A Heart's Desire

 Linking this post today with Joanne (Slices of Life) for Talking About It Tuesdays 

2025 is bringing a pretty big and exciting change to our family. I haven't said anything about it on my blog because I've kind of been holding my breath making sure all the pieces would actually come together, but that seems to be happening so it feels okay to talk about it here now. 

Y'all. Don't stop praying for something that is truly your heart's desire. 

When my oldest daughter graduated from high school eighteen years ago (huh???) we were living in the UK. She hopped the pond to attend university in South Carolina and then we moved to NJ and she moved to D.C., and then she got married and moved to Washington State, and then we moved to South Carolina, and then she moved even further away-South Korea, then to a town outside of Nashville, then to Cincinatti, then to England and whew. It's a lot, isn't it? 

All that to say we have not lived geographically near one another since she was eighteen years old. 

I have occasionally referred to this circumstance as the thorn in my side. I have prayed a lot of prayers for my girls in adulthood. Jobs, spouses, married life, childbirth, child-rearing, and yes I still ask God to bring them geographically nearer on a regular basis. Near enough for a cup of tea on a Monday morning or lunch now and then without planes, trains, passports and rental cars being part of the deal because this is my heart's desire. 

My youngest daughter has been living about 3.5 hours from us for the past three years and we consider that very near. We can go by car and it's not too far for a weekend drive which is nice. Hubs and I have spent most of our married life living far away from family so we know how to do this, but still it's not my favorite. Whenever a move is on the horizon for daughter1 I ask God if maybe the next location could be just a little bit closer to me.  

She and her husband just celebrated their ten year wedding anniversary, and in the last ten years my son-in law has completed the final four years of a five year residency, four years of orthopedic surgery, and then another two years in specialized orthopedic fellowships. 

Most recently they've been living in Cambridge (England) while he wraps up his final fellowship. Just before they moved to the UK he accepted a job with an orthopedic practice that will begin once they're back stateside. 

That job is here. 

Where I live. 

They are coming home and where we live is where they will live. 

I don't even know what this looks like, all I know is my daughter and her family will be living within arms reach. We can go to the kids sporting events and programs. We can have dinner together on a random Wednesday.  We can spend one on one time with each little grand since logistics aren't complicated. 

They can come for a swim in the lake, then go home and sleep in their own beds. Or their parents can go home and the kids can have a sleep over at Nana and Pawpaws. My daughter can go to the dentist and get her hair cut without three kids in tow. She can hang out with her sister more often which makes her so happy. 

We live in a small town and I imagine we'll run into one another in the market or Hobby Lobby and other places we'll both frequent. 

They will of course make their own friends here, settle in to their own routines and find their own favorite places, which is as life should be, but to have them near means so much. The in-laws also live nearby and they're as excited as we are for fewer Facetimes, and more actual face time. 

So all these many words to say this... 

I've been praying for many many years for something that I couldn't quite work out how it would ever happen, yet here we are in 2025 and my daughter and I are going to be 'neighbors'. 

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7 (The Living Bible)

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 578

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share your answers. See you there! 

1. What was your favorite part about growing up in your hometown? 

2. Do you prefer 'material' gifts or 'experience' gifts? If you answered experience, tell us about one you've received and truly enjoyed. 

3. Is brown a color featured prominently in your home decor? Your wardrobe? What's a favorite brown thing you own? Of the brown foods listed here which one is your favorite and/or most often consumed... brown sugar, brown rice, pretzels, coffee, dates, cloves, German chocolate cake, whole wheat bread?

4. Which 'Charlie Brown' character do you relate to most? If you're not sure, you can take a fun quick quiz by clicking here-Which Charlie Brown Character Are You?  or the one found here-Charlie Brown Quiz. I got the same answer on both. 

5. What's a favorite item you've purchased this year? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Young At Heart In The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my blog. Be sure to visit your neighbors on the list as comments make the blog world go round. Here we go- 

1. Do you feel older or younger than your age? Elaborate. 

Hmmm...depends on the day and what's happening. While I don't feel like a 20-something I also don't feel four decades beyond that either. Physically there are definitely days I feel my age. On the inside I'm still younger than the calendar claims. 

