it's already september??

Wow. time has flown by and i just realized that i haven't posted since the beginning of august. my days of getting up for a leisurely breakfast, watching the today show coffee in hand while reading my daily blogs came to a screeching halt aug. 17 when school started. i miss those lovely summer mornings when you feel so energized and excited to frequent the beach. i have finally shifted my hot weather loving body to the exciting thoughts of fall. i was avoiding the thought of cooler weather like the plague but the first morning i got the smell of crisp air i was hooked. this happens every year though. pumpkin spice lattes, fabulous scarves and cardigans, leaves changing, mountain trips and holidays instantly brighten my thoughts.

august flew by so i'll recap. (i shared earlier that the chidesters came but here are some more details.) we had the great privilege of having visitors in late july/early aug. k and i LOVE having visitors, especially the chidesters! we joked about them having to meet a 2 week minimum stay because we love them that much. i feel so blessed that i have been able to have them in my life and now k and i are so blessed by john and sara's friendship. if you don't follow sara's blog, you should! she is always posting great recipes and great pictures. we had a blast for the days they were here and soaked up every ounce of chidester we could. of course ellie was very excited to have a playmate and i was very pumped john's sister, emily joined. john and sara have a schnoodle named madden who is a trip!

Here is a pic of the girls!

a few weekends ago we were able to go to the pilot house with the yates. if you haven't been to the pilot house i highly suggest it during your next trip to the port city. it is delicious and sits right next to the cape fear river, could you ask for anything more? emily and i ordered the same thing and it was so good i forgot to take a picture but i did take a few of us on the deck.

the yates got a good dose of the hines because the end of august we had hurricane irene. the threat of damage when you actually own a home is much more real this go round but what an excuse for a slumber party?? the yates live near the water and felt they would make the trek down to our house for the weekend just to be on the safe side. it was wonderful and felt like i was in college again but with husbands! we had fun playing cards, enjoying each other's company and eating and eating some more. what a fun weekend and luckily we didn't have any major damage. we had to make a trip down to wrightsville friday evening because who doesn't want to see the beach as a hurricane is rolling in?? i also made a delicious homemade cinnamon bun recipe that i will post soon!

a little spades tournament by candlelight? yes please.