Purchasing and returning a dozen Windsor dresses to get to the ultimate winners.
The Pre-dance Activities
Emerson went with a large group, taking pictures at Marina’s house followed by Chipolte catering.
Avery went with a small group, taking pictures at Emily’s house followed by Pazzo Pamodoro take-out.
Emerson’s group enjoyed the dance for a little over an hour while Avery’s group closed down the place.
Since their getting ready at home didn’t overlap, they obliged my request to take a picture together at the dance making a mama heart smile. My girls looking so grown up at their first HOCO!
10 years…that is how long Michael and Brenna dated before getting hitched!
Michael had his “dream wedding” according to Caroline.
It started with welcome drinks and apps Thursday night.
Saturday afternoon’s ceremony was a full mass.
Introducing Michael and Brenna Friedman!
There was time between the ceremony and the reception so some family pictures were in order.
The gardens at Hamilton Farm Golf Club were gorgeous. It was the most beautiful setting with an open bar, a seafood station of lobster rolls, shrimp, oysters, and muscles, a charcuterie station, as well as passed hor de oeuvres. It was spacious and watching people spread out enjoying the food, drinks, conversation, and gardens was true perfection.
We ate more…the most delicious burrata with prosciutto and arugula first course followed by a second course of sea bass or NY strip. I ordered the sea bass, but also tasted the NY Strip that Avery and Harper ordered as it was huge, and they were full as their first course was a massive plate of chicken tenders and fries. They literally were served two huge meals!
We talked…..with family, extended family, and neighbors.
We had the most fun at the photo booth and since it was located near our table, took a ton of photos.
We danced!
While no Biggie Smalls played, Justin and I still pulled out our college dance moves and apparently it was those dance moves of ours that Caroline remembers so vividly about our wedding, which she claims was the most amazing wedding ever! I don’t disagree!
While we missed the cake cutting (they must have done it quietly so as not to interrupt the dancing), the cake! The cake was the moistest delicious almond cake with vanilla buttercream and berry center. It was so delicious that I had a second piece and maybe a little bit of a third. SO good.
When the wedding was over, a candy truck was waiting outside!
Such a fun idea!
The bus ride home was rowdier than the way there, but calmer and quieter than I would have expected for a bunch of late twenty-year-old’s.
The after party continued into well into the morning at the hotel; however, Justin and I opted to stay in our hotel rooms with the girls and get a decent night’s sleep.
It’s now been a few days since the wedding and I’m still on a high. It was fabulous, fantastic, fun, family and friend filled…truly perfection in every way! This is going to be a wedding that warms our hearts for a long time.
It’s clear that Avery is not a fan of unplanned boring dinners!
Emerson didn’t provide a summer wish list, but did tell me …she didn’t want forced work/reading and she likes surprises. She also wanted to do some water event with the fam.
While we didn’t check off everything, we accomplished a lot of the girls summer wish list
and had a great summer.
June 12 – CAVA for lunch (mom, Avery, Emerson, Harper; Emerson – Peiwei for dinner with Grandpa
June 13 – Emerson goes to Alex’s…plays pickleball and goes swimming at Hunter Mill
June 13 – M-Unit watches Avery’s Friday night dance recital, Avery gets Chick-Fil-A on way home
June 14 – Emerson and Daddy in Richmond for Softball Tourney, Avery has two recitals including her solo performance; Avery gets subway for dinner (grandma takes her to get it); Harper goes to Italian Oven for dinner with Papa and Grandma and has a sleepover,
June 15 – Harper watches Thelma and bakes brownies; Emerson has tourney in Richmond with dad, stopping at Wendy’s for lunch in new car. We all go to Papa and Grandma’s for dinner to celebrate Father’s Day with Pollo Peru and Mandarin Fried rice.
