Fun in the Sand and Water...

Each morning, Jimmy and the girls went swimming or boogie boarding in the Atlantic, while I searched the beach for shark teeth (which was a futile effort compared to previous years). Afterwards, we hit the pool, which was the perfect temperature. We were lucky this summer wasn’t brutally hot, but we still had to spend the middle of the day inside to escape the dangerous UV rays. We were fortunate to have a lot of restaurants within walking distance for lunch and dinner. We’d go in the pool again later in the afternoon and sometimes in the evening as well. Jimmy and I enjoyed being able to take long walks on the beach in the moonlight.

Next Stop - Jacksonville, Florida...

After 5 nights in North Carolina, it was time to catch a flight to Jacksonville to visit with Jimmy’s family. As we were heading out to the 1950’s motor lodge at the beach, we saw a wall of menacing clouds coming straight at us. Luckily we managed to make it to the motel just in time to unload the car before the storm let loose. Silly Ashlynn thought it was fun to sing and run in the deluge.

Long Distance Friends...

We’re so thrilled that distance hasn’t gotten in the way of the closeness that we feel with Erika, Michael, Rachel and Ben. While we only got to have one of Michael’s amazing meals, we still had plenty of time to spend together over the 5 days. Erika took a day off of work and took us to the North Carolina Art Museum, and also arranged for the girls to have lunch with Rachel at the middle school. I still marvel that Veronica had such good taste in friends when she was in kindergarten!

Real or Photoshopped?

I must admit that I failed to take good photos of the time spent with friends this summer. There’s some nice group shots, but few candids of just hanging out. Luckily, Erika has really embraced her new hobby of photography and got a few great shots of the kids. I still prefer our real children over the Photoshopped ones, but thought it worth sharing.

Partying It Up in North Carolina...

We had a great time spending 5 nights hanging with old friends in Raleigh. We didn’t manage to hash, but Anna threw a summer party where we got to see many of our hash buddies. Erika and Michael threw a Sunday brunch; Ashlynn was especially thrilled that Holly joined us. Carolyn and Steve made us a delicious gourmet dinner. Lisa and Randy hosted a small pizza party; we loved seeing how their house renovation turned out and meeting their son. And the Harriettes went out for sushi, which was a great ending to a fun visit.

Next Stop -- Gaithersburg, Maryland...

We took the train up to Gaithersburg, Maryland to spend two nights with Jimmy’s college buddy Malinda, her son Jamie and her husband Newman. It had been at least 6 years since we’d seen each other, but we reconnected very quickly and had a great time. We trained back into DC to go to the American History Museum and the International Spy Museum, which was especially cool; we all really enjoyed climbing through a fake heating duct. We also went to a sushi buffet that was fantastic.
Afterwards, we got on an Amtrak train to go to Cary. The best part was when Jimmy boarded the train in Richmond without the girls realizing it. You can imagine their surprise when he sat down on them!

First Stop of our Whirlwind Tour, DC...

After just three days back in Holland, it was time to head to the US for Home Leave. We decided to mix things up a bit this summer by adding in a few other cities. Jimmy was actually already in the US at a conference when us girls flew over, so he wasn’t with us when we arrived in Washington, DC. We spent four nights staying with our good buddy Marc, previously of Raleigh, and his girlfriend Lacy. In addition to doing the usual touristy stuff on our own (National Gallery, Air & Space Museum, children’s section of the Holocaust Museum and National Zoo), Marc took us to watch a drum circle in the park and to a party at his design studio. We also had some great meals together and enjoyed going to Amsterdam Falafel (although Veronica was disappointed they didn’t understand her Dutch), but our favorite was breakfast on the rooftop terrace of Marc’s apartment building.