Although I went to Akron for a long weekend in May for Lisa and Skeet's baby shower, Rusty and I didn't make our annual visit until the end of July. We arrived Friday July 18th for a two week visit staying with Terri and Andy.
On Sunday, Scott (Big Cat) and Christopher (Drama) came to town to take part in the demolition of one of their old schools in Coventry - Erwine Elementary. They had the opportunity to go to the school to skate board or do whatever they wanted on Sunday, as Monday the demolition would begin.
After hanging out at the school, Terri and Andy had a surprise for the boys for dinner. They requested the Swenson's Food Truck come to the house. Swenson's is a favorite hamburger joint in Akron that the boys always visit.
Swenson's Food Truck
Christopher
Scott and Chris
The boys, as well as 30+ friends and family (including Gary and his girls) really enjoyed the surprise.
Chris on food truck
The boys took some pictures with the crew from Swenson's so they could Instagram them.
Scott and Chris
Swenson's crew and boys
Christopher took pictures of the crowd while we were taking pictures of them.
Crew and boys
Later that evening a bunch of us went to Turkeyfoot Lanes to bowl after hours, they stayed open for the boys.
Scott, Terri and Chris
Again they took pictures with the crew so they could Instagram them. A good time was had by all.
Monday morning dawned bright and early. The boys headed over to Erwine to begin the demolition.
They had an awesome time hitting the school with the first wrecking balls. Chris left later Monday, Scott stayed over to Tuesday morning having an opportunity to spend some time with his parents.
Monday at 12:12 pm Lisa and Billy (who's shower I attended in May) gave birth to Lillian (Lily) Henley Bookman. It was such a beautiful experience. Lily is my brother Bill's first granddaughter, he would have been so excited and proud.
Lisa, Lily and Skeet
Skeet, Lily and Great Aunt Sheryl
I got to visit with Lisa and Lily several times during the Akron visit.
Daddy loves Lily
Monday evening we had our annual Margarita Madness party at Don Pancho's with our friends. We had a great turnout and a good time was had by all. We love this opportunity to see all our friends at one time. Most of our time in Akron is taken up with family visits so every opportunity to see our friends is appreciated. We have fantastic friends.
During the week we had dinner with Rusty's niece Mary and her boyfriend Chad as well as had the opportunity to see his brother Randy several times. Unfortunately we didn't get to spend any time with Heidi and her family during this visit - hopefully we will see them next year. We had two nieces graduate this year, Katlyne and Brittany - we weren't in town for either graduation or party. Congratulations to both of you, may your futures be bright.
During the week, we also had the opportunity to spend some time with Erin and the kids. We went to the park one day for a picnic and play date. We had a ton of fun but they are very spirited and wore us out.
Rusty and the boys
Erin and her princess
Friday the 25th, the Firestone girls had their annual pontoon afternoon on Portage Lakes. This is the first opportunity I have had to join them as I am not normally in town when it takes place. We had a blast. The normal boat driver had to cancel at the last minute due to work obligations so after a miss-start, we called Rusty and he met up with us at Howie's and drove the boat for us. We did a little bar hopping on the lake.
The gang at Howie's
The gang @ Nicoletti's
The weather was beautiful and we had a great day. I have known these girls for over 35 years and even though we moved to Nashville 22 years ago, they remain close friends.
Saturday the 26th was the big birthday celebration for the Bookman Trio. Parker turned 4 while Gary and Emma turned 3. It was quite a birthday party in Portage Lakes State Park. Even though it rained off and on, the kids had a blast.
Opening presents
Blowing out candles
Gary and Emma (3)
Parker's (4) favorite gift
This year was the first year we have had an opportunity to see Rusty's cousin Rick. Got to spend Sunday with him at Hardesty Park and then we went to lunch. During the week there were more family visits with both my family and Rusty's. Had dinner with my brothers a couple of times as well as getting to spend time with Debi and her family. Mason is growing up very fast, he is another cutie in my family.
Mason (2)
Tuesday the 29th we went to Prime 93 (Anthe's) for a 42 year reunion of The Caballeros. This is a band that Andy was in back in high school. There was a huge turnout for the event - it was a Coventry Alumni Reunion. The band sounded pretty good having only had a few rehearsals with the whole band before the performance. We had a good evening.
The Caballeros (Andy is on drums on left)
The crowd was dancing, partying and having a real good time.
The second week was spent with family as well as another dinner with some other friends, again at Don Pancho's - a favorite place of ours in Akron.
Retirees
Retirees
Friday before we headed home on Saturday, we spent another day with Erin and the kids. This time we went to the Akron Zoo. This zoo has grown and gotten really good over the years. Erin and the kids spend a lot of time here.
Excited for the Zoo
Selfie
Carousel
Carousel
Explorers
Friday evening we had a quiet evening with Terri and Andy, going to dinner at Green Diamond in Barberton. This trip was probably one of our busiest visits. It was so good to see all the family and friends we were able to fit in, wish we could have done more. A couple years ago, we had no little ones in my family and now we have 5 under the age of 4. They are all beautiful and we miss seeing them more often. Love to all the family until we see you again.
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