What We Learned On Summer Vacation

I asked each member if they learned anything while we were on vacation. Here is what they had to offer:

Davis
"I learned something on summer vacation. I learned dinner. " (???) Then I asked him if there was anything that was his favorite thing on vacation. He said "Um, I don't know. Maybe getting breakfast?" Okay, that's all Davis had to say on the matter.

Grace
"A Time to Bead was new. I learned if I talk back I get mouthwash. (a.k.a. hand soap in mouth) Black-eyed peas are easy to pick and blackberries have thorns on their vines." When I asked her what her favorite things were on vacation she said "I have a lot: swimming in the lake at Granny and Papaw's (then Davis piped up with 'Oh, me too, that was my favorite part!') ; playing with Ella and Vivi. Can I add that I love getting back home? I loved going out to pick with Grandad, sitting at the bar at Grandmama's. (then Davis piped up with 'My favorite part at Granny and Papaw's was getting cookies' to which Grace said 'Me, too!') It was fun having sleepovers, too! Oh, I also liked going to Lauren's wedding and Grandad's family reunion."

Jasen

• 41 days away from your family isn't 15 months, but it still sucks.
• People like coffee in Seattle. No, they REALLY do!
• The Waterfront in Seattle is awesome
• Atlanta to Seattle is a long flight when all you get is peanuts and coffee
• You need to throw away your boots after walking 50+ miles in the woods
• There's no place like home
• I don't like to be gone from home for more than 10-14 days

Sara

• Even a month isn't long enough to see everyone
• LA drivers are the worst. And so are their roads
• Next time, I will take the Interstate to Augusta
• There is a GREAT tire store in Greensboro, GA
• Driving through Atlanta was not that bad. They make the 18 wheelers go around on the loop so downtown was smooth sailing.
• I knew I would love spending time with the Wades!
• Katie and Clancey will put up with a lot from their family
• Katie's in-laws ROCK!
• I love the Thomases because there is almost no drama
• I want Mark and Rissa's view!
• I could sit and listen to the Thomas family talk all day about the old days!
• I can sleep until 10 on Tommy and Pattie's Murphy bed. When I need a respite/sabbatical, I am going there!
• Old Denton Road is not the same and never will be.
• Change never stops.
• Some friendships will never end.
• Christine will go anywhere to see a friend. I am sorry it didn't work out to see each other. Next time, I promise!
  
• I am thankful for the people who help me make sure my kids' know their kids'.
• I love watching my kids play with my friends' kids.
• Windows open in 100+ degree weather will not keep a house comfy
• APS really has no authority.
• I love a country wedding.
• I hate visiting TX without my dance partner
• My kids are GREAT travellers
• There are limits to what even a Honda can take!
• I wish I were a "real" member of StoneWater
• My sisters are the best
• Family/parenting must be intentional
• Davis misses his home on day 1 of vacation
• Charleston Post and Courier won't hold your papers even when you tell them to!
• A closed up house takes 3+ hours to cool back down to comfortable
• I WILL NOT BE A HOARDER!! (Yes, you can hold me to that!)
• Mary's Chicken-Friend Steak is still the best
• I miss my Thomas grandparents and Ma very much
• Nothing beats a cold, large margarita after a day of hard work
• Check the movie listings the day you are going to go
• A month of TX eating is very, very bad for the waistline!
• 2 trips to Sam Moon is probably 2 trips too many
• Compass Trading Rocks!
• I love that my kids know Mimi and love her house as much as I once did and do!
  
• I could watch "The Hangover" again and again and again....
• I can eat almost a whole bag of mini-Chips Ahoy in one sitting without even knowing it.
• A special thank you to all the Mexican eateries that contributed to my weight gain: Anamia's, Pulido's, Mi Familia, The Jalapeno Tree, Mi Cocina, Joe T. Garcia's, Antonio's, Don Nico's, Abuelos, and everyone's favorite fast food Mexican eatery, Santa Fe.
• We are incredibly blessed to have so many people willing to: house us (the Wades, the Kilcoynes, the Thomases, MOM, the Gees, the Karneses, the Ditores, the McCalls, Angie, the Graves), feed us (see previous list AND add the Reddings, the Roberts, Great-Grandad Graham, the Cooks, DAD, Grandma, the Cravatts, Mimi, Emily, the Gillilands) and drive to see us (see all the above to some degree, and add Jamie, Jakob, Misti, Jenna, and Hudson) If I left someone out, I am sorry!
• There is no place like home with my family of four!

Thank you to everyone who made our trip home such a blast.

Now, COME TO CHARLESTON!!!

Back to SC!

