Florida Friends Reunited

We were so sad that our Spring Break plans didn't bring us together for a yearly reunion with our "Florida friends", but we made sure to get our families together for some fun! After a trip up to see us last summer and a grand Chicago adventure, it was time for us to head to their adorable town just south of Indianapolis. We had a great time catching up with the Christoff family and seeing the town of Franklin. It was an extra special trip because it happened to fall over Memorial Day weekend when anyone and everyone near Indianapolis celebrates the infamous Indy500 race. We had a blast getting to hang out with their neighborhood friends while watching the race. By the time we left, we were already making plans to get together again sooner than later. We are so lucky to have crossed paths with this family so many years ago in Florida and treasure the friendships that we all have with one another!

Jam Packed Spring

Spring has sprung and it feels like we are busier than ever! It might not help that we've had three major trips throughout the past two months, but the craziness is worth the memories!

We loved having a quick visit from the Fiocca family at the beginning of April. Friends who become family are such a gift!

The kids have been super busy with band, activities, and sports. We have something going on just about every single evening and it feels like there is no end is sight to this busy way of life. It's been great watching them enjoy it all...trying new things and flourishing in things they've been working on for awhile.

Band is was definitely a time consuming activity this spring, but Caleb and Leah seem to really enjoy it!

Loyalty Day Parade

4H marched in the parade too

The 8th graders that stuck it out!!!

We have a great band director and he has done such a phenomenal job of keeping this program going throughout a pandemic.

Caleb gave a new sport a try....track and field. He did shotput.

It's bittersweet watching his last season of baseball.

Leah performed in her dance recital and did great!

Another season of softball for this girl...

Girls on the Run was back this year at school and Leah did a great job training to run a 5K. It was extra special because family members were allowed to come run with them at school for the final run.

This boy would spend HOURS fishing....good thing his best buddy feels the same way!

Joel rocked it during another season of soccer...he was made for this sport.

The school year came to an end and we wrapped it up with two big events....Nyla is home for the summer and Caleb is an official graduate of 8th grade!

We are 100% ready for Summer! Bring on the sunny, warm, endless days of fun :)

Disney 2022

When we went to Disney World back in 2016, we knew that we'd want to come back at some point when the kids were older. As the pandemic began to wind down and things started to return to "normal" we thought that the best way to celebrate would be to take a drip to Disney. We had hoped to plan it when Nyla was done with school for the year, but before the rush of summer crowds began. Unfortunately, Nyla didn't want to go, but we decided it was now or never if we wanted to do this before the crazy high school years begin in the Sturm home. So, we took the plunge and made the magical adventure a reality. We were lucky enough to have the Bruley family (great neighbors and friends) join us for part of our trip.

After exactly 100 days of counting down, the day was finally here!

We stayed on property at the Caribbean Beach Resort and loved it! The location was great and the resort was amazing.

Day 1 was Magic Kingdom....we were on the go from sun up to sun down (and then some)!

Day 2 was Animal Kingdom...it started with a rope drop sprint to the Avatar ride and ended with us going back (after an earlier departure from the park) to ride a few favorites one more time!

Day 3 began with some much needed sleeping in...followed by a trip to Disney Springs, relaxation/fun at our resort, and a visit to the Boardwalk area for some special ice cream treats!

Day 4 was another early morning rope drop to Hollywood Studios where we loved the new Star Wars land, conquered our fears of thrill rides (well, Joel wasn't quite sold on the Tower of Terror, but did it anyhow), and survived the crowds in an effort to do just about every ride we could.

Day 5 was a much slower paced day at Epcot and we loved getting to end our trip there!

We were definitely sad to leave, but our aching feet and tired bodies were ready to go home!