Summer lovin'

  
Is it just me or does everybody make grandiose plans for summer and then maybe get one of them accomplished? Not that hanging out with the family is grandiose, but from the beginning of the summer we were traveling back and forth in our dearly missed Subaru Outback. We went from my little brother's wonderful wedding to the Thomson family reunion in the rural mountains of Virginia. Then, we sped our way over to the 60th wedding anniversary of Colin's grandparents and the next day found ourselves alongside Emerald Isle beach. While we caught our breath from quick catch ups of dearly missed family, we finally slept in one bed together (before that we had slept in 11 different beds in 11 different nights). Rest. We found some, but when your back in your own country, you want to do everything you've been missing since you left! And that's pretty impossible. But I'm an optimist (and just slightly irrational), so I believed we could get it all done and relax, too.

We found time for both, but what a rush of seven weeks! Tegucigalpa slowly slipped from our minds as we talked in English everyday, all day....as we walked around Wal-mart, slowly taking it all in (really? it's all in one place? that easy?)...as we adjusted to the rules once again of the road...as we got up to Dad's good-morning bacon....as we (OK, mostly just me) worked three 1000 piece puzzles...as we watched all kinds of TV in English (although 'So You Think You Can Dance' is probably almost as good in Espanol)...as I gobbled up gluten-free menus and Colin found some good beer...yes, the summer gave us time to let the year slide off our backs and remind us how much we love being home.

Thank you, dearest family...Megan, JT, little Noah D, Dave, Scottie, Mom and Dad, Jenna-Clare, Jeremy, the mighty Wilbo, Abbie, Daddy and Mama. And our dear friends....thank you Natalie, Becky, Rachel (really, it had been 3 years?), Sara, Steve, Bobby, Tarryn, Matt, Brandon, Mariel, DB, and all of you we couldn't meet up with (Richard and Sarah S, Brennan, Derek, Joseph...so many.) or only could talk via phone, gosh...you are our other family. One day we'll be closer together and can enjoy some BBQ (or tofu, whatever's your hankerin) in our backyard with all of our cute little ones running around everywhere. We already miss all of you...tons.

Coming soon (Colin-style): last week's adventures in Antigua, Guatemala.......