Just a quick little blog to let you all know that we are back on Evening Shade Drive in Charleston! Our two day drive was uneventful, unless you count the numerous storms we drove through. We are glad to be home!!

More blogging later, I promise!

Means So Much

Hello again from my mom's living room in Stephenville, TX. I have to tell you, although this trip has been long and I definitely miss my bed and hubby, it will be very hard for me to leave. Because we have had such a long time here, we've spent a lot of time with people we normally have a short visit with. (Misti, I know I've made many a grammatical error in this post. Please forgive me!)

Case in point, the Karnes. Jen is one of my oldest friends and she's a "real" one. My Jasen and her Jason are equally fond of each other and I think are pretty good influences on each other, minus a bottle of wine here or there! Our kids, Braden, Landry, Grace, Davis, and Tripp play so well with each other, it's amazing. Usually when we come to TX, we see them once or twice, maybe for an extended afternoon or meal. I always leave TX feeling like we were short-changed as far as time with them. This time, although it's not enough, we spent quite a bit of time with the Karnes. Davis even had his first non-family sleep over at their house.

You know, I never thought I'd leave TX. My dad never thought I'd get more than 60 miles away from S'ville. Living this nomadic, Army life is still a surprise for me, even a shock to my system. You all know how much I love it and I don't think I'd trade it for the life I would have had if I had married someone who helped me stay around here. However, there are times like this prolonged visit, where I get a taste of what our life would be like: lots of visits with great- and grandparents, extended family reunions and weddings, spending time roaming around family land, visiting with old friends, etc. When people ask how long we've been in TX on this vacation, I want to smack them when they gasp. They just don't understand that #1 we haven't been home in over a year #2 even 5 weeks isn't enough to see all the people we want to see and #3 yes, we do have friends where we live, but they've known us for just a little while; our friends in TX are lifetime friends or family, which is a lifetime commitment!

Anyway, these long visits mean so much to me and the kids. Thanks for all of you who have hosted us for dinner, or let us spend the night, etc. I only wish we could have visited longer.

And Christine, I am sorry we didn't get together this time. I promise next time!

Summer Vacation -- Part Sest

There is supposed to be a thing over the top of the "s." It's Czech, you know. I've decided I will use numbers from languages of countries we have visited. I might even use some Iraqi. :)

Last Friday morning, we went to Fossil Rim with my dad. Fossil Rim is a wildlife place, where you drive through and feed the animals. The first animal we saw was an emu. When that emu came near our car on my side, the kids squeezed as far as they could on the other side! Grace even started to cry a little. That scared me that Fossil Rim might not be the best place for us! They ended up getting in the swing of things, throwing food out and laughing at the way Dad and I would let the animals eat out of our hand.

Here is Grace laughing at me feeding a zebra by hand. I didn't do that again because, apparently, they'll bite!
Grace was a little timid about feeding the animals at first.
Unless Davis stuck his whole arm out, most of his landed in the car.
This would be Grace looking at the freaky emu.Notice the emu is now at Grace's window and Grace has moved as far away as she can. That darn thing nearly scared my kids to death!

Grace gets into the hang of things with a deer.Of course, we must put our head here and have a picture made because that's what it is there for!
And Davis, too!
In the petting area with the tamer animals!
Davis finally petted a goat.


Dad fed a giraffe. Thankfully, the giraffe kept his tongue in his mouth! Their long, black tongues are more than a little freaky!
Then this deer decided to take almost the whole bag!

Summer Vacation -- Part Cinque

One of the good things about staying at Grandmama's house are all the playmates and toys around. For those of you who didn't know, my mom keeps kids in her house. I will not lie, I haven't always enjoyed it. Despite the help it provides with my kids, there were also little hellions, runny noses, early delivery of kids, etc. that really annoyed me. This summer is a different story.

With the exception of one child, I either know or are connected to all the kids who are here. Elizabeth (Boo) is the daughter of a girl I went through preschool-HS and to church with; Ella and Vivian are the daughters of a boy I went to school and a frat brother of Jasen's; I played basketball with Chandler's mom and dated a few of her dad's friends; Charleigh's dad was a frat brother of Jasen's and knows a ton of people we know; Brinley's dad was at TSU when we were and also had a crush on my friend, Emily (I think); and Boston's mom was a friend of Angie's who I have known since she was a newborn.

Grace and Ella, Case's daughter
Davis and Charleigh, Ashley and Arlen's daughter
Vivian (Case's daughter), Hailey, Chandler (Shawna and Jody's daughter)
Brinley (Reggie's daughter) and Boston (Mikah's son)It really does make a difference to know the kids who are around. It makes me want to spend a little time with them and get to know them. Besides, they are kids whose parents know us and I like for my kids to play with kids whose parents are people who have known us forever. It's a different kind of bond than we have with most of the friends we have now.

