Long time, no blog

It's been a while since my last post. The summer is FLYING by!!! Here's a little of what we've been up to...

We retreated to the loghouse for the 4th of July weekend. Ate well, slept well, and had lots of fun with family and friends. The weather was PERFECT! Warm during the day, chilly at night. Actually, more than chilly. I was wrapped up in a blanket whenever I sat out on the porch. Then again, that's coming from a Florida girl who is not liking the hot summer we are having!

Tim and JH washed "the run-about car" so we could participate in the Beech Community's fourth of July parade this year.
It's a small little parade, but what a beautiful backdrop with those gorgeous North Carolina mountains. The simplicity of the celebration was a refreshing change from the faster pace life we live in the city. After the parade, everyone gathers in the community hall to hear a speech about Independence Day and to sing patriotic songs. Again, very sweet and simple. Loved how the local mountain folks expressed their thankfullness to God in talking about our country. Where else do you see that these days?
JH enjoyed fishing down at the pond. Caught a few catfish.
Over 50 people joined us for the fourth of July party we hosted that night. The kids were downstairs playing pool and ping pong. The adults were upstairs relaxing on the porch. A good time was had by all. And topped off by about 45 minutes worth of HUGE, professional quality fireworks, organized by Tim's brother Matt.
The next day, we were all pretty tired. But it was fun re-capping on the highlights of the party. None of us were eager to head back to Tampa! A solid 4 days there is definitely enough to make the real world feel so far away...

When we haven't been in North Carolina, we've been enjoying the beach this summer. I guess you could say "it's the best of both worlds." Our friends Nicole and Sean from Orlando joined us over there this past weekend. We laid out on the beach and swam in the ocean for a few hours Saturday afternoon, had a delicious dinner at our favorite seafood restaurant that night, and they left after a hot breakfast at the Friendly Fisherman's the next morning. In between all this fun, we've been working a lot and also looking for a house!