A Monumental Day

Yesterday was a monumental day.  

Almost exactly four years ago our family moved from Texas here to Charlottesville, Virginia for Bret to obtain a PhD in business at Darden.

Our first Sunday here we ventured out to the Lawn to see the Rotunda.  And we've been there countless times since with every visitor that has come, Halloween trick or treating, and school field trips.  That first Sunday the kids looked like this...

Yesterday this chapter in our lives officially came to an end.  Bret successfully defended his dissertation earning himself the title of Dr. Crane.  Words cannot express how incredibly proud of him I am.  Very few people really know what a difficult process this is, not to mention the unexpected obstacles that were thrown Bret's way.  It is remarkable that Bret was able to conduct such quality research and complete this PhD in four years.  

We had a little gift waiting for him when we got home and each of the kids wrote him a little note.  We went out to dinner to celebrate as a family and then took the kids back to lawn to capture what our family looks like now.   

They sure have grown up during our time here.  How blessed we are to have called this place home for the past four years.  We have been lead and guided each step of the way, many times not being able to recognize it as such until after the fact.  One week from today we'll be moving up to Northern Virginia and Bret will begin teaching at The George Washington University.  

Abby's Adventure

Abby had the experience of a lifetime this summer.  Our family was not able to make it out west for our annual family reunions.  So in our place we sent Abby.  She drove down to Charlotte with Bret and flew from Charlotte to Salt Lake where she spent a week in Utah with family and then was able to drive with them to Lake Tahoe to spend a week.  And when say that she had the best two weeks of her life I am not over exaggerating.  

Saying goodbye was hard for me.  McKenna was already gone on her beach trip with Kate and Abby leaving left me without my girls for a week!  I missed her like crazy!

She and Bret drove down to Charlotte Sunday evening.  They got to hang out for the day until her flight later Monday night.

At the airport heading to Salt Lake City.  She was nervous to fly alone but did great.  It was late at night but she was too uncomfortable to sleep.

She was greeted on the other side by Aunt Michelle!  Michelle was so sweet and had a cute little welcome basket for her by her bed.  Inside was a new shirt, a pair of flip flops, a new book, some gum, candy and a water bottle.  When she got to my mom's house my mom had fresh flowers by her bed and a little dish of candy with Abby's favorite candy inside.  Yep, this was two weeks of her getting spoiled like crazy by family.

The next day my mom picked her up from Michelle's and they went and got pedicures.

That night Sara came over and Abby made dinner for Grandma and Grandpa.

Wednesday Michelle picked her up for lunch and manicures...

Wednesday night she got to sleep over with her Aunt Ashley.  What a fun night they had together!  One of the first thing Abby tells people about her trip was going to a real college party with Ashley.  

Thursday was Fourth of July.  I think this day was one of the highlights of the whole trip.  She went to the parade with Kathryn and Michelle's families.  Followed up by some time with the Craig's, family BBQ at Grandma's and then going to the Stadium of Fire with Michelle and Bo.  Now the reason this day was such a highlight was because Abby was able to personally meet Carly Ray Jepson and Kelly Clarkson.  She got to meet them, give them a hug and take her picture with them.  (Which was done by a professional photographer and I don't have yet.)  Abby said Kelly Clarkson was so incredibly nice.  When Abby walked into the room Kelly said, "Oh, you are so tall and beautiful.  I wish I was as tall as you but I've been a shrimp my whole life!"  Amazing right!  Like I said, trip of a lifetime for this girl of mine.

The next morning she woke up early to have lunch with Jeff, Jackie and Ashley and then went out to David and Julie's to spend the day and sleep over with Maren.  Julie took them to a movie and out to lunch.  These two girls are only two weeks apart!

Saturday was Abby's one and only down day of the trip.  She did laundry and got ready for Tahoe.  And she read that new book of hers that Aunt Michelle got in TWICE that day!

And then the week of Tahoe started.  Tahoe can be summed up in just a few little words: boating, hanging out at the dock, the swimming pool, late late night with cousins, and last but not least Meeks Bay.

Abby got to go to chick lunch this year.  This is something that has been going on at Lake Tahoe for as long as I can remember.  But you have to be 12 years old in order to go to chick lunch.  This year the bent the rules just a bit so Abby could go.  (She'll be 12 in a month and a half)  I have to say this was a very hard day for me.  I have been looking forward to the day when I would get to bring a daughter to chick lunch, and yet I wasn't there to share her first one with her.  A big part of me wanted to tell her not to go.  But she had a great time and loved the Zucchini sticks! :)

Polar Bear Plunge...

The entire time she was gone I think there was only one or two nights where she went to bed before 1:00 a.m.  She was so exhausted by the end of her trip.  It didn't help that her flight coming home was a red eye leaving Salt Lake at midnight and arriving in Charlotte at 5:45 a.m.  Bret picked her up at the airport and took her back to the hotel where she slept hard as a rock for 5 1/2 hours.  That evening after work they got in the car and we got in the car and we met half way to transfer her to me.  Man oh man were we ever excited for her to be home!  It was a hard week for both me and McKenna knowing all the fun Abby was having at Tahoe and we were missing it.  I'm not sure who was more excited to have her home, me or McKenna.

A Visit From Grandma and Grandpa

We love it when Grandma and Grandpa Crane come to visit...even it is just for a day.

Soon after they got here the kids really wanted to go swimming with them.  They were great sports and borrowed some bathing suits to swim with the kids.

That night we had a swim meet, which made for a really long night but we were sure happy they were here to cheer the kids on and watch them swim!

Of course there was lots of coloring by Grandma and Gavin

We got a great laugh out of Gavin's back...it's supposed to say, "Eat my bubbles" but McKenna wrote "Eat my boobles"

The next day Zachary was off to his last day of tennis and golf camp so he said goodbye in the morning.

Then Dave and Pauline took the girls to Ashlawn, President Monroe's house.  It was the last of the three president's homes that Dave hadn't seen yet.  We met back up for lunch and Sweet Frog before the Crane's had to head back to the airport.

Thanks for the visit!!!!

McKenna's Week At The Beach

I loved getting pictures daily from Sally of the girls and seeing the fun things they were up to...

Dropping her off at the Wallace's...she was giddy with excitement.

The Wallaces go to Bald Head Island in North Carolina every summer and spend a week at the beach.  They have to park their cars and take a ferry over to the island where they get around on golf carts all week.

Will, Kate, McKenna and John Car on the ferry going to the island.

On tram waiting to jump out and run in the ocean...

 Friendship anklets...

 McKenna trying to teach them how to play Dominion...

 They did have one rainy day where they had to stay indoors the whole day.  The girls resorted to makeovers...

 They hiked to the top of Old Baldy Lighthouse...

 And then were very tired afterwords

 There was a golf cart 4th of July Parade...

 waiting for the ferry to come home...

So do you think she had a fun week? 

I've never seen two girls that are such peas in a pod.  This friendship is one of the things that makes me saddest about moving, but also so grateful we're only going to be a few hours away! :)