Hi! This is Jill. Happy Birthday to Brad's mom and to Ryan, and we hope everyone had a good July 4th! We are now back in London. I know you are not going to believe this, but we had another eventful flight. However, it starts off with me before we even board the plane in Birmingham. When I went through security, I was stopped by an agent who said that he had to check the articles in my purse. It turns out that I had my Swiss army knife in my makeup bag (it had been there since our Switzerland trip and I had forgotten to take it out). It’s funny that I have been on ten flights since then and it had not been detected before then. I guess Birmingham has the best security…

We got to Atlanta safely and everything was going smooth. Can you tell what is about to come? We boarded the plane and backed out of the gate. We sat there for about 10 minutes and didn’t move an inch. The next thing I know we are pulling back into the gate. It never fails… The captain proceeds to tell us that the plane’s auxiliary pipe is acting up. He says that it is not needed once we are flying, but it needs to function properly to start the engines. All I could think of is “What if the engines shut off while we are in the air and they can’t get them back on?” About 9 hours later we arrive at London safe and sound.

The day we got back it was 90 degrees, with no air conditioner, and our water didn’t work. We couldn’t believe it! We went the whole day trying to figure out what was wrong. We later found out that our landlord had accidentally turned off our water while he was trying to fix a leak. What a relief – now we are in business! Our flat was so hot for the first couple of days after we got back, and let me remind you, we don’t have an air conditioner – but at least we had water! The past two Wednesdays were the hottest days London has seen in over 100 years. Anyway, here is what we have been up to over the past month.

We got home on Saturday night and almost immediately Brad was off to Atlanta for work. He had a good time with Scott and meeting with some of his new team members for the first time. He is such a hard worker and I know he is going to be so good at his new management role. While he was away, I was making preparations for my trip to Cancun and having lunch with friends. Once Brad was back in Birmingham, he was off to the golf course. He was ready to start playing since he hasn’t been able to swing a club since the last time we were home in December!

Cancun, Mexico:
My mom and I went on a trip to Cancun over the July 4th holiday to spend some relaxing mother and daughter time. We started off the trip by almost missing our plane in Birmingham. It was a VERY early flight on the morning of July 1st. I was getting ready that morning and time just slipped away so fast. Before I knew it, it was one hour until departure, and we were still at my mom’s house. When we finally got to the airport, there were no passengers at the ticket counter so we got sorted right away. Good thing because less than three seconds later, a guy yelled “Flight to Houston is now closed”. Whew!!! I thought we were good to go until I saw the security check line…you wouldn’t believe it! I have never seen this line so long! Good thing I didn’t try to sneak my Swiss Army knife on this plane! By the time we got to the gate, the door was already closed. Thankfully, they opened for us. Now we were off to Cancun, Mexico!

I could not believe how hot it was when I stepped off the plane in Cancun. I almost suffocated – I am so accustomed to the England weather it shocked me! We had a car there waiting for us to take us to the hotel. We stayed at the Solaris. It was wonderful! The whole hotel had been rebuilt from the ground up since last season when the hurricane destroyed it, and this was the first week it had been open this year. Therefore, we were the first guests to stay in our brand new room. Our hotel was an All-Inclusive resort. This meant FREE food and drinks - and the service was incredible! This was the first time I had experienced this kind of treatment. However, this is my mom’s fifth time to Cancun, so she was not surprised a bit.

We definitely got a taste of relaxation by the pool with our margaritas and Pina Coladas. We had gorgeous weather every day. We also had a good time shopping. There are two really nice malls in Cancun. Two days we took the public bus from our hotel to the malls. This was very interesting! I would have never really experienced Mexico without riding this bus. When I got on the bus, I automatically felt like I was in a different city in Mexico. All the bus drivers were very nice though. You could just flag them down from anywhere on the street. This is very different from London - a bus driver would never pick you up in England unless you were at the bus stop. It cost us 65 Pesos for each trip (this is like 6 cents). What a deal considering a cab fare was $9.

