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Another 12 hours down the road and we arrived in Arizona to spend a few days with Paul. A few days to relax and veg out before we start the last leg of our trip, a 14 hour drive to Fresno. Once we get home we will be busy unpacking boxes, arranging and organizing our house... so having the veg out time now is a blessing... after 36 days of visiting with everyone and driving all across the country...and besides that... it's just fun to be with Paul for a few days during his training! |
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Another great visit with another great family! We so enjoyed our time with the Miracles in San Antonio! The kids paired off straight away by birth order- just like the old days.
Addi and Moriah were instantly back into the best friend mode of their youth (they were the bestest friends when they were three years old!) I started scrapbooking with Laurie years ago-- so all six of the kiddos are uber trained for pictures and we grabbed some fun ones.
We spent our time playing games, relaxing, shopping, floating on the river, watching movies and just catching up. |
Sissy & Momo- forever friends
Watching the Kit movie
Posers!
Such fun.|
We left B'ham Alabama yesterday morning bright and early and arrived in San Antonio late last night.... What a long drive that was. We listened to two books on tape, the kids watched a movie, we chatted on the phone some, listened to some tunes, chatted and watched the road pass by. It was fun to drive back into San Antonio... we have had three addresses in San Antonio and with all those combined, we have lived here the longest. We enjoyed our catch up with our friends, the Miracles, last night. We are going to have two full days here before we do the next long haul to Arizona.
In B'ham we had the pleasure of catching up with Marine and the crew (sans Sam), our friends from Uzbekistan. We packed a lot into our few hours together- hanging out at their place, a picnic in the park and the arvo at the science museum. When we said our goodbyes we headed back to Rhonda's for the night. (I'll get some pictures of our last day together from her later) It was fun to see the girls again - twice in a fortnight! (What a blessing.) We had a nice evening - making smores by the fire pit, treating Dylan's poison oak (what fun that was) and just being together.
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Hello all We are back in Alabama at Julie's. We arrived late last evening after our visits with Beth, Shannon and Missy. I have the write-ups all written out and saved but don't have the time to upload pictures right now. So I'll post those when we get home next week. We are heading to B'ham today to catch up with a friend from Uzbekistan, Marnie, and a quick overnight at Rhonda's. Tomorrow we will do the long road trip to San Antonio to catch up with the Miracles. After that one we will drive on to visit with Paul for the weekend in Arizonia. |
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A short drive found us in the driveway of our dear friends the Christys. Missy was outside waiting to say hello. It's always fun to catch up-- and it never feels like it has been any time between visits. Forever friends are great that way --- Well, their little spot of Virginia is so green and lush and really just delightful. We spent two days on the lake towing the kids behind the boat, chatting, playing games, playing music, going to church and really just enjoyed the time to be together. Missy is another friend from our time in Alabama and their two oldest daughters (Elizabeth and Rachel) have grown into delightful young ladies that we all really enjoyed! The two youngers are so cute and just fun to be around ... Addison and Rebekah hit it off well & she was such a cutie not wanting us to have to leave ... little Hannah (oops, i mean JUST Hannah) is such a little beauty with all the cuteness of a three year old. Our last night we had a fellowship time with entertainment provided by the kiddos- singing, playing piano, violin, reciting verses, acting out a story ... it was fun to just be there and watching all of the gifts each of the children possess-- what blessings. (For those that don't know her, Missy is the one from my "Missy milk story" )
(For some reason I was so busy chatting it up with Missy that I didn't make the kiddos pose for a lot of pictures, which I now regret... I did mean to take a group shot of them all together before we left! Looks like we will just HAVE to stop back by for another visit sometime!) |
Heading out on the lake.
