Summer Recap

I must say, the summer of 2013 has been a blast!  We've had loads of time to spend with lots of good friends, some near and some far.  And besides a weekend trip to Virginia we've pretty much stayed put, so it's been a restful time as well.  Here are a few of the highlights...

First of all, Holly was home for three months, and it was fabulous getting to spend so much time with her!  There was plenty of reminiscing about our time in Zambia, and of course we loved hearing updates on how everyone there is doing.  We're hoping we'll get to see Holly again in December when our baby boy makes his appearance!

Our friend Chris' band Harpeth Rising was in town, and, since Patrick and I are pretty much band groupies we had to be there.  And added bonus was getting to see Chris' daughter Nancy!!

I'm so excited that not only did ToniMarie get to come visit for a weekend but she's now moved to Lexington!  After 13 years of a long-distance friendship we finally live in the same state!  I'm so excited to get to see her way more often than every 3-5 years!

Our community group, which meets every Tuesday, night has continued to be one of the highlights of each week.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends to fellowship and study God's word with!  Not to mention, sometimes we get a little crazy...

On a recent girls' night we discovered that if we dressed up like cows we could get free food at Chick-fil-A.  Who could pass that up?  It was the one time you wouldn't be offended if someone said you looked like a cow.  Haha!

Patrick and I had another reunion with Shane and Melia, two of our closest friends from South Carolina.  It seems to be becoming something of a tradition to meet a Chipotle in Lexington while they are driving through on their way to visit family.  Hanging out with them is always a time of encouragement and excessive laughter.

In July we said goodbye to two dear friends, Stacy and Andrew, who faithfully led our community group since last spring.  To send them off well we had a huge pool party and BBQ.  Rarely do you meet people who make such a lasting impression on your life, and I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to get to know them this last year!  They are such a blessing to us!

On our way to Virginia a few weeks ago Patrick and I stopped in Asheville to visit the legendary Biltmore Estate.  It's the largest home in the United States, owned by the Vanderbilt family.  My favorite room, naturally, was the library with over 10,000 books!

Our trip to Virginia was actually for the second reunion of our Okinawa Bible study group this year!  We all came together again to celebrate Penny's baby shower, and what a fun time it was.  Emily did an excellent job of hosting, and it was wonderful to get to spend time with all of the girls.  Despite being scattered all over the country we do a decent job of staying in touch, and whenever we get together it's as if no time at all has passed since our last get together.  I thank God daily for these women!

Pete and Emily were gracious hosts and opened up their home to us while we were in Virginia.  We absolutely adore their two boys, and I can't wait to meet boy #3 soon!

My summer wouldn't be complete without getting to spend an afternoon with one of my best friends Melissa!  Our tradition is to have lunch at Olive Garden and coffee at Starbucks.  It was exciting to get to see her 1-year old daughter MaKenzie who is now walking!  Kids seriously grow up way too fast.

As I look back at so many pictures with so many dear friends I'm reminded again of how good God is! I'm so thankful to constantly be surrounded by such amazing and loving people!