2022-04-19 00:40
So, grateful we were able to go back to Charleston for Jackson's birthday. We haven't missed either kids' b-days yet! Their family had bad colds and I had an eye infection, but we made the b… Read More
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Our Empty Nest Blog
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In these days of cell phones, emails and instant messages, can the nest really be empty?
2022-01-02 19:05
It was the in-laws turn to have Britany's family on Christmas Day, so John and I drove down the following Monday. Stayed 3 nights and had a ball!Jackson is such a neat nick! He hands b… Read More
2021-12-06 18:20
We spent Thanksgiving in Charleston with the kids. Kennedy greets me at the car and we start playing right away! Jackson never stops and really seems to study everything he sees - what… Read More
2021-10-29 17:45
It was back to Charleston to babysit Kennedy and Jackson while Brittany and Dan got a way for a couple days for their 8th anniversary. Usually when we've babysat in the past we've taken… Read More
2021-08-09 17:26
John and I had given Brittany and Dan new cabinet doors for their May birthdays and they finally came in. So he and I headed down to Charleston for 4 days so John could sand and paint… Read More
2021-07-01 23:41
Our family always stretches out birthdays as long as we can. So, day 3 of K's birthday was spent at the Splash Pad and on Lake Hickory Read More
2021-07-01 23:36
Kennedy (and family :) ) arrived on Father's Day night which just happened to be her 6th birthday. I was so happy they made it on that day because that means we've never missed her bir… Read More
2021-07-01 23:27
We were back in Charleston for Jackson's first birthday. No party because of Covid, but we had a great time celebrating anyway!!Gifts at home and then (below) a picnic and Splash PadAn… Read More
2021-07-01 23:20
We made a short, very quick trip to Charleston in March Kennedy with Easter decorations in MarchKennedy at Magnolia Plantation in MarchKennedy starts piano lessons!Kennedy - stude… Read More
2020-12-27 19:16
Our first Christmas with TWO grandchildren! We crammed a lot in 2 and a half days!Brittany bought us all matching jammies which we wore the evening we got there for cocoa bombs and a C… Read More
2020-12-11 23:34
Covid19 made a huge change in Brittany's family. After her maternity leave, Brittany quit her job to be a stay at home mom because she didn't want to send the kids to daycare during the pand… Read More
2020-12-11 23:28
Searching for the perfect tree this year!And it's up! And so sparkly! Can't overlook Thanksgiving. Check out this little turkey! Read More
2020-12-11 23:24
2020-12-11 23:23
Pumpkin Patch Fun!Halloween Sloth!Halloween BatTheir family took a weekend trip to Cocoa BeachFirst time Jackson was in a swing. K wanted to push himWeather turned a bit cold! Read More
2020-12-11 23:18
John and I went back and forth to Florida a lot this year, always stopping in Charleston in both directions. Sometimes for a night, sometimes for 4 or 5 nights. John's dad died in August and… Read More
2020-07-13 23:41
2020-07-13 23:39
Kennedy's 5th Birthday!We went in on this trampoline with Brittany and Dan for K's presentFather's DayBefore we left we helped Kennedy decorate her bike for the neighborhood parade Read More
2020-04-20 18:15
In These Days of Cell Phones, Texting, & Social Media...Can the Nest Ever Truly Be Empty? Millennials, the group of people born between 1982 and 2000, are also sometimes called the Net G… Read More
2020-04-20 18:14
John and I just got back from 10 days in Charleston.Baby Jackson was due on April 13th but we went down on the 8th because John and Dan still had a lot of work to do on the playroom.Easter w… Read More
2020-04-20 18:02
I wrote this letter to Kennedy, which for now I stuck in her baby book, so she will know what went on.Dear Kennedy,I’m writing this down for you because you are only four and 3/4th ( … Read More
2020-03-31 22:48
As always no trip to Florida would be complete without a stopover in Charleston. We only had 2 nights on the way down, but they happened to be over Valentine's Day, so we got to celebrate t… Read More
2020-02-04 20:35
In These Days of Cell Phones, Texting, & Social Media...Can the Nest Ever Truly Be Empty? Millennials, the group of people born between 1982 and 2000, are also sometimes called the Net G… Read More
2020-01-02 18:11
It was the in-law's turn to get Kennedy and her mom and dad for Christmas, but John and I went down to Charleston the following day. The weather was an incredible 70 degrees over the 4 days… Read More
2019-12-05 00:40
We took Brittany, Dan and Kennedy to The Greenbrier for Thanksgiving and had a WONDERFUL holiday. It was so special! And of course Kennedy was dressed to kill:Could not have asked for a more… Read More
2019-11-07 21:35
Britany and Dan went to her 10-year college reunion the weekend before Halloween, so John and I went down to babysit, hitting as many fall festivals as we could. Most of these pictures were… Read More
