries. Needless to say, we took home a few leftovers. After gorging ourselves with food, we made our way back to the house and visited with Bryan and Bridget a little before hitting the sack.

Friday was bittersweet because I had a great morning, but I was so sad that my parents were leaving. They packed up their things in the morning, then we headed to the mall for a little back to school shopping. Later, I took them to Smithfield's for lunch to try a little North Carolina BBQ. Although nothing compares to Alabama BBQ, it is still quite tasty to say the least.

The drive back to our house was awful because I knew I would have to say goodbye to them when we made it home. It is hard to say, but Steven and I know that we aren't going to be able to go home again until Christmas. That is a long way away...Mom cried, of course, and Dad gave me a big hug. After I got upstairs, I definitely teared up. I am a lucky girl. I have wonderful parents who love me and my husband fiercely. What a wonderful week!

Steven missed out.

Steven went drum fishing with Billy tonight.

He missed out on a fun dinner party at Bryan and Bridget's.

I met some really cool people.

I think I may have gotten a side job as a traveling teacher for two weeks during the summer.

I'll let you know ;)

Day 2 (in a hurry)

I don't have a lot of time before they wake up and we get moving, but this is how day 2 went down...

Mom and Dad slept in a little yesterday morning, while I made muffins and fought every urge I had to go and wake them up; finally, I decided to let them sleep and blog about our day instead. Then, I took all the boxes Mom and Dad had gotten out of storage in Auburn for my classroom and took them up to the school. It meant so much to me that they drove two hours out of their way to bring me my stuff. So, by the time I got back at 10:30, they were dressed, ready, and eating breakfast.

After talking for a while, we got in the car and made our way to the ocean. My parents LOVE the beach. I mean, I like to tan, but the ocean isn't my favorite. I would say I prefer fresh water to salt any day, but these two can't get enough, especially Dad. I felt sort of bad because he had no one to play with out in the water. As I think I've mentioned before, I have an irrational fear of being attacked by sharks, so I stay on the sand most of the time. Anyway, we ate lunch and relaxed until around 3:00 and then headed back to the house.

After showering and welcoming Steven home from work, we made our way to downtown New Bern, where we were going out for dinner. We met Bryan and Bridget at Morgan's (really cool restaurant + good food) and had a really great time. Mom and Dad wanted to take them out at least once to try and pay back a little of the hospitality they had shown all of us. Afterward, we came back to the house and watched a little bit of The Proposal before going to bed. We were all exhausted.

While I am writing this blog, my southwest breakfast casserole is in the oven cooking and Mom and Dad are still sleeping. I think it's time they get woken up ;)

I'm so happy they're here!

Mom and Dad finally made it here at 1:00 Monday night. They took about a four hour detour through western NC before realizing they were headed in the wrong direction. Anyway, they are here and we have already had a great time.

Yesterday morning, I made gravy, biscuits, bacon, and eggs for breakfast. After we finished eating, we decided to go to the beach. BUT FIRST...I had to stop by the realtor's office because Steven and I made an offer on a house! Who knows if we will get it because we super low-balled it, but anyway we have officially started the process. I had to sign some paperwork in New Bern, then we headed off the Atlantic beach.

Since we only had a few hours, I took them to Fort Macon where there is public beach access. We were completely lazy (after two weddings in one summer, these folks are tired). We talked, read, ate chicken salad sandwiches, and caught some rays for a few hours. Mom wanted to leave early to tour the fort, so we packed up a little early and made our way to it. She has been reading these books from Civil War time, so she has become very interested in that historical period. The fort was amazing. Steven and I had already toured it once, but I got to see a lot of things that I hadn't noticed before. We couldn't believe just how much manual labor went in to building a structure that is so sound.

Last night was truly special. Mom and Dad attended the weekly Bible study that is held at Bryan and Bridget's house, and I believe we were all blessed by it. Bryan is an amazing man of God, and he has a way of delivering his thoughts that is so captivating. Afterward, we all ate a ton of Mexican food Bridget had cooked. She invited everyone to stay, so that Mom and Dad could meet all of our fellow church members. It was a lot of fun. We followed up on this time of fellowship by making a quick run to Johnny's (little country store in Cove City) for some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted. And bonus: he only charges 50 cents a scoop. It was DELICIOUS!

What a great day 1 with Mom and Dad. Can't wait for day 2 to begin!

