Smoky Mountains Vacation

Family vacations are great times to create memories. Glad we were able to join my family for a nice getaway in the smoky mountains in July.

Hospital visit @ 28 weeks

1st trimester was great... no morning sickness

2nd trimester was great... walked and rode bikes around Europe without any problems

3rd trimester got off to a rough start... at 28 weeks, spending the night in the hospital because Daniela is having contractions every few minutes. As a nurse said, "he needs more time in the oven, right now he is only a half baked cupcake." 

Thus begins Daniela's life on restricted activity.

Gideon Pharmacy

Helping get Gideon Pharmacy started was a learning experience... in everything from running financial projections (over and over and over), to selecting a location, to remodeling, to ordering equipment, to hiring employees, to passing inspections, and actually opening for business. 

It opened for business on Monday, May 4, 2015.

Our location. The pharmacy's front door ended up replacing the City Hall sign.

Gideon Pharmacy's colors. 

The space where the pharmacy went in was used by the police department beforehand.

And the space was separated into 2 rooms.

The remodel was a complete gut job.

Our logo went up in the window during the remodel.

What happens when you order shelving weighing hundreds of pounds and the lift on the truck won't work. See if the city will lend you a front end loader.

The remodel takes shape.

And it begins to look like a pharmacy

Our entryway became filled with equipment for the pharmacy.

Setting up the equipment so the pharmacy can actually pass the state inspection.

Working until late at night with Dr. Karl to get things working.

The entrance to Gideon Pharmacy with its custom designed sign.

Europe 2015

So how do you tell your parents you are planning on having a child? When they ask about taking a trip in August and you say you can't because you may be having a baby about then... so instead, we joined them on an awesome European vacation in April.

Loading up the Tahoe for the grand excursion 

In the airplane... What a way to celebrate my 31st birthday!

Some of our fellow airplane passengers. It's hard not to smile when they announce your destination is Amseterdam.

Amsterdam was awesome. And we lucked out with some great weather... 

On the Grand Canal. And yes, we have a great story about how you can use credit card gimicks to stay at an awesome Amsterdam hotel (the Waldorf Astoria!) for free!

And we just happened to be there for their tulip festival. It was very cool.

My parents in the main square in Bruges, Belgium.

Hey, just another windmill along our bike ride. And yes, I made my pregnant wife go on a bike ride with me.

Bruges canal tour.

Boarding the boat. John, Daniela, and John-Asher (in utero).

Walking the streets of Cochem, Germany.

What are you doing today? Visiting the Cochem castle of course.

Our boat down the Rhine River... the Scenic Diamond.

I looked out the window and what did I see... another castle by me.

We all enjoyed our lounge time.

And getting to meet new people at dinner.

Showing off that pregnant belly in Rudesheim, Germany.

Evening concert at the palace in Mannheim, Germany.

Enjoying the good life... 

The crew in Zurich, Switzerland

Saying good bye to some Cruise friends

The Swiss Alps. A picture does not do it justice. Spectacular!

On top of Mt. Pilatus. One of the highlights of the trip.

Lucerne, Switzerland. Scenery fit for a storybook.

Our last train voyage. Hooray to my parents for enduring to the end!

Car Delivery

If you live in Washington D.C. but purchase a vehicle in Missouri, you need someone to help you get it from point A to point B... and the cheapest option is, of course, family.

Now the real kicker here is that courtesy of my dad, Daniela got to come along too. So we made a fun road trip out of it. Which included...

Driving through snow in Tennessee

Watching Bradley devour a massive waffle sandwich

Playing catch in front of the Washington Monument

Chilling with our nieces and nephews

Looking "official" cruising around DC in a black suburban

Getting a taste of Abigail's personality

Saying a quick hello to SCOTUS

And capturing a classic picture of these kids

Life Goal Accomplished

Once upon a time, my dad was in the hospital so his bank sent him an Edible Arrangement. My comment to Daniela, "some day I hope that my bank will care enough about my business to send me something when I am sick."

Well, I wasn't sick but I was totally surprised when the bank manager showed up at my office to drop off brownies... just to thank me for my business. That's close enough for me. 

The reactions were great... 

For Daniela: all I had to do is text her a picture and explain who it was from for her to understand this would be meaningful to me.

For People at my office: why would they send them to you?!