I think about this quite a bit as my mom and my mother-in-law are three decades ahead of me, yet I know they still feel young at heart. It's frustrating to have your thoughts and opinions discounted or unappreciated because of a number when on the inside you are still the girl you always were. I feel this too. 

2. What's one thing you should toss right now, but just can't?

I have several dresses I feel like I should part with, but there they hang...still in my closet. They fit, and are mostly classic in style, but I never wear them because they have been worn and worn and worn and sometimes you just want new. 

3. Have you visited many of the 63 National Parks in the US of A? You'll find a list here. Do you have a favorite? What National Park that you haven't seen do you most want to see? 

We've visited some, but not nearly as many as I'd like to see. A trip out west (Yellowstone and Grand Tetons) is high on my 'to-see' list. My hubs grew up just outside of the Smoky Mountain National Park and we've spent a lot of time there. It's for sure a favorite. 

I had to go in search of a photo because I have literally dozens of us at various ages and stages in the Smoky Mountains, but here's where I landed-

Be still my heart. I think this must be 1992 and y'all those babies on my lap now have babies this very same age. The absolute sweetest days. Then and now. 

Also there's my God given hair color. 

Carry on. 

Acadia is another favorite, definitely one of the prettiest places in America. I've also been to the Rocky Mountains many times as my grandparents lived on a Colorado farm with a view, Shenandoah (ooh, that's another favorite...they're all favorites I guess)...Mt. Rainier, The Everglades, The Redwoods...so many beautiful places. My sister and niece were in Joshua Tree recently and they loved that. I've been to California a few times so not sure I'll get to that one, but never say never. 

4. How often do you get take out? What's your favorite? 

There's basically no take out where I live. I mean there is I suppose, but by the time you get home with take out it's cold so you may as well eat there. We don't even have pizza delivery. We either cook at home or go to a restaurant. There's not a lot of in-between. I keep a frozen pizza here for when we want pizza, but on the whole we don't miss take-out. 

Well okay, occasionally I might pine for pizza delivery, but mostly we have adjusted expectations and it's all good. There is so much to love about living on a lake, and I have a grocery store and all other life 'necessities' within an 8-10 mile radius so I don't pine too much over the no-delivery. 

My favorite would be Thai or Chinese but it's not happening here. We do have a Thai restaurant we enjoy so if we want Thai we just eat there. 

5. Do you have many (or any) subscriptions? Not necessarily magazines, but thinking more along the lines of boxes or products that companies offer, and you can sign up to receive on a regular basis. Could be weekly, monthly, quarterly, even daily. Tell us about them. 

I have several subscription boxes. I've been ordering Home Chef a couple of times a month since the Covid nonsense, but am going to cancel that one at the end of the month. We recently bought a chest freezer so I've started a meat subscription to Good Ranchers and will do that instead. 

Not the same thing, but honestly we're not enjoying the Home Chefs as much as we did in the beginning. If you're looking for lower calorie/lower sodium content the options are few. And I never order any of the steak entrees because we're picky about our steak. 

We've ordered random boxes from Good Ranchers and like their product. It's all American ranchers and farmers and the quality is excellent. I started a subscription that included free Wagyu beef patties in every box for a year, plus a $100 dollar/box savings over the course of four orders. I signed up for a delivery every six weeks, but you can pause or cancel at any time. My box includes ground beef, chicken, sirloin, and flat iron steak, plus the free burgers. They always have specials so check for one before you order. The podcasters Allie Beth Stuckey and Alisa Childers both always have codes you can use too. 

I subscribe to Lovery for my youngest grands, and I get a Stitch Fix box once a quarter which I enjoy. I get a Grove box once a month, although some months I skip depending on what we've been doing. I get trash bags, dishwasher soap, dish soap, dog treats, dog bags, toilet bowl cleaner, and a few other odds and ends from them and it's nice not to have to add those items to my grocery cart when I shop in person. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Well I have a million things to do to get ready for next week, but instead I spent a good part of today (Tuesday) putting together a photo book from a trip we took in 2017. 

I'm on top of things. 

