I journaled on the plane on the way home and tried to remember every little thing that happened. Every little thing I laughed about, every warming of my heart when I looked at my brother and every moment I looked at my husband and watch him be just....... wonderful. I wanted to document every bit of it and I wanted to blog all of it.
And then I realized that would take days. So I decided to shorten my stories into bullet points with mini stories.
Here goes:
We arrive Friday. We pull up, they run out of the house and I run to meet them. Those first hugs are always so great. It feels like years since the last time I have seen them and yet it seems like yesterday. The puppies are even glad to see us!
We spend the evening talking and laughing and just catching up. Cece made an absolutely delicious soup made of veggies out of their garden and very tasty meat and of course homemade cookies for dessert. . We ate too much, we stayed up too late and went to bed full of love.
Saturday we wake up to very chilly weather. I stay in my pajamas..... because I can. This is the true meaning of feeling at home. Anyplace you feel comfortable staying in your pajamas is a place you can call home.
We hang out, talk, laugh and finally begin to move about. We decide we will get ready and head out to do a little shopping. Tractor Supply.......... Here we come. The four of us shopping together is a very fun thing. We all seem to have the same mentality! We play with toys, we try on hats, we read all the funny signs, we look at gardening magazines, we look at all the animal feed and animal feeders. People laugh at us as they walk by....... we have a great time!
Next - home for more soup. Yummy. We nap. Then we decide to head to Tallahassee. We go to an area called The Marketplace first. Really a great area. We visit the wine and liquor store and talked to the people running the store. They were all extremely knowledgeable. Jim and my brother purchase a bottle of Irish whiskey. Jim and I do a gin tasting of a brand we have not had before. very good. The fish market was closed so we weren't able to visit. We head off to Bass Pro Shop. Again, we have a fantastic time. Jim wrestles an alligator, we look at guns, we wave to Santa. Yet another great time!
Sunday morning I wake up laughing with Jim. Of course. He goes out to the kitchen to get coffee for us. I look outside and see my brother out in the garden. I cry. I am so emotional looking out at this person that I have known since I was born who has love me unconditionally since the moment he met me. Jim walks back in and immediately gives me a hug. I put my coat on over my pajamas, slip my shoes on, kiss Jim and head outside to help my brother in the garden. We spend 45 minutes working in the dirt, talking and just hanging out. I am so happy.
My nephew and his wife are driving down to see us today and CeCe is fixing a Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner. Wow did she go all out! Cece is an excellent cook so we ate like kings. We had a great day playing and the weather was beautiful. My nephew (John) and his wife (Jeana) brought us gifts. I will save that post for Jim. :-)Jim, my brother and nephew all went out and played with the quad copter and the girls hung out talked and laughed. My brother pulled out a box of things that were my dad's. Amazing. My dad's social security card was metal. Very odd. We had an amazing day filled with laughter and love. My nephew and niece had to leave so the four of us stayed up watching Barn Builders and yes, laughing!
Monday is the day we leave so I will not say much about that. Saying goodbye is always hard. Knowing I will go back soon makes it a little easier... but not much.
Jim and I head out. We make it to the airport earlier than expected so Jim asks if I want to head to the beach just a few minutes. It's not far so I say yes. We spend about a half hour at the beach enjoying the water. I reflect on the past few days. Love.
Very cool, Ruthie! ��
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