SC to Seattle...

Friday was pretty much a full day traveling back to Seattle.

I was up at 3am, our flight from Greenville was supposed to leave at 5:50am, but when we got to the airport... it had been delayed to 12:30pm. Which goofed up the entire rest of the connections.

So after waiting in really long lines with people that had been stranded over night... we began making changes to our reservations in an attempt not to get stuck in the mid-west for Christmas.

It was a very long tedious process, but finally we found a way out and connections that might get us back to Seattle in one day.... but it meant we would have to drive to Charolette NC to catch the first flight.

Luckily Mom's 1st cousin, Wilma came to give us hugs, and see us off at the airport... and was willing to drive us to Charolette! It is about 1 1/2 hours from Greenville.

We made in time, and it took almost the entire 2 hours to get through the lines and security because someone thought we would be good candidates for "special searching"... which means they pat you down and go through everything in your bags thoroughly and completely!

Not a big deal, just slows you down a little.

The decorations in the airports were beautiful!

I loved the trees in Seattle and they even had a snow machine dropping snow down on them continuously... it was a beautiful awesome sight! Even though we were excited and running to meet my sister outside... I had to stop and take a picture even though it doesn't really do it justice.

After I arrived at my parents, I got an update from my Dad on all the current weather conditions and storms coming through... and it looked like a doosey was going to hit on Saturday and Sunday on the mountain passes. So my strong silent mysterious man packed up the car and the dogs and the teenager, and decided to drive at night, and instead of leaving in the morning... in hopes to get through before these storms that we being predicted.

Needless to say, with my entire life packed up in a car driving over two snow covered mountain passes... I did not sleep very well. I finally called them at 5am this morning and it was a great relief to hear their voices and know they were safe and in Yakima... just one more pass to get through and they could do that one in the daylight... much easier.

I can't wait until they get here... I am so excited!!

Brotherly Love...

Today, I was so excited my big brother was going to take me riding!
But at this point, I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into... "hiking my leg up over my head to where"?

Okay, now I needed some really clear instructions... stopping and turning... pretty important, pay attention!
I know, don't get too cocky... but this was pretty fun.
Especially since I started out in a circle... Miss Gracie and I had that down, no problem.
I would have almost ventured to call us buddies even.

I just need a cute pink cowboy hat with lots of bling and I am all set!

By the end of the circles I was ready for the big pasture! It was all good, a beautiful day, nice weather, Gracie just tucked in behind Callie and we rode off into the sunset.

Until we were headed back to the barn!
She got in a big ol' hurry to get back to the barn and as I was white knuckling the reigns holding on for my life... my big brother yells out from behind me "she'll only go as far as the barn door, and then she'll stop"!
That was comforting... deep down I knew if I was in any trouble, he would have been riding up along beside my like a knight in shinning armor. However, it did make me realize in the blink of an eye, that Miss Gracie was in control the entire time... not me!
This was her fun outing, and I was just along for the ride.
But I did appreciate all the laps around the arena, that she allowed me feel like a princess cowgirl!

Happy Birthday ~ Mama...

HAPPY 93rd BIRTHDAY MAMA!!!

Today is Mama's birthday. She had flowers delivered from Mary Angela and Frank!

Beautiful Tulips!!!

Sadly, she had to go see the doctor on her birthday... that is a bummer, even if you don't remember it is your birthday.

But the good news is she is in perfect physical health!

But this week, she has had a really hard time and realizes she can't remember anything. Which is causing her to be fretful and worried about what she has forgotten.

So when we finished at the doctor, we took her back to where she lives just in time to get her back into her regular routine for lunch.

Mom is the best at making your birthday really special just for you... and coconut cake is Mama's favorite! But we decided to not do the big birthday celebration, since it was causing her to be very unhappy everytime someone wished her a happy birthday.

I know she doesn't realize a lot, and this is just a necessary time and season in her life. I know we are given these trials in our lives for a reason, and I just hope I am learning what I am supposed to be learning through it all.

Big brother Jim has been an angel from heaven, and so patient and kind with her. And so far he is the only one she hasn't "dismissed"!

(You have never been dismissed, until you have been dismissed by Miss Shirley!)

Happy Birthday Mama! I pray you will get better and be happier in the days ahead.

On the home front...

I am not sure what is happening with my teenager at home... the boys both tell me all is well... but I can only get maybe 3 words out of the teenager when I call. "Yep, Fine and Good"!

The other day I asked him if he missed me, or if it was just easier without me?

He was silent. I told him he could tell me the truth... he finally admitted it was easier, that he was only in half the trouble he got in when I was home.

That will teach me!