In 2017 we drove up the coast of California from San Francisco all the way to Tacoma Washington, where my daughter1 was living at the time, and every time I look at my photos I think 'I should really make that album.' 

My daughter makes beautiful family yearbooks with Mpix and I had a 40% off coupon sitting in my email that expires today, so I made a book. It was time consuming and I'm so glad I have my blog, because I wrote about the trip in great detail when it happened and that helped me get the album in chronological order, and also remember the names of all the tiny towns we drove through. 

Still a long to-do list, but tomorrow is another day. 

Also, in 2022 we drove up the California coast from San Diego to San Francisco and once I see how this  album turns out I'm determined to get Volume 2 done as well. Before another seven years pass I mean. 

Have a great day everyone! 

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Hello Monday

Linking up today for a weekend recap with Holly from Pink Lady and Sarah at Sunshine and Books. 

We had a pretty quiet weekend here, mostly because hubs had a lot of real estate-ing happening, and that meant we needed to stick close to home. He worked with a client all day Friday and I did some things around the house that needed doing, which always feels good. We ate leftovers for dinner and watched the movie Moneyball that evening. It's been out for more than ten years, but somehow I'd never seen it. I liked it. 

In my efforts to get myself in gear this year I've started using a walking app called Better Me. Hello, yes I know it's nearly May but I'm just now getting around to sticking my big toe into 2024. 

Question-does anybody really need an app for walking? 

I mean it seems pretty straightforward, but exercise is such a mind game for me, I find the app helps. It's a series of timed walks of varying speeds, and each walk is broken up into blocks so you change your pace a few times along the way. It took me a couple of days to figure out how much faster fast walking should be than brisk walking, but I've got my pace now and have been sticking with it. Sticking with it is really the thing, right? 

Also I should get extra credit for fast walking in my neighborhood because we've got some hills that make you want to cry. Not just me! I've had runners tell me they won't run in our neighborhood because it's so deceptively steep. The app helps me keep going. 

Back to Friday night's leftovers...I made a knock off California Pizza Kitchen BBQ chicken salad last week and it was delish. 

I had to watch a youtube video on how to cut a jicama but no blood was shed in the process (which is not always the case with me and knives) so whoohoo. 

I followed this recipe more or less. It sounded like a lot of dressing so I cut back on that, and hubs grilled the chicken then just topped it with a little BBQ sauce. 

The salad tasted very much like what I remember having at the CPK restaurant, although it's been more than a decade since I've eaten in one, so I can't say for sure.

Wait!! It's been more than two decades? Is that right? 

Yes I know it's right because my kids were kids last time I ate in a CPK, not grown married women with kids of their own. They weren't even in high school. Gulp. 

Are CPK's still around? There was one in the mall when we lived in Annapolis and we used to go every now and then. Now I'm wondering if people even still go to the mall? 

All that to say I will for sure make this recipe again. And I promise there is grilled chicken under there. My food photo snaps could use some work. 

Saturday hubs had more real estate-ing to do and I spent a fair bit of time on the phone with my siblings and my momma and also caught up on laundry and then took care of some paper work that had accumulated in the office. Why is there so much paper when everything is paperless? 

Hubs wrapped up work on the early side and we decided to go for sushi at a local place we enjoy. An unplanned date night-

My neighbor texted and asked if we wanted to come by for a glass of wine on their patio when we got home, so that's what we did. It was such a pretty evening, the temperature was absolute perfection, and it made me so ready for summer nights, porch sitting, sunset chasing, and al fresco dinners with friends and family. 

Hubs had still more real estate-ing to do on Sunday so we didn't go to church, and I watched online instead. l got all my grocery shopping done for the week, then came home and baked peanut butter cookies for two different friends who've had a bit of a rough time lately. A homemade cookie says someone is thinking of you. 

And just in case you're wondering, the amaryllis king is still in business. This is the same plant my daughter brought home from her classroom five years ago, that she somehow dumped over in her car on the way here so it was a literal stick by the time she pulled in the driveway. She planned to throw it away, but hubs worked his magic and she's still blooming beautifully. 

