To Find My Boy

Out of the blue–we got news that our Daney boy and his family would be in Las Vegas for about a week–there was only one thing to do…

ROADTRIP!!!

Awesome too that Lily & Beckham both had soccer games there that week as well. Double duty roadtrip! Wahoooo!

We made a quick stop at the Creamery–you know…

long enough to get and ice cream cone, and get our picture taken with  a cow. Heh, heh.

We drove, and drove and drove until the lights of the city came into view.

Now, honestly, none of us are particularly huge fans of Vegas. The whole place feels kinda creepy to tell the truth. But if my wandering Texas boy and his birdies are here then we’ll forge ahead!!

Ok, nowwww I feel better. Haha. Seriously though, it did make me happy to see the Trump hotel. So dang awesome.

Good old Nate found our hotel in no time and checked us in. Then all we had to do was wallllllllk to our rooms.

This place was so huge that there was an airport type moving walkway just in the nick of time!

Though I whined…I did not, in fact, die–as you can see.

Ahhhhhh….what a lovely room!! And what cute kids!

After a good night’s sleep, we were off to find my Texas boy!

We found them!!! Oh, it was so good to see Dane and Kortney, sweet little Merrick and Skylie and Linky.  I didn’t take the pictures that I should have because I was too busy hugging them all.

This breakfast joint was the meetup place for the rest of the family travelers!

I know that other than Dane’s family–we all live right by each other, but for some reason it was just so nice to sit there and look around at everyone. I kept thinking–“These are allllll mine.”

So, so good to see them again. And SO incredibly good to have all my family in one room– even if it was just for a little while.

And did I mention–the food here was great too! The pancakes were bigger than the plate!

My BLT looked positively dangerous!

It was scrumptious, although I had to dismantle it before I could eat it. Nobody’s mouth opens that big.

After that– some folks went shopping…

site seeing…

did some soccer-y stuff…

and caught the water show at the Bellagio. Believe it or not, I stayed in the car in the parking lot because it was just too much walking for me. Look at these little treasures, would you?

Mine. Mine. Mine.  Heh, heh.

I spent the last night at the soccer condo so that I could teach my class from there, Saturday morning.

The crazy boys stayed up half the night playing games. They laughed so much I thought someone would be sick.

We came home after two lovely days with all my kiddos together. I’m pretty sure that this is what Heaven is like.

My Heaven anyway.

 

The Wanderers Return

Our sweet Dane and Kortney have been away…

in far, far off China…

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for nearly a year now.

They’ve been working in the preschool in Wuhan…

teaching English to the little ones there.

This week, they returned to America–at last, at LAST! They are still back east for a while but we will see them soon. Not soon enough for me, of course, but sincerely, I’m just glad to have them back on closer soil. China is just tooooo far away for this mama’s liking.

Welcome back my darlings!

Now, come home.

Heh, heh.

Gr Signature

Oregon~A Cheesy Day

This was my pretty little room for the vacation. It was wonderful to wake up in cozy room with a hand made quilt on the bed. How’d they know we loved such things–and even in pink?

After breakfast, we hopped in the cars and headed out to the farm country. This reminds me of the Mother Goose rhyme~

One misty, moisty morning, when cloudy was the weather, I chanced to meet and old man clothed all in leather…”

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As soon as we got closer to our destination, more and more fields of cows appeared. Yes, I know there are only a couple in this picture, but that’s because we were going really fast and all the other cow picture were blurry. Totally not my fault.

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At last, at last! The cheese capitol of our own little world!

What a cute little farmer and his pretty little cow.

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I took close up pictures of all the fun facts about cows and farming and cheese…just so I could read them and remember them later. I know, but it’s just the kind of nerd I am.

Dang fun to watch the cheese processing stuff…

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and see alllll that cheese moving along the conveyor belts.

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Those might not look like much but the blocks are actually HUGE. Don’t believe me?

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 Well I can prove it! These blocks weigh about 20 pounds!

Next, downstairs to the taste testing area. I even tasted the kinds with peppers in it. It was a brave day.

Ice cream an important part of your healthy day.

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Our great huge purchase from the cheese shop. YUM!

It was wonderful I tell you.

A Teeny Tiny Football Day

Our house was waaaay up from the beach so when I watched these guys doing that which they always do–throwing a football–they were so far away that I could barely see who was who. After zooming in and cropping, this is what we get…that is until the Bald Kid went behind the cliff and I couldn’t see him anymore.

Maybe if you scroll through fast, it will look like a flip book or something.

No matter where we go,

or how long they’ve been apart…

some things…

between these boys…

thankfully…

never…

ever…

change.

Oh, how I love them.