Journal of Jacksonville

Upon arrival to America, we stayed in Utah for a couple weeks where we were able to pack in some activities with both sides of our family.  We were then lucky enough to be able to fly from Salt Lake to Jacksonville, Florida to go visit Grandma and Grandpa Copeland for a couple weeks.  And even more of a bonus, was that Jeff, Amy, and their three kids had recently moved right around the corner from Grandma and Grandpa, so we could spend lots of time with them too!  The boys were so excited to go to Jacksonville because Grandma and Grandpa ALWAYS make everything more fun!!  A simple drive to a convenience store might seem like not a big deal.....BUT, if Grandpa takes you---it is an ADVENTURE!  No exaggerating....we believe EVERYONE in Green Cove knows Grandma and Grandpa, and for sure every convenience store employee loves them, as Grandpa and Grandma are their best customers (just ask any of them about the diet coke/mr.pibb secret recipe, and they will know that it is Mr. Copeland's favorite drink!!)  Truly, we all had the best time in Florida, and we are so grateful they are always so good to us when we come.  We also appreciate how Grandma and Grandpa were so willing to help the boys earn some summer money.  The boys had brought with them some small business ideas from China. With help from Grandma and Papa's friends and co-workers, the boys were easily able to have enough support to feel successful!  They are a continual wonderful support to all of us!!  Here is our journal of our journeys in Jacksonville---

Grandma and Papa with all the boys.  Before we left, we invited any of our Copeland cousins to go with us to Jacksonville.  We were all so excited that Connor was able to come enjoy the time with us!

Here is darling little Lola with Amy.  She is soooo sweet, and the best baby.  We were so looking forward to meeting her for the first time.  We could not believe how much hair she had.  It was fun to see Amy with a girl--she is a great mom to her three kids.

Amy has a great pool in her neighborhood that all the boys just loved.  It was just like being at a resort! If the boys were not in the pool, they were finding wildlife to catch which kept them constantly busy.

Speaking of wildlife....You never know what kind of creatures you will come upon in Florida.  It was always a surprise when the boys would show us what they had found. We just hoped the critter was not poisonous, biting, or deadly-- here are a few of the finds the boys came across while we were there....

The kids love heading down to the dock near G&G's home, and playing at the park next to the ocean. The adults like heading down there just to "people watch."  Sometimes it's almost like being in another country.....we could understand chinese better than some of those southern accents!!

Tyson and Garrett enjoyed a week of art camp together at Garrett's elementary school. They came home each day with some great artistic creations they were pretty proud of!

While Tyson was at his camp, Bracken attended Especially for Youth in St. Petersburg, Florida with his good friend Brandon Rust.  Brandon and Bracken went to elementary school together in Leesburg,Virginia when we lived there.  A few years ago, Brandon and his family moved to Jacksonville, not far from Grandma and Papa.  It was fun for both of them to meet back up together, and spend a week at camp reliving old times.

While the other two boys were at camp, Parker and Preston bonded at I'Hop, enjoying good ol' American style breakfast. Amy is a huge fan of I'Hop, so it didn't take too much to convince her to go with us.

We weren't able to go to I'Hop every day, but even better than I'Hop was Grandma's made from scratch pancakes.  They are the BEST you have ever tasted!  Grandma Rigby passed the recipe to her, and we even use it at our house.  However, somehow, Grandma's always taste better!  She was always so sweet to make them for the boys almost daily!

Another big thanks to Grandma and Papa for arranging a condo down in Orlando for all of us to spend a long weekend.  It was close to all the attractions, and had a great swimming pool for the boys. 

The swimming pool was perfect for the younger boys, but the older boys wanted something more adventureous.  Grandma and Papa treated them to the perfect amusement park that would give them just that...Islands of Adventure. It started out beautiful weather, but late afternoon turned into a down pour of rain.  The group had to stay over 2 hours in a shop inside the park, but they didn't let it ruin their day, and at the end of the day they all told of the fantastic time they had together.

The following day we left bright and early to avoid any afternoon thunderstorms, and headed over to Pirates Cove for minuture golfing.  Parker and Connor golfed like pros since they had spent basically everyday before golfing at courses around Green Cove.

We had such a great weekend in Orlando!  There are always so many things to do and see there, it is amazing.  The boys already have plans for their next visit!

Lucky again for us, our fun did not end once we left Orlando.  When we arrived back to Jacksonville, we were able to celebrate Amy's birthday with her at the Alahambra Dinner Theatre.  One of Grandma's friends had a daughter in the show, and they were able to help us get great seats next to the stage.  It was fun taking Garrett and Tyson to their first dinner theatre show of "Annie"---we weren't sure what they would think about the show, but they sat enthralled the entire time.

Happy Birthday Amy!!  Amy is the greatest sister, and aunt--we were so happy we could celebrate her big day with her.  Thanks for making our trip to Jacksonville so fun, for taking us everywhere we ever needed to go, and of course for all the humor!

Thanks again to wonderful parents and grandparents

Lots of hugs and love from our family!