March

 Happy Birthday dad!

Avery (11 years, 7 months) - Avery had several special excursions this month. Dad took her to see Harry Potter at the Fox and she went with mom to see Lady Gaga in concert.

Avery submitted our picture to show on the screen pre-show 

Parker (14 years, 4 months) - Parker had a busy month fitting in a few track meets and working hard at baseball. He also went to the Figgy Ball with friends. It is a pre-cotillion semi-formal dance and it was so fun to see all the boys dressed up! 

Carter (15 years, 10 months) - Carter worked hard with his brother on the baseball field (or worked hard to annoy him on the field). 

April

April is always a fun but busy month. Thankfully the weather was great this year so we were able to fit in some golf for dad and lots of activities for the kids. We also fit in time with friends where possible.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

A fried ravioli display at Lovett to celebrate the upcoming rebuild of the community center 

Avery (11 years, 8 months) - The highlight of Avery's month was Lion King at Griffin. Avery applied to be in the tech crew for the show and was thrilled when she made it (they took 4 6th graders). She worked hard since February and had a blast spending time with the crew. We were all incredibly impressed with the talent of the kids and glad Avery had the opportunity to be part of such a well run show. Also on the fine arts front, Avery had her final band concert of the year. She really enjoyed playing flute but really enjoyed the experience of making music with her friends.

Having fun dressing like Parker

Borrowing mom's shirt from Aunt Ginny's bachlorette

She had castmates sign her Lion King shirt

Parker (14 years, 5 months) - Parker wrapped up his last Boy Scout requirement before his Eagle Project with a final backpacking trip. He has come a long way with handling uncomfortable situations and we are proud of his growth. On the field he is wrapping up rec season and starting up travel baseball season. And at school, he is working hard to end Middle School on a high note. He also fit in some fun amongst all that with a trip to Six Flags with his sweet group of friends.

HBD Connor!

Carter (15 years, 11 months) - Carter's baseball season is almost wrapped up but he made time to watch both Georgia Tech and the Braves play a few times this month! At school, he is wrapping up most classes and moving to studying for AP and final exams in early May.

Siblings - Watching a neighbor on the KSU baseball team when they played Georgia Tech.

Costa Rica "Work" Trip

In late April, Dad was offered an opportunity that was about impossible to say no to.  A four night trip Costa Rica to a sport fishing tournament.  So, Dad and two co-workers met up at the airport with representatives from a manufacturer and headed off to the Los Sueños Resort and Marina in Playa Herradura, Costa Rica on the Pacific coast.

 

First day in Costa Rica included a full 6 hour ATV tour of the jungle!  Including riding on mountain roads, back area trails and stopping at a number of scenic locations.

Colin, Dan, and Jon from McKenney's with our hosts Mike, Dan and Dalton

Lunch stop at a beautiful open air mountain top restaurant

While the ATV trip was amazing, what we were all really there for was a two-day sport fishing tournament called Buds and Suds.  The tournament was for catching sailfish, dorado (mahi-mahi), and tuna.  Our boat was the Satis Fly (the Fly boats are all purpose built fishing boats based at the resort's marina).

Both days started with an early boarding on the boat by 6:15am and then a shotgun start at 7:00am.  All lines had to be out of the water by 3:00pm (unless a fish was on the hook prior) and no boats could be back and docked later than 5:00pm or their day did not count.

The shotgun start was a ton of fun both days, our boat had two 1,000hp diesel engines and we were quickly one of the lead boats out of the harbor and on our way to the fishing areas.

As all but one of our hosts had never been before and had never caught a sailfish, that was what we focused on for the two days.  Over the two days Dad caught one dorado and three sail fish (sail fish in Costa Rica are catch and release by law).

One of the sail fish really put up a fight. Every time the leader was close to getting to the boat, the fish would get a wind and dive away.  After about 25min Dad was able to pull it in to get the points (to get points you cannot hand the rod off for help) with a tired arm and back that was about to give out!

The whole trip was a first class experience and one that will not be matched.  Costa Rica was a beautiful country with the friendliest people and a place we look forward to visiting again soon!

All those whose first sail fish was caught in the tournament