Last week, we went with my dad to visit my uncle Brad. Actually, Brad is my dad's uncle, my great-uncle. He is the younger brother of my dad's mom, Wylene and was instrumental to us moving to S'ville.

The kids and Uncle Brad
Uncle Brad and my dad shoot the bull
Uncle Brad's longtime secretary (almost 50 yrs!!!), Joanna, allowed Grace to play on her typewriter.
Uncle Brad helps Davis stuff his pockets with penny candy. Guess where that candy ended up? In the bottom of Grandmama's washer!Close to time when I was born, Dad decided he didn't want to raise his family in west Texas anymore. So he looked around for a job. He'd actually secured the job as the city attorney in Weatherford and I think he and Mom had either purchased a house or were in the process.

Then, Uncle Brad let Dad know that the Savings and Loan in Stephenville needed an in-house attorney. Dad said it really helped him out because, like the job in Weatherford, it gave him a built-in salary while he developed his own practice. Dad and Mom decided they liked S'ville and the rest is history. Can you imagine I was almost a Kangaroo? I can't imagine how different my life would have been had I grown up there. Wonder if I would have thought Jasen was cute when he was senior and I was in 8th grade? Too funny!

Our visit with Uncle Brad went well and later that day, I went to see my cousin, Blake, Brad's grandson, who recently relocated to the 'ville with his family and is establishing his own law practice.

That same day, the kids and I took a stroll down memory lane. We toured the house I spent most of my formative years in. It's up for sale and sitting empty so I took the bull by the horns and went to look at it. It's changed but not that much. I got to show the kids my old room(s) and have a moment in each of them. We moved into that house right after my sister, Katie, was born, before I turned 3. It had all these windows across the front and our old house was around the block. I can remember standing in the windows of my new house, gazing at my old house, asking when we were going hom. My mom thinks she and my dad bought the house for around $50K in 1979. Now it's asking price is over $200k. Isn't that nuts??

This would be the living room at 1216 Meadowlark Lane
Grace and Davis pose on the front porch, where I had a few good night kisses. (Our door always matched the trim!)
On the steps

Summer Vacation -- Part Quatro

When we are in Stephenville, I have a feeling my parents feel a little slighted because, not only is our time split between them, we also have so many other friends/family to see. I tried to get a little bit of that done before we ever get to S'ville, thus our trip to Weatherford. But some of it just can't be avoided.

So one day last week, we went to Tolar to "play" with the Karnes family. Jennifer has been one of my dearest friends for a long, long time. We laugh that our lives have been on a parallel path for a long time, with each one of us taking a turn on being "ahead" than the other at different points. We have been really blessed that our husbands', her Jason and my Jasen, like each other, which makes for easy, relaxing visits for us girls because our guys get along so well.! Then, we've been really, really blessed that our kids play really well together. Just last night, Jen and I were talking about how great it is that Grace and Braden like to play together and Landry and Davis are included, if they want to be. Or, they are free to do their own thing. And the best part of this love fest? Baby Tripp, who is no baby, loves Miss Sara, so I happily fulfill the "extra" aunt role. I adore that boy, even if he does wrinkle his brow and look at me like I am nuts just like his daddy does. :) I love me some Tripp!

It was Jen's birthday when we visited so she and I got to go have some girl time, getting pedicures at a great place in Granbury. Who knew there was something good in Granbury? Ha! Sweet Jason (mark that down, that's probably a first for me to say!) kept all the kids for us. After that, we picked up lunch for the whole crew and headed back to Tolar. We spent the rest of the day visiting and playing the Wii Fit, where I am now the fat chick. UGH! But it was a lot of fun and provided a lot of laughs!

After that, the Karnes' had a playoff T-ball game (!) and I was bound and determined not to go. It was in Burleson, I'd be yelling for the Pirates (or shall I say Pee-rats...) and there's just something wrong about "playoff T-ball." I kept saying no, until I heard Braden say to Grace "Would you please ask your mom again if you can come to my game?" I looked at Grace's big brown eyes, which were silently pleading, and gave in.

But we had a GREAT time watching Braden play. Despite the fact it was T-ball, the in-field play was pretty good and Braden is a great 1st baseman. It was cool to see Jen be the attentive player-mom and Jason was the good dad, leading the boys in a prayer and yelling helpful things to their boy "B." They won the game and I never had to yell "Go Granbury" or "Go Pirates." It just would NOT come out!

