Lindsay & Reagan came down on Wednesday. Boy, do I love spending time with them! That little girl brings so much joy to my life - I have a hard time not smiling when I'm with her. She is such a happy little one and finds such delight in everything she sees and does. It helps me to do so, too. It's kind of amazing how something I've been doing all my life, such as swimming, takes on a whole new thrill when I do it with Reagan. Her excitement in doing new things (or even the same thing over and over . . . and over again) gets me excited, too. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of grandchildren yet, just wait - you'll see what I'm talking about! And to watch my daughter mothering her daughter is overwhelming. Lindsay is a great mom and I am so proud of her!
Anyway, my folks sure enjoyed having Lindsay & Reagan there, too. They don't get enough time with them, either. I'm just so darn grateful that my granddaughter is able to get to know her great grandparents. Isn't that cool?!?!!Thursday evening Paula & Lou came in so they could be there for Mary's visit. They had taken a few days off to recoup from the wedding and to celebrate their ninth anniversary.
Friday afternoon, Mary and family, including her mom, Ann, arrived. Mary is married to Tim and they have two children, Robert (20) and Anna (16). I have not seen them in 14 years!! They live in Wales (Tim's British) and the last time they were in the United States I was not able to see them.Mary and I were great buddies when we were kids. Technically, she is my second cousin, I think. We had a discussion about that, it's so confusing!! She is my mom's cousin's daughter. Anyway, she and I were the only cousins our age; everyone else was older and didn't have anything to do with us. We spent lots of time at each other's houses and just had a great time together growing up. We lost touch as we got older and our lives took different turns, especially when she went to college and I got married. But, when she married Tim, Randy & I had the privilege of participating in their wedding. I just couldn't believe that Mary was going to leave the country and live that far away! Shoot, she'd hardly ever left Washington, DC where she'd lived all her life. I liked Tim right away, though, and it seems he has continued to make her happy for the last 22 years.
We had such a great time reminiscing and laughing. Boy, did we laugh. Mary & I
seemed to just pick up where we left off. It was fun telling a few stories to Mary's kids about their mom. Mary's kids are just great. She and Tim have done a great job with them. Robert is at college (university, they call it) and Anna just graduated from high school. Tim is a chef with a caterer and Mary works part-time in the local grocery store.The day went so fast, it was hard to say good-bye. But, Randy & I decided we are going to visit them in a couple of years. Yes, we're gonna do it. It's crazy not to travel overseas when you've got family waiting for you and a free place to stay!
Once again, God has reminded me of the many blessings He has given me. To have extended family that means so much and to be able to spend time with them is very special. I need to take more time to show my gratitude for these blessings.
Enjoy the pictures. We've got a pretty quiet week this week, but I'll have some fun stuff to share next week. I'm going to see "Menopause: The Musical" with a girlfriend and then we've got Randy's 40th high school reunion coming up. I'm sure I can find something to share with you all about this stuff! :)
Take care. Be sure to tell one another how much you love each other. Until the next time . . .
I didn't know the 5th wheel had fins! Can't wait to see it float across the big lake as you meander to Wales!
ReplyDelete