10th Anniversary Trip

The last time we went to the Caribbean it was for our honeymoon almost 10 years ago.  We've had 10 amazing years since that trip....I have no idea how I lucked out marrying Emily, but I love her a little more each day.  So to celebrate these years together (and hopefully many more to come) we booked a room at an "all-inclusive!" resort named the Sanctuary at Cap Cana.  It was located within a plantation-like area called Cap Cana on the outskirts of Punta Cana, DR. 

 

Back for the honeymoon, we decided to go "Jimmy Buffett style" and steer clear of the big resort on St. John.  Instead, we stayed at a bed and breakfast, shopped at the local grocery store and walked around a lot.  Not this time....we did the resort thing and loved every moment of relaxation.  (Speaking of relaxation, we did a couples massage the first day there and it was pretty cool....I know you're dying to see a picture of me standing the lobby in the white bath robe, but fortunately there weren't any cameras around to catch that particular scene.)

 

The view from our hotel room....no, we have no idea what the large black thing is in the center of the courtyard....but it seems to give it a bit of a colonial feel for some reason.  The pool area was to the right and there were more beautiful palm trees and ocean on the horizon to the left. 

 An anniversary surprise for Emily :)

Our first night, we ate at a restaurant that on the pier overlooking the Caribbean ocean.  We were treated to watching the moon rise right out over the water.  It was really beautiful, but we didn't have the camera, so here is a pic from the front of our hotel room.



 

The beach



 

The passion fruit margarita....which unseated the "Mary-rita" as the number one margarita in the world....time to step up your game Nana if you want to regain the top seat!



The pool

 One of the fun parts of our stay was that our periods of total relaxation by the pool were interrupted by the social coordinators who encouraged us to play bacci ball, horse shoes and beach volleyball.  Emily won one of the games called "put it in".....it is basically cornhole but instead of bean bags you throw wooden disks.

 The palm tree next to our room

 

 Flash back to our prior visit to the Caribbean

Caroline's Third Birthday!

We had a small gathering of family to celebrate Caroline's 3rd birthday this year.  Since both of the girls birthdays fell right at the same time we were moving we did our best to keep the celebrations festive, but simple this year.  Emily outdid herself as usual on the cake for CJ....yes, that is all Emily (though I did help sort the M&M's)!

 



Birthdays at the Beach

Some birthday pancakes for the birthday girl on her actual birthday :)

Nana hooking Lily up with an American Girl doll for her birthday!

 Classic Papa

 The cousins lounging at the beach

Lily's 6th Birthday Party

Things are kind of crazy right now, the house is half packed, Emily just finished her fellowship and is preparing for boards, and we are about to begin the process of moving our household back to the JC.  But, none of this was a reason to stop us from throwing a birthday party for Lily before leaving Winston-Salem.  We had it at Airbound....the indoor trampoline park.  Lily's friends from class and our neighbors came to celebrate.  In addition to wishing Lily a happy birthday, it was also a chance for her to say goodbye to her friends.  Here are some pictures from the festivities.

 



 

Last weekend was a farewell party for one of Lily's good friends in Ms. Horton's class.  Megan is the daughter of one of the surgical Sports Medicine fellows, so Emily new her dad from work.  Here they are together.  Megan and her family moved to Memphis.

 



Congrats Dr. Em!

Today is the last day of Emily's fellowship at Wake Forest.  It has been a great year for all.....Emily is now sports medicine fellowship trained, Lily got to attend Kindergarten at what we believe is the best school ever (Sherwood Forest), I got to spend a bunch of quality time with CJ, and the Demon Deacons earned 4 new fans (so long as they're not playing UNC....and then it would drop to three)!  We are packing up and getting a little sad about our imminent departure from Winston-Salem, but as with our life's journey so far, we have learned to let go of the rudder at the right time and trust that God's plan includes favorable winds.

Here are some pictures of Dr. Em from her graduation ceremony at BB&T field.  While it was an afternoon that we always remember....having Lily and CJ in the deluxe boxes will be an experience that the stadium will not soon forget either!

Water Lily

There were two "water Lilies" at the YMCA this morning....one was blooming beautifully at the bottom of the waterfall in front of the building.....the other was blooming beautifully into a strong and confident swimmer in the pool!

Celebrating Grandfather's Day

....the way that Papa likes to celebrate, with an afternoon nap!

Lily's Last Day of Kindergarten

It has been a fantastic year.  In fact, we're sitting here wondering where it went!  It seems like just yesterday that we were new in town and doing fun day trips like the water park and zoo.  Now, Lily is leaving for her last day of Kindergarten.  We are so thankful for Sherwood Forest, and especially for Ms. Horton and Ms. Katz.  It has been a wonderful year....Lily learned a lot and had a great time too! 

At a recent class picnic, we found out about a daily ritual for Lily.....each day, before she gets on the bus to go home, she gives Ms. Horton a hug.  She even got off the bus on a couple of occasions when she initially forgot to do it.  If you know Lily, you know that affection like that is very meaningful.

Campbell Family Reunion

Gina and Greg graciously hosted the Campbell Family Reunion this year.  It has become a tradition that started with family get-togethers during the Christmas season.  Over the years, scheduling during that time of year has become difficult so we have moved to the sun and fun of summer.  This year, we really took advantage of the season by having a swimming pool and slip n' slide.  Here are some pictures of the fun.

 

As an aside, it is worth noting that Uncle Snap is a slip n' slide genius.....he got some dish soap and kept it flowing so that the slide was extra slippy!

 

 

The second cousins. 

If you have ever met any of these three guys, you'd assume that Granny did something right.....if you've ever seen the three of them together, you'd know she did most of it right.



Trip to SciWorks