Christmas 2019 Newsletter
Well another year has come and gone. Here are some highlights for the Pecks in 2019.
Sarah’s Bead Shop
Perhaps one of our biggest changes in 2019 was that Sarah launched her own business! After leaving her veterinary assistant job in late 2018, she launched Sarah’s Bead Shop in early 2019, selling handmade artisanal jewelry and repairs. You may have seen her at several craft fairs throughout the area. I know she is super excited about the potential this has going into 2020.
Asheville
During Scarlett’s spring break, Rob and Sarah visited Asheville for several days. We had a great time visiting the Biltmore, spending far too much at the winery and in general enjoying a short vacation.
Scarlett’s Art in the Art Museum!
We are enormously proud of our little girl, who was among only 2 students in her school selected to have her art displayed in the Huntsville Museum of Art!
Family Camp 2019
This year was our bi-annual Family Camp reunion, and this year it was in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We rented a large cabin and had the entire family under one roof. Lots of fun was had by all, including trips to Dollywood, The Track, and several alpine coasters.
While we were there, Scarlett had an accident and banged her chin on the corner of the pool. We ended up driving her to the emergency room in Sevierville and she needed three stitches to close up the wound. Kids will be kids, I guess.
Laissez les bons temps rouler
Probably the biggest event for Sarah and I this year was our trip to New Orleans. We were looking for a bit of adventure while Scarlett stayed with her grandparents, and boy did we get that!
To start with, rather than drive or book an airline ticket, we decided to do something different: we took the train. Yes, the train. They still exist! We hopped on the Amtrak Crescent from Birmingham to New Orleans, and I just cannot say enough positive things about what a great experience this was. Wide comfy seats, hot fresh food, less irritation than flying and the roundtrip cost was less than parking would have cost at our hotel in New Orleans. We had a great time on the train and would highly recommend it. We’re even looking at doing one of the Amtrak long-distance overnight trains sometime soon.
We stayed just off the French Quarter and spent most of our time in the historic areas of New Orleans. We happened to wander into a Pharmacy Museum randomly and it ended up being one of the most interesting things we did. We also took a nighttime trolley ride through the Garden District which was super eerie and atmospheric, a totally different feel from doing the same thing during the daytime.
And, of course, we ate lots of good food. I don’t think you can go to New Orleans and not eat good food.
But then, disaster struck.
We woke up on Wednesday to find the streets out front of our hotel under about 3 feet of water. And when the water receded that afternoon, we were evacuated from the hotel because the hot water and fire systems were broken. Within a half-hour of arriving at the new hotel, we were called by Amtrak to tell us that Friday’s train was cancelled because of the impending arrival of Hurrican Barry. We were rebooked on Thursday’s and ended up coming home early. We essentially had one real, full day in New Orleans.
So we will definitely need to try this trip again. But for the time we were there, we had a great time.
Scarlett starts First Grade and Ballet
My little baby girl is growing up so fast! She started first grade this year! Can you believe it? Scarlett is in the advanced class in her elementary school and is doing 3rd grade math and reading on a 4th grade level. Keeping her engaged has proven to be quite a challenge.
She also started ballet this fall. Over the summer she did a ballet camp and enjoyed it so much that we signed her up to do ballet classes in the fall. We were just in time, and were able to land the last open spot in the 1st grade class. She will have her first recital this spring.
Rob goes to Colorado
Rob went on a long road trip with his friend Jamie to Colorado at the beginning of September. It was the longest road trip he had taken in more than 15 years. Plenty of fun was had by all.
Scarlett’s First Football Game
This fall, we took Scarlett to her first football game. Well, the first one she remembers, anyways. We did take her to A-Day in 2013. We took her to the Auburn vs. Kent State game. Despite the heat we had a great time and Auburn won 55-16.
