Spring Break

The kids were off for a week for Spring Break, and we are thankful we could enjoy the week home with them. Benjamin attended a soccer camp at Long Park each day from 9-12, and in the afternoon we would do different activities.  In the camp they focused on different technical skills and did lots of scrimmaging. He said he learned a lot and had fun playing hours of soccer each day.

Benjamin played goalie a few days too.

The first afternoon we visited Camp Highroad, which is a sleep away camp about 30 minutes from our house that the boys will be going to for a week this summer. They had an open house, where campers could come see the camp and participate in some of the activities. The kids fed horses, did a zip line, used a huge sling shot, did archery, and took a hayride to see the camp. It was a fun afternoon and they are looking forward to their week at camp this summer.

Zip line tower.

Caleb going down the zip line. I think this was the highlight for both boys.

Pond to canoe and kayak.

Archery area

We caught the last hayride of the day. The boys’ friend Oliver is also going to camp with them this summer. 

One of the cabin areas

Nathan did more landscaping during the week. He planted a few bushes at the front of the house and along the side of the back yard. He works hard to make the yard look nice, it has come a long way since we moved in.

Before 

After

The kids received bikes and were all really excited to take them for a ride. Eliza got a bike with training wheels. She is having fun riding around the pond and she getting more stable on her bike.

We got the boys mountain bikes, so they could ride on the trails near our house. Nathan got a mountain bike as well, and they did some riding on the Long Park trails throughout the week.

Another morning when Benjamin was at camp, Nathan took Caleb for a 5.5 mile hike on the Manassas Battlefield.

Benjamin and Eliza’s school is hosting a 5k color run at the end of April, and the boys and I are training for a race. One morning we ran the race course. It has been fun to train together, though the boys are quite a bit faster than me!

Eliza was invited to one of her good friend Leyla’s ice skating party at the Haymarket Iceplex. The ice hockey teams practice here, and they have open skating each day. It was Eliza’s second time skating, and she had a lot of fun!

We are lucky to see beautiful sunrises and sunsets each day from our home.

Enjoying a treat at cupcake heaven.

It was a fun week spending time together and being at home!
 

Jordan friend reunion

We had another opportunity to get together with friends from Jordan. Our good friend Roger, who we served with in Kuwait and Jordan, was in town for work so we invited everyone over.We had not seen Roger and his family since they left Amman in 2019, we had not seen Scott since he left Amman in 2017, we saw George about a year ago, and Nadine and Susie we fortunately get to see more regularly. It was a fun day sharing lots of laughter and memories with good friend.

When Nadine arrived in Jordan in 2016, her daughter Elle, on the left, was 6 weeks old. Now she is 8 and a sweet friend to Eliza and the girls enjoy when we get together.

It was a fun day gathering with friends from abroad.

Regional Wrestling Meet

Caleb wrestled in the Western Prince William County regional wrestling match at the end of the season. It was his first year wrestling, and he came a long way with the skills he learned and his level of confidence and aggressiveness since the beginning of the season. Nathan took him to the meet since I was at gymnastics with Eliza. We were bummed to miss the day, but Nathan cheered him on and talked to him in between matches. Caleb fought hard and was very aggressive, but he lost his first match, putting him in the consolation bracket. Because there were concurrent matches going on there was no buzzer, and the timekeeper is the person who would come hit the referee with the noodle when the round’s time was up.

He won his second match, pinning his opponent at the end of the second round. This was the first match that Caleb won during this season, and was a big confidence boost for him.

End of round 2, winning by a pin.

Caleb lost the remaining 2 matches, but he fought hard and felt good about his efforts that day. Wrestling was a good experience for Caleb, and he ended the season on a high note with a win at regionals and enhanced confidence in his abilities. We are really proud of Caleb for learning and growing in this sport, and he says he is looking forward to wrestling next year.

The end of the meet was the final championship matches. Nathan said they dimmed all the lights in the gym and put the spotlight on the wrestlers which gave it a neat feel for the big matches. Overall, three kids from Caleb’s school finished first place in their weight class and their school, Reagan Middle, placed 4th overall in the regional meet. 

Stay tuned for more wrestling next year…

Purcell visit to VA

Mark and Betty came to visit for a week when the kids had different events.  It was nice to have their help with the kids as well, since I ended up in late notice training half the week. This was one morning before school - Benjamin and Eliza enjoyed grandpa and grandma dropping them off in the mornings that week.

