Hey yall, I haven’t spoken to yall since the school got out and wanted to spend some time with yall and catch up. Before I begin, what have yall been up to? Have yall been enjoying your summer? Have yall gone on any vacations or zip trips? If you haven’t gone anywhere, have you at least been staying cool in this heat?
I brought some goodies so we could eat. I hope you are a little hungry!
Since the last time we talked, the family and I have been just taking things easy and just enjoying life. I don’t know if yall remember, but Natlie got diagnosed with anxiety and depression, so I have been keeping an eye on her. She was battling upset stomach issues, and the doctor she is working with explained that sometimes depression and anxiety can cause physical issues like upset stomach, nausea, headache, and you can guess the rest.
I got worried and decided to go on a zip trip. A zip trip in my opinion is where you go traveling close to your city and sightsee, go to a restaurant you want to try, or just take a long drive out of town. You can stay overnight in a nearby city, but it’s far enough to get out of town but close enough to be close to home.
On our zip trip, I told her to take me to her college town, Greensboro, North Carolina. She is an A&T alumnus, and ever since Natlie and I got together she always wanted to take me, so we went. The entire family got up there, and Natlie got mad. They have rearranged the campus and have built and torn down stuff she couldn’t figure out where she was at. You could see the nostalgia take over when she saw her old dorm. We rode around the campus for about an hour, her reminiscing about the ” good old days.”
I decided to up the ante. Madison had been talking about funnel cakes, and I had seen on Instagram a page called RalieghFoodTrap, and one of the reels they had was a place called Funnel Me Crazy. It is located in the Durham area, and from Greensboro, it was just another hour, so we went. Here are photos of our funnel cake day!
When we left, we decided to take the back way home. When I was going to Elizabeth City State University, I would take HWY 264 home, and it was nostalgic for me. It felt like I was back in time, and seeing the small towns growing… it felt good. We finally got home a little after 9:00 pm, we made a few stops on the way home. Bathroom breaks are real!
After that I noticed Natlie and the girls started having a pep in their step so I told them I needed to go somewhere a few days later. They all got dressed, and I went to the next city over and pulled up to Pizza Hut, a much-needed treat. I will use any excuse to eat some good food. Do you want a bite?
Madison and Mackenzie have been having playdates, going swimming, and going to visit their school friends. On a recent outing, we went to a place called BigAir, and it is a trampoline, basketball, running type of place… let me show you!
Soooooooo… yall wanna see Natlie fight a bull. Yes, she did yall, it was mechanical, but she still lost. I give her an A for effort. I won’t lie. It was touch and go for a minute, so me being the supportive wife, I took out the phone and recorded her epic fail. I was so proud!
They even have a place for the smaller children. I was impressed with all the activities they have in there, and they have a sitting area for the parents who aren’t playing.
Guess what else we have been doing? We have been backyard camping. See, I figured, if we can go out and go on zip trips, well why not sleep somewhere other than the bedroom!? So for July 4th, we actually had a ball at home. We even got some fireworks from the local grocery store, and it felt like we were in paradise.
Of course, I have been doing a lot of cooking out. I made a goal this year to be outside more, and although I can’t be outside during the day, I make up for the lost time at night. I try and get the cookout going by 8:00 pm, but I have no problem starting a grill at 11:00 pm.
I know I don’t have any exotic photos or anything amazing like most of you, but I think my summer is coming along pretty fancy. I am meeting new people and making memories, and it is not the size of the step you take, you just have to take the step. Well, I’m stepping.
I have even gone as far as to paint the master bedroom. It is a copper penny. I can’t show yall yet, because I want to move my furniture back in and you will see the final results. Natlie helped me paint, and I must say we did an amazing job. We have to do the trimming next!
Ok yall, I know I have talked and talked and shown you videos and everything, but I wanted to check in and let you see why I haven’t been blogging. I have so much more to share, but I had to tell yall this first. As always Big Hugs and Warm Smiles.
Ivey
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