The summer of 2011 will surely go down as a crazy one in the memory books! It all started this spring when we received Ben's orders to be stationed in Pearl Harbor for shore duty starting in August. Then we got the call that thankfully our house in GA had been rented. However, that meant we needed to vacate the house and quick. Since Ben was heading out to sea in early June the girls and I thought we would take the opportunity to visit friends and family across this beautiful country of ours.
So things seemed to be shaping up for a "smooth move" and then right before Ben left we found out he would be staying on board longer than we thought and that meant the girls and I would be going on ahead to Hawaii without him. So that meant a little extra paperwork before he left. After he left we spent a few days in sunny Florida seeing friends at the beach and our family in Orlando. Then I had the movers all lined up, but when I called to confirm they didn't have us on the schedule. So they told me they would be there on Wednesday, but then didn't show up. Regardless our house was packed up and on the way to Hawaii by mid-June. Thankfully Michelle, my mom, my fabulous neighbors, and several other friends were there to help!
From Georgia we headed to South Carolina for a few days of rest at the lake! It is one of my favorite places on earth. We got to see more family and friends in Charleston. I also managed to sell the van while we were there. I met the guy at Chick-fil-a, followed him home to show his wife the car, made it to the bank five minutes before closing, and he dropped us off at dinner. Crazy I know.
After a few days of R & R we loaded up the car and headed for Atlanta where I dropped mom and the girls off at the airport. I continued on with the critters for another two and a half days. I was able to see a few friends in KC that I haven't seen in years. I also saw some beautiful countryside along the way.
Once arriving in Denver we got right to work getting Mom's house ready to sell and had a huge garage sale. I have also been able to reconnect with lots of friends here and spent some time with family.
The girls and I didn't feel like we had seen enough of the country so we packed up and headed to Salt Lake City to visit with friends, ride the zip line in Park City, and play some Euchre! Then we headed out to LA to ship the car off to HI. Luckily we have a friend there too! He helped us drop off the car and showed us around Paramount Studios.
Once back in Denver we had a visit from Ben's Grandma and a friend from SC. We were able to play tourist in Denver and really have been able to enjoy our time! Looking back over the pictures I realized we saw friends in seven different states, swam in the Atlantic, two different lakes, and an indoor water park, saw the St. Louis arch, went to a game at Coors Field, watched fireworks on the 4th, went to Casa Bonita, drove Trail Ridge Road twice, hiked in the Rockies, rode a zip line in Park City, an alpine slide in Morrison, had a couple birthday parties, checked out a butterfly pavilion, walked the Pearl Street Mall, went to the Denver Zoo, stood on the mile high step, eaten at lots of yummy restaurants, and finished a ridiculously hard puzzle. Oh and did I mention that I drove over 3,800 miles!!!
Thank you Mom for letting us stay all summer and thank you to all the friends that made time for us! It has been one to remember! Now off to Hawaii! Hope to see you all there!
