Our first trip at the end of May was to celebrate Joy and Mark's upcoming wedding with Joy's bridal shower and a BBQ to get to know the bride and groom's family and friends. Six weeks later we were back in Chicago for the big day. It was a beautiful wedding and we are so happy for them!
In June, we headed east to Gatlinburg, TN to celebrate Chris's 30th birthday. It was especially exciting as it was our first get-away since our honeymoon! We had a wonderful time hiking, white-water rafting, and exploring the little town of Gatlinburg.
After Joy and Mark's wedding in July, we drove up to Lansing, MI to visit our very first niece, Claire! We were amazed by her tininess and loved every minute of holding her.
We finished up our travels in Kansas City, MO where we enjoyed watching movies and hanging out with Thea Demi. We especially enjoyed going to see the new "Harry Potter" movie...again!
Now that we have settled back down in Clarksville for yet another year, we've spent even more time getting ready for school. Chris is quite busy making arrangements for a brass conference he is heading up, and practicing for his next recital in November. He is also working on getting registered to substitute teach on the days he is not working at the university. This year will be incredibly busy for him, but hopefully just as rewarding.
Jill has been working on lesson plans, getting them fine-tuned for another year of middle school general music. With any luck, this might be her last year as a general music teacher. The band director at her school is planning to retire at the end of this school year after 34 years in the same classroom, and the principal has indicated she would like Jill to switch to the band position.
It was great visiting family this summer and we would love to have some visitors of our own! We now have a guest room, and should you find yourself in TN, please stop in for a few days. Our door is always open!
