The Holiday Weekend went OH SO FAST!

Brent and Sara getting their plates.

My niece came up from Purdue to see Ricky and to see her boyfriend, Casey, who came down from Kalamazoo with my sister, Karen.

Karen came from Kalamazoo to see Ricky and her daughter, Teresa.

Laurel getting her plate AND texting as USUAL.

Mom/Grandma/Grandma Great

Ashley and Maddison coloring

Mingling
Mackenzee and Maddison hangin' with their uncle.

Ricky and Ashley enjoying the weather.
.....and each other!

"Cheese!"

Time for good-byes......

The girls wouldn't stand still for Uncle Ricky to take a picture!

They both wanted their uncle to buckle them in.

It sort of looks like Ricky is telling Maddison "You had better NOT lick me!" (She does that sometimes!).

Wow! What a fast weekend. I had to take Ricky to Indi this morning bright and early (we left at 4am this morning) to catch his 8am flight, and I made it back late to work a full day. This past weekend was absolutely awesome. We finished it yesterday with a family cookout. It included Ashley, of course, as always. I had to go into work AGAIN last night so I have had a whole three hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. The drive was gruelling....thank goodness Ricky's grandma (my MOM!) offered her van and offered to go along with me to keep me company and to keep me awake. We stopped for a quick breakfast in Noblesville. He was on his way back to his post by 12:30 this afternoon.


Brent and I are so doggone proud of him. He has matured so much in the last few months.


It was such a pleasure to spend time with him and talk with him.




He and Brent played a game of golf yesterday morning and Laurel and I went shopping for an impromptu cookout yesterday late afternoon. She and I made a brocolli salad, a really yummy cake, a raspberry green tea punch, and other goodies we found in a magazine. Sara, Mitchell and the girls came after they spent the day at Shipshewana.




What an absolutely awesome family I have! I am so fortunate....so blessed!



Oh.....by the way folks.....Ashley's ROCK is CZ! She picked it out long ago and loved it. The bands are filled with real little diamonds, but that HUGE THING on top is not the real thing yet! Someday maybe....they are talking about some anniversary. But she loves it, so that's what counts.



Ashley was getting a little overwhelmed yesterday, I think, what with her two new sister-in-laws to be, her mother-in-law to be and her grandma-in-law to be talking about the wedding. She realized there is a whole lot of planning to a wedding! As of right now, they are talking about February, but no date has been set. Ricky said they can't until he gets out of AIT and gets a permanent duty station. He is really hoping for Germany! Oh my gosh, so are Brent and I!!! Brent and Laurel lived there for a long time and I want to visit.




Anyway, Ricky is back on base safe and sound...although he's not so happy about it!



There's only about two months left and both of them will be finished with school/training.






And I cannot believe it is already September. I am loving this super hot weather we have been having....brown grass and all. I know the heat will not last much longer, so I am sitting out on my patio as much as I can and soaking it all in.