Late Honeymoon in Dominican Republic & family in FL

Josh and I were blessed to be able to go on a late, well needed honeymoon to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort and it was absolutely beautiful and incredibly awesome! We spent most of our days sleeping in, going to the beach/pool, and eating. :-) We did rent a car with some another couple we met and explored a few towns about two hours away just to see the real DR. We are planning on going again possibly for spring break and we are thrilled!

After I got back from the DR two days later I flew to Pensacola, FL to see my family. Josh joined me a couple days later but only stayed for 4 days. It was wonderful seeing family and visiting my grandparents. I was also able to see my very best friend Kelly, who is preggo!!!!! I loved seeing that little belly of hers. She looks fantastic!

My summer is now wrapping up and I will begin working again...bummer! :-) Here are some pictures from the DR and FL.

Photos and Fun

So I have been having fun editing old and new photos with the www.picnik.com website (thanks to little Mrs. Echols)! Here are several that I have done of my family and friends.

Some summer time in the ATL

Josh and I went to Atlanta to visit family and we had a great time seeing everyone and meeting our new nephew Zach Koons. He's a cutie! Our niece Katie has gotten so big and is full of energy! While were in Atlanta, we also spent some time in Auburn at my sister-in-law's, in-laws house in the country in Auburn. It was relaxing and peaceful, which is a nice break from crazy DC! Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip:

Same Kind of Different As Me

This past week my sister, Heather called me and was ranting and raving about a book that she wanted me to read. She told me I had to go to the bookstore and get the book, "Same Kind of Different As Me". It is a non-fiction Christian book about an unlikely friendship between a black homeless man and a wealthy couple in Texas. I love how it is written as you get to hear from both the black homeless man, Denver and the wealthy Texas man, Ron. Denver writes the book exactly how he talks...southern, uneducated man. Ron writes his portion as an educated, well-spoken career man. This simple characteristic of the book really shows the stark differences between them.

Well, I didn't waste anytime and I needed a good summer book to read at the pool. I bought the book on Wednesday and finished it Friday night. I could not put it down once I read the first chapter. It is sincerely my favorite book thus far. It will make you smile, laugh, and cry and you will truly be touched. I did a lot of sobbing while I read that book but I am so thankful I read it because it has challenged me in many different ways. I encourage each one of you to read it as I strongly believe you too, will be touched. All that being said, go buy the book and if you cannot afford it, go check it out at your local library. :-)




The authors

Josh's surprise welcome home party and the inlaws...

Josh came home June 19 for good! That same day I picked up Josh's mom and dad at the airport and we came home and surprised Josh. He had NO idea that his mom and dad were coming!

That night I also planned a surprise welcome home party for Josh. Our close friends Jim and Nadine, Paul and Barb, Matt, and Mac and Hannah (who drove 3 hours to come by the way) joined as at 6pm for dinner, dessert, and a champagne toast at Arties, Josh's favorite restaurant here in Northern Virginia. Well, since Josh had no clue about his party we obviously asked him if he wanted to go to Arties and then acted like it would just be me and him and his parents. I ordered Josh's favorite cake, Red Velvet, and arranged for Mac and Hannah to swing by and pick it up secretly. At about 5:00pm, Josh was ready to go! Not good! The party didn't start until 6pm. His mother, Brenda told him she needed to take a shower first (to buy time of course). That did buy us a little time but then he was pushy and was really hungry and ready to go. So what do I do? Yes, I am gonna say it on my blog...I acted like I had an upset stomach and I even asked Josh to bring me Imodium. When I got the text message from Hannah that everyone was there and we were good to go, I hopped off the jon and told Josh I thought I felt better. Ha Ha. When we got to the restaurant Josh dropped us off and his parents and I scurried inside quickly. Josh walked in the restaurant and saw the balloons and all of his friends and family! He had no earthly clue! We had a great time and I know Josh was so happy and thankful to everyone that came! Thank you to all who came and made this is a special day for him!

One year since my reconstructive surgery

Yesterday was one year yesterday since my reconstructive surgery on my foot/arm. Really the only reason I remembered was because I was posting my medical equipment on Craigslist. These are all of the items I used this past year: crutches (first), walker, IV poles, and rollater. I have my own medical clinic at my home! :-)