Happy holidays everyone! As you’ll see from the collection of our favorite moments from 2016, we had another great year of travel, family, and friends.
Winter
We celebrated last Christmas with Beth’s dad’s family in Key West, Florida. It was a little slice of paradise! The rest of winter we snuggled to stay warm under blankets with Swiffer, ran a few races, and took our nieces to see the Gymdogs.
Spring
We took time off during spring break and headed for Chip’s dad’s condo at St. Simons Island with our friend Jocelyn and her daughter Adelyn. We enjoyed the food, shopping, and gorgeous sunsets off the pier. In April, Beth’s cousin on her father’s side, Virginia, married her fiance Michael near Charlottesville, Virginia! It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony with lots of friends, family, and dancing. We returned to find two more wedding invitations before heading to the Hartwell Dam Run and a stay on the lake. Swiffer had fun on his own vacations to Pawtropolis.
Summer
Chip’s family celebrated another summer vacation at beautiful Seaside, Florida. There was a tropical storm this year, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the beach and a hilarious round of “bean boozled.” (The dog food flavored jelly bean is the… best. You should try it.) We celebrated a low key July 4th sharing the remnants of our peanut butter milkshakes with Swiffer and spent lots of time with our friends Amy, Andy, and Jack at the pool.
Fall
Labor Day weekend kicked off with another Dragon*Con and another stay for Swiffer at Pawtropolis. Highlights of the weekend include meeting Rep. John Lewis at his graphic novel signing, seeing the lovely and talented Alex Kingston, and enjoying the parade. In October, Beth’s cousin on her mother’s side, Kevin, married his fiance Eric in Greenville, South Carolina! The wedding was wonderful celebration filled with laughter and love. It turned out to be a fortuitous reunion for the family. Sadly, Beth’s mother’s first cousin, Julie, passed away unexpectedly shortly after the wedding. Beth and her mother drove to Pennsylvania to be with family and celebrate Julie’s life. It turned out to be good mother-daughter time, breaking in Beth’s new car and visiting old stomping grounds in Martinsburg, West Virginia, Dinosaurland in Winchester, Virginia, and stops along the way in the Amherst/Lynchburg, Virginia area.
Wrapping up the year, Beth and Chip enjoyed a cruise to Mexico with friends, Ryan and Jocelyn, their daughter Adelyn, and their mothers Tammy and Susan. We came back just in time to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at Chip’s mom’s house. Now we are settled in with Swiffer, waiting for a quiet break from school and work.
We look forward to a celebrating a new year with all of you! Swiffer does, too. Be excellent to each other.
