A North Carolina Homecoming!

On the whole this work week was much better than last! All except a minor glitch on Tuesday when I got bit...well more liked nipped in the face by dog. Not fun, but certainly could have been worse and I'm really blessed that I had just a few scratches and didn't lose my top lip!

As always, my day off was spent cleaning and preparing for the weekend. However, since the past week hosted both Boss's Day and National Veterinary Technician Week, I wanted to make some treats for everyone at the office. I made this recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles. They were pretty time consuming, but worth it since everyone seemed to enjoy them. The recipe didn't really indicate home many to expect, but I got about 45 cookies out of one recipe in case you're thinking about making them. And all 45 were gone by the time I left work on Friday :)

Friday seemed to go by slower than normal because I knew we were hitting the road to NC after work! Fortunately, one of the small animal vets and I traded favors and she closed for me so I could get away from work earlier. The day was pretty forgiving for a Friday- except my very last case. Yet again, I diagnosed a big, sweet loving dog with bone cancer. It was very sad but we're going to work to make him as comfortable as possible until it's time to let him go. Clark and I got on the road about 6:15 and pulled into the La Quinta in Cary just before 10 pm. Quick side note: Clark and I are a pretty big fan of La Quinta. They're not super fancy, but they are usually reliable, clean, and have a pretty good rewards system. Keep them in mind when traveling!

Saturday, the day I had been anxiously waiting for, finally arrived. The day full of Family, Friends, the Fair, Fun, and Food!! We first picked up my Mom and Sister. I'm so thankful I got to spend some much needed time with those two! The theme for the fair this year is North Carolina's Homecoming. It was so fitting for Clark and I since it was the perfect place to see aunts, uncles, cousins, cousin's kids and many other friends. My family is really involved in showing sheep and goats so I was glad we got to see their hard work and dedication pay off at the State Fair. I have been in Raleigh for the past 8 years and usually have more than one day to indulge in my favorite fair foods. But this time we only had 1/2 a day and had to prioritize which foods to get. FYI the list was:

1. Mini Donuts- they are fresh, hot, and covered in cinnamon-sugar goodness! 

2. Ribeye Steak Sandwich from the NC Cattlemen's Association

3. Wisconsin Fried Cheese- Cheddar nuggets with Jalapeno Ranch

Normally I would also work in a corn dog, some "new" highly publicized deep fried food, and NC State Howling Cow Ice Cream. 

Saturday also happened to be Open House at NC State and my Aunt Cindy, Uncle Jason and cousins Tristan and Grey were in Raleigh for that. Once they finished up on campus we met up with them at Amedeo's, a definite Raleigh staple. It was so great to see them and catch up! I was seriously lucky to be able to see members from both sides of my family this weekend. 

The fun continued Saturday night when we got to celebrate the engagement of my good friend and classmate, Nikki, and her fiance, Justin. They are big Harry Potter fans and the bridesmaids planned a so-themed event. I'm not familiar with the movies or the books, but it really seemed like the ladies put in a lot of hard work into good food and little details that made the night a blast. It was SO good to see Nikki; June was the last time I had seen her. I also got to catch up with one of my favorite vet school professors and his lovely wife which was a great, unexpected surprise. We're so happy for Nikki and Justin and can't wait to celebrate their marriage next fall. 

After a fun-filled day we rested well and woke up with the intentions of taking my sister to breakfast at the NC Farmer's Market Restaurant. She has been in Raleigh for over a year now and somehow hasn't been there yet. However, when we pulled in the line was out the door- way out of the door. So unfortunately Molly's first Farmer's Market Restaurant experience has been put on hold. But that gave us the opportunity to introduce her to Big Ed's. Big Ed's is another great option in Raleigh for a big, country breakfast. 

Sisters rockin' the flannel! 

After brunch, we dropped Molly off at Meredith and hit the road back to Staunton. As our tradition has been, we made an obligatory stop at Bojangles before we reached sweet-tea-chicken-supreme-honey-mustard-buttery-biscuit barren land.

As usual, there's lots on on our calendar this week and more excitement planned for the upcoming weekend. Please be in prayer with us this week as a very special young lady waits on and hopefully receives some test results after some pretty scary medical events. The Lord knows the need and situation. Thanks and have a great week!