Summertime

I'm not even gonna comment on how far behind I am.

Quick thoughts about leaving Egypt -

The hardest part was leaving Noel and Rachella. It's so hard to explain how close we were - how much I love them - and how hard it was to imagine day to day life without them in it. We bonded so quickly and stayed that way. We had one last dinner at Lucille's the day before we left, and it broke my heart to watch them get in a taxi and drive away.

One thing that made leaving our friends in Egypt behind was that I was going to get to see several of them in August at my friend Jen's wedding. So those goodbyes were only for a month or so, and they were easier to say.

Packing to get out of there was INSANE. We left a whole lot of stuff behind and still came home with 18 suitcases, bins, carry-ons, and backpacks.

There is a very long story about how Jason and our luggage arrived in Texas and why they came in a minivan vs. on the plane with Luke and me...but I won't go into it further than to say it had to do with the lack of partnership between Egypt Air and American Airlines, and exorbitant luggage fees we would've had to pay...TWICE.

We all made it home safely and in time for Father's Day. It was great to celebrate with my Dad, my brother (who was celebrating his first Father's Day as a father), and Jason all together.

Here's Scott with my favorite nephew Jackson:

Jason, Luke, and I spent about 10 days traveling to and from Wisconsin. We spent time with Jason's grandmother and some friends in Merrill. We camped at the Council Grounds State Park (in the rain...in a tent graciously lent to us by our WI friends). The boys fished some and didn't catch anything. We spent a very brief time with Jason's aunt and uncle in Wisconsin, as well, before driving back home in time for the 4th.



Well, actually the 3rd. Coppell did its fireworks on the 3rd again this year, so we all hung out at Mom and Dad's, ate, played washers, swam a little, and watched fireworks at the park.

We did the same thing again on the 4th, minus the fireworks.

After the 4th, Jason had to go back up to Wisconsin to help his grandmother a bit. Luke and I stayed home and hung out with Mimi and Granddad. We didn't get around to see as many people as we'd have liked. I guess we never do, and that's the way it is sometimes... The time is just too short, and it's hard work moving between 3 countries in a month and a half! I just tried as much as I could to spend good time with Mom and Dad, Kari, Scott, Jenny, and Jackson. From that point of view, it was a fabulous summer.

Here are some other highlights:

Our transportation for the summer: Old Betsy Blue (THANK YOU, DADDY!!!)

Luke playing Peter Pan with the costume Mimi made for him (this sword is the bow from his new violin, and those boots are his new "bad guy" boots).

Luke jamming along with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy:
Getting to see those sweet Jackson smiles:
More costumed playtime with Meems:
This is the face he made most of the summer:
And these are the swords Mimi made for him out of fun foam so that Pirate Mimi wouldn't get hurt anymore during their swordfights! (There's a gluestick inside the sword so it will hold its shape - yes, my mother is a legend.)


At the lake in Granddad's boat:


This is my MOM out there with Luke - I cannot recall another time I have ever seen her behind a boat on skis or a tube - but for Luke, ANYTHING! I love it!


Luke rode the tube by himself some at VERY slow speeds, and with Jason at faster speeds.
Tired after a day of lakin' it:

Happy Kath:
Seeing Harry Potter with the fam:
(Yes, I wear the glasses in the theater. It enhances the viewing experience.)

Spending time with the Farleys, Shabouts, and Hancocks:


Playing with the Darnells (in cool, indoor settings):

(For some reason, all my pictures of the kids and of Cheryl and me are not on my computer...I'll get that figured out and upload the pictures of the BETTER LOOKING portion of the Darnell/Deutsch families soon!)

UPDATE: Here they are!


Mimi and her boys: