my beautiful cousin sara got married this july! that was the other highlight of the summer for us. not only did bill and i have an entire day to ourselves, we had a blast dancing at the wedding, eating yummy food, and watching my cousin sara look awesome with her new husband, matt ralph. small world: her hubby happens to be friends with some acquaintances i knew from high school, who formed a band known as somerset, and later became saxon shore. sara and matt live together now in louisville (ask sara to pronounce it for you properly). i'm so excited for my little cousin! yay ralphs!
chincoteague island, virginia: for 5 beautiful days at the end of july, bill's mom and dad graciously invited his sister larissa, bill, grace, and i to stay in a pretty, 8-sided house they rented for the week (known as the octopus!). it took grace a few tries to get used to the beach: but by friday, she loved it. we rented bikes (my favorite part of the trip), went on lots of rides, and even rented one with a special carrier on the back for grace - she loved it. it was so nice to get a break from the noise of the city to see God's beautiful (and practically untouched) design! (yes, this is where the island where the wild ponies are: i.e. misty of chincoteague!)
