Home Is Where Your Heart Is

I have been home for a week and I'm just now reporting on my trip. I suppose part of me believes that only my family reads the blog and they know how the trip went because THEY WERE THERE! In any case, for those few stragglers who happen to feign interest in the musings of my experience I will report.

We split the trip in Albuquerque, just so I would have to learn to spell it. A stop at a less-than-stellar hotel and a - 1 star Chinese restaurant was the beginning of a disappointing experience in food. A stop somewhere in Texas with a DQ that doesn't take debit cards and serves sub-par food (in comparison to our nostalgia) caused our food emotions to take another hit. We arrived in Arkansas while watching the "SUPERMOON" the entire way. Henley was a pleasure the entire time, except when she wasn't, and loved to point out the moon and the "blinking lights" on the cell phone towers.

Arkansas was great great and then some more great! Henley loved to get to hang out with her aunt Rachel (she is still asking "see Achel?" on a daily or every other daily basis) and played in the big box, sidewalk chalk, etc. You name it, Rachel played with her doing it. On Tuesday night David willingly went to a dinner with some friends from my grad school to catch up and say hello. Wednesday morning Henley and I visited Capstone Treatment Center where other friends work and the Harding Clinic to see my professors and pop in for a visit. It was so great to be on campus and gain a renewed strength from the people and place where I learned so much. I might've even walked away with a couple pieces of Harding memoribilia. *shifty eyes*

It was so great to spend time with David's family and for his dad to be able to take the time off from work to spend with us. Grandma and Grandpa came up one day and I was "this close" to talking Dad into buying a new Odyssey. Hey, at least we got to test drive it. :)

While in Arkansas, it seemed that Henley's vocabulary exploded! It was so great to get to watch and be a part of that fast progression!

Thursday we headed to Alabama where David & I almost immediately went to Sol Azteca with Mom & Meredith for some "real" Mexican food. Yummy! Friday Mom and Meredith were so great to take the day off and we went to the Birmingham Zoo. Henley and David RODE A CAMEL! Pictures to follow, I promise. Friday night we had two of my nieces, Natalie and Mackenzie, and my sister Ginny & her husband, Neal, come over for a game night that proved to be quite intense. Saturday David and I got to spend the morning hanging out with Nanny, my last grandparent. We played in her yard, talked, swung on the swings and had a tasty Papa John's picnic in her backyard with root beer floats. :) Saturday night David & I got to go on a DATE while my mom watched Henley. We had tasty, cheap, sushi and then saw Avengers 3D! It was so great to get out, even get caught in a rainstorm! Sunday afternoon we all had dinner at mom's for Mother's Day and spent some time together. Henley and I went to Dad's to visit (David was wiped out!) and she got to meet her cousin Hayden that is just a few months younger than she is.

Monday started the fun again! We headed up to Madison and got to spend some great time with my sister Charity and her family! Samantha even convinced David, without much persuasion at all actually, to play Just Dance! I was SHOCKED! It was tons of fun for sure! Tuesday morning was family pictures with Kim Greenfield that was exhausting and fun! Henley was running from her saying "no more cheese" half of the time. She certainly earned her fee for that one! We hung out with Charity until after dinner and headed back to Birmingham. Wednesday was the McWane Center with Dad and lunch with Dad & Mary Sue (now this is what food is supposed to taste like!). Wednesday afternoon was swimming with my BFF since age 11, Rheanna, and a cookout with Rheanna & Andy, Mike & Leigh Ann and their kids. It was so great to catch up! Thursday morning we hung out with Aunt Pam for a short visit and then went to Dreamland for lunch! David has now been converted! :) Thursday afternoon David let Mom & I escape to buy fabric and cake boxes. It was a great break for sure! Thursday night was an AWESOME night with my Meredith filled with ice cream, talking and tears (the sister tri-fecta). Friday it was back to Arkansas for a couple of days of playing in the water and hanging out with the family. We got back to Moab on Tuesday afternoon and got to go to the outside pool where my suit broke and now I'm back to work. That's the log. I'll have processings/insights later. Now to Henley's doctor appointment. :)