Very welcome visitors

We were lucky to have two sets of good friends come to visit us in the past two weeks.

First, Laura and Dan and baby Gabriel swung by for a couple of days on their Midwest road trip. Laura and I met when I worked in Student Life at ACU and bonded almost instantly over shared loves of food, reading, and long conversations. We've only lived in the same town for a year of our friendship, but we've kept up via e-mail and phone calls and occasional in-person visits. She and Dan got married about two years ago and welcomed adorable Gabriel in December. I hadn't seen Gabriel since he was a couple of months old, so he had changed a lot. He's precious and very good-natured. It was a nice glimpse into what our lives might look like exactly a year from now. I enjoyed showing Dan and Laura around campus (and finally making a point to visit the two museums I'd never gone to!), and we all enjoyed great conversations over dinner. Both Dan and Laura are excellent conversationalists and come up with the best questions. One of the most exciting things about moving back to Abilene for me is that we will get to spend more time with them and that our kids will grow up together.

Laura and Me

Dan, Laura, and Darby

Baby Gabriel. I meant to get a picture of me holding him, but he fell asleep before I could. So, this was first thing in the morning right before I left for work. What a sweet face to wake up to!

This past week, Mica and Harrison stayed with us, as part of their Wedding Victory Tour road trip. As usual, I was horrible at taking pictures and just relied on Mica to document our time together. As usual, she did an excellent job. So, check out her post for more details and pictures. They were here to help us celebrate both Darby's birthday and the 4th of July. In between, we were able to squeeze in a coffee date, a lot of Dr. Mario, and some general lazing around with all of us on our individual electronic devices (that is true friendship!). We hosted a little cookout for the 4th. It was wonderful to have someone to cook with. We made a patriotic trifle with a crazy delicious pound cake, and Mica was so sweet to make her famous mac and cheese after I got a pregnancy craving for it. Yummmmm!

I have seriously missed HarriMica since they left Champaign in May, so it was great to have them back for a few days. They are "grad school friends" who will definitely be lifelong friends. We're already planning a trip to the UK together in the future. I can't wait!

(Pictures from Mica, of course!)

Me and Mica and our trifle

Fun at the fireworks!