North Carolina trip

Thursday, July 23rd: I flew to Charlotte, N.C. late in the day, so that Doug could pick me up from the airport after he got off work.  We had a late dinner at City Smoke. http://citysmokeclt.com/index.html  They had wonderful smoked meats and local craft brewed beers.







Friday, July 24th: We were both off that day. We went to breakfast at Crispy Crepe. https://www.crispycrepe.com/;
We had a wonderful  Dill crusted crêpe with scrambled eggs, goat chesse, red onions & sliced smoked salmon. Drizzled with crème fraîche with a side of fresh fruit and coffee. We spent the morning going to various specialty pharmacies looking for some supplies Doug needed for work (6" wooden q-tip and face masks). He was able to find the face masks at CVS Pharmacy, but the 6" q-tips posed a bigger challenge and  we ended up finding them at a medical supply company. We also picked up a few snacks for the hotel and a bottle of wine to take to Aunt Frans later in the day.
We had a late lunch at Cabo Taco. We shared the blackened Mahi-Mahi taco with black beans & rice. After lunch we headed back to the hotel for some rest & relaxation before heading to Aunt Fran's for dinner. We arrived at Aunt Frans and enjoyed some cocktails before dinner (lasagna, salad, bread, wine & cheesecake). We left her house around 9:30pm.

Saturday, July 25th.We got up early and went to McDonalds for breakfast and we were at Aunt Frans by 10am. We enjoyed a short visit with my cousin Gary and his son Jordan.
We then proceeded to Clover, S.C. (stopping for sandwiches at Chick-Fil-A) prior to visiting my cousin Mel at his treefarm/nursery. We were also able to meet his daughter Season and her children. We spent the entire day sitting outside, visiting with everyone that came along. We left S.C. around 5pm and drove back to Charlotte and stopped at a fish camp: Captain Steve's http://www.captainstevescharlotte.com/.

Aunt Fran, Jordan, Gary & me

Aunt Fran, me and my cousin Mel

Sunday, July 26thWe got up early and drove to Thomasville, N.C. for church services at Blessings Baptist Church. My uncle is the minister at this church. He had posted on Facebook several days earlier about a special music concert so we thought we'd just show up and surprise them. Boy did we ever! The music provided by "The Good News" was awesome. http://goodnewshp.com/ They don't have singers like this in Texas!  After lunch we treated my aunt and uncle along with two of the three singers to lunch at "The Women's Club" as seen on UNC-TV's NC Weekend, July 2, 2015.See video: youtu.be/dBH6pyI0jDA The Sunday brunch buffet at the Thomasville Woman's Club has become a beloved tradition.There were many succulent Southern classics. (fried chicken, mac/cheese, boiled ham, chicken/dumplings, banana pudding and lots of homemade pies). After lunch we headed back to Charlotte for some rest/relaxation. Dinner was at the Carolina Ale House. http://www.carolinaalehouse.com/
I had the Carolina 'Cue sandwich and a local craft beer. It was a wonderful day!

Monday, July 27th
Doug worked at the Fed, leaving the hotel at 5am. I worked from the hotel. I enjoyed a turkey club sandwich at the hotel restaurant. Doug got back to the hotel around 6:30pm. We went to dinner at the Roosters. http://roosterskitchen.com/locations/uptown-charlotte/  
I had the salami/cheese pizette and a local craft brew. Doug had one of the specials of the day. Duck confit. He said this was by far the best meal he has had anywhere,ever!! That is saying something. So if you get in the Charlotte area, you should visit this restaurant.


Tuesday, July 28th
Doug worked at the Fed, leaving the hotel at 5am. I worked from the hotel. I enjoyed a turkey club sandwich at the hotel restaurant. Doug got back to the hotel around 6:00pm.  We met his co-worker Dave L. for dinner at Black Finn. http://blackfinnameripub.com/charlotte/
I had the Blackened Chicken Alfredo and a glass of wine. Doug & David both had the Grilled Mahi-Mahi.
Wednesday, July 29th
We were up way early (4:30am) this morning to make our flight to DFW. Our flight arrived at just before 9am and we were home and I was working before heading over to the hospital to see the new Elliott arrival born at 10:21am.

It was a great weekend of connecting with family I hadn't seen since my Grandma's funeral 15 years ago (2000). I can't wait to go back and visit with those family members I missed seeing this time. The countdown to September is on!!