General's Beach

I know that I have been out of touch. Maybe it's the end of the year stress.... On the bright side, this past Saturday and Sunday were relaxing and carefree. That's because I was at the beach!
I first heard about General's Beach back in September. A few families from my class spent a weekend in cabins that spilled out onto a clean and remote beach. This was intriguing enough to stay in my memory. A few weekends ago Sarah, Tracey, and I asked Florian if he knew of the beach. He said, "Of course." We spent an amazing Saturday playing, reading, swimming and relaxing at the beach. We (meaning Florian) inquired about the cabins. The cabins are only $20 during the off season! That weekend put this past weekend in motion. Seven of us: Amy, Travis, Entela, Tracey, Sarah, Florian, and I spent two heavenly days soaking the rays (and probably getting skin cancer). I expected the same deserted beach that we had visited two weeks ago. A different beach greeted me. The beach umbrellas and chairs, not to mention actual trash cans, were all set up. The water felt 10 degrees warmer. And there were people. Lots of people.

Makes me sort of want to go back next weekend....
Travis and I admiring his sandcastle. I'm going to make it a point of publishing every picture of a sandcastle. Who knows? Maybe Travis's sandcastles will become a coffee table book. (This is a picture of Amy's). Oh, and see the peninsula in the background? Sarah, Tracey and I had marathon swims almost to that point on both Saturday and Sunday. I can't help comparing the Adriatic with the Pacific Ocean. I love swimming in the Pacific, but it's usually a quick swim with time on the shore trying to warm up (while the Central Coast wind's blow). You can stay in the Adriatic for hours without turning into a summertime popsicle treat.
I actually wish that I took a picture of the amazing fortress that Florian, Travis, Paulina and Josephine created. Who are Paulina and Jo? Students from school. Paulina is in my class. Have I, by any chance, mentioned just how small Albania is?
Another picture from Amy's camera! Tracey's friend had sent her a magazine (I think it was "In Style" but now I don't remember). I began it on our last beach trip, so I gladly finished it this past Saturday. It was truly an enjoyable read, feasting on the latest fashions and movies. Tracey was reading a book that Amy and I had read for book club, "Water for Elephants," which I recommend.
This was a difficult picture to take because of the angle of the three musicians. After a yucky dinner at the single restaurant (my pasta tasted stale), we had a sing along on the beach. Amy and Entela were in charge of the egg shakers!
Amy and I trying for a self-portrait! (Or is it selves portrait, since there are two of us?) Amy is another Albania- sister. I'm so lucky to have found so many kindred spirits.
How do you like to go up in a swing, up in the air so blue? I love that Entela is a kid at heart too! (I know that I'm not Stevenson, but do take a minute to admire the impromptu rhyming sentences!) Swinging is one thing that triggers memories of my maternal grandmother. She was never too busy to "push" me on the swing, even when I was perfectly capable of pumping. Grandma used to sing me a song. I sang it to Entela. I can't help it. Every time I'm on a swing (which is surprisingly often) I have to sing it.
The sun sets over the Adriatic Sea. Sigh.
This is not the most flattering picture of me, but my friends look put together and beachy! I had just emerged from the water, on Sunday, when our friend, Mary said, "Quick come look at the boys!" Now you are probably wondering who these boys are and who Mary is. Yep. Half our school turned up on Sunday. At least, half of the swim team was there and one of my students! There were around 5 or 6 families represented. Frankly, I loved seeing them. I love that Sundus, a parent from my classroom and my friend from book club, could come and read Tracey's magazine on my beach chair. I love that the "boys" wanted us to see their floating heads (they were buried in the sand) and the hermit crabs they caught in their net. I love that Madeline's dad didn't give up on me and tried (for the millionth time) to teach me how to throw a Frisbee (I swear that I'm improving). I love that little Sarah was so amazed that she saw her teacher at the beach. I love this community. And I love General's Beach. Is it summer yet?

Canyon Rafting

Tracey, who is excellent at networking, has made connections with a business called Outdoor Albania. Last week, she e-mailed her friend, Gent, to ask about river rafting trips. Gent happened to have a Sunday river rafting day lined up with an Austrian group (Tracey used to play Frisbee with one of the Austrians). Before you could say, "The hills are alive," Tracey and I were signed up to go on this trip and even had transportation with two Austrians from the embassy, Martin and Sabine. I love how things just work out. Our river destination was an hour and a half past Berat (see November post) located in the breathtaking Osumi canyon. These pictures all all from Tracey's camera... I can't take any credit!

