The Beginning of Our Vacation

Here are the pictures I promised. They may be a bit scattered and not cropped properly due to the fact that time with internet access and without screaming children around is rare! If you have any questions, Maj, just call! We are all doing well at Ocean Isle. The weather is warm and windy, though thunderstorms are predicted for the majority of this week. There is never a dull moment around the house! I am sleeping in "the girl's room" with Teresa and Emily. Teresa fell off the bed around 4:30 this morning, which meant I got a cuddle buddy in my twin bed for the last few hours of sleep. Needless to say, it was not a restful night. Anyway, the kids love the beach, and I love spending time with them. Enjoy the pix!

All 8 seats were full on our long trip to North Carolina (not to mention the back, floors and any window space!). But the TV with wireless headphones were great!

I love asking Jonathan if I can eat him. . . He gets this flirty smile on his face because he knows what's about to happen!

Adorable Joshy!

At one point I had eleven kids in my care while their parents caught up on old times. Talk about crazy!

Me and my "lil sister" Teresa

Emily, Teresa, and Joshua enjoying sparklers on the 4th of July (Joshy's sparkler burnt out just before I snapped the picture.)

Eric and Todd were in charge of the fireworks for the block party. The overall comment from the neighbors was, "Wow! You Ohio people don't mess around!" It was a lot of fun!

Too cute - Joshy was having a moment while waiting for his food in the hot sun.

Lots of pictures of Joshy! That's ok - he's such a ham in front of the camera! This is his attempt to beat the waves. Michele with her two little ones, Emily and Jonathan

Ranck Family Vacation

Greetings from Richmond, Virginia! We are officially on our long-awaited summer vacation. We spent the last two days in Richmond with some old friends and had a wonderful time last night at an enormous block party. Todd and Eric were like two teenage boys with all of their fireworks! They did a great job lighting up the cul-de-sac for the whole neighborhood. Today we are on our way to Ocean Isle where we have rented a beach house for the week. Fun times with eight kids! I will post pictures later when I have easier internet access, but I wanted my Maj to know that things are going well here on the east coast! Love you, Maj!

Moorehead/Schnur Rehearsal Day

Three weeks after Cristina's wedding and four weeks before my own, a dear friend from high school (Kerianne Moorehead) tied the knot. The bridal party had so much fun at the rehearsal dinner and bowling later Friday night. Saturday went very smoothly considering all of the bridesmaids were getting ready at the same time in the same place. Through all the planning and any frustration that may have come with the planning, the Moorehead and Schnur families produced an amazing wedding. As I told Kerianne earlier in the week, at the end of the day on June 28, the only thing that mattered was that she was Mrs. Benjamin Schnur.

Kerianne treated the bridal party ladies to a luncheon at Applebees.

Unfortunately, Kerianne and I both damaged a finger on our ring hand the week of the wedding. Fortunately mine should have time to heal before my wedding.

The MCA gym has never looked this nice before! My hat is off to Mrs. Schnur for turning an ordinary high school gymnasium into an elegant location for a rehearsal dinner.

Our freshly manicured fingernails glowing in the dark at the bowling alley.

The bride and groom comparing their muscles. . . We all agreed that Kerianne had him beat!

The future "Schnur" ladies - Sarah (sister), Holly (fiance), Kerianne (wife), Christina (sister)

After our evening of bowling, the groomsmen tackled Ben to wrap him like a mummy. As Kerianne tried to defend her husband-to-be, the bridesmaids joined the fun and grabbed Kerianne to finish the "night before the wedding prank." They are stronger than we thought! (And sorry for that scratch you ended up with on your face, Ben!)