The Travelers Are Home

My parents and Wes and Rachel took a trip to Arizona this past week to visit my brother and sister in law, see one of their granddaughters and her family, and got to visit with my nephew who drove in from California.

My niece Jill is a manager of a very busy, very profitable Starbucks. She treated them to drinks, and took time off work to spend with them.

Robert and Paula (my bro and sis in law) took them to some very beautiful places in Arizona.

Rachel sent me the photos below of the White Tank Mountains that are near to where Robert and Paula live. Monsoon season has been good and everything was beautiful.

They have an inground pool and the family enjoyed it together.

Rachel and Wes took one day to drive up to the Grand Canyon. I was there many years ago now, but I remember how awesome it is.

They had a great trip! I'm so glad they had this time with family. Thanks to Wes and Rachel for going along and helping them be able to do the travel required of the trip. 

We were their taxi service to the airport and back home, and they got in early this morning. It's about an hour and a half to the airport, and when I climbed into bed this morning it was 3:30 am. 

My dad gets his new hearing aids at the VA in Lebanon this afternoon, so I'll take him to that appointment. We'll be doing school today too, and I think I'll be getting to bed a bit early tonight.

Friday, Tim and I will be on our own road trip to visit our daughter and family! Can't wait!

So Many Last Minute Things To Do

We really are prepared, mostly.

We leave tomorrow for California (Rachel, Sarah, and I) and today I have a few errands to run.

I need to go to the store that carries Lily's Chocolate Bars.  I NEED some for my trip.  I don't always buy them here at home, I can make treats, etc, but when your traveling and you need a little something, its nice to know you have something on hand that you know you like.  Especially on the plane.

I forgot to buy coffee beans the other day at Aldi - Gasp!  My poor man cannot be left home without his coffee!

I'm headed to the bank, also, and I need to go to a local tire place and have one of my van tires replaced.  Ugh.  Kay is taking us to the airport and we don't want to risk a flat for her and the girls.

So not a frantic day, just some stuff, and packing.

I don't know if I'll get the chance to post while I'm in California, but I will be posting on Instagram and FB so go follow me there and you can keep up with our trip!

Home, With Some Thoughts On Family, Traffic, and Advent

There were many emotions in play this last week.

Tim's mom is 95 years old and has a form of dementia.  She has always had a servants heart, and is easy to be around.  She never 'needs' anything.  A born extrovert/sanguine personality, she loves having us and our busy family around.


It was hard to leave her, since we know that at her age and with her having had several mini strokes, this could be the last time that we see her here on earth.

But we have hope - the knowing - that she, as a child of God, will be with the Lord in an instant, when He calls her home.  There is great peace in that knowledge.

When you are on a trip with a lot of people and staying together, and having other family and friends join you during the week, the opportunity to annoy one another is great!  

But you know what?  Life is messy, but real love keeps diving in to forgive, and care, and forgive some more.  We all need that at all times.

I am thankful that my parents and Nate and Kay and the girls were able to go with us on this trip.  It was one for the memory bank.  Time with four generations, cousins, friends who are family.

I'm grateful.

We hit some crazy traffic today.  It made people tense, it made a long day, longer.  But as we drove the last 45 minutes home, we listened to Chris Tomlin's Christmas album "Adore" and we sang along.  And in the dark car driving along the back roads, I heard the voices of my children and my granddaughter singing along, and praising God for His unspeakable gift to us, and I rejoiced.

All of the stress of the trip and the traffic, just melted away.

In this season of Advent - remembering His coming - I am glad to orient my heart on Him.

Headed Home

We are on our way home now.  Long day, but we are tucked into a nice hotel for the night, and are able to relax.

Here are some photos of our Thanksgiving and Friday.

After lunch we went to Blue Springs State Park to see the Manatees.

Then a trip to Disney Springs and the Lego store.

These were living statues.

Friday the ladies went to Mt. Dora for tea at the Windsor Rose Tea Room.

We also went to a mexican restaurant for dinner and then Tim's mom left to go stay at his sisters house, since we were leaving early this morning.

Grammy got special Klaire snuggles.

We'll be home tomorrow.  I am grateful for the time we had, but I am ready to be home.

We didn't have wifi very often while we were gone, but I have tried to keep up with you all.  I am so thankful for each one of you, and your visits here with me and your friendships.

A Day At Kennedy Space Center

Many of us in our family have an interest in space and in the missions into space, so heading to the Kennedy Space Center was top on our list of things to do on this trip.

Years ago when we lived in Florida and also came down once a year, we took the older kids to the space center quite a lot.  In those days it was free to get in (and they have an awesome educational building), you only paid to take a bus tour.

Now they've added a lot and changed things so that there is an admission fee but you get to do so many awesome things.

 We took a bus tour (its now included in the entry fee) and saw the Vehicle Assembly Building, some launch pads, the crawlers that move rockets out to the launch pads.

We also saw the buildings occupied by SpaceX which is owned by Elon Musk, of Paypal and Tesla Motors fame.  SpaceX has leased this building and the launch pad for 20 years.  

The highlight of the tour though, is the Apollo/Saturn 5 center.  The Saturn 5 rockets (and this is a real one) were the rockets that propelled the Apollo missions into space.  If there had been an Apollo 18 this rocket would have been the one used.

 In the 60's my dad worked for an aerospace company that made spacesuits, and my dad remembers the astronauts coming for testing.  They would put them in the suits and evacuate the oxygen from the room and while they were using the oxygen in the suit they'd have the run on treadmills, and vary the oxygen levels to see how well they could do!

 Here is the suit that company made.

 Back at the visitors center we saw this huge orb with the constellations on it that moves by water.

At the Atlantis complex we saw the real shuttle Atlantis (this is the underside) and Tim, my dad and kids, went on a launch simulator.

Grammy came along and we were thankful for her wheelchair.  When we got home at 8:00pm she went straight to bed!

I thought this Christmas tree in the rocket garden was pretty.

And this was a pretty sunset on the way home.  I think the thing that looks like a cloud is a palm tree.  We were driving when I took the photo.

We are doing a beach day tomorrow.  

Enjoying Sunshine And Blue Skies

 The campus at Emma and Vinnie's school is so beautiful.  We arrived on Friday evening and spent a great day with them on Saturday.

Falls Park is a beautiful place right in the middle of downton Greenville.  

Tim took Kyle and Kamryn exploring on the rocks

In the afternoon some of the family played volleyball and I was 'forced' to hold a sleeping Isla.  I loved every minute of it!

Kyle is an experienced uncle and loves holding his nieces.

 Went to a local place for dinner and got a great visit in with our dear friend Nick.  He goes to our church, and is now attending the same school as Emma and Vinnie!  He calls my parents Grandma and Grandpa.  We love him and his heart for the Lord.

We left yesterday morning for Florida.  Said goodbye to my sweet girl.  It's such a blessing to see your kids grow and walk with the Lord and be happy in their own families.

We arrived in Florida last night and are now spending time with this sweet lady, Tim's momma, Jean.

Vacation Prep

We have our last co-op day, for this semester, today and tomorrow we head out to see our kids in South Carolina, then down to Florida for Thanksgiving with Tim's mom.

I have not packed yet, and I have some things I want to tidy up so our great housesitters don't have to deal with my 'stuff', but by tomorrow morning, I'll be ready to hit the road!

We have quite a crew going.  My parents and Nate, Kay and the girls are coming along.

We have a lot of fun planned, including the beach and Kennedy Space Center.

I'll post from Florida.  It looks like the weather is going to be great this coming week, but we've had lovely weather here, too.

Have a great day!