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Tomorrow at Blockbuster

So, tomorrow morning you can go to your local Blockbuster and and pick up the following new releases:
Alpha Dog - a story of a drug dealer and a kidnapping gone wrong. It kept my interest, and Ben Foster is absolutely insane. Based a a real story, it was worth watching.
Dreamgirls- if you like musicals I understand you'll enjoy this one. Betsy was the only one of us who watched it, and she wasn't impressed. My staff, (they're young) thought it would be better if it wasn't a musical???
Hitcher- Same as the first one is what Kevin told me. If you've never seen the original, you might enjoy the scares, if you have seen the original, you'll be looking for certain parts I'm sure.
Little Children - I liked this one - but it's not for everyone, pedofiles and adultry, it also might move slow for some people.
You can also get Happily Never After - which the boys watched once, not a good sign when it comes to kids movies - we watched Happy Feet 3 times in 4 days. You can also get Illegal Aliens with Anna Nicole Smith and Chyna, Sandlot 3, and Motives 2.
Happy renting, and don't forget renting online with Blockbuster is the best value! :)

Sunday :)

Tim, Jake and Kevin all survived the lock in at church. Jake rolled in about 7ish, and Tim came home after I went to get the boys from Bootie and Poppa's (I worked till midnight, so it was night out at the Grandparents for Max and Zach) of course they were all very sleepy today. Zach, Max and I walked down to the strawberry farm to get berries for dessert, we shared a bottle of Sun Drop on the way back and picked Cornflowers, Buttercups, and purple Clover. It was a nice country day in our own neighborhood. We put the wildflowers in the Sun Drop bottle for a nice vase for Bootie, and Zach kept a few for us - blue is his favorite color!

We met Bootie and Poppa in the square for the art show, and Boots bought a really pretty bowl for middle of her dining room table. We then headed over to the Carousel Festival. The boys enjoyed the blow up amusements as you can see in today's pictures, and they also enjoyed a few games and some other rides like the monster trucks and the train. We left with cotton candy and popcorn - of course!

No photos today:

So, it was a pretty quiet day till around 3:30, when Jake and Betsy came home from school. Betsy filled me in that she has Mono - woo hoo! Jake informed me that he had what he thought was a stomach virus. Not sure if they were going to their party tonight, we headed over to Bootie and Papa's, in case they felt well enough. They called me at work, Betsy was making Jake go see her Dad (he's a doctor) - and he determined that he either had a stomach virus OR.......an appendicitis! Needless to say they spent a few hours at the Hospital, waiting for an ultrasound, and thankful, he left with some drugs. Never - a dull moment

Lunch!

My assistant Mike is training this week and the District Training Store Manager wanted him to work days, so I am back just nights this week. Max who is usually with Bootie and Poppa 3 to 4 days a week was only there on Monday, so when I asked him if he wanted to go to their house for lunch, he was out the door...........

Happenings in Shelby this weekend.........

