Whew! It has been a week, and that means a LOT of water under the bridge my friends! I will try my best to just hit the high points in order to keep this short. But sometimes I get a little carried away. Anyway, here goes...
Wed. June 29 - Most of the day was spent getting ready for our trip to the country. I did spend a little time with a young lady that I have started a Bible study with. We had our first get together. It went well. We are praying for some of her friends to be able to join in also. Please be in prayer with us about that. That evening I went to the church and met with my Sunday night small group, because we were not going to be able to meet on Sunday night. We had a good time as usual going through our study and sharing with one another what we have learned and what our struggles are and how we can pray for one another.
Thursday, June 30 - We spent most of the day driving to the country. The Oldest Princess drove the whole first half of the way. That's 4 hours non stop. Then when we stopped to get gas, I drove for a little while. Then the Young Prince drove for a little while. He wanted me to read to him like I sometimes do for My Prince when he is driving. So I read about three chapters to him. Then I drove again, and finally we made it to the country.
Unka was there to welcome us. We ate, and then we went down to visit with my Aunt P. We went to the garden to pick some corn for her, but the corn that was left was not any good, so that did not last long.
Then we went and checked out where we would stay. Then we went down to my Aunt V's, to pick some beans from her garden for my Aunt P. We had a good time talking and laughing with them while we picked beans. Oh, and I must add that we were all very broken hearted to find out that Unka had already bush hogged the peas to the ground, and that we would not be able to pick any peas while we were there. Broken hearted, I say. Broken hearted. Do you feel me? It just wasn't the same.
After that, we went back and unloaded our stuff. The kids swam a little, and we visited with Unka until well after dark. Then we went to our home away from home and got some rest.
Friday, July 1, 2016 - The Oldest Princess and I got up early and went down to help Unka clean out the garage. We worked hard and finished pretty fast. The Young Prince and the Youngest Princess came down when they woke up. We all eventually ended up in the swimming pool.
Aunt T and L came while we were swimming. We were excited to see them. We all helped to unload their cars and worked on putting things away. All the while talking and catching up with each other. When they walked in, they praised Unka for the great job he had done in cleaning out the garage. He had already told the Oldest Princess he would pay her for helping him, and would throw in a little extra if she did not volunteer the information to Aunt T that she helped him. So while they were praising Unka for the great job he had done, we were biting our tongues. I think they picked up on the fact that something was not quite right pretty quickly though, and the truth came out, so we didn't have to hold out tongues for too long.
Unka taught the Youngest Princess how to drive the four wheeler. You would have thought he hung the moon after that, and that was all she wanted to do from that point on.
They broke out the human sling shot, and we all gave it a whirl. Some of us whirled all the way out and onto our bottoms on the ground, and others videoed and laughed at those who whirled all the way out. I told My Prince later on the phone, that I thought my niece L loved me, but I have proof on video that she laughed at me.
Cousin B came by and visited with us for a while. My nephew J. A. also arrived. When it got dark, we went in and played a game we wanted to try that uses the mouth guard things that orthodontists use when they need to keep your lips away from your teeth. You put the guard in your mouth and then say a phrase, and your team tries to guess what you are saying. We had a blast. I think I laughed harder playing that game than I have laughed in a long time. Eventually the fun had to end and we had to go to bed.
Saturday, July 2, 2016 - We started the day early again getting everything ready for the 4th of July party on the 2nd. We all pitched in and worked together and were able to get it done. My nephew J.R. and his wife M and their little one finally arrived, and of course we all had fun loving on the baby. I loved his kissable cheeks. He is a sweetie! And he is at the age where he is beginning to want to GO! I told M to look out, because when he does start going, I don't think he will ever stop.
Everyone started coming for the party. It was very, very hot. A lot of the kids stayed in the pool most of the day. I could hardly get the Youngest Princess out to eat. She ate some chips and dip and got right back into the pool. We added ice to the pool water, because it was so hot.
