Wednesday, June 12, 2013

THE ROADTRIP recap


Our tireless driver. It is a testimony to God's redeeming work of grace in mine and Patrick's life, that this trip went so well! (A few years ago, it might have been a little more difficult ;-) Despite all the potential for miscommunications and disagreements, we had a really good time. I trust his leadership and driving skills, and he puts up with my piles of crap in the front seat, and the smell of my hummus as I eat my packed lunch. Its a workable relationship ;-). 
The crew (and they are troopers!) They had their moments, for sure, but all in all, I am proud of them. We only had one throw up, and no potty accidents. They are going to be seasoned travelers, obviously. You should just hear our schedule for the next year! (Of course, this morning when I tried to buckle Caroline in for the half mile drive to the gym, she flipped out, and i had to pin her down. cant imagine why. . . ;-)
And an awful lot of open road.  This was Friday afternoon, as we were heading into severe thunderstorms. At the exact same time, a few states south of us, fellow travelers on an interstate in Oklahoma were encountering an entirely different level of severe weather. As we were watching the radar, using Patrick's flying apps on the ipad, I couldn't stop thinking about those people trapped on the highway. As i read the news the next morning as soon as I woke up, safe in a hotel in Louisville Kentucky, I was so incredibly grateful our route took us where it did, and not somewhere else. 

Patrick and I both really like the east coast, and enjoy any time we get to go back to North Carolina and Virginia. There are benefits and disadvantages to not having a "home", not being from anywhere in particular. But I have did spend 7 of my 30 years living in North Carolina, (in two separate cities at two separate times), and since then, half of my family has still lived there, so while it isnt home, it is still comfortable and familiar. (just for fun, apparently this is the spitting image of me at this age.) 

The kids dont get to see their cousins, on either side, nearly enough :-(. We are really glad they live close to each other (relatively speaking!), so we got to see both sides of the family on this trip! 

I did not get the good pictures I wanted, so this is the best I could find of the kids and my dad! We spent a few days at my Dad and his girlfriend Kim's house, in Charlotte. A great time, but no group picture :-(

On Sunday we played in the pool, then Monday he took us and my sister's family to an amusement park in Charlotte. My kids had never seen anything like it, and had a blast. Charlie consulted the map for us. 

Caroline and Reese are only 10 days apart. 



Kennedy is the oldest of the 7 kids, and Hannah loves spending time with her. 




Caroline and I spent alot of time together, because she was about 1 inch short of being able to qualify for the rides. (We still snuck her on a few. This is not child who enjoys being left behind while all 6 other kids have fun!) And I'm not much of a roller coaster person myself, so the kiddie park worked quite well for me! 



She has started to talk, and zoom is one of her favorite words. Whenever she sees an airplane, and often just when she hears patrick's name, she says zoom zoom, and flies her hands around. 

Next stop: 3.5 hrs southeast to North Myrtle Beach. Patrick's brother Brett's wife Jes's grandparents (did you get all that :-) have a condo there, and they graciously allowed our whole family to stay there! It has 4 bedrooms, and worked out perfectly for our family, David and Des, and Brett, Jessica, and their baby Isaac. 

We had a bit of a tropical storm blow through, so we didnt spend as much time actually at the beach as we thought, but I am really grateful for the time we did have! I love the ocean, and have spent alot of time on/near the water, so it was fun to share that with my kids. The waves and the saltwater take some getting used to, I think, but all in all they did well. 

Pop Pop reading a bedtime story to all the grandkids. 

Isaac celebrated his first birthday while we were there! This is my kids, eating his birthday cake. Why is he not in this picture? It was nearly nap time, as is often the case with first birthdays, it is hard to fit a celebration into the daily schedule. So instead of pushing for more pictures, I let him be :-). But he looked super cute with his little piece of cake. 

the mellow boy cousins, just hanging out. 

We went out for dinner one night at a place called Barefoot Landing, which is a really neat collection of shops and restaurants attached by wooden boardwalks. They had alot of neat things for the kids. 


Like this beautiful old carousel. Instead of just horses, there were all different animals, like this rooster, and an ostrich. 


Isaac, "reading" his birthday card. 


Our next stop was 6 hrs north to Mechanicsville VA, a suburb of Richmond. We had been looking forward to this for a long time, as it has been 4.5 years since we'd been there last.  The highlight of the trip for Caroline was Buddy, our host's dog. She was crazy about that dog. The poor thing, if he was anywhere in the house, Caroline was literally hanging on him the entire time. 

the only group picture i managed to take, on any of our stops! Standing next to Patrick is Linda Cumby, an old family friend and the most considerate, gracious, relaxed, attentive hostess I have ever had the pleasure of staying with! All 7 of us descended on her and her husband Bill's house for the weekend, and had a great time. I managed to relax, even though my kids were running around her house as if it were their own. (Which is to say, not very carefully!)

Our purpose in this leg of the trip was to visit and share at Hanover Friends Evangelical Church, where Patrick's dad pastored for 18 (I think) years, and Patrick lived during his older childhood. Since the very first time I visited that church, in April of 2003, I have felt loved and welcomed, just because I came with Patrick.   During my time in Senegal, i knew they were praying for me, and even sent letters and a package, although they barely knew me. There are many people serving in many different ways there, and it was really encouraging to see and be a part of. Everybody enjoyed meeting Patrick's kids, and hearing him preach an awesome message on the ministry of reconciliation. (listen to it here) Many thanks to Pastor Ed for having us, and the whole church for embracing our whole family. It was a really special time, and we look forward to visiting again next year. 






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