We headed to San Fransisco first. I arrived almost flu-like (when we left school there were 300 students absent with flu symptoms--disgusting!) and spent the first couple of days trying to feel better. We got to meet and Erin and Chris's new son Jack, see Opie and a very pregnant Tina, Sarah and Erik, and Megan and I got to do some solid hanging out and brunching. We were so glad we made the stop, however short. Here's a shot from the BBQ that Megan threw for us, which was terrific because it allowed to see a bunch of people.
From there we crossed the country to South Carolina to spend time with Justin's side of the family. Our nephew, Jacob, is a little over 1 year and was great fun. He spent most of his time marveling at the modern miracle of sliding doors. He is also a man that loves his peekaboo as illustrated here:
The weather was amazing and we logged a bunch of hours on the beach with books. Lots of great meals and especially desserts at Pete and Lynda's new favorite hangout, Rita's (an Italian ice stand on Hilton Head). I'm pretty sure they are both thinking about Rita's in this picture:
From here it was on to the midwest. We spent a great day with our friends, Joel and April, before taking off for Dearborn and a visit with Grandma Betty and Frank (who, as if to make it abundantly clear that he was retired, was wearing overalls and reading in a lawn chair in his backyard when we arrived--p.s. Frank, Justin's Merlefest shirt is a great fit and officially part of his t-shirt rotation).
I should mention that we borrowed Lynda's car for our midwest romp. The best part about this was that it is a covertable. We took full advantage:
We stopped in Eld Rapids on the way up from Dearborn to say hi to Laurie. This is me and my favorite food on the planet: Jeff and Laurie's whitefish pate. It's love (and it was great to see you guys!)...
We had a spectacular time in Michigan. My brother Andrew was able to make it up there which was a huge added bonus. Let the physical challenges begin!
Immediately after this picture was taken, Justin, Andrew and I engaged in a high-kicking contest. Some days after that, I broke my pinky toe while wrestling with my "little" brother. Way to go maturity!! Some of the highlights from Michigan:An amazing day of sailing on Lake Charlevoix with Kris/Mom at the helm and first mate Terry/Dad. Andrew mostly swabbed the poop deck while he tried to avoid allowing my dad to accidentally step on my broken toe.
Doing daily yoga here:
Nightly raspberry-lime pisco sours! Zing!!
And finally, a cameo by the one and only Sarah Natchez.
Mom and Dad, thanks for an amazing time. I miss you so much!
From Michigan (and after a good six hours of driving and working on not feeling sorry for myself that I had to leave), we got to Chicago and spent the weekend at Craig and Larissa's house. Again, we got to see a ton of people that we love and miss. Most exciting (sorry Shafer), was getting to know this guy:
Nice to meet you, Eli! Here he is enjoying his brunch at Orange.We had an excellent time at the Saturday BBQ at Craig and Larissa's. There was probably a little too much of this for me...
But overall, seeing Jill and Larissa showcase their African dance skills made up for it. Yes, I have video of that. No, I don't have permission to show it to you. So instead, here is a picture of Joe in his Billy Joel/Elton John t-shirt.
I'll leave you with some pictures of our new digs here in Santiago. It is a loft apartment and the view is amazing. We are absolutely loving getting know our new neighborhood and coming home each night to the sun setting on the Andes. Don't miss the short video from our hike up Manquehue at the end. Lots and lots of love! We miss you tons!
