Bitter Sweet

Writing this post might make me cry all over again. We had an incredible year living in a lake house with a beautiful view. Jeff would build fires in the fire pit so we could roast s'mores and enjoy the "jungle" noises of the south. Every chance I got I would take Garrett out to our little beach area to play in the sand (mostly I would just play in the sand and Garrett would throw sticks in the water) or float in the lake...sometimes our floating adventures would only last 5 seconds, but it was worth getting in. My favorite was when Jeff  worked long nights and Garrett was in bed, I would go for a swim and take in the surroundings. We also loved when the fire flies would come out at dusk. It was seriously so magical. Jeff said it was like pirates of the Caribbean. We had a screened in porch, which was perfect for trapping Garrett and keeping him in a confined, worry free space. I loved that porch. It also had a swing and we spent a lot of time there reading, playing, climbing, talking, eating and just enjoying the view. Jeff also had a super awesome job; free food, great friends, awesome hours (except medicine). Needless to say we had a year straight from our dreams. We will never forget our home on Sunward Path.

 I'm going to miss this dock. We had a lot of fun swimming, star gazing and roman candle throwing off of it. 

 This is why we would only last 5 seconds in the water.

 He just wanted to dangle his feet off the side 

Lisa was pretty much my best friend and a wonderful next door neighbor. She would watch Garrett for me ALL the time. I loved going over to her house and so did Garrett, he wouldn't even look back at me whenever I dropped him off. I could go over there and talk with Lisa and Rich for hours. The day before we left we had spent pretty much the whole day packing and cleaning and we were exhausted, then Lisa calls and tells me she's bringing dinner over. She and Rich showed up with three pizzas, a table cloth with matching plates, napkins and utensils, soda, water, gifts for me and Garrett and homemade cookies! It was such a great surprise.

 This is Barbara. She is amazing and the friendliest person you will ever meet. The first time I met her she gave me a hug like we'd known each other for years, and was so excited to meet our little Garrett. Barbara loved all the little babies this year; she was lucky there were four of them! She kept everything in order for the TY's and was very patient with them. Jeff asked her what he needed to do before he left and she gave him a look a mom gives to her son when she's told him something a thousand times. It was hilarious.

Jeff met Dr.Monaghan when he was on his pediatric service, and she became Garrett's pediatrician. Monk and Suzanne would also watch G for us so Jeff and I could go out, it was awesome. Who better to trust your kid with than your pediatrician! They lived on the lake too and called us frequently to ask if we wanted to go out on the boat. 15 minutes later, we'd look outside and there they were. She was a die hard skier. It was crazy. She once went in her work clothes, because she didn't wear her swimsuit and the water was too good to pass up. 

I'm going to miss a lot of things about where we lived. One of them being this little abandoned country store/exxon station on highway 9. It was what I looked for every time I needed to turn down our road. My grandpa owned an exxon station/service bay in Columbia, SC and we loved going to visit him there - this one was a fun reminder.  

Thanks to everyone who made our year so great! We are incredibly grateful for the friendships and memories we've made. We love the South and who knows, maybe we'll come back.