Sunday night: We started our trip with a red eye flight with a layover in Atlanta for 3 hours. Doug wondered why we were doing this? It was the only "cheap" option for us. :) We were excited but ready to sleep after an hour. Lucky Doug! He sat beside a man who was excited to meet his son who is in the marines (enjoyed talking) and in front of 2 little kids and their mom who did not care that they talked all night with the light on! Flying. It is all you remember and more!
Monday: A. Emily and Sara picked us up and we stopped at a little store A. Cindy sometimes works at. Gift shop with home made things and a quilt shop. Outside is a little smoothie stand and lookie who we found working there! My cousin Colby - He served us up with a smoothie. Good job smoothie king!
We settled our luggage at U. Bills and then off to Gma's. Was good to see her finally but she wasn't feeling that good. We had plans to take care of her the next 3 days in the afternoons. Even though she spends alot of time in her pink chair known as "pinky" I loved spending that time with her and enjoying all that personality she still has. After all she is the Queen Bee!
Eric had been waiting on us all day...Ryan and him didn't remember each other since they had been little guys at the Boone Reunion in Colorado! But they were soon big buds! Eric did a good job sharing all his toys with the kids.
Here is his dog "snickers". This was a picture by my kids and for my kids. :)
U. Bill and A. Emily let us stay with them and we had a great time. U. Bill and Lindsay went out to check on their cows. One had a new baby calf.
A. Emily here in her kitchen - we enjoyed hanging in here with her and eating her good food.
She loves birds and so I had to post a pic of her feeders right out her big kitchen window.
Tuesday: The kids could have stayed here all 3 days - but we had places to go and things to do. Lindsay still talks about going back to A. Emily's house to play.
We met A. Rhonda and the kids at their "house". They used to live in a little house here and U. Joe decided to build a bigger one to live in but it is a work in process...for several years now. It has an elevator shaft, a library, a sunroom that she will do tea parties in, it is 3 stories and I think there are around 70 + or - windows, to say the least it will be a lovely home when they get it done. Fun to hear their dreams for their home!
I went with A. Cindy to take Gma to the doctor and Doug stayed and cleaned up the carport since all the family was coming over that night. Here is Jasmine...you will see her treehouse later in this post. She is so much fun! She went along to take us to the airport and she wanted Ryan's ds game so bad...she kept poking me "Paaaaam-game". She couldn't get her mind off of it so I thought I will lean up so she can't reach me and maybe she will forget. Her mom was getting tired of trying to get her mind on something else. I felt a poke while Sara and I were talking. I turned around and here she had taken her straw out of her soda and was able to "reach me still". We had a good laugh over that one!
Sara and Denver
Little Tate looking in and he wanted to go see "Opal", Gma Great to him. Gma is looking and loving it.
Ellie Jo and Crystal on the porch. It seems yesterday I was them and they weren't even born yet!
Once again, the camera decided to not work. Through out the trip it decided to funk and I would miss out on pics. So I didn't have that many of the evening. Thanks A. Emily for organizing the evening - we knew we couldn't get to everyones house and it was great that everyone could make it.
Wednesday: We went to Jeff & Beths for lunch. Then Jeff (my cousin whom I did not get a pic of him and Beth :( ) took us to tour where he works: The Homestead Creamery! Right on Booker T Washington highway, close to Smith Mountain Lake and minutes from their house.
Brooke, Trixie and I all ready for the tour!
Chocolate milk...
Doug and I had been there before but the kids never had. Enjoying the icecream...
We took the boys back to Gmas from there and Brooke stayed with Trixie for the afternoon. Ryan, Eric, Rhys & Lindsay playing on Gma's front porch having a good 'ole time.
Spent the afternoon with Gma and A. Mimi. Chatting with A. Mimi is always a good time. She loves a good story and can tell one too. It was Little Caesar's pizza for dinner round Gmas table.
Gma was feeling pretty good here and I love having this pic of her. Her stomach tends to hurt much through the day and so having her up to the table eating with us was a treat.
We left Gma's and stopped in Ben & Kim's house. They are in their new house and so it was fun to see the work they are doing on it. We also got to see their wedding video. This seemed post worthy: it rained at the end of their outside wedding by the creek and they left in a canoe! Hows that for fun and adventure on your wedding day!
Thursday: We drove to Melvin & Sara's house to spend a little time there. Jasmine showed us her tree house which is "AWESOME". My kids were raring and ready to build one as soon as we got home.
We dropped off Gma's car and said good-byes. Gma was soo sad to see us go and so the tears flowed! A. Cindy had some things for the kids. She made Brooke a "potato chip purse" (the pattern was named that since you can't have just one) and Lindsay a "tulip purse". Thanks A. Cindy - the girls love them!
Sara picked us up and we drove to Roanoke to meet Melvin for lunch and then she dropped us off at the airport. Thanks for the ride Sara!
Another round of paying for luggage fees. For once we had 5 paid tickets but we did not want to pay for 5 suitcases! I packed light as possible and we wheeled 2 carry ons which we never do. Doug likes to fly light but even he saw that it would be better to take on as much as we could since we had 3 legs in this trip to pay for!
We are off to Ohio and tomorrow we drive to...Kentucky and Indiana. Check out the next post to see our visit to The Creation Museum!
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