Mom and Dad Came For A Visit!

Mom and dad left yesterday after being here for a week and a half. We had such an enjoyable time. The best part was that I was off every day they were here, however I did work 5 hours for someone to attend a funeral, but other than that I was on vacation too. I picked them up on a Wednesday afternoon. It poured rain the entire two hours to and from Raleigh. In fact Raleigh got 10 inches of rain that day. Talk about a difficult drive, especially on our way home because it was dark and raining.
Thursday brought sunshine and so dad and I got our chores done early, winterizing my yard or rather pulling weeds. That afternoon we went up town to a hole in the wall called the Penguin. I only go there because I like their fried pickles, however I always feel sick after I leave and this time I wasn't quite impressed. Dad really didn't like them, but they do have great hamburgers. We stopped by the farmers market and I got some pumpkins for my front porch. That evening my friend Pamela who recently moved from Boise to Dallas, came over for a visit, as she was in Charlotte visiting a friend. It was so fun and seemed so weird to have my parents and my friend in my house in North Carolina. We had a great time though. I get to go see Pamela again in November when I have a conference in Dallas. Friday I worked half day and then we went shopping at Talbots. We attended Aladdin at the Children's Theater. They did an amazing job and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Saturday we went to visit the Bead Lady. Mom always has to buy more beads when she comes to visit , like I don't have enough. We also stopped at the Chocolate Shop which is kitty-corner from the bead lady. They have some amazing delicacies. We watched conference and in between conference we made an apple crisp to take over to our friends the Beachums. While the boys were at the Priesthood session the girls made bracelets, watched the Boise State game, and the Canadian Tenors on PBS.
Sunday morning I took my friend Carly's Bridal pictures. I think they turned out very nice for an amateur.

We found some great places in downtown Concord.
We listened to conference and Nick joined us for the last session. He spent the evening with us as well. We had a "wonderful evening" per my mother. We had a yummy Sunday dinner and played a great game of Quiddler.
Monday we drove to Gatlinburg, but took a few detours to see the scenery and through Ashville, so that mom could get her favorite grape lotion. I got some too. It does smell very fallish and reminds me of when mom cans grape juice in the fall. That night we ate at the Apple Barn. I think it is about my dad's most favorite place to eat. He loves their apple fritters and so do I. Tuesday we drove through the Smokey Mountains. The colors hadn't really changed much, however there was snow at the highest peak and it was freezing 41 degrees.
Mom of course still had her flip flops on.


We drove through some small towns and I especially enjoyed Waynesville, where we did some "window shopping"...


It is a very quaint little town with a darling downtown and a fun store called
I had always heard that the candy department was similar to Winco, not quite, but okay. At Winco candy is only $2.00 a pound here it was almost $6. We took a detour to go pick apples, but I saw a sign that had "Sale Apples $3.00 a box." That was way better than picking our own apples, cheaper, and they were so yummy. I bought 4 boxes of 3 different kinds of apples because it was such a great bargain.
Wednesday we went to Spencer to the Transportation Museum. It was quite interesting and enjoyable. We then met up with Nicks Grandmother in Salisbury for some shopping and Ice Cream. The rest of the day was spent canning apple pie filling and applesauce.



I have never made applesauce. It is so yummy and the experience was rather fun! However at the end of the day we were all tired and sticky.
Thursday we ran errands, cleaned house and then went to Relief Society. Friday morning we were up early, because my friend Carly got married in Raleigh. The coolest thing happened while we were there. Dad had forgotten his temple recommend (yes the Bishop doesn't carry it with him) and he went out to call President Jensen. Well our dear friend Connie Jones saw dad and was like, I know you what are you doing here. It was so wonderful to see her. She recently moved to Fayetville and the funny thing was I was thinking about her on my way to Raleigh. We chatted with here for a while and promised to meet up again soon.
So I again was the photographer for Carly's wedding and again, I think the pictures turned out quite well.



It was a long day though, which called for a pedicure. I really needed one too. Mom and dad flew out Saturday morning and I drove to Albamarle for the reception.








By that evening I was exhausted and glad to go home. We had a wonderful week and a half and it was nice that I didn't have to get on a plane. It really did go by way to fast and there was a lot more that I would have loved to accomplish, but I guess there is always next time.
Before coming to visit, dad was worried that 7 year old AmyLynne would pass away while he was gone. In fact one morning while my parents were in town I found dad typing away at his computer. I asked him what he was doing and he said that he was typing his talk for Amylynnes funeral, because it came to him while laying in bed that morning. I must admit that I prayed she would wait until mom and dad got home. Grandma Betty said she did too. Heavenly Father answered our prayers, because she passed away a few hours after mom and dad returned home. It is a sad time for our family and their ward, but she fought a long hard battle, but she is cancer free now and in a far better place.