Here is a picture from the van window. Once we arrived in Corovoda, the 14 of us were given wet suits, life jackets, splash jackets and helmets. We split up into two vehicles and drove another 1/2 hour to our launching point. This trip, itself, was hilariously fun. The van's driver- side door had to be tied shut with a rope. The driver spoke no English, but he had a mascot who rode on the dashboard. Two Austrians had their two dogs, one that had his own adventure. And there was a very real possibility that we could run out of gas.
This is Foxie. Our driver didn't seem to be worried that his dog was sliding all around the dashboard. Tracey asked him, using her charade skills, if the dog ever fell. We got our answer. One sudden stop and I ended up catching Foxie as she flew through the air. Her claws are sharp! She barked every time we past a horse, donkey, cow, or sheep....like she could take 'em on. Foxie really freaked out when she heard barks coming from the back of the van. Flex, a dalmatian owned by an Austrian couple, was invading Foxie's territory. Foxie went crazy!

We stopped for a quick break. Flex's owners decided to let him run behind the van. Bad idea. Flex came to a sheep herd and started running up the hill. Where there are sheep, there are sheep dogs. One sheep dog came running and chased poor Flex down the hill, across the road, and then down another hill filled with cattle. Meanwhile, the driver stopped the van and practically threw Tracey and me out the passenger's door (he couldn't get out of his door because as I mentioned before, his door was tied up) and went chasing after Flex. I ended up holding Foxie, laughing my head off. Really, it could have been a tragic situation.


Here's our launching point. The other raft (as shown above) was larger than ours and had room for about 10 people. This is a picture of the Bulgarian and his water wings (he gave his life jacket to his wife). Our raft held six people, including Ilir, our Albanian hippy/mountain man/river guide.
This was our first stop. We hiked up to the bridge for an amazing view of the canyon. The rapids were just right. (This trip is only available during the month of May, because the water level is too low after this month). The rocks were the most frightening part of the trip. At one point Ilir pulled me into the center of the boat, by my life jacket, as the raft suddenly swung into the side of the canyon. My hero. There were waterfalls running off of the sides of the rocks. Martin said that the rocks were limestone. Vines hung down tempting me to swing like Jane. Trees stubbornly grew up from sides of cliffs. If anyone wants to film an independent adventure flick, this is the place to come!
This was our second docking point. The day before, Gent and Ilir had had another rafting trip, but were stopped just before this point. They were forced to wait for a number of hours until the water level of a waterfall decreased. We were able to float past the waterfall safely. After docking, we walked towards it for a closer look.
Oh waterfall, how I do love thee. I think I had this expression on my face the entire afternoon. Every bend in the river brought another wonder. I do so love Albania.
And here is the cause of my joy!
Tracey in front of the waterfall.
Sabine in front of the waterfall. Oh, a word about Sabine's job.... I think I've found another career path to take after another 10-15 years in the classroom. Sabine is a math/art teacher. Now she works under the umbrella of the Austrian embassy. She travels around Albania improving education. Projects include hygiene training, teacher benefits, and curriculum. Does this job say Holly? Yes, I'm afraid it does.
Another Albanian adventure comes to a close... I loved meeting new friends and participating in a wonderful rafting trip. Really and truly, if you are thinking about visiting Albania next year, come in May. We'll get a group together and raft!

