Emma and Dan had their first big StoneBridge Upper School adventure in September. They attended the upper school retreat at Rock Bridge Camp for two nights and three days. It was Emma's first time staying at an overnight camp, and since she got to spend her days and nights with the other 6th grade girls, she had an amazing time! Dan spent his days and nights as the mentor/chaperone of the 7th grade boys, and for some reason he had a less amazing time...heh heh!
The students got to eat, play, and attend daily chapels together. Dan connected with Emma when he didn't have to oversee his group of boys, and was able to watch her do fun activities like the zipline, the giant swing, and the inflatable slide into the freezing cold lake.
Emma in the cafeteria with friends
Hanging out together on the porch during their free time
Emma (right) and her friends, Dasia (left) and Remy (middle) rode the giant camp swing, which was a big highlight for them ... except for Remy, who was positive that she was going to die. The poor girl was absolutely terrified and cried until her feet were safely back on the ground.
While Emma and Dan were making memories, Hallie still had to go to school, and I had to go to work.
She tried to cheer me up with her "see food".
But we planned a fun evening and went to Zaxby's for dinner.
Then we played at Chuck E. Cheese's! Hallie got to meet the star of the show in person! It was a good thing that Emma wasn't with us. She's terrified of "that giant rat," as she calls him.
We also stopped at The Sweet Spot for some dessert before heading home.
Dan and I went to his parents' house to help winterize and cover their pool. With a lot of help from the internet and their next-door neighbor, we accomplished it just as it got dark outside 8 hours later! Whew!
Dan's sister, Robin, came over for a few hours to help also, and Emma and Hallie enjoyed playing with their cousins, Naomi and Miriam.
Part of my former job at my company involved preparing for and attending tradeshows. When a tradeshow was scheduled in Virginia Beach, we realized that I was the only employee on staff who knew how to assemble our tradeshow booth. So, I helped set up the booth and trained my replacement to do it the next time.
After Hurricane Helene hit the central east coast so hard, I was part of a team that collected donations to send to the hurricane victims in North Carolina.
Our company filled a cubicle with food and supplies!
Hallie got to attend her friend, Sophia's, birthday party at the beginning of October. She lives in the country with lots of land for the kids to run around and play.
Sophia's dad also took the kids on 4-wheeling adventures around their property.
We stayed after school one evening for StoneBridge's tailgate party before the soccer and volleyball games. Dozens of families and staff make tons of food and serve it from the backs of their cars. The weather was perfect and the girls had the best time running around with their friends, trying all the food and treats.
Both girls got face painting, also.
The following day, SBS hosted their annual Princess Tea Party. I had taken Emma once when she was in preschool. We're typically out of town during the event in October, so when we knew we'd be around this year, Hallie begged to go!
Hallie (Princess Anna) with her best friends, Fiona (Queen Elsa) and Sophia (Cinderella)
The girls drank real tea from china tea cups. It was very fancy. There were crafts to do at the tables, and they gave each child an autograph book so the princesses could sign their book.
The princesses were played by StoneBridge's high school students.
This year, they recruited the high school boys to play the princes. Christoff asked Hallie to sign his autograph book, and she refused and broke his poor heart!
We got to celebrate our niece, Naomi, nephews, Benjamin and Nathan, and Dan's sister, Robin's, birthdays in October. Benjamin and Nathan actually have summer birthdays, but they're working men now, so it took us a while to pin them down for a party.
StoneBridge has a special Grandparents' Day in mid-October each year, and after the event at school that day, Dan's parents took Emma and Hallie to their timeshare in Virginia Beach to swim in the indoor pool. Dan and I took the opportunity to meet for dinner at High Street Pizza and Pour House in Portsmouth near my office.
They served Detroit-style pizza, which was delicious! We were glad we tried it, and we always love having uninterrupted time together.