2019-09-22 17:24
Kennedy's daycare was closed for a couple days right before their new school year. So John and I went down to take care of her. We made a pact not to be on any internet device for the short… Read More
2019-08-07 23:42
Brittany and Kennedy's visit was only from noon on Friday until about 9 a.m the next day. But we packed a lot into it!!!The first thing we did was pack a picnic and head out to the lake for… Read More
2019-07-11 17:44
2019-07-11 17:40
Guess how old Kennedy is!Birthday Party at the Little Gym Read More
2019-07-11 17:34
The first thing Kennedy does when she gets to our house is check to see if Papa's boat is thereMorning at the parkPool time with PapaReady to play on the lake!Boating. Kennedy has a dress fo… Read More
2019-04-28 00:29
So many memories of our weekend with Kennedy this Easter make me smile: how she is ALWAYS so busy, how she loves to just run and run and run! How she gets over any kind of upset in a minute… Read More
2019-04-01 23:42
Kennedy's daycare was closed for two days last week for "spring break". So John and I drove down to watch her while Mommy and Daddy worked.We kept her on the road both days! On the Batt… Read More
2019-03-26 23:08
Our nephew Joey got married in Williamsburg last weekend and we met Brittany, Dan and Kennedy up there. We had a wonderful time exploring Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown the day of the we… Read More
2018-12-31 22:08
We went to Charleston for Christmas. Here is Kennedy waiting for our arrival.Brittany bought all of us matching pajamas. K got slippers too!We made cookies for SantaWe made a gingerbre… Read More
2018-10-27 20:22
John and I got to babysit for Kennedy for 4 days when Brittany and Dan went out of town for their 5th anniversary.We had so much fun!We took her to her gymnastics class. Got there right… Read More
2018-10-27 20:15
For the third year in a row, Charleston has had mandatory evacuation due to a hurricane. The first two times, our daughter Brittany and our grand-daughter Kennedy came to stay with us. This… Read More
2018-07-24 14:20
Kennedy loved watching Papa play the keyboard at church this morning! Brittany and I both snickered though when half way through the sermon she said out loud, "The End!"We walked over to the… Read More
2018-07-24 14:10
Brittany had a wedding invite last weekend for a venue about an hour and a half from here, so spent the night at our house. She brought Kennedy along to play with Nana and Papa!!Ready to hea… Read More
2018-06-25 00:24
We kept K out of daycare for the 3 weekdays we were there. We love touring around Charleston with our baby girl!! Read More
2018-06-25 00:18
Brittany always works so hard coming up with ideas for K's birthday parties. It's fun for me to both help set up AND attend! Read More
2018-06-25 00:12
John and I just got back from a week in Charleston filled with new things and celebrations!Kennedy's swim lesson the night we got there which John and Dan went to, her first gymnastic class… Read More
2018-06-12 16:54
For the second time in her short life, Kennedy was a Flower Girl.This time for her daddy's cousin over Memorial Day Weekend Read More
2018-05-24 01:24
Kennedy had her first dance recital last weekend and John and I drove down for it - staying 4 fun-filled days!We had front row seats and it was so cute to see her on stage smiling at us. (So… Read More
2018-05-01 00:31
It doesn't take long before you realize Kennedy has an outfit for every occasion. Brittany has a lot of fun planning these and I and my friends have a great time checking out her pictures!Th… Read More
2018-05-01 00:28
We met Brittany and Kennedy at the Columbia SC Zoo the Saturday before my birthday. She LOVED the zoo map and wouldn't give it up - so she became our tour guide!! :)She also loved running in… Read More
2018-03-28 01:11
Kennedy is getting to the age where she has a strong opinion about what she wears.This is killing Brittany who has always loved dressing her and prides herself in how perfectly matched Kenne… Read More
2018-03-17 20:35
This was a big day! Kennedy's 2nd birthday party was the day before, but her actual birthday wasn't until the next Tuesday so we were still celebrating her. But it was also John and my anniv… Read More
2018-03-17 20:28
Back in Charleston and headed to our second (annual) Teddy Bear Picnic with Cocoa the Bear.One of the booths at the picnic created this princess crown for Kennedy! One of Kennedy… Read More
2018-01-21 23:43
Brittany and Kennedy stopped by for lunch last Friday on their way up the mountain to visit friends for the weekend.I love that she went straight from their car, through our family room and… Read More
2018-01-09 18:54
It was the in-laws year for Christmas this time, so John and I drove down to Charleston the following weekend. We decided that the day we arrived would be our Christmas and the next day New… Read More
2017-12-18 01:07