St. Paul's Trail

If the Hash runner's trail is introduced as "difficult," I know better than to question the meaning of the word. Last Saturday we were given two different starting locations to choose from. Sarah, Florian, Britney and Irene chose to do the runner's trail. Tracey, Hetty and I decided to do the "easier" walker's trail. I really think that we made an excellent decision. Easy isn't the adjective I would use to describe this hike. I can think of many others: challenging, beautiful, scenic, spiritual, rugged, dangerous. It certainly, for me, was a spiritual experience, to walk the trail that Paul would have taken while crossing Macedonia. (That's one of my favorite stories in Acts; Paul sees a vision of a Macedonian calling out to him for the Gospel.) Saint Paul really must have been in excellent shape! After spending a fair amount of time on the trail, we ventured down to the river. Beautiful!
I love the little waterfall in the background of this picture. Confession: I did fall on this hike. It was slippery!
We had to cross the raging river over very high rocks. Luckily, experienced hikers were there to consult with regarding hand/foot positions for rock climbing. Rock climbing is one of my criteria for a challenging hike, another is whether or not you have to scoot down rocks on your bottom, another is if have to hang off the side of a hill. This was a challenging hike.
Do you see the lighter grove of trees above the river? That's the St. Paul's Trail. Amazing. (Another favorite adjective...)
The clouds began rolling in quickly. Luckily, we only experienced minor sprinkles. It actually was refreshing.
Once across the river, we were able to take the road back to the meeting area. This was my first time back early from a hike. We hung out on the bank of the river eating oranges and waiting for our friends who did the difficult hike. Personally, I was glad to have taken the road St. Paul traveled.

Orthodox Easter in Korca

This past weekend, we went home. For the past school year, I've been looking forward to visiting Korca, Entela's home town. We planned on going this particular weekend because there is a large celebration for Orthodox Easter.
After we checked into our hotel (which is by far the nicest Albanian hotel we've stayed in...comfortable, clean, large shower...hooray) we set out to Entela's home. We walked by the amazing Orthodox cathedral located in the center of town. (By the way, does anyone know the difference between a "regular" church and a cathedral???) One thing that was very noticeable was the Korca cleanliness. Honestly, Entela kept telling us that Korca was tidy, but I had to see it to believe it. Believe it I do!
Entela's mom and sister were wonderful hostesses. We were served real Albanian food, complete with rabbit stew (Perfect for Easter. Entela told Tracey to think of the rabbit as the evil cousin of the Easter Bunny and not as the Easter Bunny himself!). I wasn't sure that I would enjoy the rabbit stew, but it ended up being my favorite...probably because it's made with wine. Oh, I should clarify. The rabbit stew was my favorite savory option, the dessert beats everything! Entela's mom makes the best baklava in Albania. No exaggeration. (Amy once told me that she didn't like baklava until she tried the homemade variety from Entela's mom). I want to try making baklava at home this summer. Anyone willing try this experiment?
After a delicious lunch, we set off to walk in this beautiful park, which is directly across from the college Entela attended. Speaking of academics, did you know that the Albanian language was first written in the late 1800s? The same man who founded the first school also created the written language (I think, I could be wrong...). Entela told us that all the best Albanian minds come from Korca.... hers included (at least I think so).
I love tulips almost as much as roses! There were tulips in practically all the flower beds we walked by. The city flower beds were planted orderly and with a plan. That's the biggest impression that Korca left on me: there was order and beauty.
After another delicious meal ($40 which included drinks and dessert for 6 people!!!!! I love Albania.), we hit the streets with the entire town. We brought the candles that we had purchased earlier in the day. The second we arrived outside of the cathedral, the bells started tolling. We lit our candles, the priest began singing, and we enjoyed the midnight Easter morning celebration. People had red eggs which they cracked and ate. We walked to the hotel after that, being careful to keep our candles lit...for luck!
What's this? It looks like a bear. It is a bear... the Easter Bear! The guy in front was trying to hide the bear from us because he wanted to charge us a bundle for pictures. I feel a bit guilty, actually. After some shopping (I bought Korca honey...yum!) we loaded up in the public van and headed back to Tirana. I can't wait to spend another weekend at home.

An Accident Waiting to Happen

This blog has definitely been therapeutic for me. I have another trial/humorous story to share.

After a brisk walk in the park, I returned home to shower before a fancy sushi dinner out with Sarah, Florian, Travis and Amy. I remember thinking while in the shower how lucky I am never to have slipped on the tiles. Welllllll, upon exiting the shower, I somehow lost my balance and hit my shin. It seemed like a good idea at the time to stabilize myself with one of the shower doors that hangs loosely in my shower. The result was disaster. I ended up falling on the floor, crouched in a huddled position while glass exploded from behind. Sarah, who was getting into the shower next door, heard the shattering and called out to me. I was sort of in a daze and didn't answer back. She came in through our adjoining door. By this time, I had slowly eased myself up, grabbed my towel and was standing on my gym clothes. My body was covered in glass and the door wouldn't open because glass was blocking it. I used my t-shirt to wipe away some glass and was able to exit the bathroom. Luckily, Sarah was right by my door and was able to think for me. I started to wipe the glass off of my legs, but Sarah told me to go shower off in her shower. While I was taking my second shower of the evening, Sarah began sweeping up the shards of glass. I came back and both of us worked on my bathroom in our towels and flip-flops. Then, Sarah went to take a shower and I worked on getting the remaining glass off my shower floor, one spoon full of glass at a time. Now, everything is cleaned up, though I'll wear my flip-flops in the bathroom the next few weeks in fear of remaining glass particles. My injuries are surprisingly few. I have a nasty knot on my shin where I hit it and just a few very, very small cuts on my hand. God must have an entire legion of guardian angels looking out for me; one of them of course is Sarah.

