Monday with Manny

Hello, boys and girls! It's time for another adventure with our friend Manny, the Meerkat! This week, Manny's wanderlust took him to Waxhaw, North Carolina!

♪♫ On the road again... ♪♫

You, dear reader, may wonder why Manny would visit Waxhaw, North Carolina. Well there are LOTS of reasons. It's one of the oldest towns in Union County, it's extremely picturesque, and there's a railroad track that runs right through the center of town. 


Also, our friends Jenna and Reid, and their son Jacob, live in Waxhaw.


That's the most important reason.


A few weeks ago, we got an invitation in the mail to attend Jacob's 1st birthday party. When Manny heard about it, he packed his bags and sat by the door patiently, waiting for his chance to meet our college roommate and her family.


It takes us about 3 hours by car to get to Jenna's house, and Manny wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to take the wheel.

Thank goodness for cruise control.

After a few close calls with the median, a traffic cone, and an eighteen-wheeler, Manny noticed that we were getting low on fuel. So we directed him to the nearest gas station, and taught him all about pumping gas, inflated gas prices, and the importance of finding alternate sources of fuel.

Gas...fumes....are....awesome....

Finally, after the long three hour trek, Manny got to meet our favorite Waxhawian, and best college roommate ever, Jenna.

It was love at first sight.

Neither of them were disappointed.


After a quick snuggle-fest, Jenna put Manny in charge of greeting guests. He was granted a place of honor, next to Jacob's teeny little birthday cake. 

Good thing it was a strawberry and not a grub worm on top, or Jacob's cake would've been in danger.

There was food and cake and laughter. There were presents in the form of a drum kit, a swing to hang in the tree outside, a keyboard in the shape of a cat, and a family-sized blow-up pool for summer fun. 


When the guests had finished off the cake, the candles had been blown out and all the wishes made, they all began to make their way back home. And Manny finally had some bonding time with Birthday Boy Jacob.

"Mrrpph."

 Mr. Jacob was enthralled with our friend, Manny. And Manny, ever the fun-loving Meerkat, was as good of a babysitter as you can imagine. He was hugged, kissed, squeezed, tossed, and ultimately, hung upside down by his toes.

He even assisted in some ear-wax removal.

After a thorough half-hour play session, Jacob was whisked off to beddy-bye. And Manny enjoyed a refreshing adult beverage.

(And maybe a Zoloft...)

A few hours later, and Manny was back in South Carolina, enjoying the snug blanket he calls "burrow." Stay tuned for Manny's next adventure, coming soon!


Manny would like to thank Jenna, Reid and Jacob for inviting him to take part in such a momentous occasion. Upon meeting Master Jacob, Manny has decided that March 13 should be a national holiday, and he is taking it upon himself to start a letter-writing campaign. If you are interested in helping us institute a National Jacob's Birthday Day, please write to your Congressman-or-woman. Thank you.