Reunited with the Pascuas

When Steve and I were stationed in Italy, we made some awesome military friends. Maria, Arthur and their daughters, April and Mae-Mae, arrived in Sicily on the same day as us to start our new lives stationed overseas. We soon met and have been close friends ever since. However it had been over 4 years since we last saw one another and since then both of our families expanded. Us, of course having Tyler, and they welcomed their newest member of their family, Koa Kai. So it was definitely time to get together and catch up on each others' lives. The Pascuas are stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, however they are moving to Texas in a few days. Since we are only a few hours away now, we needed to make a reunion before they moved. So Steve and I gladly drove down to see them. We met at a mall where we had lunch, shopped, and let the kids play at a playland there. I couldn't believe how much April and Mae-Mae had grown since I last saw them. When we moved from Sicily one of the hardest things was knowing that I would miss seeing them growing up. I felt so attached to them when we lived there, I was so happy to finally get the chance see my girls again. After the mall, we decided to head over to the waterfront and do some sightseeing. We ended up going to the Naval Museum where we had 20 minutes before the exhibits closed. Maria loves to take photos like I do, so we had a blast taking tons of photos of each other, some of them really silly. Maria is always so much fun to be around. Soon the museum was closed and we were getting hungry again. Maria and Arthur suggested we all eat over on the waterfront where they have some fantastic restaurants. We picked to eat at Outback and they were so kind to treat us to dinner. Maria and I sat together and we really got a chance to catch up on everything. Sadly though, it was time to go our separate ways again. We had a long drive back and it was getting late. We hope to reunite again before too long, at least not let a whole 4 years go by. Maria is one of the most caring, warm-hearted people that I know. I am so thankful that she is a good friend of mine and I know that we will remain friends forever. It was absolutely wonderful seeing her and her beautiful family once again.