June 16 – VBS for Harper and Emerson; Sewing Camp Harper in afternoon; Harper and Emerson have takeout from Sweet Leafe with Grandma
June 17 – VBS for Harper, Avery, and Emerson; all three girls have The Sandwich Shop for lunch with Papa and Grandma; Sewing Camp Harper and Emerson in afternoon
June 18 – VBS for Harper, Avery, and Emerson; Sewing Camp Harper and Avery in afternoon; Emerson grabs dinner with Papa between hitting lesson and practice
June 19 – VBS for Harper, Avery, and Emerson; Sewing Camp Harper and Avery in afternoon; Emerson and Mom quick trip to the mall; power outage….family dinner at Hawk & Griffin; girls sleepover at my parents
June 20 – VBS for Harper, Avery, and Emerson; Sewing Camp Harper and Avery in afternoon; Harper goes to Rita’s with Bakers; Harper makes special pasta with bacon and peas dish for sisters for dinner
June 21 – Emerson goes to paintball party for Izzy with most her teammates
June 22 – Girls swimming at Papa and Grandmas and BBQ at Papa and Grandma’s for dinner
June 23 – Harper helps with Max Baker, Harper gets fabrics from Callie; Emerson goes to Salisbury State sleepaway camp with Izzy; Harper hangs out with Ms. Pat; Avery, Harper, Daddy, and I have takeout from Andy’s Pizza; Harper, Daddy, and me play Aerobe and go for a family walk.
June 24 – Emerson Day 2 of Salisbury St. softball camp rooming with Izzy in the dorms. Taco Tuesday dinner for Avery, Harper, Mom, and Dad
June 25 – Emerson Day 3 of Salisbury St. softball camp rooming with Izzy in the dorms. Max comes over to join Harper and Avery for a delicious homemade pancake and fruit breakfast; only to not have any. At least, Harper, Avery, and I had a fun time making it. Avery and Emerson spend morning playing Monopoly with Max. Avery and Harper swim at Papa and Grandmas. Avery and Harper have girls’ night and play Monopoly for 3 more hours in the evening.
June 26 – Emerson’s last day of softball camp…had a fun time living dorm life with Izzy. Harper spent two hours with Max. Avery and Harper had surprise chocolate chip muffins from Fresh Market for breakfast followed by surprise Chipotle for lunch. Avery and Emerson continue their marathon Monopoly game.
June 27 – Burger night at home – all five of us. Harper makes lemon bars for Emerson’s softball team. Harper gets a fun dalmatian apron, potholders, and sprinkles (lots) from the Bakers as a thank you for watching Max.
June 28 – Emerson at softball tourney…goes 3 for 8 at plate. Avery and Harper go with Grandma to Becca Berman’s Purple Sky Bracelet making event and then swimming at Papa and Grandmas. Charcuterie for dinner. Lemon bars and ice cream for dessert. Avery, Harper, and Emerson let Emerson in on the Monopoly action.
June 29 – Wegman Muffins for breakfast. We all go to watch Emerson’s softball game. Frozen Yogurt from Sweet Frog after Emerson’s softball games. Peaches and basil fun family dinner pizza making experience. Harper made fresh strawberry popsicles…gets idea for selling them.
June 30 – Remaining Wegmans muffins and blueberry bagels for breakfast. Afternoon bracelet making session for Avery and Harper. Harper had Session 1 HP Elite Soccer. Harper made snickerdoodle cookies!
July 1 – Mom cooks sausage for breakfast! Avery and Emerson play with Rylee McManus while Harper has her tutoring lesson. Girls play Sequence. Harper has Session 2 HP Elite Soccer. Mom made chicken quesadillas for Avery and Emerson.
July 2 – Harper and Avery enjoy breakfast muffins from Baldacci’s. Girls have fun bracelet making session. Harper has Session 3 HP Elite Soccer. Emerson and Mom go to 643 and enjoy time hitting in lane. Emerson and Mom make quick stop at Home Goods…Emerson gets new pillow and CAVA for dinner before practice.
