Post-Italy Fun

One of the reasons it wasn't hard to come home from Italy is that we had a lot of time with family and friends to look forward to. After we got back, we spent a few days in Waco, mainly at Darby's parents' house. We hadn't seen John and Debby since Christmas, so it was wonderful to spend time with them. As usual, Debby spoiled us with wonderful food. I think I gained more weight in the 3 days in Waco than I did in the 9 days in Italy. :)

The timing worked out perfectly so that we were able to celebrate both my Dad and Hannah's birthdays. Matt and Tori came in from Abilene, so the whole family was together.

Dad opening his gifts

Darby modeling the leather belt we got for Hannah in Florence.

Hannah showing off her new ring.

The trade-off for going to Italy is that we won't be taking a long trip to Texas this summer. So we had to get our fill in the short time we had. :(

When we got back to Illinois, Austin and Erin (who now live in France) came into town for Austin to take his prelim. It was so good to see them. Coincidentally, our friend Katy (who now lives in CA) was also visiting with her 5-month-old daughter, Ansley. We all got to hang out together, and it was just like old times. (Plus an adorable baby, so even better than old times!) I didn't manage to take any pictures of Ansley yet (I've been too busy holding her), but Katy's here for another 10 days, so I'll be sure to get one.

Austin and Erin arrived just in time to see Daniel and Liz before they moved to Long Island. We were able to have one final Champaign-Urbana ACU get-together at Le Peep. We were so sad to see Daniel and Liz go, but we know they're going to do so well in New York.

The two weeks we've been back in town have been filled with get-togethers with friends. I love summer.