Unexcpected Prize

So, Steven got a raise last week, and I came home to a bottle of Juicy Couture perfume left on my side of the vanity. Every time we are in the mall, I stop and get a spray from the fragrance counter, so he knew I liked it.

Why is he so good to me? I don't deserve the man.

Weekend in Atlantic Beach

Steven and I were invited a while back to go to Atlantic Beach with Bridget's family. Mrs. Marietta and Mr. Rodney, Bridget's parents, are two of the nicest and funniest people I have ever met. I mean it. Steven and I refer to them as the "sitcom couple" because they need their own show. Anyway every year, Mr. Rodney and Mrs. Marietta rent a huge house on the Atlantic Beach sound with her brother, Charles, and his wife, Sweet (she was the youngest of eight kids, so they all gave her this nickname--she really is sweet, though). They all like being on the sound because Mr. Rodney and Mr. Charles both have boats. The kids love to tube, and the older men like to go out into the big water to fish.

Steven and I drove up with Bridget and Bryan on Saturday morning. I love her family. It is huge; there were people everywhere (I guess, I felt at home a little). Bridget has one sister, Ginger, who is married to Patrick. They have twelve-year-old twin girls. Uncle Charles and Aunt Sweet had two boys, who are both married and each have two girls. Throughout the week the young girls (ages ranging from 4-17) invited friends to come and visit and even boyfrinds, too.

Steven and I were given our own room when we got to the house. Can you believe their hospitality? We sometimes don't even get our own room when we go home to visit!We told them over and over again that we could sleep on the couch, but they wouldn't hear of it. After putting our things away, a few of us went on a boat ride, and by the time we got back to the dock, the girls had pulled out THE TUBE (cue dramatic music...dun dun dun). I honestly don't mind tubing in the lake, it's not my favorite thing, but I will do it; however, tubing in the ocean with sharks (on Shark Week, no less) is not my idea of a good time. I've seen Jaws one too many times...However, after much coaxing, I , Ashley Meadows, tubed in the ocean. It was so much fun...until I fell off the tube and was hanging out in open water waiting for the boat to turn around and get me. I started to totally panic in my mind. I tried to imagine anything other than sharks coming up from below and pulling me under, nada. I swiftly got back in the boat. I was done with the tube. Of course, Steven loved the tube and stayed out there for as long as he could. He's an all-star at water sports, for sure.

We filled the rest of our time by going to the beach, playing ladder ball and corn hole in the yard, sitting around talking, or playing the game Just Dance on the Wii (even the older guys danced, which was hysterical). While we were there, Steven learned how to catch crabs off of the dock, which he became quickly addicted to doing. Apparently, you need what they called a turkey neck, but what looked more like a ham bone, to tie on a string and throw down into the water. Steven and Mallory (one of the twins) caught almost a dozen crabs, which was a great success for a first timer.

My favorite part of the whole weekend was, of course, all of the delicious food. These people know how to eat, and they expect you to eat as well. Every morning, we had a country breakfast with all the fixins'. Lunch was usually a smorgasbord of things for sandwiches (i.e. chicken salad, pimento cheese, ham, turkey, relishes), fruit, and sides. Suppertime was always the best, though. One night we had Mrs. Marietta's homemade spaghetti. I know what you're thinking, "Oh, just speghetti," but her speghetti is something to write home about. I think it has a lot of sugar in it...It is sweet sauce--totally addictive. Another night we had a Mexican fiesta, consisting of tacos, chicken enchilada casserole, refried beans, a vegetarian casserole, Mexican grits, and homemade salsas. Delicioso! The best night was crab night. The ladies made fried crabs, crab soup, boiled crab, crab legs, crab claws, slaw, and bread. It was a feast! Neither Steven nor I had ever eaten crab, so figuring out how to eat was a little bit of a challenge. Anyway, it was a really fun meal.

Bridget's family are all wonderful people. They are all really funny and love to laugh. I had the greatest time just relaxing and getting to know them. It was a great extended weekend!

Happy Thursday!

Since I did "oh so much" work yesterday looking for houses (she says dripping with sarcasm), I think I will treat myself to one last day at the beach with Bridget's family. Steven and I went up last weekend (blogging about that soon), and they will be leaving tomorrow so I am going to spend the morning/afternoon with them. I had to drive seperate because Steven's boss, Ronnie, invited us to a Meals on Wheels mission that his church is doing for families in the community. Steven and I feel so blessed, and we know that we should be involved in things like this more often. God wants us to give back to Him and His people a portion of what he has given us! Happy Thursday everyone!