Diwali Festival at the American School of Bombay

Morgan was excited to participate in her first "festival" at her new school, the American School of Bombay, over the past weekend.  

The Diwali Festival is a five day festival that marks the celebration of the Hindu New Year.  It is also called the "Festival of Lights." During Diwali clay oil lamps or candles are lit to signify the triumph of good over evil.  The lights are kept lit and the house is cleaned, both in order to welcome the goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, fortune and the embodiment of beauty. 

Rangoli decorations made with colored powder or sand are popular during Diwali.  Colorful paper lanterns are among the traditional decorations during the festival, and firecrackers are burst in an effort to ward off the evil spirits.

During Diwali participants don new clothes and share sweets with family members and friends to express love and affection.  

Morgan and Michelle celebrated the festival with their first traditional Indian clothing.  Don't they look like naturals?  I love the colors and vibrant prints, especially paired with Morgan's rainbow flip flops from Kohl's -- a true 

multi-cultural fashion statement!  Morgan, you rock it, girl!

John and I are learning more about India and about the religious and cultural events that are so important to the country.  It is a special opportunity to expand our knowledge and to take the time to appreciate the diversity of this big wide world.  I hope you will enjoy this journey with us.

Charlotte's Web in Matthews

Awoke to this fantastic web on Sunday morning!  

The web was over 2 feet wide and 3 feet long draping from the front porch column over to the azalea plant 5 feet away.

What an engineering feat for such a small creature! 

Mother Nature never ceases to amaze if you just keep your eyes wide open.

 Hope all of you had a busy and fun weekend, too!

North Carolina Blue Ridge Weekend

Thank you, Lynn and Lisa, for inviting us to the mountains 
for a relaxing weekend full of color, friendship and fun!

                                                                       

St. Mary's Episcopal Church in West Jefferson, NC

Built in 1905 with first service Christmas Eve

Ben Long's fresco "The Mystery of Faith" painted in 1977

"Ridin' the Rails" in Todd, NC at the New River Festival

Sunday stroll down the mountain

Enjoy your Fall!

Happy October from DC

Jen & Dugan at the DC Pumpkin Patch

"I think this one is just right!"

Hmm... why does that ball have a tail?

Enjoy your holiday decorating!

American School of Bombay's Newest Additions

Michelle and Morgan are in Mumbai, India for the school year 2013-2014.

Michelle took a one year position at the American School of Bombay teaching AP Chemistry in the Upper School.  Morgan is beginning third grade in the Lower School, and she has rated it a "10" after only one day!  Steve is staying in Charlotte this year and continues as head of the Science Department at Mallard Creek High School and as an Uber-trainer with Princeton Review. 

We are excited for Michelle and Morgan to have this opportunity to experience a new culture in a part of the world that Michelle has always wanted to visit.  We will certainly miss them over the school year, and we will be learning all kinds of new technology to stay in touch....Skype, Magic Jack, etc.  Hmmm, maybe we need a new computer with a camera??

I hope to share photos and stories of their adventures in the coming months.  And if all goes well, who knows.... Steve could be joining them if multiple positions open up abroad next year..... and/ or we all could be traveling to a new destination.  Me?  I'm keeping the passports handy!

Rines family photo

Getting one last hug!

Jason, Heather & Morgan

Smethurst family

He's gonna miss that girl....

Blue Ridge Beauty

Leaves beginning to turn at Linville Falls

We had a sunny day for hiking the trails and driving the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Jacky and Brian were in town for the weekend, so we headed to Blowing Rock and the surrounding area for the day.  We got in an extra 3 miles hiking due to the government shutdown....the parking lot for Linville Falls was closed and we had to walk in from the road!

 Love this time of year.....  

Enjoy the colors and the fresh air as the seasons change!

Wedding Photos are Coming!

Trying so hard to be patient -- not my strong suit! :-)

Kind of like Christmas morning and all those packages to unwrap!

In the meantime, what a shot of Mark and Jen!

Wedding magazine material for sure......

Stay tuned!

Wedding Preview

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Mark Woodard, Jr!

Just thought I'd toss out a wedding "teaser" from one of the FaceBook crowd's posting. I'll let you know the link for viewing the "official" photographs once the newlyweds get back from Mexico. I think the gal shot 3-4 thousand shots, so there should be so great ones for us to view.

It was a perfect weekend for the perfect wedding for the two most perfect and special children on the planet Earth! We had a great time with family and friends. More details to come in the next few weeks as we come down from the wedding high!

Wedding Countdown- 2 Weeks!

Boots & Adeline

Boots and Paul came to visit over Memorial Day weekend.

We had a nice visit with Adeline at the Pines.

Don't these two look like they could cook up some mischief?!

Flowers from the Garden and a Visitor

The daylilies are spectacular this year! Of course, we say that every year, don't we?

And the rest of the garden is a gem, too!

Even little furry creatures come to admire and make their home with us!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous summer and come see us in the garden.....