Ups and downs

Well hello there! I guess I've been a little m.i.a. the past couple of days. We've been busy! I mentioned before that we were gearing up for several weekends of visitors and we got off to a fun start on Friday, hosting our friends Kara, Greg, and their puppy Kairo! This is where I get all apologetic and let you know that we took zero pictures. I really meant to! Somehow my priorities generally end up shifting to chasing around an energetic toddler and I drop the ball. Anyhow, pictures or not, here's a brief recap of our weekend:

Friday night K and G arrived around 6 or so, in time for some guac and dinner prep. I made attempted a Sangria, which D decided to call Jungle Juice, if that gives some insight as to how it turned out. :) We introduced the dogs, ate dinner, and had some hang out time. We were impressed that they had:

a. actually come to visit us
b. made the drive (12+ hours from VA)
c. brought their pup along

Saturday began with breakfast followed by a trip to our favorite dog park on post. Our pups had some energy to burn and Grace had some slides to go down. It was H.O.T. this weekend...Saturday's high was around 84 and we felt every degree of it. After lunch and a sorry excuse for a nap from Miss G, we took a little trip to the National Infantry Museum. It was air conditioned/indoors and made for an obvious choice after being in the heat earlier that morning. We came home, made our way out to dinner, indulged in some green beer as to not totally ignore St. P's Day. We made it home in time for the little ladies bedtime and some s'mores around the firepit in the backyard while the dogs played.

Sunday wrapped up the weekend fun with a late morning excursion with the pups to Columbus Riverwalk and downtown, where we walked along the water and then made our way further in to scope out some of the pretty homes that line the historic district. We headed home for some lunch, Grace's nap time, and then made our way to the Front Porch of the South to check things out. I ended up scoring two little school chairs that I plan on restoring for G and Kar scooped up a fun vase for their bookshelves back home. Not sure the venue can be considered a treasure trove of vintage finds, but it was interesting to see what it was all about. Back at home, D fired up the grill, we made some dinner and relaxed before headed to bed and saying our goodbyes early Monday morning.

We really enjoyed seeing our friends and having company. Hopefully it won't be such a drive to get down to see us next time. :) We will know pretty soon.

Unfortunately, the weekend wrapped up on a pretty low note, when I received some truly devastating news from a friend. I questioned whether or not it was in good taste to write about this, but decided that since it has had such an impact in many of the lives of people I know in the past few days, that I would touch on it, omitting any personal or identifying details.

One of my sweet sorority sisters lost her husband in a car accident on Sunday afternoon, leaving behind her and their two beautiful children, one just a few months older than Grace, the other only 6 weeks old. My heart breaks for them all and though I haven't seen her or kept in touch since college, I just ache for her loss. She is simply one of those people that bad things should not be allowed to happen to. I have been overwhelmed at the impressive response from my sisters, who have all banded together to support her and her children in the wake of this tragedy. It makes me proud to be a part of such an amazing group of women and I think most of us have had a reality check in some sense over the past couple of days. Life is both so fragile and precious. In summary- hold your babies a little longer, tell your loved ones how you feel, and be thankful for every moment you have here on Earth with the people you love.

xo,
H