First event of the week was Caleb’s wrestling match against Bull Run Middle school on Monday evening. Caleb got pinned in the first round, but he is getting more aggressive and learning more about the sport. The matches are exciting to watch and it’s fun to watch his team as we get to know who the different wrestlers are. Each match starts with warms up, then they do 6-8 exhibition matches before the meet starts.

Caleb’s match.

The next event was Benjamin’s strings concert on Thursday evening, which was held at the middle school. The orchestra did a great job and came a long way since their fall concert. At the end of the content, the middle school orchestra performed as inspiration - only 3 years prior they were in the same seats as the elementary kids.

Eliza enjoys getting he hair done in the mornings, and was happy Grandma can braid and do fun hair styles. Eliza likes seeing pictures of what it looks like.

On Friday morning, Mark and Betty surprised Eliza in her class as the mystery reader. She said she was surprised and enjoyed sitting with them for the story time. 

On Friday evening, we had a belated bday celebration for Betty’s 70th birthday. Benjamin sneakily asked her a few weeks prior for her favorite color, to design her birthday cake.

One thing we love being back stateside is being able to order Walmart birthday cakes!

On Saturday morning, they saw Eliza’s gymnastics class then started heading back to Illinois.

It was quick but fun week, and we are glad we got to spend time together.
 

Florida visit

I took a quick trip to Florida a couple weeks ago to visit family and friends over a long weekend. The weather in Florida this time of year is so pleasant, not too hot or humid. Here is a sunrise view from my parent’s balcony.

My parents live close to the beach, and one of my favorite things to do when visiting is to go on morning runs or walks by the water. One morning I took a walk with my mom, and the other morning I went on a run.

The waves were bigger than I’ve seen in a while. It’s usually very flat…and the jelly fish were out everywhere. See the purple looking bag in the forefront? That’s a giant jelly fish!

That afternoon, my mom and I visited with my Aunt Eileen. It was so nice to get one-on-one time with her and catch up, but no pictures :). The next day, we went to my parents favorite seafood restaurant, 15th Street Fisheries for lunch. It was a nice view eating on the water and watching the boats go by.

That evening, I went to visit my best friend Marissa, her mom, husband, and kids. I have many childhood memories in this home, and it’s always so nice to visit with them. We didn’t plan but were twinning it:).

Marissa’s sweet husband Mike - we always joke that we got lucky marrying midwestern men ;). 

Their kids: Henry (11) and Sloane (5). Sloane looks a lot like Eliza and they are 5 weeks apart, we joke they are long lost sisters, and look forward to when all our kids can get together.

That evening Lauren invited the girls over to her house so we could all get together. Anytime I am in town she has a gathering and her and her husband Mike’s hospitality is always wonderful.  This is our high school crew minus Priscila, who now lives in Texas. Marissa, Lauren, me, Danielle, and Paula. Even though I only see them every few years, we always pick right up as if time never passed since we last saw each other.

Our famous picture pose we always did in high school. I love these girls dearly and am thankful we have remained good friends after so many years.

On the way home, I took a detour to see Plantation Racquet Club, where I grew up. 

The window on the left was mine, and on the right was my brother’s.

My dad planted all the trees and bushes in the early 80’s. They are pretty overgrown now!

Our backyard and the tennis courts and pool area. It was a nice place to grow up.

Center of the neighborhood and the clubhouse. So many childhood memories from living here for 15 years.

Another day, we went to visit my dad’s two sisters, Gail and Eileen, cousins (I always called them aunt and uncle growing up) Anita and Andrew, and cousins Alexis and Ashley. We had a very nice day together, and it was especially fun to listen to my dad and his two sisters talk about their childhood, friends, places they would go, and things they enjoyed growing up. Aunt Eileen brought out pictures and it was fun to listen to everyone reminisce. It was a very nice visit with everyone. 

Me and Aunt Gail, my dad’s younger sister. 

I love this picture of the siblings, oldest to youngest: Aunt Eileen, my dad, Aunt Gail

My aunts and I.

My sweet cousins Ashley and Alexis. I still remember when the girls were born, and watching them go from crawling to walking, then running, and now they are mature women. I always enjoy opportunities to spend time with them.

We also visited with my mom’s sister Avra, Uncle Ari, and my mom’s cousin John, and Mary. It had been many years since I have seen them all and was such a bonus treat to get to visit with them.

I had an early flight back to VA the next morning, and dad and mom saw me off to the airport. It was a full weekend, and I am so thankful I got to spend the time with my parents, extended family, and friends.