August 20, 2008

Sweet Home Indiana

After 27 times I packed and unpacked, since leaving Japan in June, we finally arrived home sweet home in Bloomington, Indiana and boy did it feel good.

Oh what do you do in the summertime in Indiana??

Swim.
Swing on our tire swings.
Pet our cat Felix (who bravely guards our home while we are away :).

Visit our best friend and neighbor, Victoria.
Swim at Victoria's.
Play with our friends.
Did I mention play with our friends? Guitar, guitar, drums!

Catch local frogs (isn't he cute?).
Ride a tractor. (love Ann Marie here... great poser!)
Drive a tractor (go nephew Tate).
Hang out on our awesome couches (okay, I really miss our couches).
Swim.

Swim some more.
Catch some rays.
Visit the Wonderlab Children's Science Museum.
Jonas in duplicate at the Wonderlab.
Karaoke!
Everyone got in on the action...
Even Grandad.


Dig for fossils.

Hunt for arrowheads and other treasures.


Go on a scrapbook retreat (bags made by Kim Bunton.).

Scrapbook with friends (something I stopped doing when I moved to Tokyo).Hang out with friends.

And, eat with friends.



Swim with friends.
Swim more with friends.


And last, but not least, go to the INDIANA MONROE COUNTY FAIR.

Where we pet cows.
Eat kettle corn.


Ride Amish teeter totters.And watch dog shows.



Bloomington, Indiana is a terrific place to spend your summer. It is all about relaxing and getting as much "outside" time as possible. I took the kids to the pool the other day and while laying out on pool chairs, Shailey asked me what my highlight for the summer was.

I answered, "This. Right here, right now. Soaking up the sun, playing in the pool with no time constraints, just me and my kids. I waited all summer to do this."

The only thing that would have made it better is if Glenn could have been in Indiana for a longer time... that would have made our summer perfect. Of course it wasn't all happy moments, there were plenty of tantrums, fights, ticks, sickness, mosquito bites, and tears, but someone once wisely said that these bad moments just get you to the next happy photo and that is what you remember. I'll drink to that.


Happy summertime!

August 14, 2008

Glenridge Home and Garden Tour

Atlanta Braves

Why title this post, Atlanta Braves???? Because we were very brave taking yet ANOTHER ROAD TRIP! Yes, only a few days after flying home to Indiana (stop 7), we got in our van and drove to Atlanta, Georgia to visit Michelle and be there for her 2nd reception. This makes stop 8 in our summer travels.

Michelle lives on a 47 acre plantation, in Sandy Springs, called Glenridge. She works as their landscape designer. Her job is absolutely dreamy; she basically rolls out of bed and starts gardening (the white house in the slideshow is the house she lives in... used to be the dairy!).
We toured her greenhouse and discovered amazing creatures called, WRITING SPIDERS. I completely have arachnophobia, but I was still fascinated by this unusual spider and its web design.
A huge chess game board sits in the middle of the gardens.
Dallin (Michelle's hubby) is SO good for Jonas... their bodies house the same kind of superhero energy.
Old farm equipment is found around the acreage. The kids had a blast climbing on everything.
Glenridge, built in 1929, has been the location of a number of popular films, including Driving Miss Daisy and Remember the Titans. Thanks to its amazing landscape designer, Glenridge remains truly breathtaking.

Glenridge Hall Reception, Georgia