A couple of months ago, my wife's parents rented a house at the Deep Bay Center in Lakeside. All of the family that was in town got together for an overnight stay. It was a good time, but somewhat sad as well, because it was the weekend before Alicia's older brother went to Basic Training.
The steps down to the lake are really steep, but once we reached the shore, the skipping rocks were perfect. It was good to focus on simply spending time with family.
The house we stayed in was lovely. There were plenty of beds, and the view from the lake-facing windows was as good as it gets.
We played Pounce (Nerts to all you uneducated) until quite late. Nobody wanted to stop.
In the morning, we had breakfast together. The weather was in turns rainy and sunny, and we did a little more exploring, but sometimes we just sat and looked out the window.
Soon after our trip to the lake, some of us got together again to roast hot dogs and hang out together. It was hard for all of us to think about Matt leaving, but it was especially difficult for his wife Jessica. I took a few pictures of the two of them together that evening.
Matt graduates this weekend as a Sailor. We are all very proud of him, and we know he will do well at whatever he puts his hand to. He starts school for his specialty soon and his wife and children will be joining him in not too long. We are going to miss having them close by. Our children have grown up with their children, and we hope that we will get to all see each other as often as possible, but it won't be often enough. It is time for Matt and his family to enter a new chapter in their life together, and we hope all the best for them.
