Pinehurst

In this post, I am thankful for shoulder and elbow surgeons. Not because we have needed them for our own health, but their professional society meets in a fancy location every year, and the shoulder and elbow therapists plan their meetings to coincide. Jeff is a member of ASSET (American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists), and this year he presented at the annual meeting in Pinehurst, North Carolina. It did not disappoint. The location was beautiful, customer service was excellent, and as the tag-along wife, I got to enjoy the spa, the pool, and lots of free time. We took an extra day after the conference to sightsee in the Raleigh-Durham area. We visited Duke in Durham, which has a beautiful campus. A local told us about a brewery in the old tobacco factory district, and it was one of the best meals we ate all weekend. The next day we visited UNC's campus. In contrast to the private school beauty of Duke, it looked more like a public school, albeit one with a lot of history and some very old buildings.

By the time we were done with our campus visits, we were more than ready to get home and see Jack and Lydia! They got to spend the weekend with both sets of grandparents, enjoying Iowa's homecoming festivities without us. This was the first trip we took where Jack was old enough to understand that we were gone and really miss us. After the first day, we mostly texted back and forth because he seemed to get more sad when he heard our voices. The grandmas assured us that the kids were fine once we hung up, so we decided it was better they not hear from us if they didn't need to! All in all, it was a great trip for Jeff and I, as well as a good chance for Jack and Lydia to have some special grandparent time without us around. Thank you, shoulder and elbow surgeons! (And obviously, also a big thank you to our parents for taking care of kids for a long weekend!)

The clubhouse at Pinehurst

The view toward the 18th green of Pinehurst No. 2

Enjoying the Veranda Bar, looking toward the 18th green of Pinehurst No. 2

The Carolina Hotel

Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Duke's campus

 

Chapel at Duke University

Wallace Wade Stadium at Duke (clearly Duke is not a football school!)

Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the minor league Durham Bulls

As for the rest of the fall, we've stayed busy going to Hawkeye football games, seeing family, and keeping our family of 4 running! When our plans to visit friends out of town fell through at the last minute, we took the kids to the Wisconsin Dells. They had a blast at the indoor water park at our hotel, and it was a fun get-away. All of the pictures are fuzzy because of the humidity! Uncle Jimmy came home twice in November, and Uncle Scott and Connor were home while we were in Pinehurst and again for Thanksgiving. The kids have had some great cousin and uncle time this fall, and we expect the same over Christmas too! We got our Christmas tree and put up lights last weekend and yesterday. We are getting into the holiday spirit and trying to slow down and breathe as much as possible over the next few weeks. We hope you are able to do the same with your family and loved ones.