July 3 – Harper has Session 4 HP Elite Soccer…last session. Family movie night “Good Will Hunting” with Insomnia cookies and popcorn
July 4 – Sausage, French toast, and eggs for breakfast made by mom. Justin, Emerson, and Harper clean out the pit. Emerson and Dad have good session at 643. All of us go to papa and grandma’s pool for the 4th and swim and play volleyball. Uno in the pit. Dinner of burgers in the pit!
July 5 – Emerson has tourney in MD….her and Justin go. Mom brings home bagel each for breakfast for Avery and Harper. Mom, Harper, and Avery go on fun shopping spree in Reston Town Center visiting Lulu, Anthropologie, South Moon Under, Francesca’s, Kendra Scott, Athleta, and Sephora. Mom and the girls enjoy a scrumptious dinner of Pollo Peru in the pit.
July 6 – Mom makes French toast for Avery and Harper. Emerson and Dad to go 1 game today…Emerson hits a double. Avery and Harper swim at Papa and Grandmas. Girls evening out shopping at J-Crew Outlet and DSW followed by dinner at Flower Child.
July 7 – yummy ground chicken and pesto for dinner
July 8 – Take out from Chic fila, followed by an hour swim at Papa and Grandmas. Chicken with pesto and mozzarella for dinner
July 9 – Mom made cinnamon oatmeal, somewhat enjoyed by Harper and Emerson. Avery spent the day with Emily at her pool. Harper spent a few hours at the pool with Liza. Harper and Mom enjoyed some time together running a few errands (Italian Gourmet, Walgreens). Italian Gourmet…make your own sandwiches for dinner.
July 10 – Emerson has Alexis over and they made pasta lunch and brownies. Grandma and Grandpa came over and brought Avery and Harper Santini’s for dinner.
July 11 – Emerson and Grandma go shopping together….big Lulu purchase…and lunch at Nordstroms café. Harper, Avery and Mom eat outside…Yalla Pita for Mom and Harper, Chipotle for Avery. Mom takes Harper and Avery to 7-11 for 7-11 free Slurpee day. Emerson and Dad go to Melt for dinner.
July 12 – morning breakfast of sausage and pancakes before going tubing in Harper’s Ferry. Explored Harper’s Ferry historical town and ate a yummy late lunch at The Rabbit Hole followed by yummy Hershey’s ice-cream and snow cones for dessert.
July 13 – Emerson goes to Liv’s party. Avery and Harper go swimming at Papa and Grandmas and then out to eat at Pazzo. Nighttime catching lightening bugs and playing Aerobie.
July 14 – Harper has Madison B-ball camp. Yummy pasta, ground chicken, pesto, and mozzarella for dinner.
July 15 – Harper has Madison B-ball camp. Emerson and Grandma hang out together in pool/swimming. Avery, Harper, Mom play Aerobe.
July 16 – Harper has Madison B-ball camp. Grandma takes Avery to get her nails done. Emerson and Harper have Yalla Pita take-out for dinner.
July 17 – Harper has Madison B-ball camp and then goes swimming with Liza at Hunter Mill Swim Club. Avery gets Subway for lunch after PT. We have beef taco bowl night as a family after Emerson’s softball games. Emerson has 2 Softball games for National Tourney…she goes 3 for 6!
July 18 – Emerson has three softball games for National Tourney. Emerson has kabobs for dinner with grandma and grandpa and spends the night. Harper has her last day of Madison B-ball camp. Mom, Dad, Avery, and Harper go to Phili for ANN Conference….night one of fun with friends including swimming.
July 19 – ANN Conference for Avery and Emerson….fun time with friends ALL Day long including evening swimming; Emerson tourney, Pazzo for dinner, and sleepover with Papa and Grandma
July 20 – ANN Conference for Avery and Emerson in the morning…last exploring of the hotel with friends. On way home, Dad, Mom, Avery, and Harper get Café Sano for lunch. Emerson and Grandma swim for several hours. We order take out from Mama Tigre and eat in the pit as a family.
