It's incredible to think today is the first day of fall. It's also the first day walking from my truck to the office didn't nearly cause a heat stroke. As the weather cools and the kids are getting settled into the school routine, I thought it was a great opportunity to recap our pretty fantastic summer.
For me I like to jump all the way back to Carolina Cup. I know it a spring event, but it is also the first big outdoor event of the year, so mentally it gets me fired up for summer.
Cup was full of beautiful weather, horses, and spending time with friends and family.
We quickly followed up Cup my birthday. This year Johanna got me tickets to see The Great Gatsby musical at the Peace Center. I, of course, dressed up for the occasion. It was a wonderful evening enjoying the culture Greenville is able to bring for our size city.
Later in April, I attended the Resilience by Conference and the AIA South Carolina Annual meeting in Charleston. While in Charleston I also got to check out Silversun Pickups. Stunning visual effects and the band sounded great.
Johanna put on an amazing First Tee Derby party that raised lots of money to support kids playing golf and learning life lessons around the Upstate.
Jackson and Hollis finished up Spring soccer and Jackson immediately started baseball. Hollis had her dance recital at school and of course did an amazing job.
We enjoyed several great plays at the South Carolina Children's Theatre. I have found serving on the board such a rewarding experience. And best of all Jackson has enjoyed it. He even participated in several day camps over the summer. I think he enjoyed the Star Wars and Harry Potter ones the best.
We had several award winners in the family this May as well. Jackson won the Citizenship award for his 2nd grade class. Johanna was named to the SC Biz Top 100 Women in the State. We were very proud to see them both win their awards.
We enjoyed going to the neighborhood pool a lot and jumping at SkyZone.
Our big trip of the summer was going to the Bahamas for Amanda and Brandon's wedding. It was quite an adventure travelling with two kids and Mom and Frank. We made it to our lovely house and got settled in for a wonderful week. The island is beautiful and we enjoyed many adventures. The wedding was quite special. Hollis and Jackson both did their jobs fabulously. And whoa Jackson loves to dance at weddings, he was cutting a rug for sure! The highlight for all of us was feeding the sea turtles. They come right up to you in the crystal clear water and enjoy a frozen squid snack. We were very sad to leave, but Bahamas are certainly somewhere we'd enjoy coming again.
I had a quick turnaround before I was headed to San Deigo for AIA'26. Such a beautiful city and I got to go to a Padres' games. It was great connecting with everyone again and I learned a lot at the various sessions.
Arriving back we had the Cub Scout's summer hike at Pleasant Ridge Park and the a few weeks later we did the tubing trip along the Reedy River. It was a lot of fun, except for the yellow jacket stings. We also did our first family camping trip. It was Hollis' first time camping and she did awesome! It was funny the two of them at night, Jackson zipped up in his sleeping bag, Hollis sprawled out in just her panties saying she's hot over and over.
Jackson did soccer camp at Furman and we could tell a definite improvement in his skills. But most importantly on the soccer front, Jackson and I went to a World Cup game in Atlanta! We saw DR Congo take on Uzbekistan. It was a super thrilling time to be in Atlanta, though maybe a little overwhelming for Jackson. The game was so much fun and Congo ended up pulling it off. I know Jackson will remember that for forever. We also went to the Aquarium on the way out of town and had a lot of fun seeing the wildlife.
We then went to Kentucky for the 250th July 4th! We had an awesome time with family and going to Mammoth Cave. Johanna and I left the kids with Tony and Lynn and headed back to SC. To get a break from the wild rain we were driving in, we stopped at Chattanooga Distillery for tasting and some lunch.
In our neighborhood a group of guys have started a Dad's of Hollingsworth group. It was a lot of fun and I think crucial for men's health to have some time like that.
I took the kids to the Children's Museum and Upcountry History Museum for a fun and hopefully educational day while Johanna was away celebrating her and her friend's 40th birthdays together.
Jackson did acolyte training at church and then did it for the first time at the first early morning service Open Hearts UMC has done. He did a fantastic job!
Grandma took the kids to the beach for a week and Johanna and I were able to catch up on some work, clean out school papers, and get some much needed breathing time together.
August 11st, the first day of school, was here before we knew it. There we were unable to believe we now have a 3rd grader and a 4Ker. Time is flying and they are growing so, so fast.
Jackson had a pool party for his 8th birthday. It was cute seeing all of his friends come, they all love his so much and he's such the life of the party. I hope he always remains such a good friend and well liked.
Those two events seem to be good starting and ending points to our "summer" adventures. The span between Carolina Cup/Ben's birthday and Jackson's birthday has thus far proven to be an incredibly busy but also very fulfilling time of the year. We get time with them to see them grow and develop. I know they don't realize it, but as a kid you only get 15 summers to be a kid.
I'll try to add pictures later, but this was plenty remembering the highlights, there was plenty more to add, but I had to cut it down.
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