good news!

Andrew is signed up to take some classes this summer at NC State! He's signed up for calculus and physics for both sessions (there goes my help around the house!) and we're excited that this is a step forward. At the very least, it'll give Andrew something to do. Now, we won't talk about how it's at State and we'd rather support the Carolina Blue, but we're still excited! Now, for two gigantic prayer requests. We only have one car and Andrew's classes start at 7:30am. EEEK! We have to figure out a carpooling/public transportation/second car solution to this problem. Soon. And there's the $$$$ factor - hopefully we can either (a) get some student loans or (b) get an extension on Andrew's unemployment. Otherwise Page might be selling snow cones on the street. I'm just sayin'...

But all in all, this is very good news. Andrew lost his job almost 6 months ago and it hasn't been until now that something has come along that feels somewhat mobilizing. Here's to hoping for straight A's!!

our weekend update (in case you were wondering)

Let me tell you something. We Castrodales are always on the go. This weekend was no different. We started out by celebrating my brother’s 18th birthday (what?!) with my parents, grandparents, Tyler’s girlfriend Kaitlyn, and Hubert. Hubert is Tyler’s pet duck. Let’s talk about this for a second. This is my (rock star) brother...

And this is Hubert...

Who knew that this guy would want a pet duck? That’s why I like him, because he’s his own person and he keeps me laughing ALL THE TIME. I love that kid. But what’s great about this little relationship, is that Hubert thinks Tyler is his mom. Really. He follows him around, stands on Tyler’s feet if he’s not walking around and freaks out if he doesn’t have Tyler in sight. And by freak out, I mean he makes a variety of duck noises and flaps his little wings with all he has in him. It’s adorable.

So that was part 1 – celebrating the birth of my favorite teenager and watching him raise his little duck.

Part 2 was equally amazing. Spring came and went and we enjoyed 90 degree weather all weekend. We decided, kind of at the last minute, to drive for the beach for the day on Saturday. It was the perfect excursion and very relaxing. We’re going to the beach with Andrew’s family in two weeks and our little day trip gave us just enough of a taste to make us extremely anxious for that vacation. I would lay on the beach every day if I could. And I mean it.

spring is springing

That’s what I see when I’m on the way to my parents' house that waits at the top of this hill. And I love it when the trees are just starting to fill out. This weekend, I took Friday off of work to have a “Yay Spring” celebration with my mom. She and I (and all of the women in my family, for that matter) share an affinity for all things green, floral and warm.

We enjoyed the great weather with lunch and a leisurely walk around town, but then we set off to find a way to invite spring into our homes. My mom insisted on getting me some new placemats and dishtowels for the kitchen, all of which are loud with springy prints and perfectly lovely. Then, much to our excitement, we happened to pass a nursery on the way home where we each picked out a hanging basket and a pot of gerbera daisies. It’s true, my friends. Spring has sprung. And enjoying that with my mother may be favorite part about the season.

come out, come out wherever you are

Here’s the deal. We know you’re out there. We have a nifty little tracker that tells us how many people have read our blog on a given day (and where they live!). But to keep us from feeling like no one cares about this little blog of ours, you should come out and fess up to reading it. See the comment link below? Click it! Leave a comment! And then we’ll know who we can and can’t say mean things about. Ok, kidding…but seriously, who are you people?

what do you think?

Guess what happens when it's Good Friday and only two of the 12 surrounding desks are occupied (because that's how slow it is today)? The Castrodale blog gets a little spring makeover! I randomly stumbled across this site that designs Blogger templates and they had a few freebies, so I snagged one for fun. I think it looks like it was made with me in mind, and since I'm the only one who ever updates this thing, I think I have the right to a semi-girly blog layout. Agreed?

Happy Easter, folks.

the university of national champions

Four years ago, when I was a freshman and Andrew was a sophomore and we wandered around campus not knowing the other existed, our Tar Heels won the National Championship. Four years later, we are blissfully aware of each other’s existence and we met up with some of our favorite fellow alumni to watch our Tar Heels become National Champions again. And it was awesome!