July 21 – Harper makes blueberry banana crumb muffins. Harper hangs out with Ms. Pat…they go to Pazzo for lunch, sketch lips and faces, and go to Ritas for dessert. Girls help me make dinner…we have ricotta meatballs, sauteed green beans, and homemade bread. Emerson and Mom and Harper and mom each go on a short, nice neighborhood walk together. A and E have Madison Bridges camp in the morning.
July 22 – Avery, Emerson and Cora go to Wawa after Madison Bridges for milkshakes and smoothies. Harper hangs with Amelia…they go to the Reston Zoo, Starbucks for strawberry acai’s and hang out at the pool till close. Emerson and I play softball at Caffi. We have family dinner of pasta, meatballs, pesto, and garlic bread. Emerson and I watch The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 Episode 1.
July 23 – Avery and Emerson have Madison Bridges camp again. Family dinner of chicken tacos and chipotle chips! Avery gets new sneakers with mom. Harper, Emerson, and mom go on a few walks in neighborhood together. Mom and Emerson watch Episode 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
July 24 – Avery and Emerson have Madison Bridges camp again. Harper goes swimming with Papa at Grandmas at their house. Harper has lunchable there from Fresh Market. Emerson, Avery, and Cora have book club at Jody’s. Mom and girls go to mall…wedding dress shopping for Michael and Brenna’s wedding. We eat at MamaJoon for dinner.
July 25 – Mom makes cinnamon buns for breakfast. Avery and Emerson have Madison Bridges camp for last day and end it with a pizza party. Harper goes to Accenture Take Your Kid to Work Day with Dad. Emerson and Mom watch an Episode 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Emerson, Harper, and Mom have fun trip to Walgreens to pick up items for camp. Mom makes fish without chips for dinner. Dad, Mom, Emerson and Harper play Aerobe. Avery babysits for McAllisters.
July 25 – Harper goes to Azzi Fudd basketball camp, has a good time, gets a ton of freebies, and runs into a few girls she knows. Avery and Emerson go to lunch with Grandma at Vienna Inn and hang out and swim at Grandma and Grandpas. Family burger night!
July 26 – Harper goes to the second day of Azzi Fudd baskbetball camp and gets her autograph and lot of freebies! Avery and Daddy drive to New Castle for a week of Easterseals camp…they stop at Subway on the way there for lunch. Mom makes Emerson and Harper a strawberry pancake and turkey sausage dinner before leaving for Camp Highroad drop off for 4 nights.
July 27 – July 31 – Emerson and Harper at Camp Highroad for 4 nights of sleepaway camp (buddying up with Alexis and Josie Kinney. Avery at Camp Easterseals for 6 nights of camp!
July 31- Emerson and Harper picked up from camp. Dinner together at home. Start packing for the beach! Emerson and Mom watch Episode 4 of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Aug 1 – Beach Prep mode…everybody helps! Justin picks Avery up from Easterseals…she loved camp….they stop at Buccess on the way home! Harper and I run some errands carrying a cantaloupe into Walgreens, running a lap at Madison, and I treat her to guava mango berry smoothie from South Block. Emerson has her first Smash practice. We enjoy a dinner of Plaka Grill at home while packing for the beach. Avery and Emerson start their birthday celebration early opening presents!
Aug 2 – Day 1 of Oak Island Beach vacation! Lunch at Subway. BBQ Pool Western night. Rice Krispie treats for dessert.
Aug 3 – Day 2 of Oak Island Beach vacation! Late sleep in. Emerson and Mom gym session. Late breakfast followed by morning beach session. Afternoon beach session…kiddos boogey boarded on their own. Dinner of excellent pizza and salad. Kids hanging out doing screen plays at night.
Aug 4 – Day 3 of Oak Island Beach vacation! Avery and Emerson’s 14th birthday! Pancake, sausage, bacon, and fruit breakfast for all the kids. Morning and afternoon beach session…calm waters and paddle boarding! Pasta bar dinner including beef meatballs, ground sausage, ground turkey, veggies, and garlic bread. Dessert was homemade ice-cream cake for Avery and Blackberry pie for Emerson!
