The Last Month

I am sure most of you or all of you know of our current situation. If not, I am doing all our updates now on Caringbridge.org/visit/ellafaith. I do intend to get back to the blog when life has settled more around here. Until then.....

Noels Brown Belt

Noel has been working very hard this spring and summer for his brown belt. On Friday he achieved his goal. The testing was a physical challenge but Noel came through with flying colors. He also broke two boards during his testing. First he broke one with his foot and then moved right into a knife strike and broke another board with his hand. It was pretty cool! His goal in Taekwondo is to become a 9th degree black belt. We are very proud of his hard work and determination. Next testing this fall will be for his brown black stripe and then we are hoping he will test for his black belt in March. Way to go Noel!

July 4th

We started July with a rainy 4th. We did not see fireworks and spent most of the weekend inside. It rarely rains all day and for several days but it did on this holiday weekend. We still managed some watermelon and sparklers and a few small fireworks in our driveway in between thunderstorms!

Grace goes to Horse Camp

This last week Grace had an opportunity to attend horse camp. She loved riding and learned so much about horses. She also was able to experience camp games and making new friends. She hopes to be able to continue riding throughout the summer.

Indian Rocks Beach

Nathan, Noel and Anthony
Grace and Amelia
Grace, Ella, Amelia and Anna

Yesterday we to our friends beach house for the afternoon and dinner at Indian Rocks Beach on the Gulf. The kids had a great time at the beach and playing with one another. The adults just sat on the deck enjoying the sunset and good conversation. We always have a great time with the Donalson and try to spend a lot of time together as families. It was a great way to kick off the summer!

New York City

So the fun does not stop... 3 days after my friend and her girls left I headed to NYC, Memorial day weekend,by myself for my annual trip to visit my brother and sister in law. We always have such a great time together. We hung out in the apt making pizza and hanging with Ernie on Friday night and then Saturday we headed out to wine country going along the route that Greg and Cam took when they got engaged. (Memorial day Weekend is their anniversary weekend) We always joke about this since I have crashed it 2 out of the 4 yrs they have been married! On Sunday we had a wonderful brunch in Westport, CT. I was able to see the town and house where Cameryn grew up. It was so nice to visit with her mom and sister and sisters husband. Back in the city Sunday night we hit the town, going to a french steak house and then Max Brenners for chocolate galore! Finally on Memorial day we walked 120 blocks all through the city. We went to their favorite restaurant, Spice Market and just had fun taking in the city. Thank you Greg and Cameryn for yet again a fantastic time. I am one blessed sister!
Ernie Gerg and Cam

Westport CT

Cameryn and I
Greg and I
The three of us at the beach on Long Island Sound
Cameryn, her mom, Maureen and I

Ernie and his cousins

Cameryns mom has two corgies. So when we went up to her house on Sunday the cousins got to play. It was so funny to see all three of them toegther. It was like having triple vision.

Another Great Weekend in May

The following weekend after Vegas we had at home. Grace had volleyball games and we tried to get our life back in order. The next weekend we had some wonderful friends from Memphis come down...Grace's best friend Alyssa, her sister Ashley and one of my dearest friends Lori. It was so fun to show them our new home and just swim and play.

The Wedding at The Bellagio

Julie and Morgan were married at the Bellagio on a private terrace overlooking the fountains. It was beautiful. Afterwards we explored the hotel and all its wonderful art work. Julie and I both love Chanel so we had to have our picture taken in front of the store. After cocktails we had a wonderful dinner at The Olive.
It was a fabulous evening and Nathan and I were so glad to be able to be a part of it.

Las Vegas

So the day after the auction/barn dance, Nathan and I hopped a plane and headed to Las Vegas for our friends wedding. We had fun exploring Vegas.Nathan would say the highlight for him were the rides on the top of our hotel. I just watched and waved.


My friend Julie, her aunt, mother and myself the morning of the wedding at the Mirage Spa.

The month of May

We started the month of May with a family vacation to the beach. Thank goodness we did! Because once we got home we did not stop until the first weekend in June! When we returned home 5 days later from the beach we had a huge Auction/Barn Dance Fundraiser for Nathan's ministry. It was a big hit and we had 300 people attend. We dressed country western and had a great time.

The Beach

We just got back from a week at the beach. We went to the Gulf only an hour away. It was wonderful and relaxing. We enjoyed the beach and the pool and just relaxed. The resort we stayed in was beautiful and very quiet. We played shuffle board and horse shoes. We took an Eco boat tour one afternoon. There we saw lots of dolphins and learned a ton about the Gulf of Mexico. We also saw a manatee and her baby right out in marina in front of our condo. Noel and I were sitting on a sea wall one afternoon and a dolphin swam right under our feet! We also saw wild string rays and horseshoe crabs. It truly is a wonder and a joy to be able to have all this so close to us. We are so thankful for the opportunities to enjoy them.
One view from our condo
Our patio opened into this veranda which connected to the pool area.
Another view from our condo