Rae & Addi
Rebekah & Lizzy
David & Hannah
Dyl & Rebekah playing... a game
The rest of 'em playing Mexican trains
Missy making her fruit salad
Enjoying some live music.|
A drive through Georgia, South Carolina, and half of North Carolina brought us to Raleigh. What a cute town, I loved the old houses, the tree lined streets, the narrow roads, the feel of the city, this just might make our short list of retirement places. (We'll see what Shannon says after her six month stay.) On Sunday night our good friends the Garners landed from Uzbekistan and early Tuesday afternoon we landed on their doorstep. What a blessing it was to be able to catch up with Shannon, Glen, Lynsie, Lauren, and Morgan! We filled the next few days, catching up, hanging out, exploring a children's museum, we went on a walk-about at a nature park, and a fireworks show. They brought along the DVD from the last school play from Tashkent and it was great to see all of our friends that were still there. The children's museum was small but packed full of great stuff. The game area with the oversized games, the dressup area, the nautical section (where Devon taught one of the workers how to tie a few knots), the building area complete with giant Legos and Kapla blocks. Shannon's mom called to tell us about the museum and said "I don't want Donna's boys to be bored" As you can see from the piccies, they were fine. Ü
Plans are in the works for our R&R 2009 to be family catch ups! |
A game of chess Dyl?
Glen putting the last layers on Dylan's giant lego tower trap.
Dev was loving these blocks.
A great spot for a walk-about
The gang
Waiting for the fireworks to begin|
Our next stop after saying goodbye to Julie & fam was an overnight with Beth, just south of Atlanta. Her oldest, Brooke, and baby Clara came over and stayed the night to visit with us. SO sweet! We missed a catch up with the rest of the family but it was great to see Beth ( as usual- Beth is so fun and full of fabby ideas!) & Brooke as a Mama ... and what a cutie Miss Clara is!!!
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Brooke & Baby Claira
Devon, Beth & grandbaby
How cute is she?!|
When we were in church with Rhonda, last Wednesday evening, her pastor said a quote that has just stuck with me. I can't recall right now who said it and the wording might not be exactly right ... He was preaching about obeying the Holy Spirit- listening to that small voice and acting on it! (This goes along with that “milk” lesson that I learned with Missy Christy way back in '93.) …This is the gist of it: Regret for the things that you do wrong lessens over time. Regret for the things that you don't do can be indescribable. Or something like that. I loved that! And how true is it? If we do something and it doesn't turn out the way we hoped, we fail, are embarrassed by it, muss it up good -- those things fade away from our memory over time ( thank heaven) But those things that we are too afraid to even try--- those are the things that we never know--- what if I had only.... Lord, let me live my life with faith in you in all things not fear of how things will turn out! Faith, not fear. ~Of course, I have also been thinking it is a great motto for all things-- you know... to road trip or not to road trip, explore it or forget it, make up some crazy reason for a group of moms and all the littlies to come on over, try this whacky thing … or that – I don't want to miss anything that He has for us ... and if we have to eat some odd things along the way (horse or vegemite).... this memory will fade. (Giggle) I'll have to sus it out and see who said it when I get home. |
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Last night we went to a drive-in movie here in Anniston with Julie and all the rest of the fam! I was SO excited when Julie mentioned that there was one here-- Addison has never been to a drive in and the boys hadn't been to one in ages. I had actually looked for one near us in CA and was disappointed to not find one. SO it was a HUGE bonus for me! (I am really so easily amused! giggle giggle) When I told the kids we were heading out to a drive in Addison said, " like on Happy Days? Cool!" ~Grin Yesterday morning we piled into Julie's van and did a drive by of all the old Anniston spots. My how it has grown! This morning we went to church and I just about cried for missing the whole down south Southern Baptist thang! AL has such a special spot in my heart. And .... I have not found it to be humid here at all~ Paul was just being a huge whinger
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(Julie thought so too after she read the previous entry about Paul and the humidity- evil grin )
the view from Julie's kitchen window
All six of them
the boys on the dance mats
Playing Uno
Dyl on the horse
Puzzle time|
What fun we have had catching up! We just left the Gilliams in B'ham and have arrived for our time with Julie outside of Anniston. Here are a few pictures of the kids with the four Gilliam girls- playing games, watching movies, swimming and just hanging out.
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