Aug 5 – Day 4 of Oak Island Beach vacation! Emerson and Mom walk to gym for workout. Avery gets a new rash guard and boogie board. Morning beach session. Brief afternoon beach session of good waves before the rain. Chill rainy late afternoon inside. Taco Tuesday night cooked by the Brophys! Nighttime walk to the beach to catch fish and a crab!
Aug 6 – Day 5 of Oak Island Beach vacation! Emerson and Mom morning gym session. Morning at the beach. Maddy family goes to Southport area…we eat lunch at Fishy Fish Café and then explored Southport town sampling desserts from a few bakeries along the way and then ending at Spikes Dairy Bar. Mediterranean Chicken bowls for dinner. Brownie Sundays for dessert. Evening of hanging out inside away from the rain.
Aug 7 – Day 6 of Oak Island Beach vacation! Emerson and Mom morning gym session…bought some peaches on the way home! Surfing Day! Boil Night…enjoyed by kids and adults!
Aug 8 – Day 7 of Oak Island Beach vacation! Emerson and Mom morning gym session…stopped and got a dozen donuts on way home from OKI Scoops and Donuts for everyone to enjoy. Morning beach session. Afternoon shopping at Mermaid Cover and Eagles and a shared chocolate ice cream scoop. BBQ for dinner and key lime pie and ice-cream for dessert.
Aug 9 – Day 8 of Oak Island Beach vacation! Departure Day Subway for lunch.
Aug 10 – Banana pancakes for Emerson and French Toast for Avery (made by mom for breakfast. Swimming at Papa and Grandmas. Pazzo dinner with Papa and Grandma. Family movie night of watching Blue Crush, a surfing movie.
Aug 11 – Harper gets her braces off! Mom makes Emerson and Harper cheese quesadillas for lunch. Burger night in the Pit.
Aug 12 – Harper’s Birthday! Blueberry pancakes and an array of fruit. Present opening. Pasta and marinara for lunch. Ice cream Sunday bar. Muse Paint Bar with sisters, mom, and friends. Papa and Grandma come over for dinner – Andy’s Pizza, followed by more present opening.
Aug 13 – Avery and Emerson tour their Madison schedule with Mom. Leftover Andy’s for lunch (Emerson and Harper) and Whole Foods nugs (Avery). Harper crafts much of the day. Family dinner of ground turkey…not the best but we all ate together. Mom, Harper, Avery play Uno. Mom and Emerson watch episode of The Summer I Turn Pretty.
Aug 14 – Madison and Thoreau Open Houses! Harper and I stop for mango smoothie at South Block. Emerson gets Wawa Sub for dinner before softball practice. Avery gets Chipotle for dinner. Emerson has surprise treat of Chipotle chips and guac awaiting her after softball practice. Harper goes to Laurel’s 12th Birthday Party.
Aug 15 – Two cupcakes and a piece of cake from Victoria’s Bakery for special surprise. Harper spent day sewing on new machine. Plaka Grill for dinner.
Aug 16 – Gym sign up for Emerson! Cousin Molly’s 3rd Birthday Party! Block Party on Hillington! Out to dinner with Papa and Grandma at Hawk and Griffen for Harper’s extended birthday celebration.
Aug 17 – Emerson goes to the gym for her first workout! Emerson gets her nails done as part of her birthday present from grandma (tips and powder). Mom, Harper, and Avery go to the mall for some last-minute back to school shirts; Grandma and Emerson join. Family dinner of grilled chicken, pineapple salsa, Japanese sweet potato wedges, rice, and steamed broccoli.
Week of Aug 18 – School started Monday so summer days were over, but we still managed to sneak in some “summer wishes” in the evening and on the weekends…a few good dinners…chicken meatballs, beef quesadillas, Domino’s pizza, burgers; Friday family game night (Pictionary and some Uno), Emerson and Mom watched The Summer I Turned Pretty; Walmart school supply shopping, mall shopping & smoothie/ice cream eating; Willards BBQ in the Pit, Harper and Emerson hanging out at Papa and Grandma’s, Avery CDC Boot Camp and Platinum In-house dance convention, sou vide pork with pineapple salsa at the dinner table.
