Friends and Columbus

Surprise! We spent the afternoon with a Cincinnati friend, Yelena, in New Orleans! We picked her up at the airport, walked the French Market, had tea/coffee, and made sure to take a group photo.  It was comforting to see a familiar face.

We also tried gator jerky and gator sticks.  It tasted very much like gator.  I wonder why? Seriously the sticks were gross but the jerky was good.

Our long time friends, Josh and Brandy Reed, hosted us in Louisiana.  They more than graciously opened their home to our family.  Our kids lived like siblings for almost 2 weeks.  They played, fought, learned, ate, and shared rooms together.   Other than the birthday photo I didn't take a group picture! Too busy playing I guess. 

J&B just bought a new house, which meant their honey do list was large.  James was able to help out.  He is very competent when it comes to Honey do lists:) James and Josh built shelves, replaced toilets, replaced lighting fixtures, and tried to beat Brandy and I in cards.

Brandy and I organized books.  She has tons of books. Her children are very lucky to have such an amazing collection in their own home. We also painted this awesome chandelier white for her daughter's room.  Oh, and we won some card games :)

We took a group field trip to see replicas of the Nina and the Pinta.  They were fascinating but the true learning experience of the day was an in depth talk with Yoda.

He revealed the secret to life: Have fun and play with the kids! So that is just what happened!

Thank you Josh, Brandy, I, G, and E! We were so grateful to finally visit you in your new home state!