Jenn & the Next Generation

Jenn and I were roommates my sophmore year at Southeast Missouri State...in subsequent years we shared a suite with two other friends. Jenn first met my mom in the elevator as I was moving back into the dorms following my summer finals at BYU. I'd returned to the school where I made some of my greatest friends & met my greatest love. (I must have annoyed Jenn to hear me telling Gracie "this is the hallway where I first saw your daddy" and such; but she's a patient soul & didn't comment.)

Anyway, Jenn still lives in the area with her beautiful daughter Nadia. We spent a few hours on campus, catching up on life. While checking out at the bookstore ("where your daddy used to work, Gracie"), an older lady asked if our girls were sisters...after telling us that they were were the two prettiest little girls she'd seen in a long time.

Nadia loves water. She happily explored this fountain that didn't even exist the last time I was there. (It's in front of Kent Library.)

The view of the Mississippi River from the River Campus -- which also didn't exist 15 years ago. One of my favorite memories of this area was a year when the river froze solid & a bunch of us played on the faux-iceberg.

Jenn is still one of the easiest people in the world to talk to. That red door behind her is the entrance to our old dining hall. Now it's an entrance to a campus-run Starbucks.

Our old dorm. I once sat on that bench with my friend Andy (now he's grown up and I call him Andrew), after the adrenaline rush caused by setting my dorm room on fire. Actually, that week had been adrenaline-filled because the previous day a boy (not my boy) had cornered me on the stairs and asked if I was attracted to him. PANIC!! Accidentally catching the curtains in my room on fire was actually a relief because it meant I had something else to freak out about.

Anyway, we cornered some poor undergrad and asked her to take a photo of us with our girls. Never would I have imagined that as an 18 year old. We also got another undergrad to let us onto our old floor. I didn't take a photo of our old door -- that would have been creepy for the girls who live there now.

What a Year

We moved out of our house in New Jersey one year ago today. We'd spent the previous night eating pizza & enjoying the company of our neighbors. Donner Family, Tim & Lesley, Sideris Family -- we miss you!

Our departure from New Jersey was a mad dash to the airport when our scheduled limo driver didn't show up. Thanks to the goodness of Southwest Airlines and lots of desperate praying, we didn't miss our flight. . .but it was close.

We'd spent the first week of August in Missouri with my family. And then a very long flight (with a wonderful layover with Erika in Chicago) to England.

August 6th will make it a year in England. So much growing: Cami began school, Graham began school, Rose began to walk & talk. Jason has had a full year of being employed & has had some really great things happen professionally. Out of everybody in our family, I'm pretty sure I'm the one whose life has changed the least in the last 365 days. I suspect that that's because no matter where I happen to be living, I'm the one living it. But, if I have to pick a spot to be living my life in, West Yorkshire deserves top billing.

Just like one year ago today, Jason is on a plane. His flight just touched down in Seattle. He's spending a couple days with his family and then spending a few more days with his friends at a conference. We miss him. But on August 7th, his plane with land here in Leeds & we'll embark on the next year of adventures together.

Sopping Wet

August 2006. Graham's first trip to the beach. Jason was out of town, it was Graham's birthday week (age 1), and my friend Celine invited us to participate in her wonderful family's yearly beach holiday. Rather than braving the waves, though, Graham climbed into this tub filled with ocean water & shells & played happily for quite some time.






Spring 2007. My friend Kristin left as message saying that she wanted to see the photo of Graham after he fell into the goldfish pond at Rutgers Gardens. And since she's the one who took the photo, I made an effort to find it.