updated on us...

been a little while since we have written...what a crazy month it has been. we can't believe that it is almost October...how scary fast the year has gone by! It seems like just yesterday was February!

This past year has been a crazy one for us, some of our family moved to NC, we lost many that we loved dearly, we experienced a hurricane in OHIO...what???, I saw parts of the world that I never thought I would, Brad took the Cain cup back, we played golf together many times & brad won all of them, we have been able to spend time with our two adorable nieces, watching them grow into big girls...I could go on and on...what a crazy year - hard to believe it is almost over!!

This past weekend, we decided to take a road trip to visit Brian, Karin and Caroline. It was so good to see them! We miss them so much! We had such a great trip...we decided to drive down and it was an experience from the beginning!

Brad got pulled over in Athens County for going 75 in a 55, made out with a $100 ticket - way to go Cain...we then got lost - nice job navigation, finally 7 hours later we made it down there! I will say the one thing I miss the most about CO is the mountains and being in them all day was just perfect for me! We got down there in time to have dinner with everyone and see Caroline before she went to bed. We were exhausted, so we then all went to bed. Long day of traveling!

Saturday, the guys played golf and the ladies decided to go to the Biltmore in Ashville. We jumped in the car, strapped Caroline in and made our way...the short drive we got there...what a breathtaking place. 8,000 acres of beautiful countryside and you can't see anything else in the distance. We toured the house, walked the gardens and then headed home. Caroline was such a tropper thru it all, she didn't fuss or anything - she was so taken aback by everything in the house...she just kept looking around and around...

We then packed up the car and headed home. Karin had to change Caroline's diapers and I decided to wash my hands with sanitizer...so I put my rings on top of the car...well I noticed the trunk was still open and needed to be shut, so I went to the back of the car and shut the trunk, got in the car and we proceed to leave. Thank goodness Karin had the diaper in her hands and had to stop at a trash can to throw it away - I looked down at my hand which felt a little lighter and no rings...it hit me - they were still on top of the car - I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest - I jumped out of the car and thank goodness they had gotten stuck in the sunroof lip and were still up there! Oh my - I would have cried - well I almost was! How horrible!

We got back to Brian and Karin's had a great dinner and then headed to bed early again - we were all so tired! The next morning we went to brunch and then hit the road...what a great weekend...I wish we could have stayed longer, but we both had to get up and work on Monday!

Here are some pictures from the weekend...mostly of little Caroline...

Caroline having fun at lunch!

The Biltmore - Brad can I move here?!?!?

Caroline in the Gardens

xoxox! More soon!

friends

I have to say that Brad and I are extremely lucky to have the friends that we have, we wouldn't be who we are without them. Both of us are extremely blessed with the people that surround us. There are many of our friends that live so far away from us that we never get the chance to see. We both think about all of them often and always try to keep up with their lives, but so often the daily routine just gets in the way and you loose touch. Luckily, they are the type of friends who months can go by and it seems like you never missed a beat. I had the chance to catch up with one of my closest friends last weekend and it just made me miss her even more. It made me miss the days that I used to walk down the hallway and just say hi, it makes you remember how important those little moments are. Now, I treasure the 2 hour long phone conversations once a month catching up with her on her life and filling her in on mine. Sometimes life gets hard for them and it breaks my heart that I can't be there for them like I could if they lived in the same city or even create new memories now that we are older. I wish I could have it all - everyone I love right here next to me or me near them and my family and my job! It's sad how life works that way - I know that I have been horrible about getting out to visit and keeping in touch, but that is about to change, both Brad and I think and talk about these friends that live away from us! We miss you guys and love you all! We made an agreement that we would get out to see all of you soon! After all, who would we be without these people! Love you all, even our friends that are right here with us!