Fear says, "What if?" Faith says, "Even if."

I have tried, over and over, to write this post. I have written and deleted, written and deleted. Over and over again. I have picked up my laptop and logged into my website, only to close it again, frustrated, stuck, unsure, anxious. 

And so, I think, there is only one thing I want to say right now, while I continue to process what is happening all around us. 

Fear says, "What if?"

Faith says, "Even if."

-Author Unknown

None of this is a surprise to God. And He has got us all in His hands. Sending light and faith to those who may need a little extra dose right now. <3

Back soon, friends...

Cheers to the Weekend, Blog Break Edition

Well hellooooooo. I took a little blog break. To be honest, I just wasn't feeling motivated to write so I gave myself some grace and some time off. It's also one of my "40 Before 40" things to accomplish (take 30 days off from writing - haven't done that since I started this blog back in 2012!); so, the break was both overdue and a way to check off another of my 40 things. Also, I want this to be a space I enjoy coming back to and look forward to, not forced to, write in. And I wasn't feeling it. So, I took some time off and filled it with friends and fam I love. But, before time slips away (I mean - hello!! We are now into March!), I want to offer up a little CHEERS and maintain my virtual scrapbook with a few updates of what we've been up to. Ready? It's a doozy. Maybe my longest post ever. Think you'll make it to the end of it? God speed. ;) Here we go!

Playing Hooky at Hawks Nest. We were originally scheduled to have President's Day off from school a couple weeks back. But then, a couple weeks before that, some cRaZy storms came through, and we ended up getting dismissed from school early on a Thursday and then school was cancelled that Friday. Which meant the make up day? You guessed it: President's Day. Which also happened to be the date my hub and I had decided to surprise the kids and take them snow-tubing. We purchased the tickets weeks and weeks in advance, and since they were non-refundable, and our kiddos hardly ever miss school, we decided to play hooky, travel the 2.5 hours, and enjoy a morning of snow tubing. And it.was.SO.fun.!! 

Great Wolf Lodge x2. Both Raleigh and Harrison were thrilled to be invited to separate birthday celebrations with the best of friends, each taking place over night at Great Wolf Lodge. If you've never been, GWL is this amazing, humongous indoor water park and themed hotel. Rals was up first with one of her BFFs, and they had the best time. <3

Two weeks later, it was Harrison's turn, heading to GWL to celebrate his good buddy, along with one of the birthday boy's brothers and another sweet friend. These boys had a blast, I was told. :) 

Lily Pad Haven Fundraising Event. Several weeks ago, my hub and I, joined by several amazing neighbors and friends, attended the second annual Lily Pad Haven, Inc. fundraising event, to raise money to support survivors of human trafficking. We had a wonderful time with people we love, supporting a cause close to our hearts. <3

Valentine's Day. My little Valentine minis had a great Valentine's Day with each having parties at school (and little Bella and Harrison wearing shirts their big sibs had worn years ago, when they were as small as our littlest Lus). 

I had a lovely Valentine's as well, which kicked off with a fun Galentine's party hosted by a dear friend; an impromptu afternoon stop for a glass of Rose with my hub and two other couples we love; and a date night at a delicious French restaurant in Charlotte with my all-time Valentine. <3 It ended up being a really good day. <3

Barre3 Couples Night. The week before that, though, my hub joined me for a fun couples night at one of my favorite places: Barre3! It was a great workout, and for the second year in a row, we had a great time. 

Appointments left and right. Our Bellaboo has been keeping us busy with appointments, and we knocked a few more off the list the last few weeks. Prayers always, always, always appreciated for good news and good progress, friends. We appreciate your prayers more than you know. She is such a rockstar. 

Lu Ladies Red Carpet Viewing Party. For the sixth year, us Lu ladies got all fancy and enjoyed our own annual Red Carpet Viewing party. I just love this night with my sweet girls!

