Summer Update

JUNE

June was a big month for our little family.  It reaffirmed to me that moving is hard and should be done sparingly. 

Goodbye North Carolina

We said goodbye to North Carolina with a short trip to Asheville and the lovely Biltmore Estate. Thanks to my friend Amy for making us go and providing an excellent itinerary.  Thanks to Mark who let us crash at his apartment which made the trip possible.

We were the last people to leave the gardens that day which meant it was quiet and oh so lovely. 

Spotting some baby birds in the vegetable gardens

French Broad Chocolate Lounge=bliss

Goodbye Piano Students 

Saying goodbye to my sweet piano students and their families at our end-of-year recital.  Love these kids and love seeing them learn!  (Sadly, didn't get a picture with all of them.)

Micah

Bella

Lila

Austin, Madeleine, Travis  (and Joshie)

Goodbye House

This was our little family's first home, first home-renovation project, first garden, and it welcomed our first baby.  Thank you house for all the happy memories.  We still miss you and your neighborhood. 

Goodbye Friends

As much as we'll miss North Carolina, Duke Gardens, Locopops, and our house, the hardest part of leaving was saying goodbye to the wonderful people we came to love. 

Our first friends in Durham - Alison, Alex, Charlotte, and Asa.  Loved  you all!

Goodbye "picnic" with Amy, Jenny, and Aimee

I love these ladies!

Sweet Aimee brought us dinner on the day we packed the truck.   Enjoying our picnic with Justin and Tiani (8 months prego!)

I still cry when I think about this group. 

The Move 

*On June 4th we said goodbye to our home and friends in Durham and set off on the over 3,000 mile treck to Washington in our U-Haul.
*Pulling our car, which was also packed full, with two bikes perched on our rooftop bike rack, and Esther in her enormous carseat dominated the middle seat of the truck.

*The poor U-Haul struggling to get our load up and down the mountains/hills in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky.  The engine roared so loudly we could hardly hear each other speak much less the audio books we brought along.
*A fun stop near St. Louis, my dad's hometown, where we visited his sister Linda and her husband Dick Oscarson.  They drove us around University City and showed us the area where my grandparents and great-grandparents lived and where my dad grew up and went to school.   

Visiting Aunt Linda and Dick Oscarson

The house where my dad grew up in University City, Missouri

*Deciding we never want to live in North Platte, Nebraska
*Esther getting excited every time we got in the truck.  I think she enjoyed her front seat view, and having mom and dad's undivided attention.

*Stopping for food in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  When asking a resident of the place where I could get something fresh/healthy she suggested I try Chipotle (which we did).  Made me chuckle to think of how my vegetarian and excessively healthy eating sister would react.  I don't think we'll live in Cheyenne either.
*Visiting my sister in Utah
*Driving all night long to Washington.   A low point.
*Arriving 5:30am at Amber and Wes Dyer's (Chris's sister's house) and being completely taken care of all week as we settled in.  Many thanks Amber!  Living by family is the best.

Doesn't feel like home quite yet, but maybe that's because it used to be a barn. 

Camping!

Our first weekend in Washington Chris and Wes climbed (as in to the tippy top of) Prusik Peak

Apparently, getting to the top of this peak requires a great deal of rope, grit, and a  paranoid wife

Our second weekend we went camping with the Dyers and visited the adorable "Bavarian" village of  Leavenworth.

Jacob, Kaitlyn, Wes, Addie, Hannah, and Amber

Leavenworth - Esther loved the Irish dancers at the festival


Our third weekend in Washington we met my sister Cynthia and her family in the North Cascades for yet another camping trip.

Cousin Harriet

Esther, Harriet, and Marta

Cynthia and 7 year old Thomasin

Did I mention that Washington is gorgeous?

July

The place to be on July 4th is definitely Monroe, Washington.  The residents of this small town have an obsession with fireworks like I've never seen.  Their "driveway" firework show stretched across the whole valley and was longer and more stunning than the fireworks over on the National Mall in DC.  It was amazing. 

Sweet Hannah helping with Esther at the Church 4th of July program and breakfast

My parent's flew in on the 4th!

Grandpa bought Esther her very own ice cream cone (a first)

Esther loves her grandpa

Esther was eating a snack after church, and apparently I left her in  her chair  for too long because she collapsed.  

Church makes me sleepy too

Berry picking with Amber and her girls.  Each of us picked 10 pounds of raspberries!

We went to Utah for almost two weeks and got to see the entire family.  We swam, played games, celebrated my dad's birthday, and tried to keep track of all the little minions.  Haven't spent this much time with you in a while...especially my dad. Thanks and love you all!

The whole crew (except Esther who was asleep as it was after church, and you've seen how she gets)

 Years ago, what started as a glorified tea party has evolved into the Lochhead Ladies Society Annual Garden Party and Doll's Picnic.  We dress up according to our theme.  This year was a European Grand Tour complete with passports, stamps, international foods, and cultural lesson.  We wore German dirndls ...made by my mother and enjoyed tasting French cheese, making skin care products, visiting an authentic Russian market (my mom's suitcases were quite heavy), and enjoying a German Christmas Festival with Christmas cookies and German carols.

This year the boys got a party of their own as they all dressed up as knights with their dad's as their squires.  They practiced sword fighting, jousting, built a fort, attacked the ladies, fought a dragon (pinata style) and rounded it all off with a utensil-free lunch of chicken legs, hunks of crusty bread, and a big keg of apple juice.    Sadly I don't have pictures, but it seemed that a good time was had by all.

Auntie Ilona, our guest of honor

French elocution lessons

Thanks Grammy!

 August

The day we returned to Washington, we were lucky to have a visit from Christopher's mom and dad who came to celebrate Hannah's baptism.  While the boys when on a high adventure climb, the ladies had fun at the lake, doing pedicures, stocking up at Costco (thanks Grandma!!), watching Olympics, taking a day hike, and lots of chatting and catching up.  Thanks for the visit and for taking such good care of us. Love you lots!

Now that we're done playing life is settling in nicely to the new normal.  We still have a ways to go, but Washington is on it's way to feeling like home.