North Carolina, South Carolina, Aruba, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia...Oh My!!

Some pre church photos at the Elliotts.


Grady can put a smile on Spencer's face with his crazy antics.


Family photo time.


On a hot afternoon at Birkdale Village.


The only picture I was able to take at the Sadd's before my camera battery died.

Wow! We really packed a lot into the last month. I'll recap...

Late July found us in the car heading to North Carolina with Nana. After a brief layover, we arrived at the Elliotts for a week of fun in the sun with both the Elliotts and the Stanfords. The boys had a great time getting to know my aunt and uncle and it was nice for me to get some time with them as well. We had great meals together, lots of laughter, and even some tears.

I did get a chance to visit the Sadd family at Camp St. Christopher for an afternoon. Despite having only one picture to show for it, we had a great time. It was so nice to see the Emily, David, and the kids and to get a glimpse of their life on the island. Em took us on a golf cart tour of the grounds just before we got on the road and we got to see some really big spiders - a lot of them!!

The next day we hopped in the van with Say and Spencer and drove back up to Nana's. I'm pretty sure my mom enjoyed having her three kids and three grandchildren all under one roof! She took good care of all of us and we all had a super time.

I then jumped a plane for Aruba to attend the Cote nuptuals. What a blast those four days were! The weather was PERFECT, the water was some of the most beautiful water I have ever seen, and you always feel like part of the family when you are with the Cotes and their extended families. While it was a fantastic time, I was ready to get back to the states to see my boys and to get to Pittsburgh to see Shawn.

We had a couple of days back at Nana's, then we were back in the van, this time with Uncle Luke, heading to the 'burgh. I got a chance to catch up with a few friends that I hadn't seen in a really long time and we finally got to see Shawn. The boys were almost at breaking point Thursday morning when they woke up to see Daddy! On Friday the Tobeys met us in the city for a rockin' weekend of Pittsburgh sights and treats! We had an awesome visit with our very dear friends but our trip had one more stop...

The suburbs of Philadelphia! That's right...we sold our house and are making the move back to PA. We spent a couple of days surveying the area and getting an idea of just what is out there housewise. It was a very productive trip and we are pretty sure we know where we want to be. The key is to now find someplace to live come November 3rd!

So, that's our past 4 weeks in a nutshell. There are so many stories and great times that fall within each mini trip but it's early - now 5 a.m. - and I'm tired. (Conner woke us up at 3:30 and I couldn't get back to sleep.) School starts on Wednesday so we have a lot to do to get ready for the big day. These next couple of months are going to be hard for Conner so keep him in your prayers. He'll be fine but he's starting to get emotional about leaving his home. He had a difficult time when we moved from Manchester to Bedford so I can imagine it will be sad for him to leave his friends and school that he loves so much.


It was a beautiful sunset on the beach in Aruba for the Cote's wedding.


We were able to get a couple of hours in with the Henrys, Sara, Ben, and Matthew, at the park one afternoon.


The fam on Mt. Washington...daddy told the story of how he proposed to the whole group!


Selim and Shawn in Primanti's.


Conner at the wheel of the Ducky boat.


We weren't too good about getting a group photo. This will have to do. Breakfast at The Grand Concourse is always a winner!


People always ask me if I still do anything remotely related to art now that I am no longer teaching. While the answer, sadly, is often no, I did happen to catch a photo of a sketch I did for a development outside New Castle.


Enjoying a libation at the Church Brew Works.


Our decline on the incline!