Back in the Swing of Things

Most of you know that I love swing dancing. I used to drive every Sunday night to Ann Arbor to dance at the Blind Pig. It was so much fun (and a great work-out). Then, I started dating Brent and dancing fell by the way-side.

Well, when we "interviewed" Greenville in Feb, we came across a bar that was teaching a salsa class. We talked to the bartender a bit and found out there's a bar in town, The Handlebar, that has swing dance on Tuesday night. I wanted to check it out earlier, but with t-ball on Tuesdays, it just wasn't possible. But, two weeks ago, I went and boy, was I nervous. I mean, it's been like 8 years since I've been in the "swing scene" and I really only knew East Coast. (There are 3 main kinds of swing dance - East Coast, West Coast, and Lindy Hop. Lindy Hop is what you mainly see in all the awesome dance sequences in period movies.)

I checked the web-site for the people hosting the dance and found out that they teach a lesson at 7 before general dancing starts at 8. So, I got down there a little after 7, took a deep breath, and headed in. First off, it's a great venue for dancing. It reminds me of a high school auditorium, but without the seats. There's a large open area and a small stage at the front. A couple were in the middle showing the dance steps, with men on one side and women on the other. I joined the line of women and was VERY pleased to see that they were teaching East Coast. One worry down! They taught some basic turns, which I remembered, and had us change partners every time they taught something new. Always a good thing because it forces you to actually follow the partner (something I haven't done in so long that it was hard to do).

Then, open dancing started at 8 and the nerves came back all over again. Open dancing is a lot like dating (but in much shorter intervals, thankfully) and it can really get to your ego, especially when you discover that most of the people dancing are either still in college (Greenville has like 10 local colleges) or just graduated and have all brought partners or come in clicks with built in rotation plans. Good times.

On the first song, an older guy comes over and asks me to dance. Now, I had seen him hanging out during the lesson so I figured he might know what he was doing - WRONG! What a bummer. I'm trying to follow what the heck he's doing, and wondering the whole time why he didn't join in the lesson instead of hanging around. It totally reminded me of one of the guys who hung around the Blind Pig - he was there every night, dressed to the nines, but could not dance a lick. So, I was off to a good start. Then, another older guy (really tall and lanky) took pity on me and asked me to dance. He was really, really good - yeah! This unfortunately reminded me that I am out of practice for following, but he was very patient (which is hard to do during a fast 3 minute song). One of the guys I practiced with (whom I call John Denver) danced with me a bit and asked me if I'd be back next week. I tactfully told him that it depended on my husband's schedule. I danced a bit more that night, but wasn't brave enough to ask anyone to dance with me and ended up leaving about 9:30. Before I left though, one guy, Philip (an older guy from Louisiana), said I was doing a great job and offered to refresh my Lindy lessons next week while the other people were doing the basic lesson. I thanked him and planned on taking him up on his offer.

This week, unfortunately, Brent worked really late and I didn't get to the bar until almost 8. Philip was there, but was helping with the lesson. So, when general dancing started, we went in a corner and I reviewed the basic Lindy Hop. Man, it's hard! I'm going to need a lot more work and practice before I'm ready to dance that out in the open (where people can see and judge me.) But, I had a great night and was really brave. I asked almost all the "good" dancers to dance with me. All of them said yes, and one even gave me a nice compliment - I tell all my partners that I'm an East Coast Beginner so they don't throw too much at me, and he told me that I'm definitely not a beginner. That helped me ego quite a bit and made me want to dance more. I'll definitely be coming back next week for more.

Children's Museum Photos

These are all from the Children's Museum - we had a great time and hope to go again (with Brent this time)

Maxwell Visit

We were lucky and the Maxwell's came to visit us. The plan was for the whole clan to come, but unfortunately, Holly and Chris couldn't make it due to work commitments. We were bummed (just like I'm sure they were) but we knew we'd still have fun. They got in Saturday and Brent and Will went to the airport to get them. As soon as they got off the plane, Will started angling for new toys (he's such a spoiled, stinker!). He starts telling Carlene that "Mommy said we don't have money for trains." and "I think sister wants a dump truck." Now, in my defense, when we go to the stores, I tell Will that we can't get toys every time and that toys are special. In a way, I have to admire his conniving. After Jerry and Carlene got settled in the guest apartment at our complex, we just spent the day hanging out and had a great time.

