Owen declared it (over and over): "The best day ever." I had to agree.
Slept in (well, as much as I can sleep in). Paul made pancakes as per our Saturday routine.
Then off to one-on-one time with the girls. Paul took Owen to a Lego Robotics event at the university (She loved it). Barrett and I headed out for our own day, everything at her request: our local bookstore (books traded for me, books bought for sister and herself), our local farmer's market (now gone indoors for the season), then to our wonderful library for her very own, very first library card (and more books).
Met up again with Paul and Owen at our local ice cream shop, which happened to be holding a fund-raising event for the Reading Rover (games, fun, raffle, more books).
Debate ensued: where to go for the rest of the afternoon? Looking back toward the Parkway, the clouds were ominous, so we headed South, so that Owen could show us the trail where her class had spent a day last week.
So, we headed up to Whiteside Mountain. Full parking lot and clouds beyond threatening, we decided to go for it.
Arrived to the top just in time to take in the first vista as the cloud overtook us and the rain (and a bit of sleet) began. Ten minutes and three vistas later we were treated to sunshine, mostly blue sky, and the most incredible double rainbow--neon bright and 180 degrees over the rock face.
All the way down we were in raptures: "The best day" ,"The most wonderful day" ,"So glad we came", "Happy we didn't miss that!"
We finished with hot chocolates, wine, tomato bisque, and onion rings at a favorite cafe. Toasting our accomplishments: choosing to follow Owen's always-perfect advice and going to Whiteside instead of a more familiar place; Barrett hiking 2 miles and NOT asking to be carried; not rushing to get out of the rain so that we would have missed the rainbow; my facing my fears to climb down to a different ledge (with a railing but still not fun for a phobic) so that we could see the rainbow best.
They talked all the way home, competing "Daddy, what do you think of this?" "Mommy, could I..." Barrett plans to be an art teacher. She wants to go to the university where Paul teaches, take classes with him so they can see each other every day. Owen's thinking NC State, or UNC, or Clemson, yes, she thinks now Clemson--close to home but not the same college as her sister. And she'll be a biologist who is also into robotics (designing robots to help with her biology research).
So beautiful, so wonderful, this family, this place we live, this lfie we have together.
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