It's been awhile...

So, I know it's been like two weeks since I posted... I sincerely apologize...  So, it's been quite the last two weeks... kind of.

The trip back from Bangkok was a nice 26 hour trip (plus or minus).  Only 8 hours in Helsinki this time. :)  But they had these really cool reclining chairs that were perfect for sleeping!

Bridget demonstrating the reclining chairs...

Aside from the chairs, Helsinki was pretty boring.  We had to go through another security check compliments of American Airlines.  It seemed a little pedantic to ask us where we packed our bags, when we packed our bags, when we bought our bags, if we'd been in possession of the bags since we packed them, etc.  But not a whole lot we could have done...  Anyway, we made it back and my parents and grandma picked us up from the airport and completed the trip back to Illinois.

The next week was spent running around Rockford, taking care of errands, responding to mail (including a notice for jury duty in Michigan the day after we got back), and running a generator.  Yeah, a big storm smacked Rockford and northern Illinois the morning after we got back.  We got strong winds for like 10 minutes and some heavy rain (no hail), but it was enough to knock 850,000 people out of power!  Bridget's parents and one of her sisters headed down to South Carolina that afternoon to visit some colleges before vacation the next week, and Bridget and I hung around and ran the generator to save the food in the fridge and ovens.  For the next three days. :)  Anyway, we were able to spend time with my family and take care of all of the things that need taken care of after being out of the country for a while month.

And then on Friday night (7/15), we took off and started the trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina.  We stopped at Bridget's sister a few hours south of Rockford for the night and took off in the morning once her husband got off work.  The 14hr drive was pretty uneventful and went quickly.  Vacation ensued immediately after arriving. :)

And since then, we've been "doing vacation". :)  Lots of fishing, playing in the ocean, swimming in the pool, and taking turns cooking dinner. :)  Bridget and I were even able to drive to Charleston to visit her friend Rachel and her husband.  We had a great time visiting and driving through the ritzier part of Charleston. :)

On Wednesday, a few of us (Bridget's dad, mom, sister, sister's husband, Bridget, and I) went deep sea fishing off the coast of SC.  It was a ton of fun.  We caught a ton of fish.   Red snapper, grouper, sea bass, cobia, shark, trigger fish, and ramora.  Some weren't big enough to keep, but we still took away over 60lbs of fish!  Here are a few pics.

Bridget's dad and brother-in-law getting ready!

Bridget's mom and sister excited for the day!

My red snapper

Bridget's sister's cobia

Bridget's dad's cobia

The bucket o' fish

Bridget's trigger fish

And tomorrow, we start our journey across the country.  We leave tomorrow (July 23rd) and spend a day in Rockford before continuing to Colorado and the Grand Canyon before making it to Palo Alto, California on the 29th. :)  Gonna be a great road trip!  :)  Gonna try to get some more pictures along the way!

Over and out!
~ Jeremy