I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful the food was in our resort. After every meal, I was just waiting for the next. Each day there was a breakfast buffet – my mom’s favorite! I always got the Mexican nachos with green salsa (yes, this was on the breakfast buffet), French toast and watermelon juice. My mom really liked the waffles and omelets that they made in front of us. Each day for lunch we ate outside at the buffet set up beside the pool area – my favorite! There were always salads made with fresh fish, steak, chicken, grilled fish, nachos (of course), and at least five kinds of salsa everyday - not to mention the “out of this world” desserts. Each night for dinner we went to a different restaurant that served different cuisines (French, Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean, etc.). They were all very nice restaurants with white table cloths and first class service. My mom and I liked the French so much that we ate there twice. The salad, mussels, stuffed shrimp and dessert was heavenly!!!

After dinner each night we went to the show they put on in the hotel. We saw a little dancing, singing, and acting. After the shows, we would go check out the band or see how the people were holding up in the karaoke room. We had a lot of laughs watching people, especially the entertainment crew that worked there.

I have to say I was very impressed with Cancun. It reminded me of the Las Vegas strip without all of the lights on the big resorts. The people were extremely friendly and liked to joke around with us a lot. We were there for six days and I could have stayed for another six. Thanks Mike! I had so much fun with my mom! I am looking forward to my next visit to Cancun…hopefully next year!

Houston, Texas:
While I was in Cancun, Brad left for Houston on July 3rd to visit his sister Ashley and her family. As you remember, they now have a new addition to the family - our newest Nephew Taege. Brad was there a few days before I arrived from Cancun. He was so excited to get there to see and hold Taege for the first time (and change his diaper, which is on video). Brad also spent time playing video games with Reilly and hide-and-go-seek with Kelsey. They also had a very long ongoing multi-day game of Monopoly. Before I got there, Brad told me about the wonderful dinners that Ashley had cooked for him. He also got to meet Jeff Beard for lunch. He hadn’t seen him in a long time and really enjoyed the visit.

Brad, Ashley, Reilly and Kelsey picked me up from the airport so I had to wait until we got to their house to see Taege. Taege is so cute and he is such a good baby! He didn’t fuss much at all. I know one thing - Kelsey sure does love to help take care of her little brother!

Ashley needed a well-deserved break for a few hours, so Brad and I took Reilly and Kelsey to Chuck-E-Cheese. I think Brad and I had just as much fun as the kids. We bought a ton of tokens when we got there and they were gone within minutes - so we got some more…What a fun few hours!

Kelsey is now taking a hip hop class. She showed me the dance she had learned in class and I taught her a new one. I hope she remembers it. Keep up the dancing Kelsey! While we were there Reilly and John went on a Cub Scout overnight trip. They got to spend the night on an aircraft carrier. Reilly had a great time, but said it was way too hot! The kids sure are growing up fast!

The last night we were there, Brad and I had a little fun making a “Cribs” video. Have you guys seen Cribs on MTV? Brad acted like he was Ashley showing off her house while I operated the camera. This was quite fun, but you probably had to be there or see the video to understand why this was so enjoyable. Don’t forget to bring it home for Christmas Ashley - I know the rest of the family would love to see it!

Thanks for having us Ashley and John! Brad and I enjoyed spending time with you and your family, your dogs (Max and Gypsy), and your new cat Omar. We are looking forward to our next visit. Hopefully we will be seeing you somewhere around the globe toward the end of the year!

Mobile, Alabama:
Kathleen and I went to visit my dad in Mobile the weekend I got back from Houston. When we got down there Friday afternoon, my dad made his yummy baked hamburgers with lots of onions inside. We invited Granny, Aunt Betty and Uncle Freddie over to join us for dinner. The burgers were outstanding and it was nice to visit with them for a while. That night we watched “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, and then headed to bed so we could get an early start the next morning.

My Aunt Sandy had invited us to Dolphin Island for the weekend for a family get-together. There was a BIG turnout: Aunt Sandy, Aunt Elaine, Uncle Dan, Candy, David, Chase, Zack, Mendy, Fred, Kaileigh, Camryn, Erin, Joel, Jackson, Isabelle, Brandy (Candy’s friend) and of course me, my dad and Kathleen. We missed you Leah, Brian, Jesse, and Madeline!

Soon after we got there, we were on the jet skis. They have two jet skis with three seats on each (they were huge…like driving a car almost). The first time we rode them, I rode with my dad and Kathleen rode with Aunt Sandy. My dad and Aunt Sandy were playing around and racing, and my dad cut towards them and the next thing I see is Kathleen airborne with her feet above her head. She popped back up just fine and didn’t even loose her sunglasses on the tumble! A miracle considering what I saw…it seemed like slow motion.

