July 4th, 2015

So we have been in North Carolina for a year. Our first weekend in our new city was July 4th weekend. I can't believe it has been a year. Some days it feels like an eternity and others it feels like the blink of an eye. We do miss Nashville. We miss our friends and our church, the big city, the hills and the close proximity to family (only 3 hours, not 10). I don't miss the traffic. We have, however, grown to like our new town. There is something to be said about being able to get almost anywhere in 10-15 minutes! Chase only has a 6 minute drive to work and doesn't even go through a red light on his way, only 2 stop signs! We have made great friends and we love our house. Chase isn't too keen on all the yard work but it's a great flat yard, perfect for learning to ride a bike! If only we could convince one of our children to do so. Riley might be the first. She seems to have more of her daddy in her than the other two!!

Last year we packed up and went to the beach for the day. This year, we didn't have the energy to do that, so we went to the country club and laid out by the pool...well we played with our kids in the pool! Some of our new friends, Melissa and Brian, joined us for the day. They have a son a month younger than Gavin, named Caleb, and a daughter 6 months younger than Riley, named Briley. No that doesn't get confusing at all. :/ As it turns out, Melissa and I are like two peas in a pod and our husband are so similar it can be scary sometimes! We've stopped being surprised when we discover something else similar about ourselves or our husbands! Brian is military (we live in a military-Air Force- town) so their stay in Goldsboro will be temporary :(, but we are making the most of having them close for now!

Our day consisted of pool, grilling out, and then fireworks, both in town and at our house. It was a great day and I can say with confidence that everyone slept well after our busy day!

Before the fireworks started at the mall, we contained the girls. They weren't happy but it sure made our lives easier!

Gavin was super excited about fireworks!

Sweet Briley!

Melissa decided to join the girls in the playpen. It was easier to share the snow cone when sitting down, rather than leaning over to feed the little fish!

Genius life hack by my husband! Caleb and his sparkler. Can't believe we let the boys have these things!  

They did surprisingly well with them!!

We have become fast friends with Melissa and Brian. Brian was deployed when I first met Melissa. In fact, Melissa and I were friends for 5 months before I officially met him! I had seen him on Facetime when he had called, when I was with her, but didn't officially meet him until the middle of May. We all had a great time celebrating our country and spending time with great friends!!