We arrived home from our vacation to be mentioned later to find that Deb PASSED HER EXAM and has become a sports certified specialist in physical therapy! She is still having a hard time believing it, but I think once is sinks in, she will realize what an accomplishment it is and that she never has to take a test again!
June was a good month where we were fortunate enough to go to a destination wedding in Vieques (island off of Puerto Rico). We were invited there by Brandon and Diane and we enjoyed great weather, awesome food and a wonderful time with our friends. The festivities started off with a tour of the bioluminescent bay. This was an once-in-a-lifetime experience as we were able to “glow” in the dark. There are small single-cell organisms in the water that when they bump into each other they create light. As you move through the water, you essentially create light. The following day, we all went to a deserted beach (which all the beaches pretty much are) and hung out in the waves and had some beers with everyone that had come to the island for the wedding. For the wedding, we found ourselves once again on a beautiful beach as they got married. The dinner and reception followed at the lighthouse where we started the party and it ended at a local bar with all of us singing karaoke!
June was a good month where we were fortunate enough to go to a destination wedding in Vieques (island off of Puerto Rico). We were invited there by Brandon and Diane and we enjoyed great weather, awesome food and a wonderful time with our friends. The festivities started off with a tour of the bioluminescent bay. This was an once-in-a-lifetime experience as we were able to “glow” in the dark. There are small single-cell organisms in the water that when they bump into each other they create light. As you move through the water, you essentially create light. The following day, we all went to a deserted beach (which all the beaches pretty much are) and hung out in the waves and had some beers with everyone that had come to the island for the wedding. For the wedding, we found ourselves once again on a beautiful beach as they got married. The dinner and reception followed at the lighthouse where we started the party and it ended at a local bar with all of us singing karaoke! 
Tom, Debbie and I sang Country Roads toward the end of the night. It was a good trip, but we were happy to come home as we had a few issues with our house getting broken into and having my cell phone and Deb’s running shoes stolen. Although our house may have had a few issues, we will always be amazed by the view and the huge iguana (Milton) that lived there and enjoyed spending some time by the pool. Nevertheless, we had a great vacation on this island!Earlier in the month, Dad was released from the hospital and has spent the month recovering and gaining strength. He seems to be feeling and sounding better, and hopefully he continues down that road in July. He is scheduled for another transplant starting on August 12th. A second transplant is part of the process and we will have a better idea of how he is doing vs. the cancer after the next transplant. The “Carroll Christmas Party” was held on Father’s day this year. The family has gotten so big, that having it at a park in the summer seems to make more sense for a family of this size! We enjoyed a water balloon toss for the kids (and I had to participate due to an odd number of kids), played some corn-hole, and played at the park. Mostly everyone was able to make it and the weather turned out great.
Deb’s Aunt Sis has been doing really well and is scheduled to stay with Aunt Wiz for a few weeks before moving to a condo in Bluefield. We are excited to hear how well she is doing and Deb may head out to visit her in Sept. along with a visit to everyone else in WV.
We learned that Julie is searching for a new job, something that is very challenging in today’s economy. Her company is shutting down its Charleston office in August. Even with this news, she has decided to get a Master’s degree (from WVU!!!!) in marketing which should make her even more of an asset to a new company.
I was able to go to Brandon’s bachelor party in early June. We went down to 
IU for night of partying and then enjoyed some time on a boat on Saturday. We were off to watch the Cubs vs. Reds on Sunday and ran into a strong showing of alumni for Marshall University. Now, I’ve never proclaimed myself as a smart individual, but I was able to get this picture with a new friend of mine! I don’t think Deb was particularly excited about this since Marshall and WV are pretty strong rivals!
