unexpected and expected family reunions...

i know that i am running a bit behind in these posts documenting this past month, but bear with me! saying goodbye to erika (and in essence, HONDURAS), was not an easy feat. on the outside, it may have looked easy; not a crier, but inside, it was tearing me apart. i don't get nervous about flying, but i got that sick feeling in my stomach; not from something i had eaten, but i am pretty sure that it was from not knowing exactly when i would be back. (but yes, a repeat is in order!)

this gal- all heart!

so, the flights back were smooth, and when i reached new orleans, the game was on, so i caught pieces of it, but i was more interested in charging my phone. and while it was charging, there were some ladies there who were talking a little louder than they needed about  conference they had just been to for some gluten free wares that they sell. well, i think it was a ploy, and business trick they learned because one of them came over after a few minutes and said, "well, you've probably heard everything we were talking about, here's a catalog and my information is on the back if you want to look at it and order anything." i think she may have been trying to show off her new tactic she'd just learned at their sales conference. i just smiled and said thank you and gave the catalog to mom when i got to SGF.

. when i got into dfw, i REALLY wanted to go to my apt really quickly to take a nap on my own bed, gather the mail, etc. but that was out of the scope of possibility. my dad was waiting for me out front of the springfield airport when i arrived, and he brought the boys-i was so excited to see them!! and their little tails were wagging, so i knew they felt the same way!

something i omitted earlier is that while i was at the hotel in san pedro sula one evening, i got a fb message from my cousin carrie, asking if i'd heard about grandpa. well, i hadn't, so she gave me the news that he had passed away. i was grateful that she let me know because i have no idea when my parents were planning to inform me. so i called my dad for the details, and that gave me a couple of days to prepare before getting back to the u.s.

once we got to mom and dad's, it was a little late, and i still had lots of laundry to do before taking off early the next morning with a revised itinerary. we were up with the sun and off for michigan for grandpa's funeral. it was pretty late when we arrived, but thanks to google maps, we made all of the correct turns until things became familiar. we stayed at my aunt's house, which holds so many happy memories from my childhood!! my cousins-diane and dana are my age and we spent a lot of time pretending, playing, laughing and exploring there!

when we arrived at the church the next morning for the funeral, my parents were right behind me, so when i looked over, i did a double-take because i saw my dad across the foyer...only it wasn't my dad, it was my uncle rick. (whenever i say that in my head, i cannot help but say it in amy poehler's voice as kaitlin...don't ask why, b/c he is nothing like that, but i love the video!) it was nice talking with him and catching up! the service was nice, and afterward, the church provided a nice little refreshment before we left for the interment. it was at this time that i got to sit with my cousin dana and catch up. time was so limited-i wish that our get togethers were for family reunions, rather than funerals (even if it was a celebration of a wonderful life!)  we needed more time together than that. i love dana for so many reasons; she is one of the most servant-hearted people that i know! she is so easy going and a natural care-giver. she was always great about getting over the grandma and grandpa's to help out with whatever they needed-it's just her nature!

my easy-gooing, nurturing cousin, dana

sadly, my brother and three of my cousins were unable to make it (because of the timing and distance). fortunately i was going to be seeing my brother and carrie, so the only two i didn't get to see were diane and dinnie. i would have enjoyed seeing both of them because it has been so long, yet i completely understand, as i was unable to make it to the funerals of my grandma and my aunt a few years back. i really do love my family and enjoy every opportunity to catch up-we probably need to have a family reunion with dad's side of the family sometime soon.

uncle rick, aunt dale marie, dad (they bear such resemblance!)

bruno and chaco had no idea what we were doing there, they were just excited about being out in the country and enjoying the yard! they were loving the running around and bouncing and rolling everywhere! the world was theirs and they were the happiest dogs ever! i thoroughly enjoyed every moment!

then i played a board game and a card game with my aunt, mom and dad. i really enjoyed the board game because it was tetris-like, but the card game? it's funny because we had just been talking about how competitive my grandma was, and as we played, i realized that my aunt must carry the same gene as grandma! well, i just hung in there and i think i was pretty much a warm body filling in to make it an even number. i wasn't much help to my partner-mom, but she's a good sport and if she's competitive at cards, i didn't notice. (we lost).

the next morning we took off again for the scheduled portion of the vacation-next stop: NASHVILLE! i was hoping to see a couple of friends there, but since we lost 3 days and had a rental, i thought it would be best to spend time with the fam since we really don't get much time with my brother and his family...when we arrived, my fears were confirmed: chaco was in rare form with andrew. he wasn't very nice; he growled and barked and he was pretty much a jerk, but andrew kept trying the entire trip to win chaco over. eventually, i think chaco warmed up to him a bit. i mean, he was still growling and barking, but to a lesser extent! if you're familiar with the boys, you know that chaco just doesn't like/trust younger kids. i don't know if it is the voice, the attitude, the size, or what, but it was somewhat amusing watching andrew try so hard.

we got to go uot with the kids- abbie and andrew- to go carts and mini golf (because 18 holes of miniature golf is not a self inflicted sacrificial torture...wait a minute..) but as long as they were happy and enjoying themselves, i could plaster a smile on my face and do my best to enjoy the moment of just hanging out with family!

need for speed!

it was at about this point that i looked down and realized that this was going to be a long game.

the big reason for this trip was, yes to see them, but especially to meet the new addition to the family! hollie gave birth do their 3rd child, and he's a cutie! he was already sitting up and talking with me about what he plans to do with his life- so advanced for a 2 week old... and when i say sitting up, it was more like laying sideways in a sitting position...and as for the talking about plans, it was more of an unintelligible garble, but what he meant was obvious, of course his thinking was purely short-term goals...cry wail, sleep, eat...repeat. a little short sighted, but you know how it is with youngsters...

we had a good visit and i got to see their house that david has been working on remodeling. it's a pretty intense endeavor. he is very detail oriented and they have lots of plans, but he is doing all of the work on his own. i don't know how in the world they are ever going to get it done-don't hear me wrong on that, i am so proud of him and the workmanship that he has done, it is so detailed and he is really good at what he does- very meticulous!

so much done, so much to do to get it the way they want it!

adding the wains-coating, built-ins, etc...his finished product is pretty impressive!

and his plans are many! and so detailed!

so the visit was short, but it was great to see them, as we don't get together very often. the kids are growing up so fast! spending time with mom and dad on this trip was priceless-the older we get the less time we seem to have, but the more precious it is!

upon arriving back at mom and dad's we had a couple of  days to kill before i would take off again, so i put my time to good use, and got in a little shooting out back- my dad is great about always preparing a new target for me! i need to look for a closer range when i get back to dallas! (oh how i wish i lived out in the country!)

perhaps the setting is the best part!

 next post FF to wednesday's early flight! the last days of vacation!

julie