End of Summer

Summer 2019 is in the books, and it was AMAZING! I think it will be THE SUMMER we remember forever. It was one of growth, freedom, excitement, adventure and lots of love. We wrapped up summer with "meet the teacher" at school, the last few days filled with friends, and a lunch at Scott's office!

The kids are all super excited about their teachers and the friends in their class. It is shaping up to be a great year. I am so grateful for our school and community. We also went to Faith Ann's first gymnastics class! She is going to love it! All her sweet friends are taking tumbling/gymnastics, and I love the hang out time with all the moms too! We had friends take over the last day of summer! We had snow cones, went swimming at Beau and Kates, and played until we fell over! So fun!

We went to Scott's office for one last summer lunch!  We visited with Mr. P...the shoe shine man in Scott's office. Mr. P has watched our family grow. I would go to lunch with Scott every Wednesday for 7 years, and my kids loved seeing Mr. P each week!!! Then, all the kids got in school, and life changed. But, we will always make our Mr. P visit every summer! Goodbye summer 2019!!! Onto the next chapter....

Jellystone, 36th Birthday, Ninja Camp

One last hoora! Jellystone Park to end our summer. We went last summer and loved it. I decided to go again since my dad died (July 2nd) during that last time we went!! I was back and forth between hospice care, visiting dad and making the 40 minute drive to play with the kids at Jellystone. Dad was adamant about me taking the kids, not cancelling our weekend, so I was all over the place...mentally, physically! So, I wanted to go again with rested minds and souls. And it was perfection.

It was just me and the kids for Thursday night. Then Scott and some friends came to meet us Friday for the weekend. Swimming, slides, golf, bike riding, golf, and endless outdoor fun! A kids dream! It was also my 36th birthday on Aug 4...and this is just what I wanted!! A simple, outdoor weekend with my family.

We went with the Cribbs family. Our kids are all the same ages, which is amazing. Stefanie and I workout together all the time, so we have gotten super close. Chase, Scott and I went to middle and high school together. And all our kids will go to High School together!! We go way back and have lots ahead, so they were the perfect family to spend my birthday weekend with! We stayed up late...cooking, outdoor movies, games and lots of visiting. Scott likes to stay in cabins with no running water to get a feel for "camping!" It really is fun and such a memorable experience.

We got home on my birthday to get ready for a busy week. We ended my birthday with dinner at our neighbors house. MaryKathryn had us over for my birthday. So sweet and so fun! FaithAnn picked out my dress and did my hair and makeup. I wore the shiniest glitter dress in my closet, blue eyeshadow, pink headband and I couldn't be happier! Precious memories!

I hired the kids again to work my ninja kid fitness camp. They worked hard all week. 31 kids in the camp, and my kids were exhausted. I really put them in charge of roles, etc. I expected a lot out of them, and it was so amazing to watch!!! Proud of them!!!!! Summer 2019 ended with a bang and heartfelt memories! 

Virgin Islands (Part 3)

Part 3 is the tail end of our trip. Everyone had gone back home, and the last week was single mom life again! We spent the last few days at Macy's house. We wanted to spend extra time with her and Kinsley. We had a great time! We said goodbye to the condo, which was bittersweet! But headed to Macy's house ready for more adventure.

We also said goodbye to Roy, our cab driver! Macy was so great and drove us around everywhere! Full car and full hearts! We went to a beach that also had a pool and waterslide. That may have been the kids favorite! They really enjoyed the slide and the atmosphere! Over and over again! Lots of virgin pina colada happy hours while Macy and I had mojito happy hours. So fun!

We got to spend some time in their routine...dance class, errands, etc. It was fun for the kids to get a feel for local life. I think my favorite day was when we went to Neltjeberg Beach! It was so isolated and such a cool drive down dirt roads. We were the only ones there for a couple hours! I mean...fairytale views! This beach had the most waves, which was so fun for the kids. Lots of boogie boards and jumping waves. They had a swing and gorgeous sideways palm trees to climb! Truly gorgeous.

The last day of the trip, we took the car ferry to St. John. Drove to Cinnamon Beach which was stunning! This was probably the sandiest beach we had gone to. And maybe the most clear water so far! Long beach, white sand. The kids and I took lots of walks, holding hands. Such priceless simple moments. Then, we drove to a ruin for hiking and site seeing. Perfect ending to an epic month!

Then, we said our goodbyes and headed to the airport. We had a 6 hour lay over in Puerto Rico. And we are not a technology family. So we had lots of time to kill. They were so tired, so they got some sleep. They also wrote in their journals, since they had to much to write about. They even played UNO with some kind strangers. Remember kids...keep your head up and out of your dang phone...you never know what real life experiences and relationships are right in front of you! It was a fun airport experience to finish off our most memorable month. Dear kids....thank you for these memories that I will always cherish as my best. Love you! And St. Thomas...we will be back!