Best Pool Party Ever!

A big thanks to Irene and Natasha for hosting an amazing going away party for us at the pool Saturday night. We had such a great time! It was awesome hanging out with our closest friends in Gainesville all together. We celebrated with hot dogs, hamburgers, homemade salsa, watermelon, and M&M's. Then, Caroline brought an amazing cake from The Flour Pot Bakery. Delicious!! Jan also brought a homemade German chocolate cake for Shawn (his favorite!!). Needless to say, we did not go away hungry!

On our way to the pool, it had looked like rain was headed for us. But we lucked out, and the evening was beautiful. The water was even warm, and almost everyone ended up swimming!

I am going to miss the Da Costas, Kings, Seguras, Purvises, and Jan so much. Thank you all for your friendship and love these past few years. From watching our children and celebrating their births and birthdays to game nights and park play-dates and girls' nights: my heart is so full of good friends and good times. Thank you. We love you!

Enjoy the pictures from the shindig, compliments of Riley!

CAMP HARDING

What a fun-filled week we've had! Last Saturday, we sat down with Riley to plan a week of camp activities and outings as a family. We didn't always stick to the plan, but we did pack the time full of new adventures and great family memories. Here's the run-down:

Last Sunday: The Segura family invited us to spend some time with them at the resort they were vacationing at for a few days. It was awesome! The resort featured at least a dozen pools, a water slide, a bounce house, the beach, and a beautiful condo where we ate lunch. We had a blast spending Father's Day with such a sweet and wonderful family.

On the way home, Shawn wanted to stop at Dairy Queen and then Subway for his Father's Day dinner. And for such a great Dad, of course we stopped!

Monday: Morning outing: Park and then library. In the afternoon, I hit the doctor's while Shawn and the kids painted rocks and a piggy bank. In the evening, Riley went to Caroline's church for Vacation Bible School. She had a ball. And learned that God created her. Not me, not Shawn, not panda bears, not the sun: just her.

Tuesday: Movie morning! Riley and I grabbed some candy and headed to the movies to see The Tale of Despereaux. She lasted an hour, and it was great getting to see her face when she first saw how BIG the movie screen was. That, and she is too light to keep the seat down when she sits at the back. Too cute. In the afternoon, we played Hi, Ho, Cherrio! Riley's new favorite game. At night, back to Bible School before heading over to Caroline's house to watch the Bachelorette (DVRed, of course). Riley was a terrific addition to our girls' night of milkshakes and ABC television. As a side note, I cannot express how much I am going to miss my Monday (or in this case Tuesday) nights with Caroline. We've hung out for at least the last four seasons of the Bachelor/Bachelorette, a Dancing with the Stars season, and some Greys. Our time together has been a week highlight for the last two-three years. Mondays have never been dreaded because I knew I would get to hang out with Caroline. I am so thankful for that time together. I am so thankful for her as a friend.

Wednesday: Bowling! Riley had a ball bowling a full ten frames, and scoring a 57! Adrian just liked wondering around the empty alley. In the afternoon, Riley and I made a family treat: Pizza Freet (we used to make it with my great grandma; basically, it's fried dough topped with powdered sugar). Riley also made her very first pizza!

Thursday: We have been meaning to get Riley a bike this summer, so we decided to make our outing this morning to ToysRUs. Riley loves her new Princess bike and Dora helmet. Then, we all went to BJ's for lunch! After nap-time, we played more family games (Memory and Hungry, Hungry Hippos!) and painted a sun-catcher.

Friday: We ended the week with Water Day! We trekked up to Alachua to visit the sprinkler park. Riley had a ball darting among the sprinklers, and Adrian chilled around the outskirts until venturing forth into the water sprays. Afterwards, we headed to the park there, now dubbed Dinosaur park by Riley. Good times! This afternoon, we'll get our naps on, and practice bike-riding before heading to the last day of Vacation Bible School.

Whew! I just hope my kids have had as much fun as I have had! Enjoy the pictures!

Changes...

Here we go!

So much is going on, and I have so much to post about. Our lives are full and about to be awash with change. And change is tough. On the one hand, I am thrilled about starting the next chapter of our lives in Athens, Georgia. I cannot wait to continue pursuing my dream to be a teacher and a writer at The University of Georgia while I work on my Ph.D. in Creative Writing and English. I am excited for new restaurants, new adventures, new parks, new experiences, new friends, new inspiration, and new memories. But at the same time, this change makes me sad. We've been in Gainesville for five years, and that is the longest I have lived in any one place since I was in elementary and middle school. Here, I have a great group of girl friends, a great school to work at, and Chinese and pizza places in a Publix plaza minutes from our neighborhood. We even have a pool across the street. The decision-making process was hard, and I felt distracted and bi-polar for a couple of weeks. But, I have an amazingly supportive husband, and we decided to go for it, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Now, my days in Gainesville are numbered. I start in Athens on July 1st. Shawn and the kids will be moving up to join me in the middle of July. Come fall, I will be teaching two sections of Freshman Composition and taking a couple of classes. Everything is coming together, and we are trying to make the most of our time left in Gainesville to hang out with friends and hit our favorite spots. Boxes litter our house, and the kids are having a ball playing with packing material. They build and tear down foam houses. Their worlds are about to be rocked, but I know change will be good for them, too. I learned so much moving around throughout my childhood, and I am excited for my children to have the same learning experiences.

In Athens, we already signed our lease on a beautiful home on 1.5 acres. I will post pictures later this summer. We've already found a school for the kids, too.

So the adventure is about to begin. I will miss my friends dearly and Gainesville, too. Hello, Athens, here we come!

PS Enjoy the new pictures on my blog, courtesy of Cristi Lopez Photography. I just got them today. She captures something special in Riley and Adrian. Her photos take my breath away.