Fall Break - Vietnam and Philippines - September 2015

The boys opted out of this trip to Vietnam (Hanoi and Ha Long Bay) in order to travel with Young Life to Dumaguete, Philippines. I would like to say the girls missed them, but I'm positive they did NOT.
























And, while the girls positively didn't miss the boys, the boys positively didn't miss us.

The years move on - Fall 2015

Sometimes, I feel like my only accomplishment is to make it to another year mostly intact. Jeff, on the other hand, seems to always be looking to live life to the fullest, and I get to go along for the ride, which is a task I am blessed to have.









So, his latest accomplishment is training and finishing a 100K (60 miles for us Americans) race in Hong Kong, called the Oxfam Maclehose Trailwalker. The race is run/walked with a team of four and all have to finish together. Choosing the team seems to be an important step, as the team has to do this crazy race in under 48 hours, which means no sleeping until the finish line. And, Jeff found staying together is also difficult during that length of time, but it's a necessary part of the race.




The trail is grueling especially considering the thousands of people who are on the trail. In the 2015 race 4,500 people crossed the finish line, but that was only 88% of the total runners who began the race.

Jeff and his team finished the race in 27 hours (their goal was 24 hours). They only stopped for the mandatory check-ins along the trail, and two 45 minute support stops to get meals and fresh clothes. It's hard to imagine, but the winning team finished in just under 12 hours! 100K in 12 hours. They literally ran the entire time, with no support stops.



For the first support stop, three of the wives hauled ourselves out to Sai Kung to take fresh clothes, warm food, and coffee (along with the support teams of thousands of walkers/runners). We also brought out the nasty clothes, dirty dishes, and disgusting shoes. It was complete chaos, but it's a necessary step 99% of the participants.



This was NOT at the finish line. They did not come home 27 hours later looking this fresh.

Summer - part 2 - July 2015

And,  part 2 it began with this. As soon as the boys completed Philmont, Jeff boarded a plane for HK and the boys boarded a plane to California (for their two week camp at JH Ranch).

Because Ellis was only 14 and Forrest only 16, Delta wouldn't let them fly unaccompanied. They can fly Cathay and just about any other airline in Asia without their parents, and they have flown to the US without adults, but they can't fly within the US without an adult. So, we had to pay the ridiculous price of $150 each way to have them "accompanied" from check-in to gate. I think they were somewhat okay with this until the red bracelets were strapped on their wrists.

So, here's the photo we got while they were on the way to Atlanta from California. Forrest was using a plastic knife that he probably had to steal because minors wouldn't be allowed these "weapons."




Forrest at the summit of Mt Shasta. He had the Hong Kong flag with him, but he said it looked too much like the Chinese flag when he held it up because the Hong Kong orchid tree flower at the center of the flag was hidden behind his back. A bit too communist-looking for his taste.


And, the girls and I were on our way to Chicago for a quick trip to American Girl (and Chick-fil-A) and then on to North Carolina and Georgia.




The day we have to stop flying these long trips outside of business class will be a sad day for the Holcombe family:(


American Girl room at the Talbot Hotel and Chick-fil-A - all is well in the world.







Once we finally arrived in North Carolina, we were met with some cleaning jobs at the cabin. Claire and I were the team, but not so very efficient.




Once the cleaning was complete, we headed to Tennessee to drop Taylor at horse camp, while Claire and I visited grandparents and cousins, specifically our newest addition, Reece.



These three photos (above and two below) didn't really happen while we were there, but the timing is somewhat right, so I snatched them from Kaley's facebook page. Thanks, Kaley:)





Horse Camp


Horse camp included a little science work. Yes, that's a cow's eye. Good thing she didn't know about this element of camp before arriving.

 





Eventually, we were all back together (except Jeff, of course) visiting friends and family.






And, learning to drive the Jeep! Notice, we made Gran do this job.






Greensboro, NC



Our oldest Greensboro friends, the Reynolds, who are now Wolf Laurel owners, too.


And, while we put 6,000 miles (yes, the number is correct) on our rental car, some people actually drove TO us! Thanks, Marvin and Betty!

























Ellis' gift from his sisters.





Back to the cabin for a few days of wide open spaces before heading home.