Well, school started back in July with a bang! Mark and I had tickets to Brooks and Dunn's Last Rodeo in Pittsburgh so the first weekend back we were headed to Ohio with Carol to Boot Scootin' Boogie with LaDonna, DT, and Nic. Only to receive notice that the concert was rescheduled due to an illness - like Ronnie Dunn can't sing with a sore throat. Not so bad right...still got to visit with little man and Mark got some work done.
Then it was time for Mark and Matt's 29th birthday...which started out fantastic and then everything went downhill from there. LaDonna and Michael came to Memphis to surprise the two birthday boys. We then received news that Mark's grandfather had passed away and just as we were coming to terms with the loss his grandmother passed away 72 hours later. We were hit with a double whammy. Looking back it is amazing that we were all together during this time and it could have only been a God-thing. We all got packed and headed to California to say goodbye to two incredibly amazing people. I'm very thankful for the time we got to spend with them while we lived in California. Rest in Peace Nana and Papa...you'll be forever missed
Returning home and trying to return to a sense of normalcy was a challenge because life continues to go on...dental school and work can't be put on hold, and as people leave this world new little people bless us with their presence. Jade Elizabeth Ragsdale entered this world on August 24th. Jadey bug as she has been nicknamed is too precious and we are still trying to decide if she looks like Taylor or Peyton
Fall break was right around the corner, and we deserved this much needed break. London was calling!! Mark had never been and it was 10 years ago that I had been so it was like I was seeing it for the first time again, too! We crammed in as much as we could in the week we were there - Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Windsor, St Paul's Cathedral, Hampton Court Palace, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, and even a Wicked performance!! Pics are posted on Facebook but here are some highlights..
We had an incredible time but it was time to get back into the groove...and that's where we've been ever since. We've broken up the monotony with a trip to Hot Springs, another performance of Wicked, and visits from Nic and LaDonna. I've got to start studying for Part II of the National Board Dental Exam pretty soon but until then we're just taking it one day at a time...
