A Long-Awaited Visit That was Short But Sweet

My college roommate, Karen, and her husband, Nam (which happened to be one of Chris' very best friends in college, too), came to visit us this weekend. They live in New Jersey and made the greuling 8 hour trip after getting off of work on Friday, getting in to Blacksburg at 2:00 AM. Ugh! They were so tired. We were so glad to see them and had a wonderful time catching up. They hadn't seen Grant since he was 3 months old, and hadn't yet met Mason. Grant was a bit crabby, but overall we had a wonderful time! We went to the 10th Annual Blueridge Kite Festival in Salem, VA. It was fun for a couple of hours. There were kites everywhere. Grant enjoyed the bubble blowing machine and the many characters wandering around the park. The dogs were his favorite. He walked right up to them, waved, and said, "Hi!" It was cute. Karen and Nam came bearing gifts, as well! They brought Grant a huge dump truck for the beach filled with shovels/beach toys. It was a big hit. He's using the truck to chase after Emma Lou, laughing histerically the whole time. He's pretty funny. And Mason got a cute little hand held toy and book. Her parents sent things to get Mason ready for the beach, too - including the most hilarious pair of sunglasses. Karen brought Chris and I a big pan of lasagna to put in the oven one night this week so I don't have to cook while preparing to move and care for 2 boys. AND...Chocolate Chip cookies!!!! We used to make chocolate chip cookies sitting on the floor or our dorm room together. It was so kind of them. We were very touched by such thoughfulness. We played Sequence after Grant went to bed last night, and then watched "Wild Hogs," which they hadn't seen yet. We just had a wonderful time being together. They had to leave after church today, and I was surprised that even after 5 years of being apart, I still get teary when we have to part. Karen is truly one of my very best friends. Thanks, Karen and Nam for everything! It's definitely our turn to make our overdue visit up to NJ!