Back home again, in Indiana!

Kitty and I drove back to Indianapolis on June 27th. We made great time, due in part to her incessant meowing and my desire to get her OUT of the car.

We missed Bryan, who didn't get back until June 30th. Thankfully, the movers delivered our belongings on July 2nd, just in time for us to leave for Europe on July 4th!

Kitty LOVED the way the place looked with boxes everywhere and furniture in disarray.

She especially liked the bar stools next to the fiscus tree... it made her feel "wild."

She was so happy to have her Mom, Dad, and furniture back under the same roof! She found every nook, cranny, and corner in the place!

Bryan's Graduation

Bryan graduated Friday evening! We had dinner at La Pietra Cucina with the other fellow, Cedric and his family, and most of the physicians from Georgia Colon and Rectal. After the dinner, which was incredible, the fellow opened their gifts (framed certificates).

This may be Bryan's last graduation for awhile!

Erron, Dr. Ambrous, Cedric, Dr. Schertzer, Bryan, and Dr. Orangio Cedric and Bryan... victory at last!

As was tradition with the group, the fellows presented each physician with a "gag gift" that poked fun of their individual quirks! Here, Cedric is leading into a gift presentation... You can see his "mini-me" son, Caleb, off to the left of the picture.

The guys had a lot of fun, and spent some time planning each gift!

Dr. Schertzer, her husband, and Dr. Ambrous listening to the description behind Dr. Ambrous's gift...

A "time out" chair to sit down and cool off before losing his temper in the OR! Ha ha!

He did restrain from throwing any phones this year...

Dr. Orangio, who went through a divorce and a late mid-life crisis this year, was given his very own box of tatoos and an earring!

Dr. Armstrong had to leave to see a patient, but he was given a "Dummies Guide to Patents and Trademarks" to keep tabs on his many inventions.

And Dr. Schertzer, the lone female, received a toy tool kit for her mountain home that was constantly in need of repairs. The guys joked that they had trouble coming up with just one thing with Dr. Schertzer!

It was fun spending time with the group in a casual setting, and a nice ending to our year in Atlanta.

Bryan, we are all so proud of your accomplishments! Congratulations on completing your colorectal surgery fellowship with glowing recommendations!

Moving day!

We arrived back in Atlanta Monday evening, and both returned to work Wednesday morning. Bryan's contract included moving expenses back to Indiana, so we were fortunate to be able to hire a moving company to pack and move our belongings. Considering that Atlanta had a record string of over 90 degree days, this was even more appreciated! It was a looooong day... Kitty could tell you all about it. The movers arrived around 11:00, and didn't leave until 10:30pm! And not before a GIANT cockroach waltzed across the counter toward a pile of McDonald sandwiches I had gotten for their dinner...

But, we survived, and spent the night on a blow up mattress in our now mostly empty apartment before moving into a hotel the next day. Kitty was a welcomed guest at the La Quinta, for no extra charge!

She was quite pleased with this arrangement, and wondered why we didn't spend more nights in hotels, just the three of us.

Before we left the apartment, she spent a lot of time on top of the suitcase... presumably so we wouldn't leave her behind!

The hotel had all the comforts of home... food, water, a bed, and of course, mice. Kitty thinks she could get used to this kind of life!

Time in Terre Haute...

We drove down to Terre Haute Sunday afternoon to stay with Bryan's Mom and Dad for a day, before heading back to Atlanta. Riley rode with Grammy and Grampy, and spent the night, too! We had lots of time to play together.

I think Uncle Bry enjoyed playing with this water-painting picture as much as Riley did!

He did need some directions to get it just right, though.

Riley ended up splashing herself more than anything, but it was still fun trying to splash us!

Grampy had to help clean her dry off and rinse her shoes.

The budding artist...

We watched some Sesame Street movies... and learned some great new dances! And a lot of time was spent imitating Grammy...

Or, imitating Riley!

Riley had her own portable phone and wine glass, just like Grammy!

Riley was the only one who had to stop to "pump" for her babies, though.

What a good mommy...

The next morning, Riley had to practice walking in her high heels.

Show me how you do it, Grammy...

Now she's got the hang of it!

