Spring Break 2012

Hello, readers! Your very own Mr. and Mrs. Belmont returned from a lovely Spring break trip through the South yesterday a.m. We barely made it to church, but were back with our beloved Kirk family yesterday morning. It has been a while! We had an excellent time visiting friends and family and I am including a few highlights below. Be sure to check out Facebook for a complete log of pictures!

Saturday: We left for Chattanooga, TN, to visit Belmont's college roommate and his family. We arrived that night and ate at Big River, which was delicious. Brent, Belmont's old roommate, married a woman from Guatemala and she and their children all speak Spanish. What fun! I would sit around at the house and have Spanish conversations with them while Belmont and Brent were hanging out. We saw first-hand how crazy it can be to have an 8 week-old baby and two twin toddlers under the age of three! We really enjoyed our visit, though, and hope to go visit again soon.

Monday: We continued our journey to South Carolina. We stayed with our friends, Alex and Holly, and enjoyed getting to see them in ministry! On Tuesday, we went to Charleston for the first time-- what a city! It was gorgeous weather and a beautiful place to visit. (I posted lots of pictures of Charleston architecture on Facebook.) I got a locally-made sweet grass basket from the Market (thank you, Cindy!) and a few souvenirs as well. We ate lots of local Southern cuisine and really enjoyed our time! On Wednesday, we got to see Alex and Holly in action as they ministered to the youth of Sumter. It was special to get to see them with their new church family and realize how perfect they are for the ministry in which God has placed them! We said good-bye with heavy hearts, yet knowing that we will see them again soon.

A picture of the Belmonts and the Fords before we left

Thursday: We stayed in SC-- going just over an hour away to Columbia to visit our friends, Scott and Jessica. We also met Baby Patrick (a new addition since last we saw them). We relaxed and reminisced-- and got to witness the joys and struggles of being a first-time parent! God saw fit that we had lots of baby/child experiences on this trip. Not sure that we are quite ready for kids just yet! Maybe some day down the road...

Baby Patrick hanging out with Belmont

Friday: We started the trip home and stopped in Nashville to visit my grandparents. We ate supper with the whole Jones fam and then had a baby shower for my cousin Amber on Saturday. So good to see the family! The grandparents said that they hope to come visit us in May! Very exciting news for the Belmont Hotel!

Belmont with my grandparents before we left


Now a picture with me!

Saturday: After visiting with family and friends for an entire week, we headed back home-- very sleepy and full from our last delicious Southern meal. As we neared Illinois, it became more and more apparent that we wanted to go to sleep and stop driving. We could not find a single Starbucks to help with our energy crisis and then we got news of the storms that were moving through the area. So... change of plans! We decided to stop in Illinois for the night to visit Belmont's grandparents and his mother who was also visiting for the day. It was a good choice and we felt very rested the next morning. We gave them their souvenirs from Charleston and headed out once more, bound for home. We got home 16 minutes before church started and threw on new outfits before running out the door to service. Whew! What a week...!! When we got home, we saw the lovely effects of Spring on our yard. Everything is in bloom! We are very much looking forward to gardening soon.

Our front flower bed-- I love Spring!


Another look at Springtime in our front yard

We both returned to work this morning and are easing in to life as usual. I am exhausted and need another nap (after the 3-hour nap I took yesterday...). My to-do list is a mile long and I am thankful for the restful week we just finished. Hooray for Spring break! Only eight weeks left in the semester...

I just talked to the headmistress and the Spanish teacher at the school where I have applied for a position in the coming school year. I am scheduled to observe Spanish classes on Wednesday afternoon and then meet with the Education Committee at 3:30 p.m.! I have no idea what news is in store or how long it will take to hear back from them, but please keep me in your prayers as it could potentially mean a teaching position!

I need to go now, but I hope you are all enjoying the beginnings of a lovely Spring. Happy Monday! Enjoy this beautiful day!