Happy "Balentime's" Day!

Some things are just meant to be. This year's celebration of Valentine's Weekend sure seems to be one of those things.

The planning started back before Christmas. Since we spent LAST Valentine's Day at the UK / USC game in Lexington, I thought it'd be appropriate to give Jeremy tickets to see the Tarheels on or around THIS Valentine's Day. As it turns out, the Heels were playing Pitt in Chapel Hill on 2/14, so a visit to Stub Hub and a reservation at the Carolina Inn later, Jeremy's Christmas gift was squared away - and with it, our plans for Valentine's Day.

Upon further investigation, however, it came to my attention that, not only did the Heels play in Chapel Hill on 2/14, BUT THE CATS PLAYED IN COLUMBIA ON 2/13.

What ever have we done to deserve this kind of serendipity?!?

So after dropping the boys at the Pressleys' Saturday morning, Jeremy set off for what was just about as perfect a Valentine's Weekend as two rabid basketball fans can have. Add to that the facts that both of our teams delivered blow-out wins AND that we got to visit with my friend Wex's family while in Chapel Hill, and our time away was absolutely PERFECT.

I'd planned that we'd celebrate with the boys on the Monday that we got back into town. Friday before we left, though, I got the bug to go ahead and do it (because what ELSE did we have to do that day?!).

I called Jeremy with an impromptu lunch invite and then loaded up the boys to go buy their daddy and grandparents some tiny surprises.

The first stop on our shopping excursion was to Mast's General. We got Jeremy a Yeti cup and the Pressleys some of their favorite penny candies. I'd told the boys before we went in that we were NOT there to buy for them (though I DID sneak some treats that they didn't know about), so, while they could look, they could NOT take anything home, and they did great, which made me VERY proud.

While we were at Jeremy's office before
lunch, one of his clients gave the boys
these little solar-powered statues that
they LOVED. 

JONES: "You wub dat Stooby Stoo card? It's just for you!" 

Jones kept telling us, "Happy Balentime's Day!"

Freddie is JUST now getting to where he
really likes to read. He's always been one
to listen while running around as
I'd read, but he's beginning to want to
sit and follow along, which is awesome.

Saturday morning, Jones popped out of bed, knowing he was going to Nan and Pop's for the weekend. The first thing he said when I walked into his room was, "You come back?" Assured that yes, I was coming back, Jones did great, though he did tell me, "I just need you," moments before we walked out to head to Columbia. Freddie is starting to show separation anxiety all of a sudden, so he cried when we left, but it didn't last long, thankfully. 

We got to Columbia about an hour before tip-off, which is exactly the way I like to do it. My parents and my sister's family joined us, though, in place of Lizzie Gray, who was playing in a volleyball tournament, Camden brought two of his basketball teammates. 

The game was AMAZING - an instant classic, if you ask me, and I've already re-watched it ... more than once ... since being home. While we were there, we had several people texting us pictures of seeing us on tv, which absolutely THRILLED my niece Lila and made me wish my face weren't so fat. 

Daddy forgot his glasses at home and ended
up wearing his prescription shades through
some of the game. Cue the
Ronnie Millsap jokes. 

In the history of 16 year olds, there has
NEVER ... and I mean NEVER ...
been a better one than my Cammy "DooDoo."
Also, notice Paytie Einstein's photo bomb,
which he pointed out to me after the game.

Bobo just got braces last week. I'm thinking why he's
not showing his teeth, though they look great on him.

We first stayed at the Carolina Inn when we went to the Kentucky / North Carolina game in 2013. Jones had just turned one, and I was nine months pregnant with Freddie. Jeremy and I decided then and there that we wanted to come back one day WITHOUT kids, so spending Saturday nite, just the two of us, was a dream come true.  Of course, we spent part of our time there planning to take BOTH boys back next season, but still ... we love it there.

We'd planned to meet my friend Wex with her husband and son there for brunch on Sunday, but when we asked for a reservation upon arrival, we were told they were all booked up. Huh?! So we ended up meeting them at the Carolina Coffee Shop on Franklin Street, which was actually awesome - and served Jeremy the best hot chocolate I have EVER tasted.

Our Stub Hub seats were awesome - section 217 about five rows up - and  we had a bucket of popcorn that probably could've fed our entire row ... IF we'd been willing to share. 

During brunch, Jeremy ordered hot chocolate, which was
AMAZING ... but, apparently, HOT.
According to Jeremy, it "burned my goozle!"
Whatever the heck THAT is ...

On the drive home, we were surprised to hit snow in Greensboro. It lasted until about Statesville, so we didn't get back to the Pressleys' until 9. The boys waited up for us, and the welcome we got from them when we walked in the door let us know that they had missed THEIR Valentines as much as we had missed ours, so while it was so, so nice to go away for a day, it was every bit as nice to get home to our beloved buddies.