L.A.(Raleigh-Durham) lights burn like hell once you know....
...you left heaven waiting down the Dixie Road (From Lee Greenwood's "Dixie Road"
Maybe I'll start using country music songs for my blog titles! I'm supposed to be doing payables but I am going to write up the vacation first so I can work with an easy mind. I left last Saturday and the trip down was a real treat. It was a beautiful day out and the further south I got the prettier it got - so green and clean. I felt like I was running away from home and loved it! I didn't have much money and I had a bad scare when I found out my gas card was maxed out, but it worked out ok. I arrived at Paula's house just after dark to find her icing a strawberry cake, and my nieces running around doing various things and Henry holding the new baby boy whom I immediately snatched away! He is LITTLE, so much littler it seems than the girls were. He looks like his daddy, but he sleeps and eats like his grandaddy. If he's on his back sleeping in your arms, he throws his little head back and his mouth drops wide open. So sweet. I bought him some onesies, one of which says "If you think I'm cute, you should see my aunt!" I meant to get a picture of him in it, with me holding him but I didn't.
Sunday morning I went to church with them and we met Daddy there and then had lunch afterwards. Poor Daddy had to buy US lunch for Father's Day! Then that afternoon I drove to him and Mama's house and took a nice nap and when I woke up Mama had cooked supper - steak and mushroom gravy over bread and steamed broccolli, so good. The next day we all lazed around and slept and read and sat outside, and then Daddy and I went to town and got the mail and some groceries. Daddy made supper that night - chicken on the grill and corn on the cob. That corn was SO good!! He wrapped it in foil with some butter and put it on the grill.
Tuesday I helped him in the yard for about four hours - something I didn't know I could do! It wasn't too hot and humid though, so that helped. I guess those workouts are helping because I was lifting four foot logs like a champ. He was so grateful to me for helping but I enjoyed it. Its the least I could do.
Wednesday morning Mama went to take the girls to Tupelo, since Merrie Kate had a cavity and needed to see the dentist. I had stayed up late reading so I didn't go, but I went back over to Paula's and met them there. First I stopped at Ward's in Vardaman to get some gas, and a ham and cheese sandwich and a Dr. Pepper. You wouldn't think those sandwiches would be good but they just ARE - its a hamburger bun, with a thick slice of ham and American Cheese, all squashed together, wrapped in foil and stuck in one of those heated glass display things for hours on end. Then I went by Sweet Potato Sweets and got a couple of mini sweet potato pies. I recognized the woman working there but couldn't think of her name for nothing - she knew me, though. Everyone recognized me. I used to hate that - this time, it was kind of nice.
At Paula's I ended having an out-of-nowhere nervous breakdown about having to come back, which I hated to do but they seemed OK with it. I don't like the girls to see me upset though. Thursday we all went to Wal Mart and then MK and I went for a bike ride, then we all ate tuna casserole and watched some TV. An ad for Sonic came on and that was all I needed to see - I had to go get me a banana split so me and the girls went out and got one. I couldn't sleep that night. I was still so sad about having to come back. I was having such a good time and even though things aren't perfect there, and I wouldn't want to stay there forever, I want to be there more than anything. Mama was asleep, or at least pretending along with me that I wasn't crying. I found myself, for some reason, wanting desperately to go into the girls' room and be with them, as if an 11 year old and a 13 year old had all the answers in the world. It seemed to me, that they did. Didn't I, when I was their ages? I still feel the same as I did in the fifth grade, it seems like. I guess I hit the maturity peak at that age and that is why I'm so messed up. I think I started backtracking for several years and messed up some things then too. Now I'm filled with all this self doubt all of a sudden. What do I know? Nothing, that's what. I'm no expert on anything and here I've been acting like I am all this time. I don't even know how to set a goal, and achieve it. So my first goal is to set one and achieve it!
Friday morning all of us except Jackson, who stayed home with Mama, and Daddy who was at work, piled in the van and headed down to Philadelphia to go to Geyser Falls, a water park near the casinos. I didn't think I was a fan of such things but I had a darn good time and only got a little bit sunburned. It wasn't too crowded, either. I need to get past my dislike of crowds - I think it keeps me from being adventurous and having some fun times.
Saturday I was exhausted! I didn't leave to come back until 1:30 and I didn't get choked up except when my girls hugged me and told me they loved me. I guess I've been kind of emotionally numb ever since and some events in the past couple of days haven't helped. But like I said, I'll be ok. I look forward to going back in October to see Jesslyn cheer at a ballgame (I went last year and it got cancelled!) and of course Christmas. And there's plenty to do and enjoy the times in between, as well. I think I am going to the beach this weekend, in fact.
OK, I have to do my payables. Sorry if this wasn't too cheery - just bear with me and I'll be back to my bouncy self in a few days!
