Week 3, Part 1- New England

 On Friday June 12 we left Virginia and headed to Connecticut for the weekend. Since the Leadbetter boys were still in school, we would split up our time with them with a short visit now, and a longer visit once school was done the following week. The best part of this first visit was that it was a surprise for the boys! Only Nick was home when we arrived and we suck around to the back of the house and when we came in, boy was he thrilled. It was adorable to see how excited he was that we were there a week ahead of time. 

Sara and Chris took the kids kayaking and mountain biking on Saturday, leaving me with a few hours to myself, which was such a blessing in disguise because I was a mess and needed to be alone. I had a good long cry, knocked out my application for a job and got to sit in the sun and read in silence for a bit. It was exactly what I needed. 

And then we headed over to see Stormy- and the minute we pulled in, I got all teary eyed! I sat on the stpe with her and just loved on her for a bit, and I think she recognized us- but how confusing it must have been for her to see us again, and without Brian. She had aged- she was skinny and her back hips were weak- but she still had moments of unbelievable energy and agility that were jaw dropping at 17 years old!

Les recently put in a putting green in the yard, so the kids got busy and Stormy tagged along-
Same with the pool, Stormy was right with the kiddos-As always, it was so heartwarming to see the kids back together, picking up right where the last left off.

And Brian called while we were with Stormy, so he got to see her too!
That night Sara had a special birthday celebration for Macy- 

And the boys made her a fantastic ice cream cake- 

I didn't take a picture, but one of the gifts that they gave Macy was a giant wearable, thick blanket- which we now call the Purple People Eater and she loves!

Sunday morning we watched church all together in the livingroom- even had communion together- and we left for the next stop on our New England adventure- Jamestown, RI.

My best friend from our Little Rock days, Adrien, had been living with her family in Rhode Island for the last year and was getting ready to move to Germany in the next few weeks, but knowing we were going to be in the area- she welcomed us with open arms!

We went to the Beaver Tail lighthouse and explored-  

From their house we were able to walk to town for ice cream and had a fabulous seafood dinner, drinks and laughs until way past our bedtime! The next morning her kids all had dentist appointments, so we headed out at 8:30am and were in Massachusetts by 10am- just in time for a second cup of coffee with Tracey!

Tracey and I literally sat around for 24 hours talking. We caught up on everything- all the details. The kids entertained themselves- 

Four kids, one room- must be a Fort Nite thing!

Tracey has a great yard with a trampoline, 4 wheeler, mini bike- and horse farm bordering their yard- which all 4 kids decided to go visit, and quickly got kicked out. Oops.

Macy loved the mini bike- and it was so funny to see her round the corner on the tiny machine- 

Tuesday morning was back to work and school for Tracey's family, so we were out the door by 10am- headed to my hometown of Lancaster for the night... But first, a selfie!

It blew my mind that Tracey and I met when we were 11, and in 6th grade- the same age that Macy is now...

And we headed to another place of precious childhood memories- the Sterling Ice Cream Bar, where I got my first job- at the same age Tate is- scooping ice cream with Allyson. So it was only fitting that Allyson met me there. She came down from NH for the day with her daughter Molly. Allyson's parents tagged along for lunch and then we went back to their house where we would stay for the night. 

Macy loved looking through the old albums at The Rockwell's and finding notes I'd written and old pictures of me. Being there felt like a sanctuary in many ways- a moment to be slower than I had been, and filled with sweet memories. 

Wednesday morning Mrs. Rockwell (AKA The Cake Lady) let us all pick out a cake and she gave us a mini cake decorating lesson-

The kids remember doing this when they last visited 6 years ago!

And with her help, these are our finished products- 

YUM!

We then went and met up with my Uncle George for an awesome 2 hour seafood lunch, but first we drove around town to see some sights. My grandmother's house, that had sold since I last visited- 
My mom's grave- And in the neighboring town of Sterling, we visited the "Mary Had A Little Lamb" lamb, because Macy was a real person, from Sterling Massachusetts!Sadly, I didn't  get a picture with Allyson or my Uncle George... but spending time with all of the people we got to see in our quick visit was wonderful. Everyone carved out the time to be with us, welcoming us and making new memories.