A couple of weekends ago, we went to Tennessee to visit a close friend & her family. My childhood "sister," Susan just moved to Arkansas and we are really grateful to have spent some time with the whole gang before they moved. We hung out with Susan, Chad, Hunter, Caeli, Rune, and Saber. My best memory of the entire weekend is the feeling of inclusiveness from their family. Everyone from the oldest (Hunter) to the youngest (Saber) were so great with Mercer. He felt like they were his brothers and sister by the end of the weekend (after the obligatory "shy period" was over). Above is a shot of some of the kids holding up their "masterpieces" of birds on a limb after spending a couple of hours at a painting place.
We got the chance to hang out with their family a few weeks prior as well -- at an event where Susan was honored: she was inducted into the Gwinnett County Schools Sports Hall of Fame. Susan was an amazing athlete in school -- excelling at tennis, softball and basketball. She went to Duke on a full scholarship for basketball, in fact. The coach who nominated her talked about how well-rounded an athlete she was, how she excelled in her studies and how she had such a strong character. Here are some pictures from that event (her giving a speech at the event beforehand as well as accepting the award publicly down on the field with her children during a Gwinnett Braves game). It was really special being able to share this with her parents, brothers, uncle, and friends.
Another recent trip was one I took for work to San Francisco. Todd and I have been before, but on this trip, I felt like I really got to know the city. I walked along the piers along the water with a former co-worker, Kelly, before we had dinner and dessert at another downtown spot. The following morning, I was able to go on a very very very long walk (thanks to still being on east coast time) before having to go to my first building analysis.
I walked along the Embarcadero past Alcatraz and the Sea Lion platforms. In the distance is the Bay Bridge beyond all of these boats. Then, I headed inland and walked by the iconic Transamerica building and got to notice some interesting textures and building juxtapositions. 
My first project site visit ended early afternoon and I had enough time to rent a bike -- to try to ride to the other side of the city to the Golden Gate bridge. My goal was to reach it / cross it / and come back. I was bit naive, however, as trying to do this ride through the city during rush hour up and down the ridiculously steep hills... it was not the best idea! I made it to Golden Gate park (which is enormous), but not to the bridge. Oh well... next time... but I will NOT be going through downtown again to get there! Picked up a tip from locals afterwards suggesting taking the Embarcadero all the way around to the city over to the bridge -- not through the city.)
The next day, I went through another building, then had plenty of time to spend with other friends, Bob & Jen, and their daughter Zoe. Back at home, Todd and Mercer got to spend a lot of quality time together hanging out; they attended their first soapbox race where handmade cars are taken for a spin -- fueled by gravity and human power. The best thing about going on this trip: the enormous welcome that I got when I came back home. Mercer saw me, ran across a room with arms outstretched, and lept into my arms. He pressed his cheek into mine and kept telling me "mommy you're home" "I missed you mommy" "I love you mommy." Throughout the rest of the evening (and even the next day) he just wanted to be by my side. OK... is that just the best??!!
Have a great weekend. - Candice
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