Maybe I'll start using country music songs for my blog titles! I'm supposed to be doing payables but I am going to write up the vacation first so I can work with an easy mind. I left last Saturday and the trip down was a real treat. It was a beautiful day out and the further south I got the prettier it got - so green and clean. I felt like I was running away from home and loved it! I didn't have much money and I had a bad scare when I found out my gas card was maxed out, but it worked out ok. I arrived at Paula's house just after dark to find her icing a strawberry cake, and my nieces running around doing various things and Henry holding the new baby boy whom I immediately snatched away! He is LITTLE, so much littler it seems than the girls were. He looks like his daddy, but he sleeps and eats like his grandaddy. If he's on his back sleeping in your arms, he throws his little head back and his mouth drops wide open. So sweet. I bought him some onesies, one of which says "If you think I'm cute, you should see my aunt!" I meant to get a picture of him in it, with me holding him but I didn't.
Sunday morning I went to church with them and we met Daddy there and then had lunch afterwards. Poor Daddy had to buy US lunch for Father's Day! Then that afternoon I drove to him and Mama's house and took a nice nap and when I woke up Mama had cooked supper - steak and mushroom gravy over bread and steamed broccolli, so good. The next day we all lazed around and slept and read and sat outside, and then Daddy and I went to town and got the mail and some groceries. Daddy made supper that night - chicken on the grill and corn on the cob. That corn was SO good!! He wrapped it in foil with some butter and put it on the grill.
Tuesday I helped him in the yard for about four hours - something I didn't know I could do! It wasn't too hot and humid though, so that helped. I guess those workouts are helping because I was lifting four foot logs like a champ. He was so grateful to me for helping but I enjoyed it. Its the least I could do.
Wednesday morning Mama went to take the girls to Tupelo, since Merrie Kate had a cavity and needed to see the dentist. I had stayed up late reading so I didn't go, but I went back over to Paula's and met them there. First I stopped at Ward's in Vardaman to get some gas, and a ham and cheese sandwich and a Dr. Pepper. You wouldn't think those sandwiches would be good but they just ARE - its a hamburger bun, with a thick slice of ham and American Cheese, all squashed together, wrapped in foil and stuck in one of those heated glass display things for hours on end. Then I went by Sweet Potato Sweets and got a couple of mini sweet potato pies. I recognized the woman working there but couldn't think of her name for nothing - she knew me, though. Everyone recognized me. I used to hate that - this time, it was kind of nice.
At Paula's I ended having an out-of-nowhere nervous breakdown about having to come back, which I hated to do but they seemed OK with it. I don't like the girls to see me upset though. Thursday we all went to Wal Mart and then MK and I went for a bike ride, then we all ate tuna casserole and watched some TV. An ad for Sonic came on and that was all I needed to see - I had to go get me a banana split so me and the girls went out and got one. I couldn't sleep that night. I was still so sad about having to come back. I was having such a good time and even though things aren't perfect there, and I wouldn't want to stay there forever, I want to be there more than anything. Mama was asleep, or at least pretending along with me that I wasn't crying. I found myself, for some reason, wanting desperately to go into the girls' room and be with them, as if an 11 year old and a 13 year old had all the answers in the world. It seemed to me, that they did. Didn't I, when I was their ages? I still feel the same as I did in the fifth grade, it seems like. I guess I hit the maturity peak at that age and that is why I'm so messed up. I think I started backtracking for several years and messed up some things then too. Now I'm filled with all this self doubt all of a sudden. What do I know? Nothing, that's what. I'm no expert on anything and here I've been acting like I am all this time. I don't even know how to set a goal, and achieve it. So my first goal is to set one and achieve it!
Friday morning all of us except Jackson, who stayed home with Mama, and Daddy who was at work, piled in the van and headed down to Philadelphia to go to Geyser Falls, a water park near the casinos. I didn't think I was a fan of such things but I had a darn good time and only got a little bit sunburned. It wasn't too crowded, either. I need to get past my dislike of crowds - I think it keeps me from being adventurous and having some fun times.
Saturday I was exhausted! I didn't leave to come back until 1:30 and I didn't get choked up except when my girls hugged me and told me they loved me. I guess I've been kind of emotionally numb ever since and some events in the past couple of days haven't helped. But like I said, I'll be ok. I look forward to going back in October to see Jesslyn cheer at a ballgame (I went last year and it got cancelled!) and of course Christmas. And there's plenty to do and enjoy the times in between, as well. I think I am going to the beach this weekend, in fact.
OK, I have to do my payables. Sorry if this wasn't too cheery - just bear with me and I'll be back to my bouncy self in a few days!
posted by Natalie | 7:55 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Nat! Your trip sounds like a good one to me, all that food and visiting. Glad you're back to tell about it!
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