RyRySays

So it's been awhile. Here's what I've been up to:

First I went on our annual family vacation to the Outer Banks. This year we stayed in Nags Head, as soon as you cross the bridge. Our house was awesome. It was the first house where everyone got a bed! It did lack some things though, like glasses. But luckily we're a Solo cup kind of family and after last year's disaster of trying to play beer pong with plastic margarita glasses, 3 families had a Solo supply and it was all good.


For the past few years, the older kids have paid for and made dinner on one night in lieu of paying to go (basically none of us can afford to go, plus we all sleep in 2 rooms - I don't think I've had a bed to myself since I was 3). This year we decided to mix it up and had Fiesta night. We went all out with decorations, outfits, music & food. We even made my brother dress up like a donkey. The costume was made from my cousins Halloween costumes when they were like 7 and dressed up as Buster & Babs bunny.

We even had a pinata that was for kids (random toys from the dollar store) and adults (airplane bottles). My brother held onto the pinata as the kids whacked at it. There is video, and it's hilarious, but for some reason my computer won't open it. Also, my brother is an idiot and didn't think to make sure to get plastic bottles, so when Sara hit it, it started leaking and the house began to smell like Wild Turkey.

This year we made Top Shelf shirts. Here are the backs. We also took about 40 family pictures and I think one is actually good, but I didn't post it. You'll just have to do without.

Overall we had great weather, the water was beautiful & as always my family is crazy and I love them.

The following week my mom stayed at my house. It's a long story about driving by herself & work and I'm not going to go any further. We had a nice week. She worked from my house (which is part of the reason I didn't post - I don't have wireless and it was pain to rearrange computers) while I went to work. We walked around my town at night and went to National Night Out on Tuesday. It was pretty good - I drove a golf cart with beer goggles that simulate a .17-.20 BAC and I hit 2 cones.

That Friday was my brother's commissioning ceremony in Raleigh. He had already technically had a commissioning ceremony in Seattle the week before the beach trip, but this was for NC State ROTC people. There were 5 guys becoming 2nd lieutenants. Each one had made their way a little differently. My mom & I put his bars on. Each guy also gave a little speech during the end of lunch. I cried about 5 times (well teared up). Again, I have video of both ceremonies, but computer malfunctions won't let me post them.

After the ceremony, he came back to my house and the 3 of us went bar hopping. We played trivia a lot. My mom left Saturday morning and Jeff went out with me & some work people on Saturday night. Then we played quite a few rounds of Phase 10 & Scrabble while watching various Olympic stuff.

This last week has been catch up for me. I have massive laundry to do & also needed some sleep since the previous 2 weeks had been crammed full of stuff. So, I should be posting more often now, especially since SYTYCD is over for the season (yay Joshua!) and it'll be 2 weeks before Greek comes back (yay!!).