Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

So for Thanksgiving this year I have volunteered to cook the Thanksgiving turkey. Although I have been taking cooking classes, it is still a daunting task for a novice cook. In preparation, I decided to have a Pre-Thanksgiving dinner with a few friends. Afterwards, I was pretty proud of myself and have a little more confidence going into the big day. Here are some of the pics.

Oh...I forgot to mention that we didn't eat that night until 10:00...minor timing issue

Time Away

After Josh's trip overseas we decided to get out of the city for a bit. We spent three lovely days at the Barnsley Gardens Resort. Here are a few photos from our hike out to the gardens...I made Josh propose again...what a wonderful way to relax.

Welcome Little Eli Akridge!

Friday night we welcomed our new little nephew, Elias "Eli" Mason Akridge, into the world. His Mom and Dad are doing great and we are thrilled to finally have a little boy in the family! More pictures to come.

End of Summer Update

As summer comes to an end, Josh and I wanted to post a few epictures from our Youssef beach trip to Sea Island. Enjoy.


...and yes, Oliver is eating sand...

Belfast

We wound up our round-the-world trip in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Irvines, who are long-time friends of the Youssef's, were so kind to host us during our short time there. Wilma fixed us our second home cooked meal in a month and it was fantastic. We toured the murals from the conflict between Loyalists and Republicans which only officially ended in 1998 in what is known as the Good Friday Peace Agreement. The murals become kind of memorials to those who had fought on each side (Catholics and Protestants) . After touring the murals, we took a hike along the Irish coast to a famous fisherman's spot where a rope bridge carries you from one side of the cliffs to the other (I had to give myself a pep talk before crossing...while Josh was laughing at me and snapping photos). We then traveled to the Giant's Causeway where we witnessed the hexagonal rock formations that were fomred many years ago by volcanic lava . On our way to dinner we popped our head in a local castle, Dunluce. Afterwards we shared a meal and ice cream by the seaside.

We have had an unbelievable time abroad touring and hearing the amazing stories of how Leading the Way, and ultimately the Lord, is impacting the lives of so many. We look forward to the flight home to Atlanta and are thankful for the incredible memories and relationships we have formed from our trip overseas.

Paris

Josh and I had a romantic, fast-paced trip through Paris. We had a lovely time touring and visiting with one of the Leading the Way partnership teams outside of the city. We also spent time visiting the Palace of Versailles where Josh and I rented bicycles and rode through the beautiful French countryside touring Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon and the various gardens that surround the estate. Our last day we ate baguette sandwiches on the steps in front of the Eiffel Tower and took a water ferry through the city catching glimpses of Notre Dame, the Louvre, and Champs-Élysées. We had a blast walking up the Champs-Élysées to find a good bowl of French onion soup before we headed back to our hotel.

while walking we found a really silly cupcake display that we thought we would share with you

Next up....Belfast,Northern Ireland

Happy Birthday Joshie

We have spent the last few days in London before we head to Paris. We stopped in to visit with Sarah, Christain and the boys yesterday to celebrate Josh's birthday. We had such a great time playing with Aidan and Oliver and we were so thankful for Sarah who made birthday cupcakes and a special birthday dinner (the famous Wright family mac-n-cheese!). We spent the evening swapping travel stories and laughing . We had such a lovely visit and a great birthday celebration with the Wright family.

For Safety's Sake: Fun With Translation

On a walk to catch a tram we started noticing some of the English signs around HK. We are posting the best one's here. Em was laughing so hard she couldn't hold the camera properly.