Camp Crestridge Momma Reunion. I have written before about how much I love, love, love Camp Crestridge. While they have overnight camps for girls throughout the summer, Raleigh and I opted for the Mother-Daughter camp last year and had the best time! We went with one of my favorite friends and her daughter and crossed our fingers for some fun bunkmates. Well....we hit the JACKPOT when we met our new friend, Ashley, and her daughter, Peyton. The girls were three peas in a pod and we mommas just had the best time together. While we'll be doing it all again later this summer, we didn't want to go that long before reuniting. So, Ashley, Leslie, and I planned a quick reunion (just us mommas) and had the best time. It snowed like mad while we walked all over Greenville, South Carolina, and we loved it. 

We walked and shopped and talked and found the most perfect underground coffee shop, where we chatted and just enjoyed our girl time. We had a delicious brunch, an amazing dinner, a tasty breakfast, and enjoyed every single second. I am so thankful for this time and these friends. <3

Winter sports conclusion. Well, winter sports have come to an end, with both Banks and Harrison closing out their basketball seasons. 

We enjoyed the two week break before Spring sports (i.e., baseball; teeball; tennis; running; gymnastics; dance) began for my crew and filled some of our empty evenings by cheering on some of our older friends who play middle school sports - hitting up several middle school basketball games and a cheer/dance exhibition showcase. It was fun and got us excited for what the middle school days will bring. 

Mother-Son Game Night. For the first time, our neighborhood hosted a Mother-Son Night, which consisted of fierce competition a la "Minute to Win It" games and lots of laughs between mothers and sons. We absolutely LOVED it, and I was so spoiled by my two handsome dates, who showed up to pick up their Momma with flowers in hand. <3

Glam Gathering/Daddy-Daughter Dance. The next morning, Raleigh and I headed back to our neighborhood clubhouse for the Girls Glam Event, where some of us mommas helped our sweet daughters get all glam: hair done-check! nails done-check! make-up done-check! dance moves practiced-check! crafts made-check! It was so fun and all in preparation for...

...the evening's Daddy-Daughter Dance! For the first time, our 'hood hosted this even right here in our clubhouse (in years past, these dances have been hosted by our rec center, high schools, etc.). It was so fun because all of the daughters and all of the daddies knew each other-they're neighbors after all. :) The had the best time, each and every one of 'em. 

"Snow"...errr...ice day. We had some wintery weather come through a few weeks back, complete with icy roads and gusty winds; so, we enjoyed an early dismissal from school on a Thursday and then no school that Friday. We made the most of it with some fun, bonus friend time. :) 

Extended family fun. Last weekend, my cousin got married right down the road from us in Charlotte. This meant lots of extended family were in town for the beautiful event, and we had so much fun! We kicked off the day with a little cousin meet-up at Adventure Air... 

...before leaving the kiddos at home to enjoy the nuptials. Such a special, fun night with our fam. <3 

Renovation update. We are almost done!!!! with interior home renovation, with just over one week to go. We seriously could not be happier with our builder and the hard work he and his team have poured into our home. Do you want to hear something UNHEARD OF in the construction/renovation domain? We are finishing one week AHEAD of schedule. When does that ever happen?! Allllll the credit goes to our construction team. More about them soon! The only snafu we hit is that, thanks to the virus-who-must-not-be-named, some of the shipments of our new appliances are delayed a few days. BUT STILL. We have loved our construction team and how well they have cared for us and our renovation. 

This week, we had to move out of our house while the floors were being redone. This meant moving all the things off our hardwood floors and into the garage/back porch/carpeted areas. Whew! We then packed our things and have been staying in the coziest little AirBNB just six miles away! Because our flooring guys finished a day ahead of schedule, we were able to move back in last night. Yeehaw! Can't wait to share tons of befores/durings/afters in the near future.  

And that's about it for now, friends. If you made it to the end of this novel, well done, you. Well done. And thank you. :) It will go down in the books as the longest post I've ever written, so kudos to you for making it to the sentence - ha! 

We've got a fun weekend ahead, with my hub and I headed to the annual Greenway Gala we attend every year. It is one of our favorite nights of the year in our sweet town with great friends, and we can't wait! Have a wonderful weekend. Back soon...