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I used to think that vacations passed by very quickly, but now that we've already been home for 4 days it seems like time has been on fast-forward! It's going by much more quickly than our trip did. We didn't get home until late Sunday night - just 30 minutes before Ray had to start his work shift, and on Monday we jumped right back into our usual work schedules.

Anyway, some more highlights from our trip:

I got to hang out with the lovely Monica in Madison (who visited us this past February). She took me around town, bought me a yummy coffee, we perused the used bookstore together, had lunch at The Downtowner (I had a pesto alfredo chicken sandwich - yum!) & we hunted through my moms favorite antique store.




A highlight for Ray was Addison being old enough for hiking - I mean, hiking through steep very overgrown areas for 2.5 hours (let me put it this way - I didn't go & I wouldn't want to take Kate!).

Anyway, even if I've mentioned it before I'll say it again. My grandmothers home is located probably just under a mile from the home she lived in the first six years of her life. To get to her first home you simply hike into the woods behind her house, down into the hollow & it's along a creek. Here's Addison standing on the old home's foundation.



I think it's so cool that we can hike right down to where my grandmother lived as a little girl (& see the wood from the barn that's been flattened to the ground & the old well that's still there!) but I find it unfathomable to live in nearly the same exact area for my entire life.

While down in the woods Addison was desperate to play in the creek. She started off just wanting to take her shoes off & eventually ended up completely naked, shivering cold, but continuing to want to play (for an hour!).



We also went for a walk up the road one day so that we could not only get some much needed exercise but also let the girls see the horses. As I've said, Kate is really our animal lover & I don't think I've ever seen anyone get so excited at seeing an animal the way that she does! (You'll have to pardon our attire, Addison is on a kick to wear bathing suits all of the time & we just took Kate out in the onesie she was already wearing)







Yes, Ray turns into a bit of a hillbilly when we go on these trips - at least he's still wearing a polo with the John Dear cap, that's an improvement from the white tee of previous years!