our long-awaited visitors

This week saw the fulfillment of one of my outstanding wishes since moving South almost two years ago. Until this week, something was missing because I had not been able to share my new world with my sister. We have been back to NY a few times, had countless phone calls, shared a bazillion pictures, but I had never been able to show her our new home. Needless to say, I am at a loss for words to adequately express what it has been like to have her here this week. Despite Paige being in school and me needing to work a bit, we made the most of every moment we had!
Our kids are all close in age. Zach is 6, Paige is 5, Meghan is 4 and Nate is 3. Busy? YES! But the girls are like sisters and Nate adores Zach and copies everything he says and does. Other than the shear volume level, there were very few complaints. They loved being together again and picked up right where they left off last Thanksgiving.

We ate more ice cream than any human should consume within a 4 day period. After this adorable sibling shot was taken....Mike and I made a quick trip to the ER with Nathan. He slammed his head into the ground, resulting in the biggest goose egg I've ever seen. A Fire Chief was in the parlor and encouraged us to be seen immediately. He clearly did not realize my already exploding anxiety. In the end, no major damage was done and he left the ER smiling with a handful of special stickers after he quickly stole the hearts of every nurse and doctor in the place!We spent a morning at the Aquarium dodging every other Northern visitor who was avoiding the rain outside. I swear 90% of the license plates in the crammed parking lot were from NY. Thursday was a perfect day in the "Viele Book of Perfect Days." We started the morning with cinnamon rolls, then packed the cars for a day at the ocean. After a ~not-so-quick~ stop at DD, we arrived at the beach with happy kids, and happy parents. We could not have asked for better weather! High 70's, no clouds and a cool breeze from the ocean. We were there for over 4 hours, and most of us could have stayed that much longer. There was nothing Zach wouldn't try! He loved the sand, the waves, the shells and the little crabs. The best part was that Nate looks up to him so much, he tried everything Zach tried. This one needs no caption...DARN CUTE!!After a quick clean-up for all, we headed to dinner at our favorite local spot on the Inlet. The kids were angels...truly! People kept coming to the table asking us if they were always that good, and we kept saying we couldn't talk about it, for fear the tides would turn. The girls thought they were princesses eating at a "fancy" restaurant. It was truly the best night to end such a great week! (Can you see the result of his previous ER visit?)

After exiting the restaurant upstairs, we were greeted by outside diners and a live band. The kids did not even hesitate, but ran onto the patio and started dancing.
It didn't take long for those eating to turn to watch, and the lead singer even welcomed them and thanked them for starting the night of dancing.
After a few songs, I was in true pain from laughing so hard. I love the innocence of kids! They didn't care what their moves looked like, they didn't realize everyone on the patio was watching them. They just kept dancing and had the time of their lives!

Today was hard. Back to the grind of work and school. Back to the reality of deadlines, requirements and demands. All that on top of saying goodbye to my best friend and family I love deeply. Tears flowed often today as I attempted to distract myself with work and To-Do lists. I missed them before they even flew out of town. The pain is slightly buffered with the realization that my sister will be here for a weekend in early August to snuggle her new niece, my parents will spend a week with us in August to welcome their new grand-daughter and our family of 5 will travel North for Christmas this year! I called to book the tickets before their flight left the ground...it just helps to know there is a date set to be together again! I am so thankful for the time we had and savoring the memories we will have forever!