Happy 150th Birthday, West Virginia!

It's been a busy few weekends for Evan and I, with lots of travel between NC and WV.  I saw pretty much everyone who keeps up with this blog at some point in the last couple of weeks, but I have some great pictures to share! Enjoy :)

Before we headed off to Lewisburg for some Father's Day celebrations, we headed to another concert in Raleigh - Brad Paisley this time! The concert wasn't my favorite of the series, but it was very fun to have so many of our friends come to this one!

The whole crew before the show :)

Over Father's Day weekend Evan and I headed to Lewisburg to visit with his family. The trip was a whirlwind, but it was wonderful to see everyone. Luckily, we had great weather to travel and got to spend a fun night full of family, food, and late-night card games!

The Widney Fam! (From left to right: Harry, Evan, Kaye, Candi, Molly, Doug, & Dallas)

Last weekend we hopped back in the car and made our way to Charleston to enjoy the celebration of WV's 150th birthday. Charleston was packed all weekend. To start off our long weekend at home, Chris welcomed us at the house after midnight. We stayed up late catching up, then got up early for breakfast with friends! It was so nice to be home with my brother - it doesn't happen much anymore!

Later that day we visited Grandma Dottie & Grandpa Otto in St. Albans, but unfortunately my camera battery died. We had a nice time catching up and ate lunch at a little diner after checking out the construction of the new St. Albans bridge.

That evening, while waiting for my Aunt Lynn and cousins Ashley & Ethan to get into town, we decided to take some spontaneous shots in the basement. This series of pictures ended up being my favorites from the whole weekend. Isn't that the way it always is?

Later that night we headed downtown to the Capital to watch the 3D movie & fireworks for WV's sesquicentennial celebration. The fireworks were great (despite being a bit covered up by some big trees) and the movie was amazing! It was created specifically for the front of the Capital, incorporating the pillars into all of the graphics.

                              

The next day we headed back to the Capital and spent the day enjoying local bluegrass music, local artisans, and homemade ice cream. :) It was a hot, hot day, but we still enjoyed all the entertainment! 

Good lookin' state seal, in my opinion!

Later that evening it was back to the Drescher household to have a big cookout with the Widney's and the Dreyer's. We all hung out on the back porch until late, enjoying the tiki torches lit up around the garden. Mom has done a great job sprucing up the back porch this summer!! It was a great evening had by all.

Early Sunday morning, despite sleepy bodies from the late night before, we packed up and headed to Flat Top Lake for the day! Flat Top is one of my favorite places in the world, and it was perfect lake weather! We spent all day enjoying the water and pontoon, until Evan and I had to head back to reality in NC around 5:30 that evening.

All in all, it has been a great 2 weekends back in WV. Evan and I talk all the time about how we couldn't ask for more supportive, loving families. We're so lucky to have so much to come home to!

Love to all,

Moll

Memorial Day & Jordan Lake

Hello all! 

Summer is off to a good start here in NC. The weather has been perfect for hanging out poolside, which has been pretty great since I'm only in clinic 2 days a week. Despite how nice it has been to relax, I'm a little too antsy to only work twice a week. I was hired by the YMCA to work at the front desk of one of their outdoor pools this summer. I may end up teaching swim lessons as well - looks like I'll get paid to spend at the pool... (which sounds good to me!) 

One of the Towers of the Duke Chapel

Over Memorial Day weekend the Widney's came down for a visit. The weather was beautiful the entire time they were here, and we did our best to make it like a mini-vacation for the two of them! We went to an outdoor movie showing of Oz the Great & Powerful, cooked out at our apartment, shopped at the outlets, went to Durham to show them around Duke's campus and the Duke Gardens, and ventured to Maple View Farms for homemade ice cream. It was a great weekend!

Kaye & Evan inside the Duke Chapel

Duke Chapel is a gorgeous building inside and out. It is right on Evan's walk to his office building each day. Evan enjoyed taking his parents on a tour of his office and the Chapel, and then we headed to Erwin Road - the main street for Duke students that is packed with local restaurants - to grab a bite for lunch, and then headed to the Duke Gardens.

The Widney's at the Duke Gardens

The following weekend had beautiful weather again, so Evan and I decided to take an easy camping trip. We headed about 20 minutes away to Jordan Lake Recreation Area and found a great little site to set up camp. Jordan Lake is huge, but it was still very serene and peaceful. Our campsite was right on the water with a pretty view of sailboats floating by. After setting up our tent, we headed to the "beach" area on the lake, where we spent the day lazily reading and enjoying the water and sun.

That evening when headed back to our campsite we made delicious tin-foil dinners over the campfire. Although we made way too much food (and ate it all...), a camping trip wouldn't be complete without eating s'mores. It was the most relaxing weekend we've had in weeks!

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the posts. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of family over the next month - and we're so excited!

 Until next time...

-Molls