Jason helps Braden with his cleats and reminds him to focus.
Grace was happy to tag along with Jason while he watched the boys warm-up.
That would be Jennifer Emmons Karnes, in a GRANBURY t-shirt. This picture will be used for blackmail purposes!

After that, we had one last "Jen's birthday" celebratory meal at The Jalapeno Tree in Granbury. We dropped the Karnes in Tolar and headed back to the 'ville, arriving home about 10:30. Whew, yes, I was tired the next day, but it was totally worth it to be with the Karnes.

The only missing was "my Jasen." I miss him!

Summer Vacation -- Part Drei

Like the use of foreign words in my blog title? Yes, I am multi-lingual, at least in numbers!

So, where did I leave off? Oh, yes, after our time in Weatherford, we headed to S'ville, where we have enjoyed plenty of time with the grandparents, a trip to B'ridge, and time with friends. We've got a weekly Wednesday routine. My dad plays golf at Par CC, on Lake Proctor every Wednesday. The kids and I have gone swimming there around 3, then when he is done with golf and we're sufficiently prune-y, we go riding on his golf cart and water his tomatoes at his house near there. Then we have gone twice to Mary's Cafe in Strawn. It's been fun, with the kids enjoying more golf cart time and me enjoying long talks with my dad.

Can you see Davis helping Grandad drive while hanging out of the golf cart??
Getting some of Grandad's good well water.

Of course, we've been with Mom a lot. On the Friday we got here, we went with her to see the "Dolphin" movie at the Omni Theater in Fort Worth. My sister, Katie met us there. Grace really liked it. Davis was done about 45 mins. into it. Why is it, with him, he can handle all but the last 15 mins. of a movie in the theater? Anyway, after that, we went to Joe T. Garcia's and met my mom and Grandma's friend, Bevan. I had heard Bevan's name for YEARS and it was really nice to meet her.

Here are Mom and the kids waiting for the movie to start.
Davis loved going out in his tighty-whities to help Grandmama gather the mail...


Our trip to Breckenridge went really well, too. I am concerned about Jasen's Graham grandad. He's living alone, which is how he wants it, but he's become a hoarder. It's so disheartening, but he's living out the last years of his life like he wants to: in his house. When we left his house, Grace said "God be with him." It was so sad, and yet so comforting to know our girl knows where the ultimate comfort comes from! Here are the kids with Great-Grandad on the 4th of July.

We stayed out on the lake with Jasen's Gee grandparents. They love to be with the kids and the kids love them. Or, do the kids love Bullet, Oso, and Quasar, the dogs they've had about a year? Either way, the kids always enjoy their time at Granny and Papaw's. This year, they both swam in the lake with Granny, which was a great thing for her. Before Lori died, mother (Granny) and daughter (Lori, Jasen's mom) spent a lot of time in the lake together. I think it was special to Granny to share that with Lori's grandkids. I know they liked it! They are both quite the water babies this year!
Isn't she lovely??
We were so glad we caught Grace in mid-jump!
Since we were there on the 4th of July, we had brats/polish sausage on the grill, potato salad, watermelon and FIREWORKS! Jasen's uncle Tony was the official firework lighter for our dock. The kids loved watching the tanks and bumblebees. Then when it got dark, we had a few that looked like "professional" fireworks. And with Jasen's grandparents' position on the lake, we were able to see a lot of others from our "cheap seats." It was a lot of fun!

Uncle Tony, Grace and Davis

The kids draping themselves in Granny and Papaw's flag. Is this disrespectful?
Watching the smaller fireworks with Papaw and Aunt Janice.

Summer Vacation -- Part Deux

Let's see, where did I leave off?? I think Katie's house. On Saturday, we left for Millsap and the Thomas family reunion. It's a reunion of the descendants of my dad's grandad, Emory Augustus Thomas, Sr., and his wife, Eva Lena. They were Pa and Ma (actually, we said Ma and Pa!) to the family. Pa died when my dad was in law school, I believe, and Ma died when I was a sophmore in high school. They started the Thomas Dairy in Weatherford and helped start Thomas Brothers Grass and Laguna Tres on Lake Granbury.

Ma and Pa had three kids, Willard, Faye Jean, and E.A., Jr. a.k.a. Junior. Willard was my grandad and I miss him everyday. Grandad and Grandmother had their three boys and Junior and his wife, Frances, had five. Dad tells stories about him, his brothers and his Thomas cousins running roughshod over the hills between their houses, three homes on three small hills on the northeast outskirts of Weatherford. I think they were a motley crew, fighting and roughhousing as boys are known to do!