Easter Along the Ionian Coast

Tirana International School had a three day weekend over the Easter holiday. A group of us piled into two cars and headed south to the beaches. The roads were windy and bumpy but the landscape was breathtaking.

Here's our group! We primarily hung out in vehicle groups. (Tracey's parents are here visiting from British Columbia.) Once again, we lucked out on drivers. Olti was very considerate and stopped whenever we saw a photo opportunity (or when I got car sick...)

Our Saturday destination was Dhermi. It is a very small beach town on the Ionian Sea. There were a handful of hotels and a small number of restaurant options. We found a hotel that fit our needs and was steps away from the sea. Here, you can see Travis hard at work on a drift wood structure. There are no sandy beaches so sandcastles are out of the question!
Vicky, Sarah's friend from Britain, said she's never seen sea cows before. Ha! Only in Albania.


Attempt 1,609,085 of trying to learn how to throw a Frisbee. It's a curse. Practice does NOT make perfect in this case. Travis did give me tips that helped a bit. I did have a great time playing a Frisbee game with Amy, Tracey, Travis, Lee and Vicky. Maybe, I'll keep trying. Maybe.

Tracey said, "Holly, how about an adventure?" I'm a fan of adventure. Her idea was to swim out to this rock, climb it and then jump down. Mission accomplished! It was simply hilarious because of course the rock was slimy and not a simple climb. There are more beaches south of Dhermi, which we will go to next year. The draw is that there are islands that you can swim out to!
Hale, hale, the gang's all here. Sarah's car was about 2 hours behind us on both Saturday and Sunday. We did all manage to get together for Saturday dinner. We enjoyed sea food overlooking the sea. I had a sea food pasta that was delicious. I even ate the calamari.
Sunday morning, we went out on this beach (which we had played on the day before) for our Easter service. It was one of the simplest Easter services ever! We kept it focused on scripture, prayer and songs... the essentials of a worshipful experience. After "church" we headed down to Saranda and Butrint!
We had a light Easter lunch in Saranda overlooking Korfu, Greece. Sigh. I don't think I can return to "normal" after this year.Another new favorite place!!!! Butrint is amazing. These ancient Roman ruins date back to 4 B.C. Butrint was a functioning colony up through the middle ages. Everything was incredibly well preserved. Amy read out of my Albania guide book, so we actually knew what we were looking at. It is a world heritage site and a must see for sure! These are the Roman bathhouses.
There were two gates with secret entrances. Here is the Epp family preparing to go down toward the gate.
All the world is a stage! The amphitheater is still in functioning order. They even have concerts there in the summer. We all took a turn performing. Here is Travis rehearsing a little tragedy.
Ah, the Lion Gate! I thought Travis was making fun of me when he said, "Oh look, it's Aslan," in a childlike voice. He wasn't, but that was exactly what I was thinking.
This is the Nymph Fountain. I thought it would be fun if we pretended to be nymphs, but I really wasn't seriously considering the possibility of climbing up the fountain. Tracey, on the other hand, is very good about carrying an idea to fruition. Hence, here is my very favorite picture of all! The ruins were all very accessible and were really a jungle gym for adults. The only exception was the baptistery which has a load of sand over an amazing mosaic. Unfortunately, funds haven't come in to expose the mosaic is a safe manner, so they just covered it up with sand.
I can't see wooden boats without thinking about my dad and taking a picture just for him. This is on the way up to the castle which also houses the artifacts museum. The museum is where we saw a picture of the baptistery mosaic.
Back to Saranda for Easter dinner! We walked around the water front looking for open restaurants. We finally found an amazing Italian place. It ended up being a gathering spot for about 4 families from T.I.S. Albania is a small, small land.
There was wisteria everywhere we went! It made me think of Westmont in springtime. Happy Easter to all! We live in a beautiful world.