There were door prizes. I think we all won something. I won a very cool sign. The Young Prince won a throw blanket with an American flag on it. The Youngest Princess won a game, and the Oldest Princess won a camo decorated dart board. We told her we think it would great hanging in her dorm room!
We tried out the human slingshot again. There were sack races. Some played washers and some played corn hole. But mostly we just sat around and visited because it was SO HOT.
Several people left, and J and J came rolling in. They had been at the ball field all day. We got to meet baby J, and he was precious. He was just a smiley in real life as he is in all the pictures we have seen of him on Facebook. His smile melted my heart. I kept telling momma J that I was going to take him home with me.
We all went in and had some of Unka's delicious brisket that had been slow cooking on his big green egg all day. As well as many other fixings that go with it, including some community potato salad. I say community because it truly did take a village to make it. Everyone jumped in and sliced and diced and peeled and added in their two cents worth of what should or shouldn't be added and how much of it should or shouldn't be added. It was pretty comical. All the way around. And it was done in record time. I can't tell you how it tasted though, because I don't eat it.
After dinner, we cleaned up, and then headed outside to watch fireworks. Unka's friend M has a friend that owns a fireworks stand and they were able to get some good deals on some really cool fireworks. So we took out some lawn chairs and M and L set off the fireworks for us. They were cool, but we were a little too close for my comfort. So I was a little nervous, but I still enjoyed them.
After the fireworks, those that were still there from the party went home and the rest of us called it a night.
Sunday, July 3, 2016 - We got up and got ready and joined up with L to go to church. Unka and Aunt T had to leave before us, because they were on the greeting team for that morning. We enjoyed our time talking with L and J.A. on our way to church. The Youngest Princess stayed home with with J.R. and M and baby H, because I had somehow managed to get away without packing her a dress.
Church was packed, but the service was very good. The pastor preached about Christians standing up and doing what we have been called to do. About us being salt, and what that means, and how that could change our country, if we all just do what God has called us to do. At the end, the choir sang a patriotic special, and these little cannon type things shot out red, white and blue streamers and confetti, and confetti fell from the ceiling. It was fun. A great ending to a very well done, patriotic service.
Unka and Aunt T stopped and got chicken fingers for us to have for lunch.
After lunch, we spent some time in and around the pool. I made friends with a lizard on the hammock. Then I took a little nap, and woke up to red wasps flying around, and one right by my foot. So I decided it was time for me to get off of the hammock. We eventually were able to kill some of the wasps, but I still did not get back on the hammock.
We went in and played a little Dutch Blitz that night. I was totally off my game. I don't think I won even one round. It was very, very sad!
My days run together, if I don't take good notes, and in this case I didn't. So at some point, we played the mouthpiece, lipless game with J.R. and M, because they were not there the first time we played. We all wrote phrases this time, so we could all guess, unless it was a phrase that we wrote. J.R. picked several really tough phrases, and ironically he picked and had to say his own phrases. I loved it! Funny times. Funny times.
We also played several games of Catch Phrase. And again. It was not my night. "If you want to win, you need to be on my team." is usually my tongue in cheek battle cry on game night. But the Dutch Blitz thing threw me for a loop, and my Catch Phrase team did not win either. It was a sad day, folks. A very sad day.
Also on Sunday, we got news that one of My Princes's cousins had lost her battle with cancer. We hated to hear that. I had only met her a few times, but really loved her. She was very sweet and a Facebook friend, so we kept up with one another that way. We were very sad to hear that she had passed away, but we are very thankful to know that we will see her again in heaven one day.