Week of Aug 26 – 2nd week of school and again while summer days were over, we still managed to sneak in some more “summer wishes’ in the evening and on the weekends…Auntie Gus spends the night and plays “Mom”….weeknight dinner date of Andy’s Pizza and cherry brownie cookies with all the Nidays, hanging out with Papa and Grandma, Madison football game for Emerson and Avery, Harper and Mom impromptu date night at Flower Child, family rematch game night of Pictionary, Emerson and Mom watched The Summer I Turned Pretty; Harper makes snickerdoodle Pittsburgh home celebration cookies; Avery and Mom go to Cinnamon Tree; Emerson, Harper and Dad go to Chick-fil-a after soccer tourney.
Week of Aug 31 – Sept 6 – Harper soccer tourney….team goes to Tropical Smoothie for brunch and team bonding; CAVA for girls on way home; Harper soccer tourney champs…Terra ice-cream to celebrate with team; Mom and girls see Freakier Friday at The Boro; NJ Trip for Michael and Brenna’s fabulous black tie wedding weekend with family.
Harper now has the earliest wake-up call with a bus stop time of 6:39 am.
Avery and Emerson gain 45 minutes in the morning with a 7:20 a.m. bus stop time.
When they arrived home, I asked them each their thoughts on the day. Harper described the day as “very boring”; Emerson “boring”; and Avery “I don’t know”.
Hoping those words are not a portent of how the upcoming school year is going to go. With implacable determination to keep their comments succinct, I’m hoping their comments are typical terse comments to Mom and secretly they are bluffing with their real thoughts and soon will be engrossed in the exhilaration of all middle school and high school have to offer.
Harper turned 12 on the 12th…her Golden Birthday! We had an all-day celebration starting with blueberry pancakes and a colorful fruit plate for breakfast.
Followed by present opening, which we further scattered throughout the day.
Harper’s friends Liza, Amelia, Ali, and Laurel came over at 1:00 for an afternoon birthday celebration; present opening and ice cream sundaes were the first and second order of business.
We all then hopped in the Pilot, sisters included, and ventured to Muse Paint Bar. I got a fantastic deal on the seats, $13 a seat, which is a bargain!
The girls were smiling throughout.
I loved how each of the girls had their unique spin on the painting. They all turned out awesome.
In the evening, we ordered Andy’s Pizza and Papa and Grandma came over.
It’s not often that we have been able to have a girls birthday party on their actual birthday; it was a nice touch and made the day extra special.
Oak Island, North Carolina was where we beach vacationed with the Brophys and Nidays this year. We were late in deciding to go and choosing a house this year, thus the beach expansion. We found the house on AirBnB and it looked like a winner…new, super close to the beach, nice kitchen, fun pool, and the right number of beds/baths. The owners Shelley and Steve even stopped bye to check-in!
The house lived up to expectations. The walk to the beach was super close and easy. We had great weather. While the skies looked like a storm was looming almost daily, the rain never came…only one evening when we were already inside. The water was super calm…even I went in the water a few times and enjoyed it. The calm water allowed for the kids to play in the water without adults.
We ate a lot of good food…burgers/dogs, pizza, tacos, pasta/meatballs, Mediterranean chicken bowls, seafood boil, and BBQ for dinner. Breakfast was a variety from pancakes, oatmeal, waffles, French toast, eggs, burritos, sausage, bacon, and donuts. Lunch was often leftovers. And we had dessert almost daily, sometimes twice…from ice cream to pies and rice krispy treats to brownies.
Emerson and I worked out together five times…going to a local gym! We were back each morning just in time to join everyone for coffee and breakfast.
There was boogey boarding, paddle boarding, fun in the water and sand, and even surfing.
