Friends are Friends Forever

We have been blessed with friends all over to the United States thanks to our nomad military life.

Let me take a minute to say thank you to all of those friends, military and non-military alike.  You have been what has made our 21 years in the military a blessed 21 years!  But today, I especially thank those who have befriended us that are NOT military.  You see, military knows military.  We understand each other.  We know that when you move in next door you need to be friends FAST.  No time for formalities, thank you, we need to do coffee, dinners, vacations together NOW - before we move.  We get that and we make friends fast.

But for those not in the military, ummm, that is kind of foreign.  You are used to taking it slow.  You need sometimes years to bond.  And if you hear we might be leaving soon, well, let's face it, sometimes it is just easier to move on to someone else.

I know.  I have seen it.  I have lived it.

And THAT is why I treasure our non-military friends beyond words.  You invested in us no matter the costs.  No matter how long we were around.  And no matter how hard it might be.

And we love you for it.

And in return we try hard to remain a part of your lives.

Which is why I drove 7 hours north west of here to our old stomping grounds of Minot, North Dakota.  Yes, "why not, Minot."  We lived there about 5 years ago.






And found these two special gals and their sweet families that are forever friends with our oldest.











THANK YOU for hosting our crazy family for four days, feeding us, treating us to horse back riding, campfires, s'mores and four wheeling!  We had a blast and it warms my heart to see that in this forever changing world, some things like true friends will always stay the same!  You all are loved!

We also had the privilege of eating with another homeschool family that we adore and would you believe me if I told you I have NO pictures.  Yep. Epic fail on my part, but thank you B. family for a wonderful dinner.

And yes, we did manage to see two military families as well!  They are stuck with us.  Thank you W. Family and R. Family for a wonderful lunch and time of fellowship.  Hearing all the kids squealing and having fun is always a delight and a true testimony of how military kids can befriend anyone if given the chance.  After a trying and crazy move, the chance to just be with two military spouses who understand lightened my heart. Thank you girls!

So you see, we are checking off our bucket list still!  Hope to see you back on Wednesday as we travel the same highway but in the opposite direction!

Blessings,

On a Mission with our Bucket List

Time is of short order here these days!  Have I mentioned we are moving next week?  In case not- WE. ARE. MOVING. IN. TWO. WEEKS!

Ok, now that you know, moving on!

Our time is at a premium.  And our calendar is filled.  BUT - as I said when we first decided to join The Happy Family Movement and create our own Bucket List, we are determined to make the most of our time and be deliberate in making memories.  We do not want to waste or regret a single moment of our summer. 

With that in mind, and after Plan A got rained out one day, we decided last minute (for those of you who know our family well, you know that is BIG) to drive to...

It was a fabulous day!

*The weather could not have been more perfect!  Sunny, nice breeze, not too hot!
 

*The children could not have been more excited.  Well, maybe if we had friends joining us, but that was plan A and the rain messed that one up!

*CJ was a dream.  For the record, if you do not tell the 5 year old the plan until 5 minutes before leaving he has no time to drive you crazy asking when you are leaving.  Just saying!

*There were no lines.  I think the kids said the longest they had to wait to get on a roller coaster was one car in front of them. 

** Note to you all- the first two weeks in June apparently is THE time to go without crowds.  It felt like we had the park to ourselves and it was great!

 And why so many pictures of little man and not the other kids?  Because when you have kids in two distinct age groups, you end up dividing and conquering.  So he and I hung out a lot together! And I had my daughter's camera with me.
 

I am not a roller coaster kind of gal.  Never have been, never will be, but what a fun day!  Watching the older three run off with their daddy to ride the rides with grins on their faces and watching the little guy play in the water and ride the kid rides with a huge grin on his face made for a pretty perfect day.  With some pretty perfect memories!
 

What have you done on your Summer Bucket List so far?  I would love for you to take a minute and share your fun!

 

Not sure what's next for us, but we will be sure to post when we decide!!

 

 

Blessings,

 

This post is link up with Amy at Raising Arrows!

 

We are also joining in on the fun with the Hearts for Home linkup!