You'll have to take my word for it. My plant snaps could also use some work.  

Home Is Where The Hodgepodge Is

Welcome to another edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for your neighbor there. Here we go- 

1. Thursday is National Pi Day...are you good at math? What was the last thing you had to calculate? Did you use your head or technology? Last slice of pie you ate? 

I'm not bad at math, but I'm much better with words than numbers. The last thing I had to calculate was probably related to our tax organizer. I used my head for some of it and a calculator for the rest. 

As far as the last slice of pie I ate? I made an angel pie to take to my neighbors when we had dinner there recently. It was heavenly. 

2. What makes a house a home? 

The people I love are in it. 

3. Your current favorite green thing? 

I'm going with spring, in spite of the pollen that blows in with it! The leaves beginning to turn, the grass starting to green up, lots of leafy green bulbs popping up out of the brown earth, these are all things that lift my spirits. February tends to be gray and rainy in our neck of the woods so signs of spring are very welcome. 

4. How do you define achievement? How does your personal definition look similar to, or different than, society's definition? What's something you think is worth achieving in life? 

I guess I would define achievement as doing something successfully, and I think the world's definition is probably similar. Where we differ is in what that 'something' is, in defining the value of 'something'.  

I think raising a family is a worthwhile achievement. 

5. What song is a good soundtrack for your life right now? 

This one-Blessed by Martina McBride 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My mother-in-law celebrated her birthday on Monday, so hubs and I drove over to TN on Saturday to spend the weekend with her. We had a fun dinner out on Saturday night, then drove her to daughter2's house on Sunday to meet her newest great-granddaughter. 

These generational pictures are so very special. 

And this little punkin' grows more precious by the minute. Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 542

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Thursday is National Pi Day...are you good at math? What was the last thing you had to calculate? Did you use your head or technology? Last slice of pie you ate? 

2. What makes a house a home? 

3. Your current favorite green thing? 

4. How do you define achievement? How does your personal definition look similar to, or different than, society's definition? What's something you think is worth achieving in life? 

5. What song is a good soundtrack for your life right now? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

August Snaps

It's been all Hodgepodge and only Hodgepodge here for the past three weeks, so let's shift course and talk life lately. 

Or life for the past three weeks anyway. 

For starters we've been home. Can we just pause and give that sentence it's due, because it's a rare and welcome thing to have a block of time at home, especially late summer. 

We spent a relaxed Friday night one week floating with friends, sharing pizza on their dock, catching up on all their comings and goings, and savoring the sunset. 

One Saturday morning we took the little brown dog to a nearby waterfall, which meant a hike through the woods and lots of splashing in the stream. 

It was a beautiful day and we went early so had the falls practically to ourselves. 

Even though the falls are a mile and a half into the woods I think he smells them as soon as we get out of the car. 

He would run the whole way if we'd allow it, but there are rocks and narrow paths and we're not as nimble as a dog on the hunt lol. 

Hubs and I have taken the boat for a couple of sunset cruises on our own too, which is one of the best parts of lake life. 

This past weekend college friends came to town and that's always a favorite. One couple arrived Thursday evening and we went to a local wine bar for mussels and bubbly...

We came home and boated into the sunset (yes again!) because boating into the sun lowers your blood pressure like very few things can. 

Another couple arrived Friday around lunchtime and we floated the afternoon away before dinner was grilled and games were played. We laughed a lot and it felt so good to be with people who knew us when we were just becoming us. There are stories y'all. 

Saturday we boated to a nearby beach, had a delicious dinner in town at a local restaurant, then talked and laughed and listened to music and of course played more games. It was just a really fun, low-key weekend and we all enjoyed being together. 

And of course there's the other side of life always happening too... an extended family member in the hospital, a nagging sinus infection, a garage door repair, two dock lights that were taken out by lightning and in need of replacement, some little boat thingamajig that needs attention (at least we hope it's little!) and the on-going saga of the ice machine in my freezer that's not making ice and will get a second look by the repairman on Wednesday. Third look actually. 

Such is life and its the reason we need sunsets...a beautiful reminder at the end of the day that God has His hand on it all. 

