Utah

The kids and I got to fly to Utah for a few weeks and see lots of our family and friends! We always look forward to this trip every summer. It is so fun to play with cousins, meet up with friends, and make lots of new memories to hold us over until the next year.

We did lots of swimming, celebrated Memorial Day, enjoyed the perfect weather, stayed up late, and wore ourselves out.

We spent a couple of days at Lava Hot Springs with my family, and loved having the uninterrupted time to be all together.

Our visits never feel long enough, but we sure do pack a lot into them. We loved seeing old friends and visiting new places. We missed Joseph who had to stay home in Mississippi finishing up his first year of residency. We love having a "home" to go back to every summer with so many people we love always ready and willing to take us in. Until next time, Utah!!

May

Matthew turned 10 this month!! He had a fun little party with some friends and we had a wonderful day celebrating our big boy!

I teach piano and violin lessons to 14 students, and we had our first recital in May. It went really well and it was so much fun to cheer each other on and see how far the students have come.

We have loved watching our little garden grow, and have been enjoying the really nice spring weather before it gets too hot!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with our little family, and I am so grateful for them. Joseph is working hard in the residency, and is almost done with his first year. I can't believe we have been in Mississippi for one year already!

Matthew and Anna finished school today! They did great and learned a lot and we are all super excited for our summer plans. Up first: Utah!!

Spring Break

We got to kick off our Spring Break with a wonderful Easter weekend, lots of family time, and great weather. We were so ready for this break! We enjoyed a good mix of lazy days and relaxing, and a few fun adventures thrown in.

We went to the Hattiesburg Zoo with some of our friends one day. It was a great little place and the kids had so much fun together.

We also spent a day at Dauphin Island where we soaked up the sun and wore ourselves out! We are so grateful for lots of wonderful friends and beautiful places that are so close to us! The week was just what we needed to get us through our last month of school before summer vacation. We can't wait!

March

March was busy and has flown by so quickly! The kids had a break from school for Mardi Gras, Joseph was gone for 10 days, and I ran a half marathon, plus all the other stuff in between! It definitely feels like spring here, and is getting warmer and warmer every day.

We just realized there are less than two months of school left! We are starting to make some plans for the summer and can't wait to have a bit more free time!

I have really enjoyed running through the winter here in the south. I decided after my 10k in January to just keep training and do a half marathon. It was handy that there was one close by in Bay St. Louis this month, and it has been really convenient to be able to run while the kids are in school so it didn't take up family time. My last half marathon was almost exactly 6 years ago, and it felt really good to push myself and do it again. The course was beautiful and I felt well trained and healthy - but it was still really hard!!!! :) My friend pushed me through the last few miles and I finished strong with a time of 2:08:11. It was a great experience and now I think I'm good for another 6 years... ha!

We've got some fun things coming up in the spring and summer and I can't believe we have been in Mississippi for almost one year! Happy Spring!!

Dominican Republic

Joseph got to spend 10 days in the Dominican Republic on a humanitarian aid trip. They went to Azua and had the chance to provide free health care and dental work to hundreds of people from the area. They worked hard and were really busy while they were there.

They had a couple of days off to see the sights and markets in Santo Domingo and the surrounding area. There were lots of cool historical buildings and architecture, and he came home with beautiful handmade wood boxes and bowls from the market.

 
They got to help clean up a local park and took a quick trip to the beach. He said the food was really good and fresh and they enjoyed a night of music and dancing before they headed home. It was a great opportunity for him and we are glad he got to go - and happy to have him home! :)