The weather's great; wish you were here!

Dear Friends and Family,

I really wanted send you all a postcard from Egypt. Honestly, the pictures that Tracey and I took are much better than the ol' gift shop variety! So, take a deep breath and get ready for this very long photo-driven blog.
Sarah, Tracey and I arrived in Sharm el Sheikh around 6:00 am, Sunday morning. We had been traveling since 2:00 pm, Saturday afternoon. We took a four hour nap, swam laps, ate lunch and then.... hit the beach!
Tracey and I raced back to our room because we had left our snorkel gear there. The coral reef attached to our hotel was amazing! We saw coral more brightly hued than any I saw in Hawaii. I especially fell in love with the purple coral. The fish were abundant and large. My favorite was large and brown with turquoise patterning. (If you want to do some decorating, a coral reef is a great place to start for inspiration!) Tracey spotted an iridescent torpedo looking fish. That was a fascinating one too. All week long we were literally swimming through schools of fish. Very appropriate for three teachers!
I think that it is mandatory for hotels in Sharm el Sheikh to come stocked with very cute, young, single men. These two boys took us out Sunday night, and showed us around Nama Bay. I quickly clued in that they were really sweet talking harmless goons. They were good to get to know, though, because they kept our supply of ice cream coming!

The next day was pretty much like the first. We swam laps, ate, and enjoyed the beach to our hearts' content. The only exception was that we met up with Ahmed, our tour leader who met us at the airport, to plan a Wednesday excursion. We planned a desert safari (more about that later) and Ahmed invited us out to Nama Bay. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe and danced until the wee small hours. Two Swedes, who we had met at the beach, happened to be there too. They were two econ majors set to graduate this spring.

Tracey with our first Ahmed, the tour leader. (Everyone was either named Ahmed or Muhammad. And no need for Jeff Dunham jokes Matthew, Ryan and Stephen!)
Happiness is open water! Sarah and I were working on our synchronized swimming routine. Do you know how many people asked if the two of us are sisters? I don't know either. I lost track. The funniest incidents were at the airport. Every single official asked and we just showed them our passports with smiles on our faces. Chances are a Canadian and an American are NOT sisters.
Sarah rented her snorkel equipment from this guy. She had Tracey and I come back with her so we could see "hot snorkel guy." I still have know idea how I ended up taking a picture with him. Lucky me!

The sun sets over Sharm el Sheikh. Ahhhhhh. It's beautiful. Sarah took this picture perched in our hammocks.
Sarah's favorite restaurant in Tirana is the Lebanese 1,001 Nights. We had Lebanese at our hotel, though I think we all agreed that it wasn't as good as the Lebanese we get in Tirana. What made this experience fun was the goofy outfits we dressed up in. Don't we look adorable in the fez hats? We made this an earlier night since our desert excursion was set to begin at 6:30 in the morning.
My fabulously funny friends! (Don't you love a good alliteration?)

Wednesday was the best. Our excursion plans were to take a desert safari in a jeep, go on a camel ride, snorkel in the Blue Hole, and eat a Baudoin lunch. That is what we planned on doing... We met up with another jeep full of Italian tourists. The two jeeps caravaned to a passport control area that led to the desert. The guard looked at my passport and said, "You are American." I know that. I didn't need to be told. Fifteen minutes passed. The tour guide came back and told us that we couldn't go on because this excursion was listed as Italian. No special arrangements had been made for one American and two Canadians. The American and Canadian governments will not allow their citizens to go out into the Egyptian desert without extra security. Sooooo, we asked to be taken to Ras Muhammad, the underwater national park. It was the luckiest mistake imaginable!
Here we are with our tour guide, preparing to board the boat. He was one lucky stiff too. Instead of heading to the hot sandy desert, he spent the day catching rays with three girls. It's the Egyptian man's dream (or so they say).