Breaking Down The Hodgepodge

Welcome to another edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. We're in to a season students call 'spring break'. Did you/your family travel over spring breaks when you were growing up?  Tell us something about a 'spring break' you remember (from childhood or adulthood, either one). 

I don't recall my family ever traveling over spring break. When I was a kid families didn't travel the way people do now. Most of my college breaks meant a trip home since I went to school several hundred miles away from my family. I liked going home and didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. 

My senior year in college I went to Florida with friends. There were five of us in one hotel room with two beds so we each took a turn sleeping on the floor. Shudder! It was NOT the Ritz. We didn't have a lot of cash to spend and went to a lot of happy hours because back in the early 80's most places with a happy hour gave you free snacks. 

My favorite spring break memories are probably the ones we spent in Europe when my girls were in high school. We took a trip to Normandy over spring break one year and it was unforgettable. 

2. Last thing you broke? Was it a big deal? 

My elbow this past September. I guess you could say it was a big deal. I was on vacation and waited three days to see the doctor. I recovered without incident AND without surgery so in that sense not a big deal. 

3. March 7th is National Cereal Day...are you a fan? What's your favorite? If not cereal what's your favorite breakfast? Your typical breakfast? 

I like cereal okay. If I'm eating cereal it's usually Special K with Red Berries because it's a good low calorie-low sugar option, but it's not necessarily my favorite. My favorite breakfast is probably a ham and cheese omelet. My typical breakfast is Greek yogurt with berries and a sprinkling of granola. 

4. Break ground, break of dawn, break down, break the bank, break one's stride, break the ice, break a law, break a habit, break bread...choose one of the idioms listed and tell us how it applies to your life currently. 

Break of dawn of course. 

The sunrise is a small obsession of mine. 

5. Where do you go to connect with friends and family? What do you like to do most when you're home alone? 

Where do I go to connect? Quite often it's my own back deck, the dock, or out on the screened porch. Great conversations happen there. 

I'm not home alone very often so when a solo day appears on the calendar I have all kinds of good intentions to accomplish a long list of to-dos. Usually though I end up doing what I love instead-writing, reading, catching up on HGTV.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Speaking of spring break...I'm going to declare next week our spring break here, so no Hodgepodge on March 15. The Hodgepodge will return the following week, March 22nd. My grandchildren are all here this week and I'm busy blowing bubbles, snuggling babies, making pancakes, reading books, and lovin' life. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 495

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. We're in to a season students call 'spring break'. Did you/your family travel over spring breaks when you were growing up?  Tell us something about a 'spring break' you remember (from childhood or adulthood, either one). 

2. Last thing you broke? Was it a big deal? 

3. March 7th is National Cereal Day...are you a fan? What's your favorite? If not cereal what's your favorite breakfast? Your typical breakfast? 

4. Break ground, break of dawn, break down, break the bank, break one's stride, break the ice, break a law, break a habit, break bread...choose one of the idioms listed and tell us how it applies to your life currently. 

5. Where do you go to connect with friends and family? What do you like to do most when you're home alone? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

On The Street Where You Hodgepodge

Monday holidays always mess with me, but here we are rolling in to Wednesday without too much trouble. If you've answered the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge add your link at the end of my post. And remember good neighbors leave a comment for the blogger before them! Now here we go-

1. Tell us a little bit about the best birthday you've ever had. 

This is a toughie. I'm sure I had some really great birthdays as a child, but I can't recall specifics. My mama made occasions special and birthdays were no exception. 

I guess I'll say either my 40th or my 50th which I wrote about in posts here (In The Words of Gomer Pyle) and here (Let Them Eat Cake) The best thing about these two particular birthday celebrations was the forethought and planning that went into them and the surprise. 

2.  In what way(s) have you changed in the last five years? 

I started to say many, but I'm still me so maybe not as much as I initially thought. Obviously my hair is less 'natural' and my eyesight needs greater correction and I can't jump up from a seat on the floor without planning ahead, but none of those are a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Probably the biggest thing would be I'm a Nana now and my heart has grown in ways I couldn't have imagined prior to grandchildren joining our family. 

