Hotel IK

Stacey: Okay, so I'm getting too lazy to type out Irwin-Keeling so IK it is.  :-) 

We've had quite the guest list these past couple of weekends and there are more to come.  Two weeks ago, Justin's best friend Paul (practically his brother), managed to slip away from Knoxville and join us in Charlotte for a long weekend.  I stayed out of their way as much as possible to give them adaquate bonding time but did enjoy hanging out with them when I could.  The weekend can best be described as a 6th grader's sleepover....with beer.  :-)  The Xbox was put to good use; the local bars were toured and I found a new bonding experience with Paul...mocking Ghost Adventures.  Seriously watch this show - it's so ridiculous, it's hysterical!

The following weekend brought Justin a visit from his parents & sister to celebrate the big 37th birthday!  I definitely lost the wife of the year contest because a) I went to Charleston with some girlfriends to run the Cooper River Bridge Run (check out my training blog), and b) because I had to ask him twice how old he was this birthday.  I tried to use the whole age doesn't matter defense but my husband knows me and my short-term memory issues well. 

I got home Sunday night in time to treat Justin to what I consider the best pizza in Charlotte at the Pizza Peel and Tap Room!  It's a little restaurant hidden in the Cotswold neighborhood with wood plank walls and a funky neon sign and the freshest ingredients you will find!  The owners grow their own veggies and herbs and they update the menu frequently to try new flavors.  Justin opted for the extreme pepperoni pizza and the Thai Chicken pizza - surprisingly pepperoni lovin' Justin preferred the Thai Chicken.  I also love their beer list!  It's one of the few places I can find Cottonwood Ales in Charlotte. 

And we practically had the entire place to ourselves as tornado warnings were everywhere that night.  It's rare to have warnings so close to the Metro area and I tried not to be nervous when the sky took on that shade of pinkish-orange that I call the tornado hue.  It's not so much that tornadoes freak me out but I never know what to do when I hear a tornado warning here in the land of no basements.  Thanks to the clay soil in the Piedmont, basements are few and far between.  Combine that with the fact that there is a window in every room of our house (including the bathroom) and it's a safe bet that there is no safe place in our house.  Our first year here, we argued about whether or not we could all fit in the linen closet - we probably could if we had to. 

Of course, where to take cover seemed a pretty pointless topic of discussion once we realized that there are no warning sirens of any sort in Charlotte.  I'd have to be standing on my front porch to see it coming and at that point, I might as well just start snapping pictures to sell to the Travel Channel's Close Encounters.

While that little diatribe is sure to make my dad nervous, he can at least breathe a little easier knowing that we are now the proud owners of an ADT alarm system!  It was installed on Friday and includes a glass-break monitor, door monitors, a fire detector and key fobs so we can arm and disarm from a distance.  I feel better knowing the pets are safe from fire and Justin is now happy that he can take Porter with him if he leaves for the weekend.  :-)

Next up on our guest list is STEVE!! Our very dear friend who moved to South Korea to teach English and hasn't been home in over a year.  We miss him lots and he will be back on Tuesday and crashing with us for his trip.  So, guest room sheets are in the wash and I'm away to spruce up the bathroom. 

Hope everyone is well!