"Desserting Us" Shin-Dig

So, we've had a few going away shin-digs put on by our lovely parents :) How blessed Chris and I are to have parents who love us and will miss us so. We will miss them dearly, as well.

We spent last week in Kentucky supporting Paintsville basketball, Quick Recall, and Paintsville Lake. The ice storm did a number on Kentucky's trees, homes, and roads. Thankfully, most everyone had their power back. It was great to watch some of Lucas' basketball game. They move at a pace that allow me to learn a little about the rules of the games. Lucas is going to be quite a player once he reaches high school. Andy is quite a player, but due to some poor coaching, he's no longer playing. Tessa is progressing quite nicely with her music, acting, and academic skills. She will do quite well at Berea if she decides to go there. Barry and Karen stay busy with work and the kids. We also headed to Georgetown to see Audry and Rudy. They are doing well in their beautiful home, enjoying more and more vegetarian foods as we exchange tips and ideas for vegetarian cooking. We also got to hang out with grandchildren Gavin and Cyrus. It is getting stranger to think of all we will miss out on while gone for two years. There will be many championship games, plays, graduations, weddings, birthdays, Christmases, etc... shared by family members and friends while we are gone. This is one of the only sobering facets of our adventure. Our favorite feature of the Paintsville party (after the friends and family) was the cake. See above. "Good luck, Chris and Kristin. We're 'Guyana' miss you." How creative??

We came back home to prepare for the "Desserting Us" party in Roanoke. We had many, many friends and family show up to help us celebrate our departure. Again, it was amazing to see each person and to think about what they are going to experience in the next two years that we would miss: law school, weddings, births, new jobs, holidays, etc... Thanks to everyone who came out - it was great to spend time with you. The boys prepared the bonfire and fireworks while mom and I prepped quite a bit of food and decor to fit our rather loose theme of Valentines day/Jungle/Global. My Berea girls came in for the weekend and it was great to spend some quality time with the people who inspired who I have become. Hopefully, they and others will be visiting us in Guyana - we welcome visitors! It will make the time fly by. In an effort to keep posts short and sweet, I'll leave you with some pictures from the party :)