On April 3, Lori, William, & I set out on a long journey. The first stop was at Blake's in Knoxville. We went out for hamburgers with him and Grace. We spent the night with him and then headed to Mandy's. All in all, a good trip, considering we were traveling with an almost-eighteen-month-old little boy. Not just any little boy, though. He is very patient. We arrived at Mandy's and all the travel time in the car was well worth it when two little girls came running out to give us BIG hugs! There was still some daylight left and the temperature was mild enough that I started planting the 250 vinca minor I had taken for one of Mandy's landscape projects. I completed it over the next few days we were there along with planting about one hundred daylilies for her. There should be lots of blooms in a few weeks. That night, L & O & I began the first of several nights of "sleep-overs." What a joy to be able to read the books they picked out each night. That wasn't enough,though. They also wanted to hear a story from "when you were little, Nonna." And, of course, we had to sing a few songs, too.
The next morning before the first session of conference, we went to see the girls' school. What a beautiful campus! Olivia was able to show us her room, but the building where Layla's classroom is was locked. L & O were so excited when L found some Easter eggs that had been missed from the hunt on the last day of school before Spring Break. The rest of the day was spent watching conference and eating Mandy's good food.
There were lots of things we wanted to do while we were there, but the weather factored into our plans quite a bit. We wanted to go the beach Monday morning, but it was raining. So, L & O & I went to see a movie instead. When we came out from the theatre, I was surprised to see the sun shining. So, after talking to Mandy about the forecast, we decided it was probably the best time to go the beach. We met Mathew on the other side of the water (by way of a tunnel) and he took us on base. If it sounds like I don't really know what I'm talking about here, it's because I don't. Mathew would have to tell me again exactly where we were and what body of water is what. I do remember that the base we were on is the largest naval base in the world! Ships everywhere. Even submarines. Aircraft carriers. Aircraft. It was quite a site. I asked Mathew if it would be OK to make pictures, but he said he'd feel better about it if I didn't. We were so close to the ships and I didn't want any special ops forces coming out of nowhere to throw me to the ground thinking I was an international spy! After our tour of the base, we drove to a really nice beach. The only bad thing about that was that we couldn't stay as long as I would have liked.
The next day, L, W, L, O, & I drove down to VA Beach to go to the aquarium. Forgot my camera on that trip. Lori got a few pics, though. There was a lot of renovation going on and there weren't as many exhibits open as I had hoped there would be. When they finish, it might be as nice as the one in Chattanooga, but it will be a whole lot better if it is. It is quite a complex, though. There are two buildings connected by a rather long nature walk. That part of it would be really nice on a better weather day. It was a little too chilly for us to enjoy it much. It would be fun to go to all the overlooks and take all the side paths. It's a natural habitat for a lot of neat birds and land animals.
On Wednesday, we went for breakfast at IHOP and then to do a little shopping. When we got back to Mandy's, we began packing to make the drive to Julee's. We left later than we had planned, because somewhere along the way, we got suspicious that O had another ear infection. Mandy took her to the doc, and sure 'nuff, she did. It was quite a wait for the prescription to be filled. We arrived at Julee's about nine that night. This time, W had L & O to keep him company in the back seat -- along with their portable DVD player. They watched a movie and had munchies. Good little travelers.
Julee and I worked in her kitchen just about all day the next day - finishing up the prep work for painting and then painting. We didn't actually finish until the next morning, since Julee is such a perfectionist and wanted a second coat. Sure looked nice when we were done. I think it was that night, after everyone else had gone to bed, J, L, & I watched a recorded episode of Lost and ate NY Cheesecake with strawberries. Oh my.
Friday afternoon, J & D took us to Old Charlottesville. What a neat area. The kids had fun on the merry-go-round and writing on the graffiti wall. They took us out to eat to celebrate my b'day and then for Gelato. Stuffed. M & M arrived that night.
Saturday was spent getting ready for Easter Sunday and an early celebration of Ceseley's b'day. That was also the day that William stopped being a baby. His Aunt Mandy gave him a "big boy" haircut. Cute, cute, cute!
The Sacrament Meeting the next day was well done. A beautiful talk on the Atonement and Resurrection of the Savior with beautiful musical selections scattered here and there. A beautiful reminder of all that He has done for us. When we got home from church, Dan immediately began grilling - which I think he did for almost two hours! Ceseley's cake and the frosting for it were made the day before. They were introduced to each other while Dan grilled. The Ellsworths' good friends, Loren & Erin and their two little girls arrived just in time to eat. Erin was proxy for Dan when Ceseley was born and earned the title of "Auntie Erin". We ate lots of good food - some of which I had never eaten before. Dan challenged all of us to try something we'd never tried before after he had gathered everyone into the kitchen for an Easter devotional he had prepared. Everything was very good. Then it was time for the Easter Egg Hunt. How fun to watch all the kiddies on that cool but sunny day run all over the yard looking for treasure. Next up: Ceseley's party. Julee had made her her very own tiny, layered cake. What a mess she made! She is one darling baby girl. She's lived her life in front of the camera so much, that she is almost constantly smiling. There must be at least a zillion pictures of her. What a doll!
All good things must come to an end, they say, and this was no exception. It was really hard to see Mandy's family leave. And Monday morning, it was time for L, W, & I to do the same thing. Parting is such sweet sorrow. What a blessing to have been able to spend some time with some of those I love so much. Now,here's the shocking part: On the way home, we only stopped ONCE!!! William deserves some kind of award. Julee thought that maybe Lori does, too, since pregnant women usually need to stop at every bathroom along the way. It was a long and tiring trip filled with sweet memories and capped off with the inexpressible joy of returning home.
The next several days were spent adjusting to the routine of life again and getting my laundry done. Joe and Brett had everything looking spic 'n span, so there wasn't any catch up to do with the house. Everything looked neat and straight until I scattered all my stuff everywhere. I finally got the suitcases put away a few days ago.
The following Friday night, Joe & I spent the night at RR. The next day we did lots more work. Toward the end of the day, Bob & Sheila walked over and we had a nice visit with them.
The next day was my birthday celebration at Mom's. She made a yummy lunch for us and, as usual, enough leftovers to bring home with us for the next several days. She makes a meal that keeps on giving!
On Sunday, the 26th, we went to Hazel's for a visit. Glenn and Jenny were there, too. From there, we went to get Mom and took her down to RR for the afternoon. It was a gorgeous day. We took her home a little after dark. There was a lot of back porch sittin' that afternoon.
We made our first batch of freezer strawberry jam on the 30th and have made several more and we're anticipating making more. We love it and Kroger's strawberry prices have been hard to beat. Joe did buy one gallon from a guy at Mt. Leo who brings them up from Alabama. Pretty pricey, though.
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