FOOTHILLS MERRY GO ROUND FESTIVAL
Have weekend of fun in Shelby
`Carnival Saturday' is highlight; plus, 100th birthday party planned
MARK HUDSON
Special to the Observer
What: Shelby's Foothills Merry Go Round Festival, Friday through Sunday at Shelby City Park. A highlight is "Carnival Saturday."
Major events are at the park, but the "Art on the Square" exhibits and juried competition, as well as some special tours, are at Shelby's historic Court Square.
The 11 a.m.-9 p.m. carnival is a highlight for all ages, and all-day admission is $5. There will be more than two dozen rides and attractions for the kids, including the historic Dentzel carousel and an antique, small-gauge train. The park also has playground equipment. There will be a golf tournament, along with a talent show and a Boy Scout Expo. The carnival concludes with a huge fireworks display at 9 p.m.
This is the Merry Go Round Festival's 10th year. (Rain date for the carnival: Sunday.) Don't miss: The old Cleveland County Courthouse will celebrate its 100th birthday with free cake and ice cream, along with antique cars, trucks and carriages, 2-4 p.m. Saturday. Also worth seeing are the "Arts on the Square" events, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday only. They include a juried art show as well as a student art exhibit. Of special interest will be a tour of the classic "Banker's House," by Preservation North Carolina (1-5 p.m. Saturday).
Getting there: Shelby is an easy one-hour drive from uptown Charlotte. Take Interstate 85 South; at Kings Mountain, take Exit 10-B, and continue west on U.S. 74 Bypass. In the Shelby area, after passing the Cleveland Mall, continue approximately 5 miles and exit right onto N.C. 18 (Lafayette Street); head north about 1.5 miles into the downtown area. Travel past Court Square; turn left onto Sumter Street and head west a mile to City Park.
Parking tip: Parking is free but may be tight right at the park. A free "trolley" shuttle service will run every 30 minutes Saturday starting at 10:30 a.m. Remote parking locations are noted at www.clevelandchamber.org.
Around town
Shelby snapshot: The festival is just a little taste of what the area has to offer. The city has an impressive walking tour that features classic architecture and has many historic structures. Famous country musicians Earl Scruggs and Don Gibson are "local boys." In recent years, a number or art galleries and small restaurants have returned to the uptown area, giving it new life.Chow: While there will be refreshments at the Court Square and goodies at the City Park, there are several nice "local" options worth considering if you make a day of it.
On one side of the square is Doc's Pizza and on the other is 5 East. Doc's is casual and carries homemade pizza and sandwiches. 5 East is more high-end but is not stuffy.
Right around the corner from the square are Joe's Place and Ichabod's. Both are "where everybody knows your name" restaurants with good-food-fast reputations. There is also Shelby Café, which was recently featured on national television for serving the local "delicacy" known as livermush. Within walking distance of the square is Mi Publito, a very friendly Mexican restaurant.
See the sights: Did you know that you used to be able to order a house out of the Sears Catalog? Three Craftsman homes still can be seen within two blocks of each other. The uptown area of town has classic tree-lined streets with grand Southern homes.
Landmarks: The Sunset Cemetery is a beautiful old cemetery within walking distance of uptown, as is Webbley, the home of former N.C. Gov. O. Max Gardner. Numerous buildings in the uptown area are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Resources
Basic info: Cleveland County Chamber at 704-487-8521; www.clevelandchamber.org. Info on the Arts on the Square: Buffalo Creek Gallery, 704-487-0256; www.buffalocreekgallery.com.
Festival info: Uptown Shelby Association, 704-484-3100; www.uptownshelby.org.
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Strawberries!

Yesterday was the first day for Spake's strawberry farm (at the end of our circle) to be open. Bootie and Poppa ran over a bought a bucket. We were all concerned about local crops, because we had frost at Easter (Easter morning was 21 degrees, Christmas morning was 44 degrees - go figure) but they're pretty good!

Today at Blockbuster

Today's New Releases include: Code Name: The Cleaner, Deja Vu, Night at the Museum and The Queen. They all made it home, and sat on top of the tv - except for Night at the Museum which was enjoyed by all ages 3 to 68. We'll try to keep you updated on the movies we actually get to watch, and when they are released. (I understand from my employees, that I need to see Deja Vu but can skip the Cleaner.)

Go Team!

Last night we wrapped up Zach's Spring Soccer, with a pizza party and trophies. A good time was had by all - except Max, who really wanted a trophy too.

Sundays on the Square

This Sunday was the first concert for Sundays on the Square. We sat in the grass and listened to some bluegrass music, and just hung out, with Max, Zach, Jake, Betsy, Kelly, Grandma Jany, Bootie and Poppa all in attendance.

Last Friday - Party #1

Friday night was the first wearing of the new black suit, as Jake and Betsy stepped out for a party at the Country Club.

First Post :)

We had so much fun keeping everyone up to date on the Read with Zach blog, that we decided to start a family one. We'll try to keep it brief, (in a nutshell) and add some pictures or other websites we visit, favorites, like books an movies, and hopefully it'll be fun, so keep checking back to see what we've added.