Family Beach Photos

We normally stick around the house on "Black Friday" so that we don't

get run down in a store isle or get stuck in holiday traffic,

but when family come, it's almost required that we venture out.

We braved the stores (which wasn't as bad as I thought) and found some great deals.

As a matter of fact, the girls wanted every deal they found until I put a cabosh on that.

We got home just in time to get ourselves color coordinated for family pictures.

Although it was sunny at our home on the hill, we descended down into the "marine layer" 

covering the coast and most of the valley.  Since we went through the hassle, we decided to take the shots anyway.  So not all of the photos have been adjusted for the lighting, thus the different shades (still getting to know how my programs work on my mac and I've tried a different program to make the collages--they seem a little blurry).  And for those who noticed that Jacob is in a suit, he wasn't really here, I just wanted to make sure he was in the family collage.  

I actually was trying to photoshop him into the pictures but Dad thought we might be sending the wrong message.  Missionaries aren't allowed at the beach or to go swimming.

He was there in our thoughts though.

Finally, all on the same side of the country

Dad is home for good!  I really feel for him cause he had to do the month long goodbye while I had a few days to say goodbye, then weeks of setting up a new house.  While I became misty when I remembered all that I love about NC is far away, I could quickly refocus at the task at hand.  But for Joseph, he was balancing his attention between two coasts while daily saying goodbyes.  Tough stuff.

Nevertheless...he arrived at LAX on 9-11.  No it didn't escape us that our nation was mourning and on high alert.  We just tried to put it out of our mind and prayed that nothing would happen again.

Prayers answered. 

 He's at his first day of work

as we speak. 

These pictures that I've been posting were taken this summer at our favorite Tanglewood Park in NC by a friend Alyson Shultz-- fun lady and great photographer.  (You can see her work here)  We were rushing around taking the pics because it was thundering overhead.  It even sprinkled a little on us.  Alyson was great and got everything done just before it started to rain.  The twist to this pic is that Esther is stone face while Matthew is smiling.  It's usually the other way around.