We got to take care of Kennedy the first weekend in December while her mom was in a friend's wedding. So we crammed as much Christmas in as we could! Above she is dressed to attend our neigh… Read More
2017-12-16 21:19
I’m disappointed because Brittany is disappointed that she’s not getting a tax refund. Being a mom means not only having your own feelings, but your kid’s feelings too!Mom… Read More
2017-12-16 21:19
Lately people have been stopping me to mention they haven’t seen a Brittany story in awhile. They seem worried we have had some kind of falling out.I tell them the truth: that she has… Read More
2017-12-16 21:19
We went to Charleston last weekend to attend a wedding that Brittany was a bridesmaid in. We also went to meet her new puppy, see her new apartment, oh, and meet the boyfriend.I overheard Br… Read More
2017-12-16 21:16
A neighbor of mine mentioned that her daughter went to a birthday party a week or so ago and since her husband picked the girl up she didn’t know that her daughter had ridden a horse a… Read More
2017-12-16 21:16
People talk about how technology today means we are ALWAYS connected – and that it’s not always a good thing. Mostly they are talking about work and how texting, cell phones, ema… Read More
2017-12-16 21:16
When people ask me what Brittany is doing now, I have to stop and think a minute. That’s because she has changed jobs several times this summer. It’s worried John a little, but I… Read More
2017-12-16 21:15
Texting is a hot button right now. People either love it (those doing it) or hate it (those being ignored by the person doing it.)Oprah is even throwing her clout around getting people to pr… Read More
2017-12-16 21:15
Brittany called me to ask if we could have possibly gotten her tax refund because she was online looking at our bank account and noticed a “large amount of money” deposited that… Read More
2017-12-16 21:15
Within the period of one week; I taught a Sunday School lesson about empowering the next generation, sat through a sermon and a Bible study on parenting and saw the movie Everybody’s F… Read More
2017-12-16 21:15
I’m getting bombarded with technology! John has been getting my Facebook updates on his iPhone for about a week. This not only bugs me because he calls and asks about them, but he&rsqu&hell…Read More
2017-12-16 21:15
I’m writing this on Christmas Day. Well, everybody else’s Christmas Day. John, Brittany and I have declared Sunday, December 27th to be Christmas this year. Brittany has to work… Read More
2017-12-16 21:15
There are still some things you just can’t do over the phone or via the internet. Brittany needed her gallbladder out last month. She had made 3 trips to the emergency room with horren… Read More
2017-12-16 21:15
A friend asked me if I had seen Brittany’s Facebook status one day. I hadn’t, so I signed on and read: “I am convinced that my parents will live longer because I call them… Read More
2017-12-16 21:14
I just saw a magnet that said “Motherhood is Terminal.”Terminal is not a good word. You certainly don’t want to hear it connected to your health. And I’m beginning to… Read More
2017-12-16 21:14
I heard a radio program about how kids getting out of college today expect to move right in to a house the size of their parents’, have a nice car and a great job. (Not realizing that… Read More
2017-12-16 21:14
To all the people who told me not to worry about Brittany getting a job in Charleston – you were right. She arrived there on a Monday night, interviewed with a company that owns 5 hote… Read More
2017-12-16 21:14
Brittany is moving to Charleston, SC in a couple days. No, she doesn’t have a job down there, thank you for asking. And yes, she has a perfectly good one in North Carolina. (One that I… Read More
2017-12-16 21:14
Brittany’s job is in full swing with no time for a learning curve! She managed her first wedding the last weekend in May. It was held outside by the lake and was beautiful. (I know bec… Read More
2017-12-16 21:14
On May 9th Brittany will graduate from Western Carolina University with a BS in Communications; a concentration in Public Relations and a Minor in Hospitality and Tourism. The next day, Moth… Read More
2017-12-16 21:14
Well, it’s over! She’s graduated!I found the ceremony quite interesting. Lots of the kids decorated the tops of their hats. Hers said “THX RENTS”, which is the same t… Read More
2017-12-16 21:13
The first morning Brittany was home for Christmas she had a dentist appointment. I gave her my credit card. When she got home she told me about a woman there who was getting all veneers and… Read More
2017-12-16 21:13
Brittany will be home for 5 days over Christmas and I’ve been planning how to make every minute perfect. (Christmas is all about faith, right?)She has often let me know how important t… Read More
2017-12-16 21:13
Brittany’s first experience voting in a Presidential election reminded me of my first time. We both voted for the loser. On election day she told me that Facebook had a running poll wh… Read More
2017-12-16 21:13