Sunday, I decided to show everyone the splash pad downtown. My new friend, Stephanie, invited me to it just a couple days before (she has two little girls and is currently expecting) and we had a blast (I meant to do a posting of it with some pictures but just got too far behind - I'll add it in later after I catch up a bit). And, Brent really wanted to see it, so we braved the heat (it was a really hot, humid day) and went down to the river walk. The river walk downtown is beautiful. And, instead of just having a wider side-walk in front of some of the art shops and the Hyatt, the city decided to install this great splash pad. So, we get down there and get the kids into their swim gear and let them loose. It's hilarious to watch! Will heads straight for any fountain that starts spouting, running all over the place, while Sofia finds one fountain and stays next to it (treating it much like a drinking fountain - we keep telling her no, but so far, she seems to like the taste of chlorine). It wasn't too crowded, which was good (less kids for Will to take out) but hot. So, we dried everyone off and headed to Mast's General store (http://www.mastgeneralstore.com/). Great place - especially if you're a penny candy freak (Jerry, this would be you). They carry all the "old-timey" candy (too bad it's really not a penny a piece anymore). We all got a sugar rush there, plus Will got a car and Sofia picked out a white mouse (Brent calls it her rat) - she wouldn't even let go of it for us to pay (we picked another one out of the bin to be scanned) - and then we all headed home to hang out some more.

Monday, poor Brent went to work and the rest of us went to the new (seriously, it's brand spankin' new) Children's Museum - http://www.tcmgreenvillesc.org/ It's a great 3-story facility and totally awesome - except for the price. It's $12 per person - and they count Fi as a person. There are no children's rates and the membership really isn't a bargain either. But, aside from that, it was good times. On the first floor, there was a race-car exhibit, a wind-tunnel, a grocery store, and a large plastic climbing thing. Will started at the race-car exhibit and we had to drag him, kicking and screaming, to anything else. This happened at every exhibit we went to - he loved it, didn't want to leave it, but then got so excited about the next thing that he didn't care about the old one. Sofia had a great time grocery shopping; I had fun putting it all back so other kids could have some. The 2nd floor had a building area - I'm sure you all know how this went. He could have spent the entire day there - there was a bulldozer for him to ride and operate. Need I say more? After dragging him away from there, we went to the farm section (more for Sofia). She was a riot - she kept going up to the stuffed chickens and going bock, bock, bock and laughing hysterically. She also tried to feed the horse an apple - super cute. But, we had to leave because Will kept stealing a little girl's carrots. We ventured to the bottom floor which was all about the Reedy River (the river that runs through downtown). There was this cute little table with highchairs around a water table. It got really messy but the kids had a blast. Unfortunately, I had an appointment and it was getting towards lunch time (and Fi's nap time), so we had to leave. Can you say 3 year old meltdown? From the museum, in the parking lot, in the car, and almost back in the apartment - total screaming, crying mess. Good times!

Monday night, Jerry and Carlene watched the kids and Brent and I went out for a date. We went to Greer to the Great Bay Oyster House - Brent loves oysters (totally not my thing, but I love seafood) and Monday night the oysters are half off. We had a great time and came back to a quiet house. Ah, so nice.

Tuesday, we went to the mall and played. That night was Will's last night of T-ball (see previous posting) and after t-ball, we played at the park by the ballfield before heading to Chick-Fil-A for a milkshake (they make the best milkshakes).

Wednesday, we had planned to go to the pool, but the weather had other ideas. It poured in the morning but the kids, Carlene, and I headed to Target. I got some new clothes (thanks Carlene) and the kids got some goodies too. Wednesday night we had dinner with Jerry's cousins, Barry and Kathy. They actually live here in Greenville and we're having a blast getting to know them. They don't have grandkids yet and seem to enjoy playing with ours. And, the kids have a great time with them too.

Thursday, we finally made it to the pool. We had it all to ourselves and it was really nice. It's a little cool when you first get in, but after that, it's fine. Sofia has recently decided that the best part of swimming is going up and down the steps and then "swimming" to the ladder in the deep end (5 1/2 feet). She climbs the ladder, then comes back down and demands to go to the stairs again. It's pretty funny. Will was ordering Grandma and Grandpa around the pool area, and for some reason, decided it was too cold to swim. So, they hung out on the swing and got to watch some nature. There were a lot of caterpillars out that morning and one wandered over near a spider web. Well, after climbing up the wall, it got stuck in the web. Dum, dum, dum . . . Needless to say, Will got to watch nature at it's finest - the spider and caterpillar fought a bit and the spider won.

Thursday night we all tried out a new restaurant -Fried Green Tomatoes. Good Southern cookin' with lots and lots of veggies. It was really reasonably priced and their menu changes every day. I tried the shrimp and grits (not as good as the other restaurants fried green tomatoes and cheese grits) but think I'll get the fried chicken next time. After dinner, we went and played at the mall for a bit and then came home.

