Escape from the Stress of Moving

Holes in the wall, lifting heavy boxes, scratches on the floor, packing, unpacking, misplacing screws… moving is stressful. My new house is absolutely beautiful and during the evening when I can look up at the stars from my bedroom window, it’s all worth the hassle but I needed a break. There’s no better place to get away from it all than Neverland. Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s gravity-defying Peter Pan tells the story of the mischievous boy who never wants to grow up, his spunky sidekick Tinker Bell, and the frightful Captain Hook. Last night, I escaped to Neverland with this whimsical ballet and my imagination took flight.

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The Life of Our Home

We wanted to build our first home as a family in Charlotte, North Carolina; why try to fit into someone else’s mold? We made a list of “must-haves” and wants and began our search. With tons of new houses and builders in the area, we had lots of options. A loft, 4+ bedrooms, a 3 car garage, 2.5+ bathrooms, walk-in closets, a fireplace, granite counter tops, lots of windows, high ceilings, hardwood floors, a community pool, walking trails, sidewalks, trees, a short driving distance from work, groceries, shopping, and food… the must-have list was hefty. Was it unrealistic? Of course. But a bucket list life comes with big dreams. And we’d left a life on the beach in California for a family environment and a roomy home for Athena. After searching north, south, east, and west over and over again, we found a builder. Ryan Homes offered a house in a community that had every detail we had listed on both the “must-have” and the “want” list and the life of our home began.

What Makes a Bucket List Day?

A bucket list day doesn’t need to be an extreme adventure or traveling around the world. No… we had a bucket list day today. I spent the day with my family at Freedom Park in Charlotte, NC. We strolled along the pond and played with Athena on the swings. Athena is 10 months old so I obviously feel like a mother every day, but some days I realize that I am the world to someone. I am the most amazing, spectacular, beautiful, and caring person to another tiny human being. Athena loves me completely, without restriction or reservation. I am a mother, making every day a bucket list day.

Family-Friendly Charlotte, NC

Charlotte is full of family-friendly attractions that will entertain all ages, including infants. From educational attractions to interactive, hands-on environments to fine dining experiences, a day in Charlotte can be packed with fun. We decided to test the “Charlotte’s Got A Lot” philosophy and see what family-friendly adventures we could have in one Saturday. Our line-up included: lunch at the EpiCenter, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Discovery Place, and Harvest Moon Grill. Let me warn you though, both the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Discovery Place could each take an entire day, but that’s not the way we do things. We like to make each day as fun-filled as possible.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze – Where Even Seeing is Still Too Hard to Believe

From the moment the curtain goes up until the last bow, Cirque Dreams Holidaze is too amazing to believe even when witnessing it with your very own eyes. It’s a dreamland of tinsel and glitter and candy cane flair. Acrobats twirled. Reindeer skipped. Gingerbread men flipped. Penguins teeter-tottered atop endless cylinders. And I sat in continuous awe while constantly saying, “oh my god!”, “wow”, “oh no they can’t be about to…”, and “holy sh**”. Cirque Dreams Holidaze makes the impossible, possible.

Visions of Sugar Plums: North Carolina Dance Theatre’s The Nutcracker

Oh, the magic of it all. Living dolls. The Sugar Plum Fairy. The Snow Queen. Worldly
dancers. It’s The Nutcracker, in all its magic, beauty, and holiday charm. With music by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky performed live with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and stunning costume design by Bjorn Winnbald, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s production has something to delight every family member. It’s not everyday you have a chance to create a new tradition, a custom, of enjoying performing arts, but The North Carolina Dance Theatre has found a regular in their spectacular production. There are few things that personify Christmas like The Nutcracker and I can’t wait to share that experience with my family for years to come.

No Preparing for The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged)

There are no words to describe The Ultimate Christmas Show by The Reduced Shakespeare Company that would truly prepare you for what’s to come. The slapstick interfaith holiday variety show and pageant sounds cute and family friendly, but the level of inappropriate social irreverence was extremely shocking yet absolutely hilarious.

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

With December fast approaching, we’d like to start our holidays off right. Rather than just celebrating December 25, Darren and I try to participate in as many holiday activities and events as possible. Now that we have Athena, we have to be creative with our schedule but we’ve planned a variety of fun events to get us in the holiday spirit and make it about more than just one day.

Check out our line-up of holiday events in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Natural Place to Be – Strolling through Jetton Park in Lake Norman, NC

Since moving to North Carolina 5 months ago, we spent so much time searching for the best location to build a house that we neglected the natural parks and beauty that surround us. Today, we found Jetton Park in Lake Norman and it was the perfect place to get back to nature. A stunning beach, lush trails, and quiet picnic sites filled the 106 acre lakefront park.

We strolled through the park slowly and relaxed as we took it all in. The trails were paved with leaves freshly fallen from the surrounding trees. Families, joggers, and people walking their dogs littered the path as much as the fallen leaves. With each friendly “hello” and “how are you”, we felt more and more at home. The people of North Carolina were the biggest draw to the area and we are constantly reminded that we made a great decision for our family.

Medieval Amusement Park for Adults and Children: The Carolina Renaissance Festival

I’m no stranger to dinner theaters or interactive entertainment shows, but I’d never been to a Renaissance festival so when I heard that Carolina hosts one of the most interactive entertainment festivals ever created with wonderful amusements and entertainment around every corner, The Carolina Renaissance Festival, I knew I had to check it out. The 20 acre Carolina Renaissance Festival is a 16th century European style art and entertainment festival combining outdoor theater, circus entertainment, charming cottages and castles, an arts and crafts marketplace, a jousting tournament, kitchens and pubs, a petting zoo, and an unusual collection of people-powered rides and games of skill.  As a family, we took advantage of the skill games, animal encounters, and a tournament of champions joust. The festival was both unique and entertaining with enough “bizarre” to keep us guessing what was going to appear before our eyes next.