Summer 2008 Part Uno

I wrote this entry a while back and never posted it…so…please forgive my tardiness. I promise I will get better! I have a lot to write about. :)

The "dog days" of summer are/were here (this is Aidan in the new Jeep), and I'm beginning to actually like some weather aspects of living up here in New Hampshire! (Finally.) The summer has shed a whole new light on this northern state. Now that the temperatures are warmer and the snow has been gone for a few months, we have been able to get outside and enjoy the mild summer temperatures and green scenery.

Here are also some pics from the Submariner's Ball in Hampton Beach, NH that I attended in April while Zac was gone. CLICK HERE!

As most of you know, Zac returned from deployment in May. He had a very successful time underway – and earned his dolphins! CONGRATS, ZAC! (And here they are…)

I was so excited when my good friend Andrea Whitehead came up to visit! We had a fun time exploring New England – and we spent a day in Boston seeing the sights. Zac made us climb the million stairs to the top of the Bunker Hill Memorial – it almost killed us. Talk about sore legs for the rest of the weekend! But, it was a fun memory. This is a pic of us at the USS Albacore – a submarine on display for people to tour in Portsmouth.

In June we were able to fly home to Texas for Emily's (my cousin) wedding. We had the most amazing time! The first place we went when we landed in Austin was Sonic – and we got to visit several more times while home. Emily and Jonathan's families and friends were all there to be a part of their magical weekend. We were so happy that we got to be a part of everything; we had so much fun. Click on the link to see more of the wedding festivities. We tried to eat as much Mexican food and bbq as humanly possible while there. :) HERE ARE THE PICS!!
You will notice from the pictures that Dad is in a boot/on crutches/in a wheelchair! He broke his leg in the beginning of June and had to have surgery. Maybe this will teach him not to try to trim trees on a ladder in the Panhandle wind.

After the wedding weekend was over, we visited Zac's grandparents, Nellie and Ben, in Temple, TX on Father's Day. We were so excited to be with them and Zac's parents for the day. The next morning, after a Cockrum home cooked breakfast, Zac and I went back to Austin to float the San Marcos River with Beth and Mandy. Our annual Girls' River Trip (with a special guest appearance by Zac) was much needed. What is a visit to Texas in the summer without a float? And, you know that you are moving up in the world (and that you've graduated from college) when you get to float with a cooler full of Mexican beers! Excelente! Here is a shot from before the float.

Next we stayed in Dallas for a couple of days. Zac got to play golf with the guys, I got to get a hair cut and name changes at the social security office and TXDOT and we both got to hang out with Zac's parents and the Elliott family! We had such a fun night over at Betty and Tom's house with everyone – and of course, we had the camera with us. CLICK HERE to see.

Wednesday, while on our way to lunch with Kay, Steve, Beth and Neal my dad called to tell us that my wonderful Grandma, Alice Warner, had passed away. The next morning Zac and I flew to Amarillo - then went to Pampa - to be with my family. As the matriarch of our family, Grandma shaped all of our lives and we are truly blessed to have known her and to have learned everything that she taught all of us. She was 94 years old. She will truly be missed by all of her family and friends - although, I am glad that she is now having a ball in heaven with my Papa, Aunt Thera and her many siblings and friends.

More to come - stay tuned for Summer 2008 Part Dos. Coming VERY soon!

Love, RAWE