End of summer

Cody only had a few short weeks here in Georgia before he was headed to Utah to start fall semester at BYU. So, we crammed in as much fun and shopping as we could during that time.

He spent some time unpacking and getting reacquainted with his guitar.

He also wanted to enjoy some GA treats he'd missed while he was gone. You can't find these just anywhere, so he splurged on a full cup of boiled peanuts.

Poor Ry started school the beginning of August, so we did some school shopping.

Ryan's not a fan of my picture taking, especially in public places.

Cody had to report about his mission(what are his favorite experiences and such), so we got dressed up and enjoyed some frozen yogurt after he was finished, and of course, we got some pictures.

Andy and his family came to visit for a few days, so we enjoyed another restaurant in town. It was also Mexican cuisine and really good! We enjoyed the food as well as the fun atmosphere. It was hard to get Josh to eat his dinner when everything around him looked like a carnival.

We also had time for Casey to cook up his delicious chicken. It's a pretty intense process and takes several hours, so it usually only happens once or twice a year. We sure love it and look forward to it each and every time!

Casey becomes the Grill master, and yes that is a toilet brush he is using for marinating. It's a clean one, used only for this purpose. He says it's the only/easiest thing that grabs the marinade well enough to use while cooking. Andy is always a little concerned when he sees it being used. We reassure him it hasn't been cleaning any toilets.

We even had time for a quick trip to the lake

It was the first time I'd seen so much algae in the water. It turned the water green and you couldn't get in and swim without getting some of it on you. It was pretty gross.

It was a beautiful weekend full of pancakes at grandma's, helping grandpa, and just spending lots of family time together, which is always the best time of all!

Fourth of July

This was the first year that Casey and I were home alone on the 4th of July. Ryan had went to stay with Seth for the week, so it was just the two of us for the holiday. We didn't do too much, but Casey had gathered quite the stash of fireworks so we gave some to Ryan to take with him and kept a few for ourselves.

What can I say, we're party animals!

Cambridge Summer

Kaitlyn and Alex spent their summer in Cambridge England. Alex applied and was accepted into their 8 week summer study abroad program. Kaitlyn, although not a student anymore, also applied to go in her art history genre and she was also accepted. Although it was a pretty intense program, they both loved it and enjoyed their time abroad. Here are just some of the many beautiful pictures they sent home.

Kayaking

At the beginning of our summer break Casey, Ryan and I went Kayaking down the Broad River with some friends. They had went a few times before and loved it. I had never been. They assured me it was fun and I would enjoy it. I wasn't as enthusiastic about it, but I agreed to go and give it a try. I'm not sure what it is, but I've always had a slight fear of water sports. My best friend's family had a ski boat and would spend a lot of time behind their boat at the lake every summer. Every once in awhile I would tag along and attempt to get up on two skis. I'd get all dizzy and worked up and one time even managed to hit a boat with my body as I was coasting back in to the shoreline after letting go of the rope. I tried to be cool about it, but it only added to my trepidation towards water sports. And since I knew I'd be the only one in control of rowing and my upper body strength isn't tip top, I was a little concerned how this was going to play out.

All in all it wasn't too bad. I worked hard and maneuvered my Kayak where it needed to be. There were moments of peace as we strolled along the river, taking in the beautiful scenery. I only fell out once. However, as we approached our lunch break point, and I realized we were only 1/2 way through the course I became a little (a lot) concerned. It was at this point I realized we were kayaking 6.5 miles worth of the river. WHAT?? How did I not know this up front? 6.5 miles using nothing but my arms was a tough ride. I was in good shape for running, but this kinda thing is a whole different story.

They did say it was harder because the river was lower, which made our job a little more intense as far as avoiding rocks and debris that wouldn't have been there if the water level was where it should have been(made me feel a little vindicated in my exhausted state).

Meanwhile Ryan is standing, rowing, climbing in and out and swimming all around me - oh, to be young again!

It was a beautiful day, the view was fantastic, and it was good to say I'd accomplished something I didn't think was possible.

That being said, I don't know if it's on my top 5 activities to do again. I was sore for 2 weeks. It worked every muscle in my entire body from my feet to my shoulders. I was exhausted and could hardly move the next day. I definitely have a new appreciation for the sport of rowing. Yes, I know...I'm a wimp.

I was proud of myself for surviving with only one tip over, but next time I think I will let it be a father-son summer outing.

Great job boys!!

He Came Home

It's been awhile since I've posted our happenings in the Ritz family. It was another busy summer, and I promise to catch up soon. But the first thing we need to talk about is that our missionary came home...

We were all super excited to see our Cody return. We even made a sign and Kaitlyn and Alex on a stick, since they couldn't be there with us.

Some people grew up a lot while Cody was away....

And some people just wanted to play...what was the big deal anyway...

And we had some major life changes as well. We had a wedding. We had college graduations. We had a major deal of a wreck and recovery take place, and so 2 years seemed almost like 10 in our world. We were very very excited to have another reason to celebrate life and enjoy some long awaited family time with our Cody.

First things first...A stop at his very much missed(almost as much as he missed his family(but not more...I'm sure)) - his beloved El. Sol - They did miss him while he was gone. He was a pretty permanent fixture there before he left. It was another good(long-awaited) reunion.

FUN FACT: Cody had another missionary in his mission who was also from Georgia. They met at the MTC and were fast friends during their time in Montreal. They didn't have a chance to serve together, but they loved every chance they had to chat about their DAWGS or the GA heat or all things GA. His mom contacted me once we received their itinerary, because they were seated next to each other. The flight was only a little over 2.5 hours, but how fun to be able to share it with a fellow missionary from your home state.