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Charlie's birthday was February 21st, but he was still in Atlanta. He finally came home on Sunday, March 13th. I made him a cake (his favorite - yellow with chocolate frosting) and made the meal of his choosing - tacos, enchiladas, and refried beans.
It's so great having him home. He took the week off, as he typically does if he's been gone for a month or more, and I enjoyed having him here during the day. I missed him today (yesterday/Monday) when he went back to work. I happily made him a delicious supper when he got home - sage and rosemary chicken, chicken rice (Uncle Ben's Country Inn rice), green beans, and blackeyed peas.
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Tuesday, March 8th, I took the kids and Sean's girlfriend Ashley to the zoo. It was a warm day (75°) that turned out to be a little too warm after we'd been walking in the sun for awhile, but we still enjoyed it. Though our legs were hurting after awhile. I forgot how hilly the zoo is. It was a combination zoo trip/hiking trip.
I didn't want to carry my big camera around the zoo for 3+ hours, so I took pictures with my phone. Not the best quality, but here are a few of them.
Bison on a hill.
Gorilla.
Grizzly. Funny bear. :-)
Lemurs.
Sand cat. So cute!
Seals playing.
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Friday, March 13th, I went to Southpoint Mall in Durham to meet an online friend in person for the first time. She's from Maryland and came down because her youngest daughter had a volleyball tournament in Raleigh. We've been friends online for about 12 or 13 years. Two other friends who live in the same area of NC that I do (the towns of Eden and Graham), who I've met a couple times before, also went to Durham to meet her. We had a good time hanging out and talking.
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A friend of mine recently told me that she likes when I post pictures of my clothes and shoes (recent purchases) on my blog. So, here are the ones I've gotten (all on sale; I usually don't pay full price for anything) since my last blog entry.
I had looked for red heels for a few years before finding these at Belk. Originally $50, I paid $25.
I loved the red ones so much, I bought them in black (paid about $30) and ...
white.
Close-up so you can see the snakeskin detail.
I've had a black shrug for years that I wear with casual outfits, but it doesn't fit quite right and I finally found a replacement at JC Penney a few nights ago. About $20.
I had seen this at Dress Barn a few times and thought it would probably be too long for me. I tried it on a couple weeks ago and liked it, so I bought it. I wore it to church (with a white shrug and my new white heels) Sunday before last.
Bought this at JC Penney a few nights ago. Paid about $20 for it.
Got this at Belk a couple weeks ago. I paid either $22 or $24. It also comes in a navy color (dark denim, I think it's called), but I already have a navy lace skirt, so I resisted temptation. lol
I ordered this dress from Kohl's (on sale for $48, had $20 Kohl's cash, paid $39 after tax and shipping), but they sent a different dress. The info on the website wasn't correct. I returned the dress to the store rather than shipping it back and found the one I wanted in the store, despite the fact that the website said they didn't have it in the store. I was given a store credit ($10+) and got the dress for about $40.
I got this at Kohl's a few weeks ago for less than $50 after tax. I had wanted a denim jacket for years, but never could find exactly what I wanted. This one is practically perfect for me. :-)
I got this at Kohl's 3-4 weeks ago, on sale for $48 before tax. Pretty and comfortable. I wear it with a white shrug.
I got this at Kohl's a few weeks ago. It was on sale, but I can't remember how much I paid. I plan on wearing my red heels with it.
I got this at Belk a couple weeks ago. I paid either $22 or $24 for it. I love the starfish design.
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Easter/Resurrection Sunday is one of my favorite holidays and I can't wait till church this Sunday. I hope the weather will be nice. Seems like the last few years it's been chilly and rainy or cloudy.
There's just something about a warm Easter. A few things probably, but one of those is that it always reminds me of Easters in Southport when I was a kid. My memories of Easter in Southport are of warm, sunny days and wearing a pretty new floral, pastel, or white dress. Going to church, of course. Having an Easter egg hunt in the sunshine with a nice coastal breeze blowing. Getting an Easter basket from my mom with a new toy in it (usually a Barbie doll; one year it was Pretty in Pink Barbie) and filled with candy. I loved seeing crosses and empty tomb pictures and lilies and colorful eggs (which are Easter and not Resurrection, but I loved the colors) and bunnies everywhere.
I loved going to church on Easter with my family (minus my dad, who didn't go :-/ ). Even though going to church was an every Sunday thing, Easter was just a little more special to me.
Anyway, Easter preparations, in terms of outfits, is something I'm still working on. Kelly and I are set, but I still need to get something for Charlie and Sean. I bought a lavender dress shirt for Sean, but it turned out to be a little too big. I'm going to bring it back (and the grey shirt I'd also gotten him) and get him something a little smaller.
My Easter dress. I got it at Dillard's. It was originally $169. It was marked down to $101 and change when I got it. I'm going to wear a black shrug and black heels.
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Books: Currently reading Brooklyn, as you can see in the margin. I like it, but it's taking me much longer to read than I expected, despite the fact that it's only 262 pages. Just 33 more pages to go though. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to read after I'm done with Brooklyn (I usually wait to decide until after I've finished a book), but I'm leaning towards probably science fiction or fantasy. Or maybe something dystopian.
Brief comments on the books I've read so far this year:
An Ember in the Ashes - pretty good. The sequel (A Torch Against the Night) comes out in August.
One Thousand White Women - Sad at times. Brutal at times. But I liked it.
Time Salvager - I don't read a lot of time travel stories or stories that take place in outer space or hundreds of years in the future, but I thought it was a good book. The sequel (Time Siege) comes out July 12th.
Me Before You - so many tears. I have the sequel (After You) waiting on my nightstand.
Salt to the Sea - historical fiction is my favorite genre. It's a young adult book, but really good. I learned about something I'd never heard of before - the tragic sinking of a German ship full of refugees (more than 10,000) by a Russian submarine.
I mentioned two sequels that are coming out this summer. There are a couple others I'm really looking forward to.
The Last Star by Rick Yancey. It comes out May 24th and is the 3rd book in the The 5th Wave trilogy.
The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin. Comes out June 16th and is the 3rd book in The Passage trilogy. I love The Passage and The Twelve. I can't wait for The City of Mirrors!
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The kids have a dentist appointment tomorrow (today). This may be the last one for Sean until he can get a job and get his own dental insurance. He'll be 19 in just a few weeks.
After we leave the dentist office, we have to return the shirts I got for Sean that were too big and get him a couple that do fit. I also want to check a couple stores for white sandals. (Or flip flops without the piece between the toes.) The pair I've had for a few years now (and love) are starting to peel on the inside, of all things, and need to be replaced. I've checked several stores (Dillard's, Macy's, Belk, Shoe Carnival, Shoe Dept., Aldo's, JC Penney, DSW, etc.) and can't find any that are what I'm looking for or that are comfortable. Really annoying. I'm going to check Stein Mart and Rack Room tomorrow.
We're also probably going to go to Barnes and Noble because there's a book Kelly wants that came out almost a week ago. It's the third book in a trilogy.
And when we finally get home, I'm going to make chili for supper. :-)
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Until the next time I post a new blog entry. I'll try not to let more than a month go by this time. :-)