Friday, we played at the pool again. Then, Jerry and Carlene went out with Barry and Cathy for a tour of Greenville. They went to some great houses, some other real estate, and Furman University (which they've said is beautiful and is now on our list to see.) Friday night we went out for Will's favorite - steak. We had a fun last night of hanging out.

Saturday, Brent took Jerry and Carlene back to the airport. We were sad to see them go, but we had a fun week and we know we'll see them again soon.

Tuesday T-ball Update - The Finale

So, Tuesday the 11th was our last day of T-ball. And, amazingly, it was the best one. We were wondering how it was going to go since Jerry and Carlene were visiting (and of course, we figured he'd want to do anything but play ball). But, it was awesome. You could really see how far the kids have progressed in 6 weeks.

For starters, Will actually did all the warm-up. He only ran back to us once, and then he went straight back out to the group when we told him he had to join his team.




Then, wonder of wonders (seriously, this one still amazes me), he actually ran with the kids. Not once, not twice, but all the running from the fence. It was awesome. Then he ran the bases with everyone. Go team!

Next up was catching. And, again to our amazement, he stood up and caught the ball. If you'll remember, once he learned grounders, he decided he didn't need to stand up straight to catch the ball anymore. But, he did today and he did a great job (also, kudos to the coach who actually got the ball in the glove - not easy). And, when the time was right, he squatted down for grounders and did great with that too.

At this point, the Maxwells are thinking that I'm totally crazy with what I've put on this blog about how he doesn't participate and is a sports diva. But, I swear it was true - all the other times. This performance gave me hope for soccer.




Right before batting, Sofia decided to get in on the action (we decided we had enough people around to let her out of the stroller). She headed straight for the cones on the field and decided they would make a great hat. It was hilarious! She would put them on her head and then take them off again. Good times!

So, onto batting. Will got to be in the group that batted first and sat quietly on the sidelines. Then, after the first boy hit, he started clapping for him and got everyone else to clap too - I'm so proud of my little cheerleader! He kept it up for everyone. Will did a fine job hitting - Jerry actually has great video of it but I didn't get a chance to download it before he left - and he did great running the bases too.
In the outfield, he (as usual) had no interest in fielding the ball. He did talk non-stop to one of the coaches and had them cracking up the whole time.





When everyone had batted, Coach Jim called them into the circle (now when Will blows the whistle, he says" Calling all players! Did you have fun?" which is just what Jim said). And, they all got awards - a real baseball. Will received his last (they went alphabetically, by first name), so we were getting a little worried (paranoid parents). But, he was really happy and ran to show us his baseball.

All in all, it was a great experience and we all had a lot of fun. I can't wait to see how soccer goes.

Tuesday T-ball Update

This past Tuesday, I was on my own for t-ball and boy, was I scared! We normally need one parent to watch Sofia and keep her happy and the other parent to chase after Will and make sure he's at least attempting to join in. He did a good job to start out - he did almost the entire warm-up by himself and only ran back to me once. He ran back out to the circle when I asked him, so that was good. He went to the field for running, and, as usual, sat on the fence and watched the other kids run. Not too bad - at least I wasn't needed at this point.

Then, Coach Jim changed things up on us and had us move to the field closes to the real ball field. This turns out to be a bad move for Will (and me). Will ran the bases with the other kids, so that was good. And, I have to say, I was starting to feel a little relieved at this point. Sofia even found a little friend close to her age - Greyson wanted to check out Sofia's snack food and stroller. The girls were really cute looking at one another and smiling.

Will got a little more distracted during catch - he ran back quite a few times and didn't really want to catch the ball. But, the weather started to work for us (if you want to look at it that way) - it had been really hot and humid, but all of a sudden, the wind whipped up and it cooled off like 10 degrees in about a minute. So, Coach Jim started to worry about a storm and wanted to make sure all the kids got to hit at least once.

Will, of course, loved that part. He started in the outfield and had no interest in fielding the ball - the other kids (especially one little guy whose name I don't know) were all over the ball. Will used the opportunity to put his glove on his head. He started recruiting others into his game too. So, to restore order, the coaches moved him into the hitting line-up. He did well and was into it until he saw an older boy digging on the real pitchers mound. Will wanted to dig too. So, he ran to home base after hitting the ball and then made a bee line for the pitchers mound. He quickly came back because it was time for a water break. After the break, instead of getting back in line to hit, he decided to go dig some more and wouldn't come back. I ran after him, laughing the whole way. I couldn't get him back in the game, but at least I stopped him from digging - the field is all SC red clay and the bottoms of his shoes are still red.

