seven days and seven states

Ah… I am home from a whirlwind vacation full of long car trips…family fun…. delightful surprises… and a celebration of marriage!

My adventure began last Thursday when I flew to Texas to drive with my family to Phoenix Arizona to attend my cousin Michelle’s wedding… Flying to Texas just to drive hours to Arizona the same day? It does sound a little absurd… but it wasn’t the original plan… never mind the details. Needless to say, it made for a very long and tiring day.

Once in Arizona, I enjoyed reuniting with extended family members, meeting distant relatives (I admit…some of whom I didn’t even know existed :o) , and soaking up the fun of pre-wedding excitement and preparation. The wedding was lovely… here is a picture of the happy couple:

The day after the wedding, my mother, sister, brother-in-love and two year old nephew packed up and left Phoenix at 5 am. We were in the car for the next 18 ½ hours… earning this road trip the honor of being the longest I’ve ever driven in one day. The scenery was beautiful!

You can imagine that having a pregnant woman and a potty-training two year old aboard did make the trip seem just a bit longer :o) We were all pretty much zombies by the time we pulled into San Antonio late that night. (or was it early the next day?)

I was able to spend three days in San Antonio visiting family and friends. My sweet sister Sherrie planned a surprise baby shower for me. I was indeed surprised and delighted! It was so good to be able to see dear old friends again! I feel so loved!

Here is a picture of me and my two beautiful sisters:

One of my favorite things about my trip back home was getting to spend time with my precious nephew, Elijah. He has begun talking, and it melted my heart that he remembers me after months of not seeing him! I am now suffering from Elijah-withdrawal-syndrome :o( I miss his little voice announcing every McDonald’s we pass: “Donalds? Dinner? Park?” and the innocent way that he somehow sees a car-wash in every building with an overhang or drive-through (hotels, car repair shops, gas stations etc.). He touched my lips when I was wearing lip gloss and announced to everyone nearby that my lips were “nas-nee” (Elijah lingo for the word, “nasty” ie: anything that is dirty or has a smudge of something on it where it doesn’t belong). My heart broke when it was time to say goodbye and he took my hand and insisted that I “go bye-bye” with him and sit next to him in the car!

I flew back to Kentucky and my eagerly waiting husband exactly a week after I left…. only to spend about four hours at home (long enough to take a nap and pack the car) before leaving on yet another adventure… this time on a romantic get-away with my Lover to St. Louis!