B'day dinner, winding down - Yr 1, Day 293

Raleigh, NC

Not really a lot happened on Thursday or Friday - mostly just working and puttering around.  Saturday was the last day of Passover and a longer than normal service at shul.  We went, but unfortunately, weren't aware that the rabbi still had not returned, so no one was there.  We landed up going home and praying on our own.  Oh well.    I'm really glad Passover is over, though, especially this year.  When we had our "sticks & bricks" house, we had an extra bedroom and a 2 car garage (with an extra refrigerator and freezer) in which to store all our sold food and pots/pans/dishes/utensils, etc.  Ok, granted, cleaning this new kitchen was so much easier, but we kept all our Passover stuff out on the coffee table and over the fireplace, which to me, looked like clutter (yes, I have OCD when it comes to not having things laying around).  So it felt really great to be able to put all that stuff away and reclaim my house again!  It also felt good to eat normal food again!

We then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with the kids.  It has been very difficult to keep quiet, but for about a month, I had a surprise birthday party planned for her for her closest friends and in-laws.  She thought we were just taking her out for a nice dinner (Bonefish Grill) and was really surprised to see everyone else there, especially her best friend Onnalee who came down from PA and Donna & Lily (mother in law & niece) who came down from VA.

Today we slept really late (9:00!) and then met Donna and Lily for a nice breakfast at Brigs (I love that place; really great breakfast food!)  We then headed over to the kids' house so that Mitch could help them fix their screen door (they were out).  I enjoyed babysitting for Ellie!  When they returned (we could have left earlier but that would have meant waking Ellie for her adorable nap to put her in her crate), we went shopping to BJ's and Harris Teeters, since we didn't have any non kosher-for-Passover food left.  Had to stock up for dinners for the rest of the week since we don't know what to expect.

So tomorrow's plans... I have a good deal of client work to do, and then need to pack up the house.  Mitch needs to do the outside stuff, especially filling the tires and air bags.  Tuesday morning (G-d willing) we leave for Marion, NC (at the tip of the Smokey Mountains).  We have a rally there at the end of May and it takes place at a campground owned by a huge RV dealer / repair place.  We're having them do work on our slideout that doesn't close flushly and after our experience in Arcadia, we are going there early so they can diagnose the situation, deal with the warranty company and have enough time to order parts, so that they can do the work when we get there.  We also have another problem - the stink is still here.  Not sure if the patch job they did in Arcadia didn't work, or if it's a different problem altogether, but we're sure there's a leak somewhere in the septic system, so we will have them look into that as well.  We really don't have a clue how much time it will take so we haven't made any plans for the rest of the week.  We have a rally in Seiverville, TN (home of Dolly Parton) which starts next Sunday, so we'll just play the rest of the week by ear.