They called everything shortly after that (about 15 minutes early) because they were worried about the weather. Now, originally, I had told Will we would go play at the playground by the ball field but with the change in the weather, I had to tell him no. Tantrums ensue, and all the parents got to stare at me because we were right by the gate to leave. Good times. Like most things, we fixed it with the promise of going next time and a milkshake. Will even asked for one from Chick-Fil-A - I guess even he likes those better than McD's shakes now.

Next week is our last t-ball game. I hope the weather co-operates and we get a full hour this time, and that Will wants to run and catch. :)

Dinner Guests

Saturday, the 1st, we finally managed to have people for dinner - with no mishaps! If you'll remember, we tried to have Barb over and a blackout occurred; we tried to have Brent's boss over and she got into a car accident on the way over here. So, the third time must be the charm.

We had Patrick and Molly over for dinner. Pat works with Brent and was transferred from MI to SC a few years ago. Molly is originally from Savannah but moved to MI for work and met Pat while he was up there. After some moving around for both of them, they got married and ended up in Greenville. They have been here for 2 1/2 yrs now and are our go-to people to find anything - Molly steered me toward a hairdresser that I could trust with curly hair (her hair is even curlier than mine), a dentist, good restaurants, and good neighborhoods (for when we decide to start house hunting). They invited us to a great 4th of July party too (see blog entry for details).

So, we decided to thank them by having them over for dinner, and we were hoping our luck (and theirs) held out this time. I decided to go a little Asian in my menu and look through my cookbooks. This is what I made:

- Thai Beef - Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson (she's a Brit and I just love her)
http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=295
This has a great flavor and is really easy to make; go easy on the fish sauce though (I'm pretty sure I used more than the recipe needed).

- Papaya and Avocado Salad - Giada
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/avocado-and-papaya-salad-recipe/index.html
This one is an unusual pick for me, because although I LOVE avocado, I'm not really into papaya (or mango). But, the quick lime sauce makes it really good. Nice, summer salad and really easy to make.

- Salmon with Thai Rice Salad -- Food and Wine Quick One-Dish Meals Cookbook (this is the best cookbook - tons of recipes, with good wine selections, that are all easy, super good, and fast) http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/salmon-with-thai-rice-salad---qfs
I've made this before and it's fast becoming a favorite. The rice with carrots and cucumbers really makes the dish. We actually found it was even better the 2nd day (just the rice salad) with the thai beef on top.

- Peach Melba for dessert - Nigella again
http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=210
SC has a ton of peaches and they are all wonderful. So, I decided to do something fun with them. I did modify this recipe quite a bit though, to make it easier to do. But, I did saute the peaches to get the skins off and the pits out. The two that turned out looked absolutely beautiful; the rest, not so much. But, that's Ok. I served it with a raspberry and chambord sauce, and fresh raspberries on top.

Pat and Molly arrived on time, bearing wine and beer. The wine was a great Pinot Grigio and the beer was Leinenkugel Summer Shandy and it is now my favorite beer. It has a great lemon taste and is just wonderful. Will wasn't feeling good that day, so we actually had a quiet evening with just Sofia running around. She made fast-friends with Molly (we think the dark curly hair helped) and was giving her hugs and asking to be held. It was so cute! It's not seen often, but when Sofia can be up and on her own (without Will), she is quite an adventurous little thing. She gets into all the toys (because she can) and loves having your undivided attention. She was very charming.

We had a nice evening, and right after we finished dessert, Will woke up. He only wanted to be held and after a couple minutes, got sick all over (I told you, he wasn't feeling well that day). So, that pretty much ended the evening (while giving Pat and Molly a nice look at one of the joys of parenting). We hope we can do it again soon (without the sick kids).

Tuesday T-ball Update

T-ball on the 28th was very, very short - the weather was very overcast and dark. We remained hopeful as we went through the t-ball routine -- stretch, run, run the bases, catch, and hit. Will was playing catch with Hunter before we started and then one little boy brought out a monster truck - it was all over for interest in t-ball for Will at that point. He just wanted to play trucks. He did warm up a little bit and even ran 2 times, much better than his usual none. He ran the bases and got ready to catch.

They taught the kids grounders on the 2nd day - since then, Will always squats down when they practice catching. Maybe he'll be a catcher . . . He loves to through the ball back, but we can't get him to stand up now. Something for Daddy to work on at home.

Because of the weather, Coach Jim had everyone start batting so that all the kids got to bat at least once. It's a good thing he did because shortly after Will batted for a 2nd time, the weather got bad. It started to thunder and lightening, so Coach Jim called it and we all went home. Will, of course, wanted to keep playing; Brent talked to him on the bleachers about why we had to leave and told him that we would come back next week and play some more. (Don't you just love that picture? I totally do!) It seemed to work. Well, that and a promise of a milkshake on the way home.