I’m on Facebook because of Brittany. She stores all of her photos on her Facebook profile and walks me through them on the phone. For this to happen I would have to sign in under her u… Read More
2017-12-16 21:13
I grew up without ever having a pet. We were a family of 5 children and looking back, I’m surprised the subject never came up. But, it didn’t.By the time I was an adult I just wa… Read More
2017-11-30 02:18
Kennedy and Brittany took a road trip with us to my family's in Illinois for Thanksgiving:First gas stop on our 13-hour trip.We decorated K's great-grandma's Christmas tree the first morning… Read More
2017-09-18 00:38
Another fall. Another hurricane alert. Another visit from Brittany and Kennedy as they evacuate Charleston. Just like last year, though, Charleston was spared. Thank goodness!Love having Bab… Read More
2017-08-29 15:26
I usually am not a fan of rain, but how could I not smile looking at the fun Kennedy is having! Read More
2017-08-29 15:22
John and I headed back to Charleston for 4 days in August. Kennedy's daycare was closed on that Monday and Tuesday to get the classrooms set up for the new year.We hadn't seen her in two mon… Read More
2017-06-29 01:12
Opening presentsKennedy with her cakeBrittany had a photo area with props for pictures set upKennedy having fun with some of the propsRunning off with some of the decorations!Finding out she… Read More
2017-06-28 23:30
While Kennedy napped after her soccer lesson, we four adults worked as fast as we could decorating the neighborhood clubhouse for her 3 p.m. party. The theme was flamingos and pineapples!Bri… Read More
2017-06-27 21:20
John and I were back in Charleston for Kennedy's 2nd birthday. But before her party on Saturday we got to take her to her first soccer lesson.John was pretty active in the lesson. The kids (… Read More
2017-05-12 00:57
It finally happened! At 22 months of age, Kennedy's parents left her overnight! And not just one night, but 2!!Brittany was turning 30 and she and Dan went to Hilton Head for the weekend to… Read More
2017-04-27 01:49
Brittany brought Kennedy up for a short weekend which happened to fall on Earth Day.So we started our Saturday at the Farmer's Market.Next we went to a special program at the library where t… Read More
2017-04-07 18:27
North Charleston throws a huge block party for St. Patrick's Day. We took Kennedy to watch the parade. She waved to everyone in it! Read More
2017-04-07 18:23
We were lucky enough to be in Charleston for Kennedy's first Teddy Bear picnic. Held in the beautiful Hampton Park, there were hundreds of small children clutching their teddy bears, dancing… Read More
2017-04-07 18:10
A bright and shiny year just waiting to be filled with exciting experiences! Read More
2017-03-24 16:48
In These Days of Cell Phones, Texting, & Social Media...Can the Nest Ever Truly Be Empty? Most of the stories are one page or two. Some are funny, some sweet, some will make you cry. But… Read More
2017-01-08 21:59
Brittany treats Kennedy like her own little dolly. Constantly dressing her up for every occasion. You can only imagine how much more so on Christmas weekend! :)Winter morning at Hickory's ne… Read More
2017-01-08 21:37
Kennedy saw her first decorated tree this year at her other grandparents over the Thanksgiving holiday.She's a great sport when her mom dresses her up for fun pictures!Going to the Charlesto… Read More
2017-01-08 21:26
Everything just seems more fun when we watch Kennedy experience it for the first time.Her first trip to the dentist!The Cubs winning the World Series (although that was pretty darn exciting… Read More
2016-08-24 21:02
During our week long K Kamp we did a little craft a day. We really enjoyed the Children's MuseumAnd readingThe Little GymBest Friends Train MuseumA Bubbles program at the libraryThe McC… Read More
2016-08-24 20:27
All year John and I had planned on spending a week in August taking care of Kennedy because the school where her daycare is located closes down for a week before school starts.We were going… Read More
2016-07-03 23:13
2016-07-03 00:48
The day after Kennedy's first birthday party, she was dedicated at church.I grew up in the Lutheran church where babies are baptized, but this non-denominational church dedicates their babie… Read More
2016-07-01 20:45
For Kennedy's first birthday party, Brittany chose a beach theme: Read More
2016-07-01 20:30
On the afternoon of Kennedy's first birthday we drove out to Kiawah Island. My daughter loves the beach and since her husband isn't so wild about it, looked forward to having a her little on… Read More
2016-06-29 23:31
John had been helping put some of Kennedy's gifts together while we were visiting: a play house and a water table. The night before the big day he got out the kitchen set Brittany had bought… Read More
2016-06-29 00:42
The day after the funeral was Father's Day and our daughter had the extended family over for a BBQ before everyone scattered.Afterwards we went to their neighborhood pool. Kennedy loves to s… Read More
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