It's been a year …

Florida

It's been since last February that we went down to Florida and hit a few different places like Disney World, Universal Studios, and Tigertown. The first day was something else, like 16 hours in the airport, a few hours on the plane before coming back off the tarmac, etc. We arrived at the airport in Grand Rapids at 6 a.m. (yeah, we left at 4 a.m.) and didn't arrive into Orlando–Sanford until 12:30 a.m. the next day ... No, there was no layover anywhere! 

Washington, D.C. 

I can't believe it's been almost a year (end of March) since we went to Washington, D.C. It was a challenge to learn the Metro system the first couple days. There were so many places to see. The first night Lori and I were in town, we stayed at Dupont Circle — I didn't even know it was some a well–known place. We visited Georgetown and went on the St. Elmo's Fire tour, invented on the spot by me. 

Las Vegas

In November, we were hungry for In–N–Out, so we flew out to Las Vegas for the week–end. The week–end corresponded with my 40th birthday, so we turned it into a celebration! Lori and I went out and Courtney and her boyfriend, Mike, also went out. Bru and Christie, long time friends, also made the trip and met us out there. Bru would be turning 40 in just a couple more weeks, so it was a great time. We also got to hang with Todd and Kati Simon.   

Coke–o 

Coke–o, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, joined the family in February. She grew up fast, loves chasing toy ducks in the lake or river, and can't get enough walks. She's a pretty cool dog. I read that if you don't want to totally share your life with your dog, don't get a Chessie, and that's very true. Coke's like no dog I've ever known …

What a year!!!

So much more happened, but I just went through my iPhone photos and grabbed some quick memories of a busy year. We also went camping up north with some great friends (Mark & Tina; Steve & Tonya; Ken & Malinda; John & Kendra; all their kids …) in July; spent some time in Detroit (Kid Rock in January and August, some Tigers games, etc. What a fun year. My dad and I drove out to D.C. in December to see Mom, Amy, and Amy's new son, Morgan. What a great year!