Moran Family Fun

The second weekend in September Jared and I traveled to Dayton, Ohio to run the 20th Air Force Half Marathon! It's a long drive to Dayton from our home in Maryland but there's nothing more fun than a road trip, right? We made it to Dayton for bib and packet pick up at the Nutter Center with just thirty minutes to spare. Once we had our bibs and race shirts (which were done in a very in your face 'Merica design) we went to meet our old friends the Brants for dinner. I know I've written this before, but one of the best things about moving all over is the people you get to meet. As you move and they move you end up with friends everywhere and there is something so sweet about reconnecting and picking up right where you left off. The next morning was race day and it was a rough run for both of us. Our final time was 2 hours 52 minutes which is the slowest half marathon either of us had ever run.  Jared had been sick for about a week with a pretty bad cold so he wasn...

Every move is different but one thing has stayed the same each time we've moved - the last month before you move is always filled with stuff to do. Of course, much of it is moving related, but so much is just trying to fit everything and everyone in before the big goodbye. Our September definitely followed that pattern. In addition to the regular routines of work, sports, school, and church we somehow managed to fill every weekend with people and places and before we knew it September was gone!   The month started with a Labor Day visit to Richmond where we met my sister Jessica and her daughter Katie for a rainy Richmond adventure. The initial plan for Labor Day weekend was a camping trip with our family, Jessica's family, and Charissa's family but kids activities and other things made life too busy for that and Richmond was a great alternative! We met for lunch at Raising Canes, home of the best chicken fingers in the world (according to Jared), to catch up and tal...

It's October so naturally I'm writing about back to school! This school year because of our move the majority of our girls have had two first days, one of them just last week. The first day of school after summer break is exciting. You get to see your friends and show off your cool new school clothes, you've got some sweet school supplies; there may be some nerves but for our kids it's mostly been a happy time each year. The first day of school after a move is less exciting and more nerve racking than anything else.  Natalie is a fourth grader this year and it's kind of crazy to think that we're almost done with the elementary school years in our family! Natalie's favorite subject is math and she basically loves going to school. She's not the most organized student in the world and she definitely needs more handholding to stay on task with her homework, but Nat's a smarty pants who loves to learn. In her new school here she is in Mrs. McCann...

We're currently in the middle of our move-cation from Maryland to England. That means that in the midst of all the craziness of moving across an entire ocean we're also finding time to relax and have some fun. Writing on our family blog is one thing that I've definitely missed doing this year and that I'm hoping to make a habit again.  However, instead of jumping back in and writing about our present life I'm going to look to the past and write about our last couple of months in Maryland.    In August Jared and I celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary. Twenty years ago we knelt across an altar from each other in the beautiful Washington DC Temple and haven't looked back! This event really deserves it's own post where I get all sappy about Jared and how wonderful he is and how blessed I am to have him as my husband. He really is the perfect guy for me and for our girls and I had no idea twenty years ago how happy I could be standing next to this...