The next time we went out, Kathleen rode with me and Erin rode with my dad. When we got out into the Gulf, it was quite rough. The next thing Kathleen and I see is my dad and Erin in the water. A big wave had come up about the same time they were turning and knocked them right off. I’m glad to say that I never got to have that experience ?.

We had a lot of excellent food. For lunch on Saturday we had tomato sandwiches and my dad’s favorite potato salad (made by Aunt Elaine) and it was delicious! My dad and Aunt Sandy bought 25 pounds of HUGE shrimp earlier that morning, so for dinner we boiled most of them and fried the rest. We also cooked some fish that David, Chase and Zack caught earlier that day in the “Fishing Rodeo for Kids”. We had this along with potatoes, corn on the cob, and homemade vanilla and strawberry ice cream.

The next day David took us all over to Sand Island on his boat. Kathleen and I loved the boat ride. I think we could have stayed on it all day! Once we got to Sand Island, we stayed in the water most of the time because it was so hot. Almost everyone had a raft - some were the long ones you can lay out on and some were small round tubes. Everyone with the tubes had a hard time getting on them and staying on them…ask Kathleen (have you find your sunglasses yet?) After a few hours, we had to head back to the house so we could pack up and get on the road. However, we didn’t leave before having leftovers…YUM! Thanks for having us Aunt Sandy and thanks for going with me Kathleen! I hope we can do it again next year!

Other Stuff:
Brad and I had an awesome trip back to the US! We had just as much fun as always visiting our family, friends and Levi. While I was in Birmingham, which seemed like such a short time, my mom and I shopped and ate out at my favorite restaurants like we always do. Brad spent as much time as he could with his family too. We all went out to the Cajun Steamer for Brad’s mom’s birthday and had a great time. We were also able to make it to Ryan’s first birthday party – he really liked his smash cake! We couldn’t believe that he was already walking all over the place - he’s dangerous now! Also, let me tell you what his first word was – “Brad”! Brad was very excited about that! Landon is just as funny as ever. The things he says and the things he repeats are just hilarious. Be careful what you spell in his presence (Shae…)

We also enjoyed spending time with all of our friends. I was able to go to lunch and dinner with a few of you, and it was nice to spend a ton of time with Kathleen in Mobile. We got a good eight hours of talking and catching up on the way down to Mobile and back. Brad also got to spend some quality time with his friends – especially on the golf course. Brad was excited to have Trey come down from Tennessee. They played golf with Geno and Wade, and then had dinner that night with their families. I wish I could have been there, but I was traveling back from Mobile. He told me all about your wonderful children – I can’t wait to see them again!

This past weekend (back in London) we got together with Justin, Rachel, Jack, Cassie and Juliette at Stein’s (a German beer garden down on the river in Richmond). Then we headed out to the White Horse for a late-night drink. It was nice to catch up with everyone. I also ordered our groceries online from Tesco this week and they were delivered to us without a hitch. I can’t believe we have not been doing this over the last two and a half years. The days of walking home with heavy groceries are officially over!

Congratulations to Smitty and Tracy - Sienna Grace Smith was born on July 4th.
Also, congratulations to Tracy and Clay and to Jason Cerniglia and his wife – both families are expecting their first babies next year.

I am looking forward to my dad and mom’s visits back to Europe. My dad is in the air right now, and will be arriving in the early morning. We will be in London for one week before we head to the French Riviera and to Italy. My dad flies out of Rome one day, and within 45 minutes my mom and Mike fly into Rome. I will be spending another week in Italy with them before I fly back to London. My mom and dad will both be in Europe for their birthdays, and it will be a blast!

Brad will be traveling back to the States for three weeks starting on the same day that my dad and I leave for the French Riviera. He is coming back for the much awaited Fantasy Football Draft and Golf weekend! In case you forgot, he is the current Super Bowl Champion! He gets so excited about this weekend – it must be a lot of fun. He will also be traveling back to Atlanta for work while he is there. Look for the next update for all the details of our busy month ahead.

We were also glad to get to see all the new babies (Melissa Ann, Georgie Jen, Addison Louise, John Mitchell and Gunnar). They are all so cute! Now go on…check out the updated pictures of Cancun, Family and Friends. Until next time, we love and miss you all – take care and God bless!