I love it when the Thomas family gets together. Because most of us were pretty close geographically (S'ville, W'ford, Granbury, etc.) when I was growing up, we saw each other often enough that I have lots of memories of them all. That goes for my second cousins, too. I can remember going to my cousin Chris' basketball games, when I couldn't have been much older than Davis.

This year, the reunion was at my cousin, Rissa's house, which is on her parents' place near Millsap. Rissa had barbecue and they have pool, which means I was just required to check on my kids every few minutes. It's always fun to listen to my dad, his brothers, and their cousins talk about the old days, hauling hay, delivering milk, having fun. Often, I wish my kids could have that kind of upbringing, roaming the pastures, playing with their cousins, etc.

After the reunion, the kids and I went to my uncle and aunt's house to spend the night. Tommy is my dad's younger brother, and he and Pattie live out on land that once belonged to my great-grandmother, Ma's family. Her family, the Hardaways, had to sell it way back when, but during WWII, when my grandad was in a POW camp in Germany, the land was up for sale. My grandmother was able to get the okay from my grandad to buy the land. Tommy and Pattie have lived there as long as I can remember, first in a trailer, then in a house they built. Their house is positioned with a gorgeous view of the lake on the land, and a great view of the sunset. I love to go there.

So, the kids and I spent two nights there. During that time, they rode the golf cart and fed my uncle's "pet" donkeys. That's a joke! I mean, he has donkeys, but they aren't really his pets!
The kids had a great time playing outside, with my cousin, Melody's step-kids, Kaela and Christian. My aunt Pattie had bubbles for everyone and, poor thing, she spent most of her time blowing them! I made a point to stay with Tommy and Pattie because #1 they have always come to see us, wherever we lived (even Germany and Kansas!) #2 I love being around them and #3 I wanted my kids to spend time running around on their land.

My uncle Stan and his family were there the first night, as well as my baby sister, Angie. Angie and I slept together and had a little girl talk. I was glad Angie surprised us at the reunion. The stinker sent everyone a text on Saturday morning, saying she would miss us at the reunion. Imagine our surprise when we pulled up and she was there! A pleasant surprise, for sure!

Summer Vacation

Looking back over what we have done in the last month, I wonder when any of us have slept. There have plenty of nights we haven't had near enough sleep (last night, being one) and days where we were plenty cranky because of lack of sleep. But we are hanging in there, whether we have enough sleep or not!

I am going to back up to the 15th of June. Jasen left that day to go to Advanced Camp at Ft. Lewis, where ROTC juniors-about-to-be-seniors, go for a summer full of training. ROTC instructors from across the States go and train them. Jasen will be gone for almost 45 days, when we finally meet up with him Houston. Here is Jasen showing Grace and Davis where he will be while he is gone.

After Jasen left Charleston, we stayed for another week, getting ready for our big trip to TX. We harvested the rest of our tomatoes and went to pick blueberries by hand. Here is the biggest group of 'maters we got, but we left at least this many on the vine.
This was THE COOLEST tomato. Obviously, it was supposed to be two, but never quite separated.
Grace and Davis confer while picking blueberries. We love going to Ambrose Farms to pick fresh produce.We also went to the pool everyday and really enjoyed the last few days at home. I also gave Davis a haircut, which at first looked more like a scalping! I am getting used to it, though, and think it looks perfect for summer.
Then we headed west! Despite a leaky tire only an hour into our trip, we made it to Jackson, MS, where I had planned for us to spend the night. Then we got back in the car the next day for the relatively short trip to Canton, TX.

In Canton, we stayed with Wilson and Linda Wade. Wilson is Jasen's mom's first cousin and she really loved him. Over time, I have to come love them as my own family. Wilson and Linda have been extremely supportive and sweet to our family. We were at their house when their daughter, Allyson was there. I was so glad to meet her and spend time getting to know them better. We love our family in Canton!

After that, we drove to my sister, Katie's in Lewisville. I kind of want to skip over this little stop, only because Grace and I had bathroom issues. It's a long story and, believe me, you wouldn't want to read about it! We didn't sleep much there, but we did enjoy the time with Katie and Clancey, a side trip to see our friend, Julie and her and Jack's little ones, Jackson and Ryann, and a visit with Clancey's family, the Reddings. Sadly, no pictures from there...

Can I stop here to say how blessed we are to have so many people who want to see us when we come to TX? I don't want to sound egotistical, but we are truly, truly blessed to have such a great support system here in TX. I mean, what a great problem to have: how do I squeeze a visit in with one more person?

Okay, I am going to stop there, for now. I will write more soon!!