Yesterday, with only 2 days left of school, I figured it was safe to ask how school was going and I got one of the canned words, and then he had to go... he was working on his homework! What? Homework, he never does homework... and on the 2nd to the last day of school before break? Red flag, red flag, red flag!!! Or maybe he just didn't want to talk to me... I am getting a complex, I think I will quit calling him :(

So I get all my information from my strong silent mysterious man... which starts with all the room he still DOESN'T have in the bed. Apparently the dogs have taken over my half comfortably... and then some.

And he informs me that I missed a milestone with the teenager... he can now jump and touch the rim on the basketball court! He was thrilled with that.

Now, you would think at 6'2'" he would have been doing that a long time ago, but my man informs me that just because you are tall, doesn't mean you can jump! Too funny, the kid always did have lead in his feet.

So everything seems to be good on the home front, I may never really know!

(I am okay with that, but I sure do miss them)

Sisterly Love...

I love my big brother so much!
I hadn't forgotten that I miss him terribly, rather I think I tucked those thoughts away!
But being with him, is making me realize how much I really miss him being part of my daily life!

I am trying not to smother him, he is very independent. I am trying not to move things around in the house or do a bunch of things he really doesn't want or need done.

But because I am suddenly without my boys, I think I may be filling in the gap with him.

On the way home from the airport he picked us up in the big town car he keeps to take Mama to the Dr. and such... and I noticed the gas gauge was on empty... really empty from where I sat! (but my strong silent mysterious man reminds me all the time, that is a skewed view).

Later at the house we were talking and he was standing by a ceiling fan which was spinning precariously close to his head... and the 3rd time he swayed back and forth and the fan appeared to be seconds from clipping the side of his head... I told him to watch his head! I got a look, and he reminded me he had lived there for years now and knew how to navigate through the house.

A couple of days later when I was on the phone with him and he was bringing the town car over to where we were meeting, I gently reminded him the car needed gas. All I hear is laughing on the other end of the phone... and then he reminds me he doesn't need another mother!!! Wow! Even trying I had stepped on his toes!!!

Instincts I guess! But it made me realize I will have to let my teenager fall on his face a little bit more than I do now, when I get back home; or at least get hit in the head by the fan and run out of gas once in a while!!

I found out my brother didn't have his DVD player hooked up... I asked to make sure it was working and that he actually wanted it hooked up before I began my quest to get it fixed up for him (after all it was obvious he didn't need it hooked up as he had been without one for who knows how long), and he told me he had it all connected at one point running the tv through the stereo etc. but had given up after hours trying to get it reconnected... "good luck"!

Well my determination and perseverance mode kicked in and even though this wasn't really my forte... I call on my teenager to do this stuff now; I was going to do this for my big brother... it was beginning to feel like my sisterly duty!

After a few hours the first day... I was beginning to understand why he didn't watch many dvd's.
But I couldn't give up... I would sleep on it, and the next day I was sure to be successful!
Sure enough (I can't believe I just wrote that... I think I am getting a southern accent already) I had success the second day!
I was really doing a dance... but what it really meant, was I had no excuse to not do the exercise dvd I brought with me... ugggg!

Yesterday, I was really feeling like I wanted to do something else for my big brother... hooking up the dvd player was such a great feeling, but he was so used to not having it, was it really a gift?

So I decided to make him some chocolate chip cookies. That would be appropriate in every way.
I knew he wouldn't have flour or sugar, that was a given... but since the last time my sister was visiting there might have been some baking supplies. Yep, there was some baking soda and vanilla... cool.

So I began my quest for my next sisterly duty... I couldn't find a mixer (later found it hiding in a cupboard I was sure I had checked).
It was all good, I could mix it by hand... I was sure my Mama had mixed many things in this kitchen by hand before mixers came along. It was my moment to bond with those thoughts.

But when I got to the ingredients that I had seen in the cupboard... the salt was in chunks, so I had to grate it.
I never thought I would use this tool to make cookies.

And the vanilla, well it was actually empty.
But I found some other extracts butter and coconut and used half of each of them... maybe he wouldn't notice.
And hopefully all the cookies will be gone before he reads this entry.

I won't even go into all the issues I had with the oven temperature... let's just say those ceiling fans came in handy while trying to get all the smoke out of the house before he came home.

Oh well, it was the thought that counts right?

It was my attempt at sisterly love....
I think it might have worked, he told me last night,
he might be able to take a half a day from work today
and we can go horse back riding! Wahoo!!!
(that was so worth grinding my knuckles down trying to grate a salt brick... I think!!!)

Where Jim plays all day...

Brother Jim took me around at his job and showed me some of the equipment they use to work with concrete.


Mostly the cutting equipment was really interesting...

The blades looked like they could cut through anything... including your left leg.

He runs the maintenance shop, but he has even designed some equipment to help make their work easier and more productive.
He had such a mind for this stuff... he can watch a job performed one time, vision a better way to do it, and then produce the tool to make it happen. I can't imagine how the owner wouldn't love him to pieces... that would be invaluable!


