July 2017

Even with all the craziness going on with the move and Logan finishing up, we fit in a few traditions to celebrate the 4th of July.

Logan took the girls to his office to watch the fireworks over the Mississippi River. They thought they were on top of the world.

And, don't forget overnight yeast waffles with red, white and blue toppings!

Even with how much I had looked forward to this time of being done with school and moving forward with a more normal, adult life, I was dreading the goodbyes to my wonderful friends. Moving is a catch-22 because it is so emotional, but so stressful and busy that it doesn't allow you to focus on those emotions for long. It's a blessing and a curse for sure. Oh, how I will miss these amazing people I call friends!

Because of some stress and delays associated with Logan's dissertation and getting our mortgage settled, we moved our closing date back a few days and therefore had a bit of extra time to head to Duluth to see Lake Superior. Milo was thrilled to find there was a gigantic train to walk around.

The lighthouse was a fun tour.

Gooseberry Falls didn't disappoint either.

And one of the best parts was that we stayed in a motel made from old boxcars. Pretty sure Milo's mind was blown.

We tried to do a few fun things along the way, since driving across the country for days on end with me and the four kids in the van and Logan in the moving truck wasn't exactly a thrilling prospect. One of the stops was Land Between the Lakes in Tennessee. We saw some buffalo, a planetarium and an 1850s running farm. We stayed in a bit of a dilapidated resort, but enjoyed the view still.

All packed in and ready to go!

We made it! Didn't know if we could close on our house until the morning of, when we were driving into town. But, it all worked out and we are grateful for it. It took awhile to get settled in after all the chaos, but we are grateful for the experience.

Opening the book boxes was like Christmas here!

Welcomed ourselves to Georgia by visiting the beach. Can't be unhappy about being here!

We celebrated our 12th anniversary with a dozen donuts and a bouquet of my wedding flowers. We also got to go out for a lunch date thanks to some newfound friends.

Our cute Janie Lou went and turned 7, whether we liked it or not. She wanted to celebrate with waffles for breakfast and some of her favorites for lunch and dinner. She was especially lucky to celebrate on the last day of their summer break. Theirs was cut short a bit due to the different school schedules in the different states, but it was probably a good thing so the kids could get settled in a little quicker.

Her birthday present slip 'n slide, which was promptly chewed up by the neighbor's dog. We were immediately introduced to many of the joys of home-ownership...

Cute birthday girl!