On the road again...

Let me begin my post with a big THANKS to my Uncle Keith for coming by my house and packing my car. Reagan would've been super proud, and I can tell you right now I wouldn't have been able to put the pieces to this puzzle together the way that you did... This was the way my car looked last Saturday as Reese, Grandma, and I headed to Ohio to begin our big three week trip away to finish up our summer. I can't BELIEVE summer is almost over.

This is Grandma... my Grandma, Reese's Great-Grandma. Her name is Florence. I like to refer to her as "G-Flo".

She came home from Ohio with us after the 4th of July and stayed for a nice long visit. She also cleaned my house from top to bottom and spoiled my baby every chance she got. Big Nanny thought she was the stuff for giving Reese Dr. Pepper and Doritos at VBS... then Grandma came. Grandma thought it'd be nice to let Mama sleep in one day, and I think for breakfast they shared a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee... Nice one, Grandma. Loved hearing that when I woke up.

Regardless of the coffee... you've gotta love my Grandma. If there were a sixth love language, my grandma has it, and I truly believe it is cleaning house. When Grandma calls and says she's coming to visit, you know it means your house will be sparkling by the time she leaves. Some people may take that as an insult, but not me... pull out the old toothbrushes- 'cause Grandma wants to shine your baseboards. I'm telling ya... this Grandma rocks.

As mighty and wonderful as her cleaning skills are, Grandma does have a little problem with getting her words mixed up. For example, she uses words like, homen-sectional, lesman, nonchalah (nonchalant), and tex-mexin' (text-messaging)... there are plenty more, trust me, but they are escaping me at the moment. We get so tickled when she mixes her words up, but don't you dare laugh at her for fear of hurting her feelings. Here's a bit of a conversation about landscaping that we had on our way home...

GFlo: I just can't believe they wanted $1600 to do that tiny little bit of mulching and planting in my front yard. I'll just pay you and your mom to do it if you're interested.

Me: Well, I don't have a clue about how to make it look, but if you get someone there that can put me to work and show me what to do, I'll be glad to help. Where do you get your ideas for what you want to plant anyway?

GFlo: Oh, Bern's comes out and they give me a diaphragm...

I am sure what she meant to say was diagram... let me just tell you though, it was all I could do to drive straight. My mind was racing with so many things I could've said... of course it was overlooked... until I got home to tell my mom and sisters anyway. Big laughs were had by all.

These folks here are my parents. I've shared with lots of people that over the past couple years my Dad has been fighting Multiple Myeloma... a type of cancer that's sort of the opposite of Leukemia. Rather than treat it by traditional means, they've been researching a more hollistic way of treatment... the last 8 weeks of which have been a complete fresh vegetable and fruit juice fast. If you could've seen my dad two years ago, you wouldn't believe how much weight he has lost and how much he has changed. The doctors say now he's the healthiest sick man they've ever met, and we're anticipating good reports from his latest bloodwork tomorrow. I'm so proud of how well he has done and how disciplined he has become. The 8 week fast was up on Saturday... if you've been drinking nothing but juices for 60 days, I'd say you'd be ready for a celebration, so celebrate we did. Burgers, chicken, salmon, and other yummy things all grilled around the pool. Mix all that in with a cake for my 8 month pregnant sister's birthday and you've got yourself a party!

Just when you thought the party couldn't be anymore fun, my niece Eden Grace suprised us all with a big announcement. "Mommy- POOPY!" Frantically we all began glancing around the pool, until we realized this not quite 2-year-old was telling us that SHE had to go. As quickly as an 8 month pregnant woman can hop, my sister quickly hopped up and got the potty chair, and little EG did her business. She was so excited, she kept squealing "Mommy- I made it, I made it Mommy!" Who would've thought 15 other people would all get to experience such a first... and all around the swimming pool. ha ha ha


As for Reese, she's having a blast with her cousin. My sister and I are big ol' nerds and love to dress our kids alike when we get 'em together... :)







Reese has now learned how to tell me to "stop it", (thanks again to Grandma for that one) and puts her hand out in front of her when she chooses to do so. So far I can't get her to do it on camera... every time I get it out she gets stage fright. Keep your eyes open for that one though.


As for Reagan, I continue to be amazed at the people they are meeting and the short stories he is able to share through his text messages. This is currently the view from his hotel room...





One story in particular that I can't wait to hear more about is the tiny, poor little village they could reach only by boat where he said foreigners had never visited before. Can you imagine the looks on the faces of those people when these incredibly tall white people pulled in on their boats?!? Please continue to pray for them as their trip finishes up over the next 3 days!