Monday Update!

Another exciting weekend here in Pope-ville. And a holiday to boot!

Our 4th was pretty calm. We went shopping, actually. I had to pick up a desk that I ordered from World Market. It's now assembled and awesome! World Market is in the same shopping center as Babies-R-Us, so we dropped in there to look at car seats. Eleanor is almost 20lbs and ready for a new one. We talked with a salesman who was very helpful in an obnoxious sort of way (it bothered me, but not Sarah) and poked, prodded, and sat Eleanor in a bunch of seats. We went being almost all set on a Britax Roundabout, but they were out. And the salesman did his best to sell us on the Marathon. So we left without getting anything.

(Lest you think we were merely consumers, not patriotic, we did go to Red White and Boom on Thursday).

Saturday we had some friends over for a cookout. My gaming friend Dustin brought his wife and 4 kids over, so Eleanor had plenty of playmates. We ate burgers and hotdogs and had a good time. All those kids led to everyone being tired, so Eleanor passed out and Sarah and I watched Elizabeth, the Golden Age.

Sunday was supposed to be a normal restful day, but my dad invited us to meet him in Asheville for lunch and we were glad to go. We ate at The Stone Ridge Tavern, then walked around the farmer's market for a bit. They doted on the granddaughter. Eleanor's cuteness and polite manners led her to a free peach from an admirer. Sarah and I had the idea to take US 74 back, though Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. Bad idea, given the storm that came up and everyone's declining temperament. We made it back much later than we wanted to. Eleanor took a quick bath and passed out. Sarah and I just vegged on the couch and watched "Million Dollar Celebrity Password."

A good but unexpectedly tiring weekend. We need to make sure we get some rest before we go on vacation!