We're Back!

The Summer of Z continues here in Asheville! We survived the infernal heat of Miami and made it back safely on Saturday. Here's the scoop.

We arrived on Wednesday, June 17th to Atlanta without much screaming. Z slept for about an hour and twenty minutes. Then we hit Goats on the Roof, a campy little stop in the North Georgia mountains that had (drum roll please) goats on the roof! Zahra was well behaved for the rest of the drive. I mean, she complained at the end but this was a major improvement from the last time we did this.

The next day, we had Z get on her first plane ride! It went as smoothly as it could possibly have gone. We arrived on time at the airport, got checked in relatively quick and were seated on the plane comfortably. When the plane was taking off, Z had a look of excitement and terror all rolled into one. Fortunately for us, she immediately latched on to her mother and slept the entire flight.

When we arrived to Hialeah, it was smoking hot. Everyday we hit highs in the upper 90's. The heat index was well above 100 degrees. It was unseasonably hot! But that didn't stop my mother from loving on Z. The whole family was thrilled at having their little girl in Hialeah surrounded by Cubans. My grandmother and grandfather were overcome with emotion at meeting Z. Infact, my grandmother knelt and kissed her little feet! I'm glad we got that on tape.
It all culminated with the blow out fiesta at my mom's place on Saturday night. We had well over 60 people at the house. I had my friends and my mom had her friends and when you add that up, it spells party. Abuelo Patch roasted a 100 pound pig in the backyard, we had cases of ice cold Presidentes and the music was jamming. My mom rented a blow up bouncing house for the kids and had a pinata as well. All in all, it was a fabulous time had by all.

The rest of the time in Miami was spent indoors and relaxing. I spent time with family and friends, Shan and I got to go on a date, and we spent a lot of time just watching my mom fawn over Z. We also got to see Z's other two grandfathers. She met my dad for the first time. We also drove up to Boca Raton and spent some time with Shannon's father as well.

When it was time to leave, I felt a little sad. It was nice having my mom around to help with Z. In fact, it was a huge vacation for Shan and I in that we got to see each other a little more and also that we both got some time away from our girl and get some energy for the summer ahead.

Once we left Miami, we got to spend time in Atlanta and hang out with grammy Lanie and grandpa Larry. Z got to go on her first horseback ride (well more like a photo op) and went on yet another shopping spree (she had major presents at the party at my mom's house).

Now, after a few days of getting back to our regular lives, we are finally in sync with Asheville. But fear not, the Sumemr of Z is just getting started.