Monday, July 4, 2016 - After breakfast, the young prince was out at the pool. He stuck his head in the door and asked M to go get J.R. She asked him if everything was okay, and he said, "Yes, just please go get J.R." so she did. Then someone said that they had found a bat in the pool. Of course we all need to go and check that out. When we got out there, they had already fished the bat out of the pool with the net, and had laid it over on the steps. You could see the water marks where it had moved about a foot. I had figured that it would be dead. But it was still alive. Aunt T immediately picked up the largest rock she could find from the decorative rocks around the flower bed. She was going to kill it with the rock. J.R. told her to wait that she was going to get blood all over the sidewalk. I was campaigning for them to just take the bat to the woods and let it go. I told Aunt T that she did not need a rock THAT big. It was HUGE compared to the little bat fighting for its little life. They were all saying how nasty bats are, and how they carry rabies, etc. L had already told the Youngest Princess to go inside and everything would be okay, because they did not want her to see the bat be killed. So then she repeated the same thing to me, "Auntie, just go inside and everything will be okay." Aunt T told me that she wanted to read all about me fighting for the bat's life on my blog. Meanwhile, the Young Prince and J.R. had scooped up the bat in the pool net, and were halfway across the yard headed to the woods to release the bat. It may or may not have survived, but at that time, nature was able to take it course.
J.A. left us after all of the bat excitement. We hated to see him go, but he had things that he wanted to do that day, so he had to get back home.
We had a water balloon fight after that. I volunteered to be the official photographer. Unka volunteered to watch baby H. Everyone else had a blast throwing water balloons and buckets of water and squirting one another with water squirters.
We took pictures of baby H in his "My First 4th of July" outfit, with the red, white and blue yard ornaments and flags. They weren't perfect, but I think we still got some cute ones.
We all got in the pool except for M and J.R. and baby H, because they were getting ready to go home. We all got out of the pool to tell them goodbye when they were ready to leave. Then we got back in the pool for a little while. We weren't in for long before we started hearing thunder. I got out, and convinced everyone else to do the same. Unka was the lone holdout, until I got on my weather app and proved to him that lightning had struck less than a mile away. He had been floating around with a 4th of July headband on his hat saying, "Nannu, Nannu!" up until that point. Then he was quickly paddling his float to the shallow end still saying, "Nannu, Nannu!" and got out.
Aunt T suggested that we go shopping and out to eat. By the time we were all ready, it was raining. So I guess we made a good choice. Going out to eat turned out to be a little more of a challenge than we had thought, since it was the 4th, most places were closed. We settled on a place that was open, and ate a late lunch. Then we did some shopping, and headed back home.
Unka and the Youngest Princess did some more four wheeler riding. Aunt T got online and ordered some shoes that the Youngest Princess wanted. We took care of some of the Oldest Princess's college stuff online.
The Youngest Princess wanted to play one game before we went to bed. Unka put in a big prize. The Young Prince turned out to be the big winner. After that we were all tired, and we knew we would be headed home the next day and needed our rest for the trip. So we called it a day and headed back to go to bed.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016 - We got up and got ready and packed the car and spent a little time visiting before we hit the road. We said our goodbyes, and headed down the road. We weren't far when Aunt T called and said we had left the Youngest Princess's flip flops. I asked her to throw them in the mail for us. Then the Youngest Princess said she didn't have any shoes except her slippers, if we didn't go back and get her shoes. I told the Oldest Princess to call back and tell them we were going to get gas and then I would run back and get them. She said that Unka would meet us at the gas station with them. So we went on to the gas station and filled up, and waited for a few minutes until Unka came and brought the Youngest Princess her shoes. Then we were on our way. We had a nice trip. Uneventful, just the way we like it. We made it home at about 5:30 that evening. No one wanted to help me drive this time. They were tired, so I ended up driving the whole way myself. I was very glad to be home with My Prince and out of the car. My Prince had ham and hash brown casserole ready and waiting on us. He is awesome, and it was delicious. My Prince left to go to a prayer meeting. The kids all went to visit our friends who had been out of town for a while before we left to go the country. I called and talked with my sister for a while.
When everyone got home we went to bed, knowing the next day was going to be a long day also.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016 - We got up early and got ready to make the 2 1/2 hour trip to My Prince's cousin's funeral. Grammy and Poppy came and rode with us. The Oldest Princess went with us as well. The Young Prince and the Youngest Princess stayed home.