All the kids except Bear had a surfing lesson and loved it. Avery, Emerson, and Harper all got up on their boards quickly. They can’t wait to surf again.
There was swimming in the pool and hanging around the house together.
Avery and Emerson celebrated their 14th birthday!
Pancake, bacon, and sausage breakfast followed by several hours at the beach in the morning and the afternoon. Pasta bar was their dinner of choice.
And each picked out their own dessert…homemade ice-cream cake for Avery and blackberry pie for Emerson.
There were evening walks to the beach to catch fish.
Our family spent one afternoon in Southport enjoying lunch at Fishy Fish Café and walking around town and exploring and tasting more desserts.
We spent another afternoon doing some girl shopping in Oak Island.
Similar to every other year at the beach, at the beginning of the week, it seems as though we have so much time and before we know it, the week is over. Though we certainly don’t want to rush it, we know the year will go by quick. As I walked on the beach this year, I saw as these little kids running around…it wasn’t that long ago that ours were that little…
Three girls, four-in-a-half nights….sleep away camp.
Emerson and Harper at Camp Highroad in Middleburg, VA.
Avery at Camp Easter Seals in New Castle, VA.
While I never wanted to go to sleep away camp as a kid, my perspectivehas totally shifted, and I view sleep away camp as a wonderful opportunity. Hearing about the challenges these girls do and the adapting they do outside their ordinary routines is amazing and heartwarming.
Emerson’s camp statement: My favorite part of camp was the walk back to the tower during night zip. It was pitch black and I was walking back with Alexis. We were laughing so hard because we could not find the bridge we needed to cross.
Harper’s camp statement: My favorite thing about camp Highroad was the high ropes course, creak hike, and daily worship.
Avery’s camp statement: It’s kind of like Christmas because it’s the most magical time of the year.
While these girls were frolicking in the woods, I took advantage of the reduced “momming” at home, and enjoyed four days and nights of leisurely coffee drinking, weighted vest walking, and house cleaning/organizing.
The girls came home happy, with stories, and lots of laundry!
Philadelphia was the location of the 2025 ANN Conference. Avery has been looking forward to it for months, if not two years since our departure from the conference in Nashville two years ago.
Avery has stayed connected to Sophia and Vivia, even seeing Vivia a few times this past year.
Years ago, when we started going to the conferences, it was strictly to learn. The information was fantastic yet overwhelming at the same time. Fast forward 13 years and our primary purpose for coming is for Avery to see her friends. Information is still good, but no longer overwhelming or dominating. This year they added a session on mental health. The therapist/speaker was blind from retina pigmentosa; it was a fantastic addition.
Avery attended most sessions and spent time hanging out with the teens and her friends Sophia and Vivia and a few new ones this year.
Harper meanwhile had a blast hanging out at Camp Nystagmus with Ailyer and some other new friends.
The girls took over the pool Friday nights…
And again, Saturday night….
They managed to find one another during meals and breaks….
There was no shortage of fun.
And no shortage of wishing that the conference was longer and more frequent…until next time ANN!
Eight years….that’s how long Harper’s Ferry has been on my list of places I wanted to go with the girls. Clearly it wasn’t that high on the list since it has taken eight years to make it happen. When I first looked into going, specifically tubing, Harper was too young…the minimum age is four!
Fast forward eight years, and this was Harper’s Ferry. She led the way at multiple points along the river.
We had beautiful weather; the sun was shining…a perfect day. The current was quicker than normal so the 1.5 mile river ride took only about an hour; we made two trips.
We tubed. We talked. We familied.
After tubing and getting somewhat cleaned up, we made our way into town.
We worked up an appetite and ate a delicious lunch at The Rabbit Hole. It was all delicious; the hush puppies may have been my favorite.
We explored town after lunch.
Beautiful views of the Shenandoah.
And topped off the day with Hershey’s ice-cream and snow-cones.
With the girls’ activities it’s not often that we have free weekends. After eight years, we finally took advantage and made it happen.
