July 12, 2019 - The Guide Hog

Once upon a time – a long, long time ago – there were three best friends: Cami, Tarren, and Sharon. As often happens, they moved to different cities, started families, and pursued careers. Although they didn’t see each other much, they knew they held a special place in each other’s hearts. When Cami’s heart was broken, Tarren and Sharon wanted nothing more than for her to find true love and happiness again.

And then she did!

The three friends reunited the weekend of July 5 for Cami’s wedding to Mark, a kind and funny man who adores Cami, as well as her kids, dog, and extended family. Tarren and Sharon could tell this was the real deal, and their hearts were filled with joy.

Wedding Eve: Cami’s parents hosted a crab dinner. Denison (Cami’s son) tried to teach me how to dismantle a crab, but eventually he gave up teaching and just fed it to me instead. It was fantastic!

High school besties Tarren, Cami, and me, with Quinn (Cami’s daughter)

My “other” parents, Diana and Dwight (Cami’s real parents), who lived next door in Germany and supported me through puberty.

Table at the wedding reception for all of us who attended Mannheim American High School in the 1980s. So fun to see everyone!

The MHS gang: Vince, Katie, Cami, me, Tarren, and Cami’s brothers – Denny and Jason. None of this would have happened without Vince and Katie, who set up an account on match.com for Cami, despite her protestations. Katie screened potential “matches” and convinced Cami to give Mark a chance. One date, and Cami was hooked!

Me, Diana, the bride, and Tarren.

Mark, Quinn, Cami, and Denison. They are lucky kids to get such a great step-dad!

For the second year in a row, we’re not spending the summer in Lake Orion, Michigan. It’s weird. For 10 years, we traveled from wherever we lived at the time – Laos, India, Chile – to meet up with my extended family at our lake house. We poured thousands of dollars into updating and renovating. We lit flares, watched fireworks, and otherwise reveled in the lake culture at the Fourth of July. We sat on the grass while the kids waded, snorkeled, collected little shells, jumped off the dock, and eventually grew big enough to kayak around the island.

Now, life has taken us in a new direction. Our house is on the market. Check it out here.

And we have a new rental property in Florida. Check it out here.

My parents live just a few houses down the road from our Florida house, and my sister Megan and her family moved to Destin, a 6-hour drive away. For a family of nomads, it seems Florida is the reunion destination for now.

We kicked off our “winter break” from school in Chile with a visit to my sister’s house in Destin. My other sister Kate drove from Michigan with her three boys. We saw “Toy Story 4,” had a perfect beach day, set up the bouncy slide, played Quizlet, and reconnected.

After a few days, we all drove to The Villages to meet up with my parents. My brother, Mike, brought his family from Abu Dhabi, where he and Summer teach at the American Community School. Tony and I had planned to stay at our rental house. We hauled in our bags, unpacked a bit, and then got a message from my property manager saying someone had booked the place. I had forgotten to block the dates! So, we repacked, cleaned, and headed to a hotel.

We spent mornings by the hotel pool with all seven kids splashing and playing together. We met up for lunch and dinner and filled the afternoons with hanging out, chatting, watching the wildlife in my parents’ backyard, playing, and bowling. Dancing in the Spanish Springs town square in the evening is always a hoot with these little guys!