Riley also went for a "Colf Cart" ride with us, and did our grocery shopping in Grammy's pantry with her shopping cart. We paid her with play money. We sure enjoyed spending time with Riley and Bryan's Mom and Dad!

Whirlwind wedding week... Part 3

The day after our wedding, the Marvels (Jeremy, Kristy, Riley, and Tucker) graciously hosted our families for lunch and opening gifts. Thanks for having us all!

Mike, Hope, and Ella came over before heading back to Northern Indiana.

Bill, Miranda, Ella, Grandma and Grandpa Holcomb visiting. Bryan and my Mom

Kristy and Debbie ran to the store and left Jeremy alone in the kitchen!

Riley and Ella continued to play together...

... but she needed to check in on little brother Tucker from time to time!

We had so much fun enjoying the company of our families... thanks again to the Marvels, and to our families for traveling near and far to celebrate with us!

Whirlwind wedding week... Part 2

Without further delay...

the continuation of our wedding story!

First, a HUGE thank you to my sister-in-law Hope, who took all of these great photos, and my brother Mike, for downloading them to a disk for us! We're waiting for our professional photos, but these were great, and we sure appreciate having them!

The 5th of June started off very warm, with some showers. We had hair appointments at 10am, and fortunately, by the time we left the salon, the rain had stopped!

Mom, Bill, and I stopped at Panera Bread for some wedding day lunch, to go, and then they dropped me off at St. Luke's to begin preparing for the big event. I had a few minutes alone before Sandy, co-photographer (with her husband, Robin) found me for some pre-dressing photos. I started in on the war pain, um, I mean make-up, shortly after.

Ella, watching me, said, "Aunt Jenny... do you really need ALL that makeup? My mom puts it on EVERY SINGLE DAY, and I always tell her she looks pretty without it." Bless her heart! I assured her that it was ALL necessary! Ha ha! Wait! What's that man doing in the ladies' dressing area?! Don't worry, we were all dressed. My Man of Honor, my brother, was excused from any feminine duties like helping with my dress or makeup. My future Mother in law, Debbie, delivered the beautiful flowers. They were exactly as I had envisioned... actually, BETTER!

Flower girl, Riley, needed some assistance from her Mom, who was a bridesmaid. She still wears her "pretty wedding" around the house!

Riley and Ella got along very well... Riley enjoyed imitating Ella, and you can see she is studying her pretty intently in the above photo!

Being a flower girl is a tough job!

I wouldn't make a very good Statue of Liberty...

Pastor Mike Beezley and Pastor Marion Miller

The girls dancing before the ceremony...

My mom, brother, niece and I before the ceremony.

Fast forward... time for bubbles!

Mr. and Mrs. Bryan and Jenny Holcomb!

Dad and Aunt Betty

Ella enjoying some bubbles. After the bubble-blowing, we had a short wait for the limousine. The girls entertained themselves with books in the children's area, while the adults chatted and I enjoyed an ice cold diet Coke!!

Our reception was at The Fountains, in Carmel. The girls especially enjoyed the limo ride to the reception, and enjoyed drinking pretend "milk" out of their champagne glasses!

The centerpieces were all beautiful. THANK YOU, Debbie, for coordinating this for us!

We don't have any photos of our first dance yet... there will have to be an adendum for that.

We danced to "Made for You" by Watermark. Riley shared our first dance with us!

My Dad and I danced to "There You'll Be"... it was something I will always treasure.

We had three great toasts by three great men. Bryan's Dad, Kent, my step-dad, Bill, and my brother, Mike. Mike also asked for the blessing.

Two of our fearless speech-givers, Mike and Kent.

I also shared a special father-daughter dance with Bill, who's been a "Dad" to me officially since 1995, but has been in my life for over 20 years. We danced to "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw. Bill has some moves, too!

Bill showing some of his dance skills with my niece and guessbook/programs attendant, Miranda. Ella enjoyed playing with Kara, one of Bryan's cousin's children.

It was great to meet new friends, and catch up with old friends!

Mike with a childhood friend, Joe, and his date, Kathy.

We had a GREAT time! We hope everyone who was in attendance enjoyed the day as much as we did. We're so thankful for our family and friends for their support, love, and encouragement!