Okay, this was just the cutest little forklift I have ever seen!

Royce and Summer... Katie too!

More visits yesterday... Royce and Katie, (and Summer the dog too)
(the first 3 pictures of us didn't turn out like this because both of them are so enamoured by this dog, they kept looking down to see if she was posing for the picture, that doesn't sound familiar at all, I have no idea what that would be like).
I have never seen anyone so in love, than Summer is with Royce and he with her! (hence the title Royce and Summer, and Katie too... he he he)


Although he is pretty proud of his new truck!

And I hear Summer is the only one who gets to eat in it!

I have memories of Royce from before I had memories... he is much more family than he is a friend. He looks great, and they both seem to be happy and doing really well. They live in Georgia and drove down to get some things touched up on his new truck and come see me!

As we work on our list of visits, we have gotten to some, but my Mom knows just about someone in every town between here and Georgia... so according to my calculations, it would take me 4 more pant sizes (the south is not very good on my waistline) to stay long enough to visit everyone she wants to see.

The only logical solution is to invite them all to Mama's birthday tomorrow and see them all at one time!
Mama would not know she didn't know them, and would think the entire State of SC had come for her birthday!
I am teasing my Mom of course... but in reality it is the only solution... he he he.

Bald Peanuts...

Boiled Peanuts!

Hot out of the kettle!
My SIL came to the south with my brother one year and we talked about finding boiled peanuts for days... when we finally found some, she read the sign and realized they were not "bald peanuts" like they sound when you say it with a southern drawl, but boiled peanuts.

She was even less impressed with the fact that they were soggy and salty... I guess it is an acquired taste. They are kind of the texture of baked potatoes inside when you break them open, but sucking the salt peanut juice out of the shell just before it runs down your arm is my favorite part.

My teenager being an almost exact mix between me and the strong silent mysterious man, will eat grits, but not boiled peanuts. It's all good, more for me!

Mama...

Me and Mama!

An Answered Prayer...

We went to visit my Aunt Carolyn (my Dad's sister) and her husband Jim.
She is such a good story teller, better than the best of story tellers.
Most of the time she is repeating tales about cats in her past, present or future in some way or another.
She has saved, rescued, nursed, adopted, and loved more cats than I can even remember.
The really funny thing about it, is that she is allergic to them! Yep, a glutton for punishment.
But the biggest heart you will ever know. She told us while we were visiting that Tessy cat was just an extension of her heart, and would say "there goes my heart, walking on four legs covered in black fur... if she ever dies it will just kill me". I was thinking to myself, I had heard that about a few other cats in her past, and since they really don't have nine lives... (shhhhh, don't tell her) I have to assume, she will survive through this one too. No matter how hard it will seem at the time.

When I told the teenager I was going to see her... he refers to her through a super hilarious story she once told him about a game she was playing at the time making up the bed with one of her cats. And he says "booger under the covers, that Aunt Carolyn"? Yes, that is the one! She would be refereed to as "the cat lady" except she doesn't live like one, other than all the cats. She is impeccably clean... I tried to get all her secrets while I was there about how she gets rid of the cat fur. Because as I knelt on the floor I tried to find some proof that she actually had all those cats living with her... and never found one stand of fur! Anywhere... she just says she vacuums allot, but it has to be way more than allot, because I vacuum allot to get my dog hair up, and you can find evidence any time day or night at my house.

Aunt Carolyns newest story while we were visiting, was about her recent trip to Myrtle Beach!
She went with a girlfriend, and of all the many beaches she had been to on the east coast she always found shark teeth on her walks on the beach... but never one on Myrtle Beach yet.

So as the tide began to come in, they decided to take one last walk on the beach and her friend went off one way and she stood and watched the water come up to about her ankles and decided to give one last plea and prayed to the Lord that she would find "just one shark tooth before she went home.... pleeeeeeeese just one" She pleaded.

Then she opened her eyes and looked down to find this!
"THANK YOU LORD" She yelled out loud!

"An Answered Prayer"
September 2008
Myrtle Beach, SC

The weekend in Simpsonville...

Last night we went to dinner with my brother (half brother, we have the same Dad and different Mom's).

It is always amazing and weird that even though we weren't raised in the same house, how many simular traits we have in common.
We are able to laugh about them together now... it is such a blessing to have him in my life!

Mark has a huge heart and is an amazing wonderful Dad to my neice and nephew!
They are such cuties and growing up so fast!

Another great blessing about having Mark in my life, is his wife.
She has two boys and they have done such a great job melding their family together.
It was a fun night to be with them!

Mom and I got up and went to church this morning, even though we are beginning to feel the jet lag now and wanted to stay in bed. We were both really happy we went. It was very uplifting and edifying for sure!