august 2

another great day on whidbey!  this morning the kids and i took a nice walk along the beach, just the three of us.  it's wonderful to vacation with another family, but it can also be challenging to have many different personalities under one roof!  so, we got out of the cabin and drove over to the state park.  we hiked down to the beach and let the kids do some exploring.  it was a beautiful hike and a great way for everyone to let off a little steam.

we had a great afternoon at the beach, including a little adult happy hour for two :)  anastasia has been spoiling me with all of her great cooking!  tonight we had seafood linguine, and it was absolutely perfect.  fresh seafood, great company, great wine, looking out onto the water - it was the kind of meal i will remember for a long time to come!

august 1

what a day!  it started at 4am!  that's right.  at 4am my roommate gavin awakened for the day.  it was 7am in cincinnati after all.  worse yet, we pretty much woke up the entire house by using the bathroom. eek!  so, we got an early start :)  i got in a run and anastasia hit the gym.  it felt good to run my old route.  it was crazy to feel how cold it was though.  just another pacific northwest morning for you... nevermind the fact that it is AUGUST!!

we had breakfast and somehow managed to get the kids and ALL of our stuff loaded up in the acura for our drive to whidbey island.  it was quite a sight!  the kids were surrounded by pillows, bags, food, beach gear, etc.  they managed pretty well, and we had a nice drive.  we arrived on whidbey just in time for a nice outdoor lunch in langley, and then we headed over to freeland where we would be staying for the weekend.  the cabin was nothing special, but completely met our needs and was in a great location - right across the street from the beach!  i was very excited to be back on whidbey island. it's such a great little place and one i had hoped to return to, and now here i am!

we spent the afternoon getting settled and enjoying the sunshine at the beach.  i was a little surprised at how warm it was.  i wasn't even sure we'd be able to do any swimming, but all the kids did get in the water and had tons of fun splashing around and looking for shells.  anastasia and i were even able to have a few relaxing moments sitting in the sand.  brooke and hanna are super happy to be at the beach together, and gavin is introducing hudson to his love of all things super heroes.  they make a pretty good dynamic duo :)

july 31

the big day finally arrived!!  to say we were excited would be a huge understatement.  kevin dropped us off at the airport this morning, and we gave him big hugs and kisses goodbye.  we're going to be gone for 12 days!  my little travelers are all ready :)  so am i!

anastasia decided to make our visit a surprise for hanna.  so ryan picked us up at the airport and drove us to their home in snoqualmie.  i envisioned us ringing the door and hanna running to answer it, her jaw dropping open when she saw brooke.  what actually happened was probably even better... as we pulled in the driveway, hanna was outside.  anastasia had asked her to run over to the cesmat's for an ingredient she needed.  i yelled at the kids to duck down so she didn't see us, but it was too late.  hanna saw gavin first, and then i could see the recognition on her face.  i could see her little brain working overtime, "if gavin is here, brooke must be here!!!!"  hanna ran around the car to brooke's side and just started shrieking.  her mouth was open, her eyes were wide, and she was jumping up and down.  she literally could not contain her excitement.  brooke quickly scrambled out of the car, and the girls embraced.  it was the sweetest moment.  better than i could have scripted myself.  a big embrace and then brooke and hanna took off running for the house and up the stairs before we could even get a word out.  it was like no time had passed.  none.  they picked up right where they left off.  i hope they always do.

we spent the afternoon getting settled at the house and playing at the park.  gavin didn't really remember our house, and he kept asking me when we were going to go to the "big park."  it took me only a second to realize that our park was so much bigger to him in his memory because he was so little when we lived in snoqualmie.  he did not believe it when i explained that it was THE park.  too much for him to wrap his little mind around!

standing at the park, watching our kids play... i had this feeling that time had completely stood still.  almost a year had passed, but i was instantly transported into my former life and everything was still exactly as it had been.  except now, i am only a visitor.  and i'm ok with that.  i hadn't realized it until that very moment standing at the park, looking out at the mountains.  but i am ok with it.  i have moved on.

july 30

i am enjoying every single moment of this beautiful summer in cincinnati.  the heat, the smells, the thunderstorms, the pools, the people, the stickiness, the food, the parties, the lazy days, the beautiful skies, summer getaways, the endless days, bike rides, sleeping in, grilling out.  and family.  most importantly, family.

july 29

we awakened in dayton this morning and were treated to beignets for breakfast and a couple of hours of swimming before we had to head home.  on friday i got a text from laura fitzsimmons saying she and the kids were in town for the weekend.  it's been so long since we've seen them!  we made plans to meet at veteran's park in anderson for a picnic dinner.  antje, randall, the girls and randall's mom joined us, too.  it was a great reunion!  the kids had fun running around and playing together on the playground.  it felt a bit surreal to watch these 7 kids - our kids - playing together as friends even though they barely know each other.  it seems like just yesterday that we were couples without kids, enjoying trips together and dinners out and golf and many other things we were able to do at our leisure.  now here we are!  we each have beautiful families and tremendous children who must sense just how much we love each other.  what a special night.

july 28

we headed to dayton today for a shrimp boil at the foltz'.  we were happy to be able to join the party this year and catch up with family friends we haven't seen in ages!  the kids had loads of fun with the other kids and thoroughly enjoyed the bounce house that john and carol rented just for this party.  it was  hot out, but we managed to stay cool in the shade while enjoying some good food and beers from around the world.  after the party we headed to bob & kaye's for a sleepover and to round out a great day in dayton.

july 27

the rain yesterday brought the sun today.  we spent the morning at the pool with megan, joey and chase.  we spent the afternoon at home playing superheroes.  i feel so fortunate to be able to spend my days with my children doing things that put smiles on our faces.  this entire summer has been so good for my soul.