Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jog...

I find myself up right now at 2am because yesterday we got back from a week at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland and I pretty much slept straight through since then....and now, I am wide awake!


I have mentioned our friends Paul and Christy before on the blog. I call them our "life-saver" friends in Missouri. Do you have friends like that in your life? Ones that you know were sent straight by God to teach and encourage you? Their first day at our church was the first day I was back in MO last year after Dave's funeral. Paul started to lead worship at our little church, Christy sang back-up and learned to play the base guitar to help him out. They were so quick to get plugged into their new surroundings and we were always in awe of them. It can be so tough to find "couple friends"...you know, where not just the wives get along. But with P and C, we just "clicked" right away. They were such good friends to us at such a hard time. We were so very sad when we learned that we would be moving because we hated to leave them behind, especially since we had all become so close in that year together. But Christy encouraged me to put my whole heart into our newest chapter in life...after all, she is a military wife and after something crazy like ten moves in six years of marriage to her Paul, she had lots of advice to give. So, we said our teary goodbyes and moved to Pennsylvania in February.

She mentioned when we were all in MO that their family and friends all get together in Ocean City, Maryland each year for a week at the beach and asked if we would want to go...well, as time grew closer, she asked again, and to our shock, we had moved less than four hours away from their timeshare! This was such a God-send. Joe has been working his little tail off lately and we both needed a breather, so to have someone offer us a free weeklong vacation was the biggest blessing. I can't even tell you how excited we were!

They recently bought a little plane since they travel often and both have their pilot's license. So, they flew in to see our new home last weekend and stayed for a day, and then we met up with them that week in Maryland.


Paul and Joe having deep engineering-type plane conversations, I'm sure!


He is a very brave man to let her fly!


Tex was so happy to see his good buddy Shatzi again. They ran and played all day together at our house!


My first time in the Atlantic Ocean (I had seen it once before on a trip with a friend in middle school, but I dont think we ever got IN it...it was COLD)! I got grief all week because I slipped once and called it the Pacific...geography NEVER was my strongsuit! :)


Relaxing and catching up...


The boys worked very hard on this sand sculpture for hours! I think it was supposed to be like an ancient Mayan Temple. Between them, two were Mechanical Engineers, so you KNOW it was all planned out from the start! :) People came by in awe all day...we teased that they should have put out a tip jar.




At the boardwalk one night...




All the girls on the trip...



The whole gang! These two families are best friends who have vacationed together for the last 15+ years! Every year they go to Ocean City, MD, but three years ago, they all went to Hawaii and ever since, the tradition is to wear their shirts from that trip out to dinner one night. I think they were all good sports to wear them... I just don't see this tradition going over very well in my family! ( I think my brother would burn or "lose" his within the first year! )


The week went by too fast, but we got to see our friends again,(and make some new ones too!) and spend one wonderful, relaxing week together at the beach. Thanks Paul and Christy for your friendship and encouragement! We love you both very much and are so thankful that God brought you into our lives.


Driving back home to beautiful Pennsylvania... a good time was had by all!