The trip was good. The funeral was very moving. A beautiful tribute to a lady who lived her life for Christ and wanted others to know Him too. After the funeral, we went to the graveside, and then on to the church to eat with the family. And aside from the sad circumstances, it was good to see family and friends that we do not get to see very often. And even meet some family and friends that I had never met before. We made it back home just in time for church.
After church, we called it a day and went to bed.
Thursday, July 7, 2016 - The Youngest Princess went with some friends to a children's art museum. I went and had my hair done. An appointment that was long overdue. My Prince, the Oldest Princess, the little girl she babysits, and I all went to lunch. We brought lunch home to the Young Prince. The Young Prince and I hung out at home for the afternoon. The Young Prince finished the book that he had been reading for his summer reading assignment. I think he really enjoyed it. It was nice to see him wanting to read for a change. The Youngest Princess was very excited to find out that her shoes that Aunt T had ordered came in. She put them on immediately.
When everyone got home, the Young Prince went to spend the night with a friend, and the rest of us went to the school. The Oldest Princess was helping out with volleyball practice, and the Youngest Princess wanted to play with her friend who would be at practice with her sister. My Prince and I went to get in some exercise by walking the track. I found out that our books had come in, so my sweet friend and her boys, and My Prince all helped me take my books to my room, and put the tests in my car so that I could tear them out and get them organized and filed.
We came home and started watching television. That is when we heard about the shooting of the police officers in Dallas. I tore out tests (the Oldest Princess helped) and watched the news. Heartbroken for our country and what is happening. Heartbroken that it happened to happen in my home state. Heartbroken for the families that were changed forever by one person and his terrible lack of judgment.
We went to bed with heavy hearts.
Friday, July 8, 2016 - I got up and watched the news coming from Dallas while I tore out more tests. My Prince worked from home. I mostly worked on school stuff all morning. Grammy and Poppy wanted to go to dinner and then to a ball game. So we got ready and went with them to eat.
We were early, so we got there before the restaurant opened. We were the first ones in the parking lot. Poppy wanted to be "in line", so he got out of the car to sit on the bench by the door. Then he got up to go around to a different door, and an elderly lady walked up and sat on the bench in the seat Poppy had just left. Pretty soon, there were several people sitting around the door. We opted to stay in the car where it was cool. A few minutes before the time for the restaurant to open, the little lady that had taken Poppy's seat actually got up and stood by the door. She meant that she was going to be the first one in. We laughed. Watching people amuses me sometimes. We all got in, and we all got fed. Including the impatient lady who had to be first.
After a wonderful dinner, we headed to the baseball stadium. When we got there, there was no ball game. Poppy had looked at the schedule wrong. He thought it was a home game, when it was actually an away game. I felt very bad for him, because I know he really wanted to enjoy a game that night. I also felt bad for the Young Princes's friend who had come with us, because he was really excited to be going to a ball game too. Since there was no ball game, we walked down to the riverwalk to look around. It was a beautiful evening, so we took the opportunity to take a few pictures.
We decided to go to a movie instead. So we headed to the nearest movie theater. We saw a movie that came out that day that we had all been wanting to see. It was cute, and the theater was packed. When we walked out, and were standing in the lobby I heard someone call our name. It was our friends who have daughters the same age as the Oldest Princess and the Youngest Princess. They had been in the same movie as us.
My Prince wanted to go to a sporting goods store and look around. I found a shirt, and the Youngest Princess found an outfit. Then we headed home.
Saturday, July 9, 2016 - I woke up and finished pulling out tests. We mostly spent the day hanging out around the house getting a few things done. It stormed in the afternoon, and I took a little nap on the couch.
A friend text and asked if I had a bowl she could use. My Prince and I ran it over to her. Then we ran by a local store to get the Oldest Princess some tubs to use for college.
We came home and got the kids and went to a little local place to get some dinner. Now I've been working on my blog, while the Young Prince is watching a movie. The girls are upstairs watching a different movie, and My Prince is putting the finishing touches on his sermon for tomorrow. And now...I have caught up, and it took me way longer than I had planned to do so.
So, until I blog again...
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