Riverside Park has changed in the last 10 years just as much as Colby and I have!  There is now a "Sprayground" in the middle of the park making it kid friendly.  It was the perfect day there.    When it's still 100 degrees in Virginia in September, you NEED a"sprayground" in the park!This guy was having too much fun;  I had to capture it. Read More

Did you know that in order to perform open heart surgery the doctors have to first STOP the heart?  Well, I just learned that this week. There are some details that I'd rather not know...Right now Gracie is in open heart surgery.  Anticipating this moment was worse than the actual moment.  Last night we met with the doctors and had a Pre-Operation meeting where they go over every possible thing that could go wrong.  It was so brutal that I had to leave....before it even Read More

Yesterday we drove to our Dr's appointment at UVA Medical with our car all packed for the long stay here. The appointment went well and found out that I am now dilated 2 cm.  The Dr. asked me if I wanted to be induced on Sunday....it was tempting, but I declined.  We want her to cook as long as possible. Last night for story time, Colby recounted the last two years of our life and all the different places and houses we've lived in.  Haley remembers every detail of this journey Read More

In May when I went to my first Doctor's appointment at UVA, I asked tons of questions...One of them was, "Can I still go to beach week in July?" When he said, "I don't see why not," we were both surprised. What a fun week of cousins, waves, games, sunshine, biking, good food, Colby getting stung by a jellyfish, and many other memories. You can see the rest of the story here... Read More

I have to say....being back in America for the Fourth of July was SO amazing. It was the best Fourth I can remember; I appreciate my country more than I ever have. We were able to go to three different fireworks shows. For the first one, I just stepped outside and was able to see the firework show from our front porch. It was like my own personal worship service as the sky filled with lights and I just thanked God for our freedom. This year, as the national anthem was sung, I listened and Read More

10.  Having two bathrooms (Oh, the things you take for granted...)9.  A King-sized bed (How can we ever go back to a double again?)8.  A themed kitchen (Haley said the other day, "Wow, they must really like apples)7.   Listening to the rain fall on the sky lights6.  A bathtub (I don't think they believe in bathtubs in Europe)5.  A big yard and a long driveway for the kids to ride their bikes on (My new favorite words to say:  "Kids, go OUTSIDE and Read More

I absolutely love Colby's hometown Galeton, PA.  It is the cutest town I have ever seen.  There are church bells that echo off the mountains surrounding its quaint downtown and a river that runs through it.  I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting with his parents, teaching Darcy to ride her new bike, hiking through the woods with Haley and finding deer tracks, going out for ice cream, watching Colby fly-fish, swimming in Lyman Lake, sitting on the porch with a good book, talking to Read More

"Do you know what I've been thinking about lately?" I asked Colby after he'd returned back to the states.  "What...Fly-fishing in Potter County?"I never got a chance to tell him what was on MY mind...he went on and on about his fly-fishing fantasies.  We arrived in Northern PA yesterday and today took the kids fly-fishing at a local fish farm.  Half-way through the afternoon, Darcy became an animal rights activist and refused to take part in the brutality.  I won't be Read More