Summer 2008 Part Dos

I last left off in mid-June. So - let's pick it up from there!

Zac had to work on the 4th of July, so Sam and Molly Fromille came over to grill and watch the town of Durham, NH fireworks with me. It was a great low-key 4th of July. I still love the 4th and the fireworks and festivities!

The next weekend Zac and I met my friend Beth Buzzard (from Pampa) for a John Mayer concert south of Boston. The weather was perfect, and as always, John was amazing.

Beth and Neal came to visit the last weekend in July. We had a blast showing them around Maine, Portsmouth and Boston. Neal even swam in the freezing cold ocean when we went to York Beach. HERE are some pics from that weekend.

That Sun. I had the pleasure of joining Mark, Vanessa and Beth Buzzard on a sailing trip! We left from Newburyport, NH and sailed north, all along the coast, up to York Harbor, ME. Our boat was a charter, the "Diadem", and Captain Bill accompanied us. It was such an amazing experience, and my first time in a sailboat on the Atlantic. I will never forget it! I was at the helm of the boat for a while, which was a little tricky, but I finally got the hang of it. We didn't have great winds, but enough to get by and get to Maine. We also stopped at the Isles of Shoals and explored the (creepy) hotel there, but it really was cool to see. I would also like to give a shout out to the makers of Dramamine - who saved me from being sea sick. I was the only one who escaped the wrath of the sea sickness.

Two weeks following my sailing adventure, it was time for our annual "Girls Beach Trip"!! Beth, Mandy, Mai, Teal, Vanessa and I flew to the Dominican Republic for a week of sun and sand. Although we were interupted at the end of the trip by what was then Tropical Storm Faye, we still had such a good time together. HERE are some of the millions of pics we took. :) I can not even begin to tell you how much fun we all had! It wouldn't even scratch the surface. I look forward to this trip every year - and next year, they will all be coming to my casa in HI! Weeee.

A few weeks later, Hurricane Ike ruined my weekend plans. Ugh. I was supposed to go to Dallas for Teal's bachelorette party, but Ike said no. And he made my sister an evacuee for a while. Her apartment ended up having little damage, and she had a good time staying with family and friends in Austin and Waco. Stupid Ike. 

Sept. 22, 2008 - Happy first anniversary to us! Mom even sent us the top layer of our cake that had been frozen in the freezer at home. It actually didn't taste too bad! The weekend before that, Zac kidnapped me and took me to Boston to stay in the Langham Hotel and see "The Light In the Piazza" that was playing in a small theater. I am the luckiest wife EVER. 

Click HERE to see Z, Aidan and me eating the year old cake!!

I then had some fun visitors in NH! Janie and Becky visited - and they were here just in time to see so many of the beautiful fall colors. We toured the area, shopped and had a wonderful time together. HERE are the pics.

This finally brings us to October. It was SUCH a BEAUTIFUL fall! If you ever get the chance to come up to New England this time of year, I highly recommend you do that at least once in your lifetime. 

The 10th of Oct. I flew to Austin. Here, Mary and precious Kaylie picked me up for an afternoon of Chuy's and playing in Kaylie's room. I wanted to stay forever. Look at how much fun we had! After my fun afternoon the Hamm residence, I was whisked away by Zac's parents. We headed to Salado, TX for the wedding of Zac's cousin, Matt Elliott and his fiancee, Ashley Barron. They chose a BEAUTIFUL location, Tenroc Ranch, right outside of Salado. CONGRATULATIONS to Matt and Ashley!! I was so glad to be a part of their special day. Every detail was amazing and perfect - and I (of course) took a few pictures. :) HERE they are!

Steve and Kay flew up to NH for one last visit before we move. They arrived at the end of Oct. - and were here for Halloween. We were the Verizon network for a costume party. Zac was the Verizon guy, and we were his network and followed him around. We loved having Steve and Kay here!!

And now, I am almost caught up to present day! Aren't you impressed? I am going to run an errand, then will come back to put up another couple of posts. ;)

Love, 

-RAWE

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