Day 16-19--Charlottesville, VA

Time to take a break and not act like tourists for a while.  And it couldn't have been any better than to do that with great friends in Charlottesville.  

From 1998-2007 we spent great years coaching with the McKays and Soucies, and then the Farmers joined the team in 2002.  We had so many good times together as families as we rode the ups and downs of the coaching life.  

So, to be together again with those families for a few days reminded us of how blessed we are to have deep, lasting friendships.  The kind where you don't see someone for years, and then it's like you haven't been apart for more than a few days.

By the way, there was only one family missing from this UNM coaching reunion.  The Broussard's.  We missed you Duane and Holly!

We stayed at Grant and Erin Farmers house for the four days. Grant and I have been friends since high school and have shared a lot of experiences and laughs together.  Tiffany and Erin have been close, close friends since our coaching days.  The kids got into into it too and acted just like the adults....like old friends.  Madison and Bella and Cade and Bryce and Brady and Macy played and played and played and played.  It was non-stop.  And Little Wayne did his best to keep up with them.  

The kids basically had 3 stations at the Farmers house.  The backyard for baseball games, the basement to play the Wii, and the driveway to play basketball.  They would move from one station to another for hour after hour.   We managed to get some hiking through the woods and some swimming in as well.

And, the dads jumped into some of the basketball games to teach the kids a thing or two about the game.

We spent the 4th of July at a friend of a friend of Grant and Erin's on a farm in Waynesboro, VA at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The setting was the all-american setting for a 4th of July party.  A river running through the property that had barns, fields, and a collection of antique John Deere tractors.

The kids had a blast playing beanbags, lighting fireworks, going on a hay ride, and enjoying humidity free weather!

The kids friendships were so fun to watch.  Bella told us that "Macy is such a good friend".  And Madison, Cade and Bryce didn't leave each others side.

 There were trips to get ice cream

 And lots of time spent swimming

On our last day in Charlottesville the McKays had the whole gang together for lunch and a trip to their club pool.  It was so much fun to be together.  The guys sat around and talked a lot of basketball but also about Young Life and the chapel that Brad and Ritchie lead for their team.  So cool to hear about the impact they are having on their players lives while winning an ACC Championship.  The girls sat in the other room and about every 90 seconds there was loud laughing that I think would be best described as cackling!  Just like old times and I loved it.

And, just like old times our time together had to include a game of basketball.  One of the enduring memories of the nine years I spent coaching with Coach McKay was the daily 2on2 or 3on3 games that we played together or against our players.  This day was just a little different, though, as the game took place with our own kids in the pool.

And, some things never change.  The old men dominated against the youngsters.  While we were getting after it in the water, the rest of the crew enjoyed hanging out by the pool and catching up.

So, our time in Charlottesville came to and end and we had to say goodbye to some dear friends.  Tiff and I were both sad to leave.  I'm not sure the Farmers would've liked to have 6 house guests for much longer, but we could've stayed for a couple more weeks!