I’m back in DC after an awesome 5 days in the Midwest. The trip was filled with fun adventures and lovely people that made the time fly by. I went out there to meet the rest of Will’s family and they were (unsurprisingly) just as wonderful as he is. I am so thankful I got to meet them and spend time getting to know them. We enjoyed pool time, waterskiing, family meals, volleyball, watching the Olympics and best of all — a helicopter ride!

The helicopter ride over the Mississippi River was definitely the most amazing and unexpected part of our trip. I didn’t know we were going to do it until the day before. I had also never been in a helicopter before, so the initial lift off from the ground was totally exhilarating. With the visibility of the helicopter and its compact size, it felt as if we were floating… or I guess some would just call it flying!

We flew over Missouri and Illinois for more than 30 minutes. There was so much to take in just looking down below and all around us. Luckily the weather was just what we had hoped for. The area we flew over was so green and the skies were perfectly blue and filled with clouds. It poured rain the next day, so in hindsight we really lucked out with timing. Part of that experience still feels like a dream and I feel so lucky to have had the experience. I know it is something I will remember forever.

Driving home through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

All in all it was a wonderful trip spent with great company. I’m just sad it went by so quickly. Here’s to everyone adjusting from vacation mode back to reality this week.

Cheers!

SC