Preaching to myself!

Hold on to them. Tight. I first meant this message for anyone with a tween/teen that will be graduating in the blink of an eye. I am expanding that, though, and reminding myself that this thought relates to everyone: moms, dads, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends you see everyday and friends you see once a year. Cherish every moment you are blessed to spend with them because these precious moments are fleeting. Put down your phone, squeeze them, listen to them, laugh with them and love them….and catch a sunset while you are at it. I spent two wonderful months in the states this summer. I felt lucky to have so much time there, yet I didn’t feel like I had enough time anywhere, with anyone. I am thankful for the talks, laughs and memories made with those I love…whether it was 30 minutes or several hours. For those I missed, I look forward to our next visit. You all make me happy and make me a better person. Love to all…

Creek Ratz: A Sunday night tradition

Cape San Blas with the Rutland side of the family

The High School Graduates

Nightly sunset watching

Tony and his sister

Cornhole Champions

Hannah Grace with her Aunt Lynn

Greatest beach find

Roasting marshmallows on the beach: Gotta love it!

From one beach to the next: Ellis family time

Love from the King boys

Thankful that Tony is just as close to my family!

Papa with his sisters

We always have a crowd on the Fourth of July! It is chaos, but so much fun!

Cousin Night Out: It never disappoints!

Bruno's: A family favorite!

Usually see these two college buds in Garden City. Thrilled we got to change it up this year!

Great friends!

This crew could be found in this same circle every night!

The whole crew at The Hub

Lovin' on the Cottrell's new puppy

Tonk Championship: Tony FINALLY lost to Papa

I always take time for a sunset!

A great visit with a childhood friend that happens to have an office in Milledgeville. He is already looking after my baby girl!

We may go years without seeing each other, but we pick right back up where we left off!

This Child! Love him so!

I said, "Put down your phones." Sometimes, though, you have to pick them up to connect with those you love on the other side of the world!

This boy loves "his" dogs!

My BFF...love her!

Triple the trouble!

It isn't summer without some time out on the tube!

Just like riding a bike!

Sweet John helping Hannah Grace get settled into her apartment

Kim and John were lifesavers!

After a day of work, it was time to play!

Jason and Dad...no telling what stories they are sharing!

Birthday celebration for these three

Hannah Grace and Aunt Kristy

And then there were just two on the flight back to the Philippines 

So glad I had this crew to look forward to seeing back in the Philippines! An extra surprise visit from Kristen, too! The icing on the cake: my girl, Rachel, made a hole in one on this day! 

Graduation: May 31, 2018

My aunt asked me the other day why I hadn’t posted any graduation photos. Hmmm….denial? If I don’t post photos, it didn't happen, right?! Four years ago, I sat on my mom and dad’s couch and sobbed when Tony called and said we would be moving to the Philippines. Not the pretty “boo hoo”, but the full on, “I can’t breath” kind of cry. Four years later and I am on that same couch marveling at how much we have all changed since then and how quickly it happened. If I had just trusted in God’s plan for us, I would have saved Mom a lot of Kleenex!

On May 31st, Hannah Grace graduated from Brent International School, Manila. She was lucky to have both sets of grandparents make that long trek to be there to celebrate with her.  It was a busy few weeks, but I tried hard to savor every moment. Tony and I are so proud of our baby girl! She will join the GMC golf team in the Fall. I know she will grow and thrive just as she has these last few years at Brent. As Mr. Atkins stated at graduation, “Your roots have gotten too big for the grounds of Brent. It is time for you to move on and plant your roots elsewhere.” 

Here are some photos from graduation and the weeks surrounding it (and also the moment I wish I had already upgraded my phone): 

Hannah Grace's coaches...three people that made her time at Brent unforgettable!

Rachel and Hylton LeRoux: Not just our friends, but Hannah Grace's, too.

Hannah Grace would come home and talk about Mr. Cullen's class and what she was learning. I loved that he reached out to congratulate her after graduation.

Graduation celebration at Caviar

So the quality of the photo stinks, but I will keep it as a reminder that we were all surrounded by love that night. 

Patti Valley: My sidekick during basketball and softball and the mom of one of her best friends. 

Hannah Grace's life is richer because of this crew!

Hannah Grace and Claudia

Hannah Grace and Kamyl: Her heart

My crew: Thankful to have them by my side!

Before we celebrated graduation, we had the chance to celebrate Ellis. This is a photo taken at his 8th grade awards ceremony. He was given the Coaches Award for basketball. 

8th Grade Celebration 

(Pawpaw and Giggy flew in later this day)

We took the crew to Sunset before graduation. 

Here are some of the brave ones that did the zip-line. Once again, I did not join!

I prefer sunset watching over zip-lining!

Hannah Grace had her prom the night before graduation. She went with Rod, the brother of one of her best friends. 

I am certain they appreciated the fanfare!

He brought gifts for all of us...love his mama!

Haha! The previous photos were staged! Claudia did all the work!

The weekend after graduation, we took the family on a bamboo bike tour through Intramuros.

I don't recommend trying to ride a bike while taking photos!

We celebrated Tony's birthday at Waterside with Chef and Dear Friend, Hylton.

Full Circle: When it came time to leave this crew at the airport, there were as many tears shed as the day we found out we were moving to the Philippines. 

This last month has been a whirlwind...heck, these last four years! Time to go sit on the dock and make some more memories. Love to all!