I always dread the end of summer when my mom goes back to work. I get so used to the idea of being able to call her whenever I want during the summer months, that when she goes back to work in August I find it very frustrating that I can't just call if I need something. Or if I'm bored. Or if no one else wants to talk to me three times a day on the phone.
Not anymore.
As I mentioned before, Mom has officially retired and this is the first time she has not gone back to work after summer break. I'm loving it and I'm sure she is too.
Recently she was able to come and stay with us for about a week-- one of her longest visits yet. (She had to divide her time off between GA, VA, and MD). The week was really relaxed but fun and it was nice to have a visit with her without Carver and I having to make the long trip down to Florida. If Daddy had been here it would have been perfect :)
We went shopping to find Carver some Fall/Winter clothes (thanks Mama!), and two super cute pairs of shoes (again, thanks Mom!). We ate out some: P.F. Chang's, Hawg Wild BBQ, El Campesino (Mexican obviously), and The Copper Pot.
But the highlights of the week were dinner at Unicoi State Park on Friday night, and lunch at the Dillard House on Saturday. (As we all know, I really love the Dillard House).
Carver loved having Grandmama here and so did I. My mom is great about getting Carver up in the mornings or after his nap so I can sleep a little longer. And, she loves rocking him in the glider while he watches movies. We went for a couple of walks, cooked, and visited our local Farmer's Market/Produce Stand. Daniel even kept Carver twice so Mama and I could go to a movie one night and then out to dinner (alone) a few days later.
Carver trying to eat his pumpkin from the Farmer's Market.
At Unicoi-- it's really hard to get a picture of Carver these days-- he's too squirmy.
Heading in to the Dillard House for lunch.
At the Dillard House, food is served family style. There is no ordering, they just bring this whole load to your table. And, it is all-you-can-eat. This is what they brought us for me, Mom, and Carver. Some of it we didn't eat at all (painfully wasteful, I know), and a couple of things we got refills of. The best part? They let you take your leftovers home :)
Normally the food is placed on your table, but Carver can't be trusted and the table wasn't big enough to keep everything out of his reach. So, they left the whole tray...
After lunch we walked out to the "FarmZoo" and spent most of our time watching this poor girl waddle around. It was pitiful. Especially when she heaved herself up to get some water. I wanted to take her home with me. I think she is pregnant. I hope she is pregnant. Or, maybe they just feed their animals like they feed their guests. If I lived at the Dillard House I might look like this too. Scary.
It was a really fun visit for all of us and I am thrilled that Mom is retired.
I LOVED my week with you and Carver. And I even got to see Daniel some. That was fun too. Everything was perfect. I loved the home-cooked food and all of our activities. Thanks for having me. I'll try not to visit too frequently now that I'm retired. :)
ReplyDeleteHe's so cute. The flower pics remind me of him toting your bouquet around at the wedding. :) Wish you could write up our week with mom too...
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