MIA

Sorry, I've been somewhat MIA over the last month. A lot has happened and is continuing to happen as I type!
As I mentioned before, I went to NYC with some girls from work - Lindsay, Lydia, Elizabeth, and Kathleen. We had a blast! It was a whirlwind trip and we did almost all the tourist things in the short time we were there. We shopped (or dreamed of shopping) on 5th Avenue, went to the Statue of Liberty, tried to go up in the Empire State Building, saw Mamma Mia!, went to Central Park, ate at Serendipity, and went to Little Italy for pizza! It really was a fun and somewhat cheap trip. I am grateful for their friendship and the fact that we can have fun outside of work.
I got home from New York on a Thursday night and then rode with the fam to Mississippi for a wedding. My cousin, Collin, got married in Bay St. Louis. Onni, Grace, and Murphy were able to come, as well as my grandparents, aunt and uncle, cousins Russ, Michele, and Keegan. We went to the Rehearsal Dinner on Friday night (where we got eaten alive by bugs). The coolest thing was that it was at a house that was across the street from the beach, but the house survived Hurricane Katrina! We parked where other houses had been, and this one made it because those houses basically got pushed up against it and created a dam for the water. Incredible! It was so sad to see the different areas where houses and buildings had once been, but were very clearly destroyed by Katrina. I was there a few years ago on a mission trip, and while things haven't changed much, they have at least gotten rid of the debris. I feel like that is a huge step - yes, I realize they still have a long ways to go. It was kinda eerie... there were piers that had everything but the boards that you walk on, others had missing sections, and some just had the main posts. The 'house' I remember the most was one that had the foundation, the 'stilts', and the spiral staircase that obviously led to what was once the house. So sad. Saturday morning we spent some time on the beach. Murphy was hilarious in the water - he will definitely be a lot of fun in Sarasota. The wedding was Saturday afternoon and lasted well into the evening. The bride was beautiful and it was really a fun reception. We went to a brunch honoring Collin and Melissa Sunday morning before heading back home. It was nice to spend time with the fam.
Since then, I have been home just working around my house. I started working on my chest, and am almost finished!! I put like 5 coats of paint on it, sanding in between each one, and I have now put polyurethane on it. I will sand it one last time, and then my dad has to fix the bottom of it so it will sit level. Then, it will go in my room and I'll be FINISHED with that. I painted my hallway last week - will post pictures later. It is blue - two lighter versions of the blue from the living room (darker of the two on bottom, lighter on top). Very glad that is done. I will hang my last pictures, then clean the huge mess I have made from these projects. Then, for now, the house projects will be done for a while. Speaking of house projects... remember my plumbing problems?? Well, they came back. So, currently, there is a crew digging up my front yard to replace some pipes - at least, I think that's what they'll be doing. I'm not even sure anymore. I DO know that there is a tractor and huge pile of dirt in my yard, and I so badly want to go out and take a picture. I really want to take a picture of the fact that one of them is IN the hole but I can't even see him - that's how deep they're having to dig! But I'm pretty sure these guys would think I'm nuts, so I will resist the urge.
So, I've been somewhat productive this summer and had lots of fun, so I'm satisfied. And it's not even over yet! I will try to be better about updating over the next couple of weeks before I head to the beach. But I can make no promises. Hope all of you are having a great summer so far!