On the inside though, I'm not that different. I have less patience for all the judgement and assumptions people throw down these days, but I still trust my life to the Maker of it all.

3. What's your favorite thing about the street on which you live? 

We have really nice neighbors and this in the backyard-

4. The Hodgepodge lands on National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? What's a recipe you make that lists beer as one of the ingredients? If not beer, how about yeast?

I am not a beer drinker. We make brats and add beer to the cooking water which makes them extra delicious.

5. As I grow older I would like to be a woman (or man, if there are any men in the HP today) who points people to Jesus.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My girls and their boys...

Labor Day 2022

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 476

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Tell us a little bit about the best birthday you've ever had. 

2.  In what way(s) have you changed in the last five years? 

3. What's your favorite thing about the street on which you live? 

4. The Hodgepodge lands on National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? What's a recipe you make that lists beer as one of the ingredients? If not beer, how about yeast?

5. As I grow older I would like to be a woman (or man, if there are any men in the HP today) who __________________________.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I Haven't Run A Marathon But...

I have spent the last week with a just turned four-year-old and an almost two-year-old while they navigated the time change from Asia to America which, is pretty much the same thing as running a marathon. Or two. I have about a million pictures on my phone and a million special moments marked in my heart and I want to dump them all here but I guess I won't. 

Well I am going to dump a few because what good is a blog if not to overload anyone who might still be reading blogs with a bunch of family photos? 

Also maybe more than a few. 

Y'all know I have to go all the way back to Day 1 here because I don't know any other way. The 'kids' (yes they are full grown adults who've been raising children of their own while living out of the country for two years but your kids are your kids no matter their age) and an-y-way... the 'kids' bid farewell to the Land of Morning Calm and landed in crazy town USA (that would be the Atlanta Airport) last Sunday night. 

Their flight was on time, but then there was that pesky three hour wait in a completely ridunculous passport control queue with two toddlers who'd just spent fourteen hours on a plane, and I am here to tell you these 'kids' are absolute rock stars.  

Small rant...what is the point of travelers masking on an airplane when you're going to stand them shoulder to shoulder in a s-l-o-w moving three hour queue with a bajillion people upon arrival? 

On the other side of the gate we grandparents were waiting waiting waiting not so patiently to welcome them home. Yes of course all four grandparents made the two hour trek to the airport. We have not had an in person hug in almost two years, plus we needed two vehicles to haul their umpteen bags and assorted baby gear back to the lake.

Finally there were hugs and tears and then a too long car ride to South Carolina but we made it with everyone's remarkably good moods in tact. Their pup (you know him now as our pup) plus Daughter2 were there waiting when we opened the front door and I cannot explain to you how wonderful it feels to have everyone on the very same terra firma. 

Sleep. It's all relative when you're upside down on time and these little men were such troopers. There were some middle of the night calls for momma but by about day four everyone was pretty much in the sleep groove. And nobody was cranky. They jumped right in to lake life, both figuratively and literally...

...and we have had the best time doing all the things, many many things, with the cutest tiny humans on the planet. There was fishing with Pawpaw-

Celebrating a special someone's 4th birthday with all  his favorite people-

Boating-

In case you're wondering they like to go fast!!...or as the mancub says, 'When are we going to kick it into gear?

There were bubbles-

These bubble guns my neighbor recommended (Amazon link here) were a huge hit and so much better than the tiny little wand in a bottle we grew up with-

My popcorn popper was a hit too-

This little guy had his very first taste of Chick-fil-A-

Summertime in South Carolina definitely calls for popsicles dripping down your chin-

There was bird feeding-

And bird watching-

Homemade waffles with Nana-

Pool fun-

Auntie hijinks-

This aunt is the absolute best at doing whatever needs doing to keep our proverbial train on the track. Don't know how we'd manage without her. For real. 

Also, sisters reunited might be my favorite thing about the whole happy-exhausting-glorious week we've had together. 

God bless America and the service men and women still far from home, still far from their siblings and their children's grandparents and extra hands to help with busy toddlers. Far from their momma's home cooking and in-person time with their people. The sacrifices are both large and small and we are so grateful for each and every one. 

Welcome home!