The boat made three stops. The first stop was sort of exciting. We saw a giant angel fish and fire coral. The boat was in motion so we had to grab hold of a rope in order to make it back safely. The other stops were great too!
The Red Sea cliffs! It's amazing being in a location of one of the most spectacular Bible stories. I'm really jealous of the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea on dry land and probably got to see all sorts of beautiful fish!
Here we are suited up for our last stop! We should have gone out earlier. Sarah found a string ray that was camouflaged to look like the sand of the sea. There was a sunken box with treasure inside (or so I told myself!). One of the other guides came out with us. He was totally cool and knew a lot about fish.
After 3 stops, sun and a tasty lunch, we returned to port. Another noteworthy point: I met a family from Scotland living in Baku, one of the towns that QSI wanted to send me to. They had 3 lovely girls and they all seemed to have so much fun together. It was refreshing to be around a close family.

Thursday was our last day in Sharm el Sheikh. We spent the last morning in the pool doing our morning laps and on the beach. Ahmed dropped us off at the airport and then stayed with us for a coffee (I had fresh strawberry juice.... yummy!). Then, we were off to Cairo!
We met up with our Cairo tour guide, also called Ahmed, Friday morning. We told him we needed to extend the day because we weren't scheduled to be at the airport until 1:30 am. He happily obliged and the result was literally "Cairo in a Day." Our first stop was the pyramids. We were given so much ancient Egyptian history! I loved it. Tracey, Sarah and I sat around in the Istanbul airport taking notes on all we had learned in Cairo.
Tracey pointed out that this picture can certainly make you appreciate the magnitude of the limestone. The ancient Egyptians floated the limestone up from the Nile once a year when the Nile flooded. I had learned that at one time or another, but being there and touching the limestone is different from textbook learning.

The three of us went inside the smaller pyramid, the pyramid built for the son of the dynasty's founder. It was narrow, dark and suffocating. I don't know how people could have worked inside.
After our visit inside the pyramids, we went to ride camels! I was a little nervous, at first. It wasn't being around the camels, it was being around the men leading the camels. Luckily, Ahmed negotiated everything beautifully. I really liked our guides and felt so safe on the camel.
My camel and I bonded so when the guided asked who wanted to run with their camel, I quickly volunteered. Exhilarating! I loved the thrill of racing along. Next time I want to ride an Arabian horse.
I think I was riding Snoopy. Isn't he cute? He was the best camel of all. I even learned how to "drive" him. I made him stop, go right, left and forward.
Matthew said to hug a camel for him, so I did!
I thought that all camels were as friendly as Snoopy, so when I went to pet this one, I had a shock. This one lunged out and tried to bite my shoulder. That's why I moved far away from this angry animal.
The three pyramids... the three girls. We rode camels through a sand storm as you can sort of see. My hair was caked with layers of sand. Gross.
The Sphinx! The reason his nose was broken off was to prove that he wasn't a god and not worthy of worship.

After the pyramids and Sphinx, we went to a paprys shop and loaded up on art. I got two amazing pieces that I can't wait to frame for my apartment. We went and had lunch on the Nile and then set out for Muhammed Ali's mosque.
Becase the mosque wasn't on the original itinerary, we didn't come prepared with long pants. We learned all about this mosque. It has four different names: The Blue Mosque (because it was modeled after the Blue Mosque in Turkey), The Citadel Mosque, Muhammed Ali's Mosque (who was actually Albanian and was made king of Egypt during the early 1900s. He kissed up to the Sultan in Turkey. Apparently he is the father of modern Cairo and very well respected), and The Alabaster Mosque.
After the mosque, we went to the museum, which was cool. We really rushed through it, though. Next time, I want to properly take my time. Then, we headed off to the Nile for a short and cold boat ride.
Tracey and I freezing on board. Brrrrrr.
We went to the oldest bazarre in Egypt, which was the site of the resent Egyptian explosion. It probably was the safest place to be because of all the extra security! Ahmed's friend, Nana, met us there and we went off for a Boudian dinner under the stars.
Here we are, freezing again, but prepared to enjoy yummy food! The bar-b-que was great and the conversation was awesome. Nana was the first Egyptian girl that we had hung out with. She and Ahmed had gone to college together, so she didn't put up with any of his ego (which was rather large).
They gave us the fire pit which we warmed our hands over. Then, they made tea for us over the stones. By that time, we were ready to head to the hotel to wait for the airport pick up.

Thanks for reading along as I relived the Egyptian holiday. I really did spend a great amount of time thinking about family and friends and wishing that you were along for the ride!
Love,
Holly