How it really is . . .

This picture is how I must look tonight. I'm exhausted. However, this picture Grace took of me when we stopped at their house on our way home from Branson the 18th of February; I had on the same shirt (I must like traveling in it) and my hair was down. I think I'm more tired this time; it's been a big day, but it's been WONDERFUL! People are so kind to say how good I look, and the truth is that I always have Don take 2 or 3 pictures because, half the time I have my eyes closed or something. Anyway, I pick the best one to put on the blog. Well, Grace so wanted to take a picture of me with her little bear that Jack had just given her for Valentines Day, so she got this one with some of me and some of her little dog. There's a great story about Grace and Jack.

Jack is Grace's age and lives a couple of doors from Trish and Rob. He works from home, so he was available to drive Jack and Grace to preschool last year and also pick them up and bring them home, so it saved Trish from having to get out everyday and bundle up Raynie to take Grace to school. One afternoon Trish had to to to school for something with one of the other kids, and she had Grace and Raynie with her. She had Raynie in her arms and got Grace out of the van and then closed the sliding door. Just as she did, Grace reached back into the van for her toy and the door hit her in the head! Her head was bleeding a lot, so Trish took her to the emergency room. The doctor was being so nice to them and Grace was being very calm and grown up about the whole thing. The doctor said, "I'm Doctor Smith, and you are?" Grace said, "Grace." Dr. Smith said, "Hello, Grace, are you married?" Grace said, "Yes." Doctor Smith (and Tricia) raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh? What's your husband's name?" Grace said, "Jack." Trish was quite the basket case, already, but that pretty much relaxed her. We've got lots of laughs about that one, and Jack and Grace are still great friends.

So, back to today. We stopped in OKC and picked up all the kids except for Nate. Trish and Rob stayed to see him be the drill sergeant for the Saint Patrick's Day parade and they followed us. They got here around 8:3o and once they got all their stuff unloaded Trish and I went to the grocery store for about an hour and a half. It's not like we got that much stuff, but we didn't know where anything was in this store. (Don and I spent the winter here, but we're buying lots of different things for them that we don't usually eat.) We got back and put away all the food and then it hit me: the blog! So everyone else has gone to bed and here I am writing the blog. It's going to say it's tomorrow, and it really is, but it's still Friday to me.

All I know is that I thank God that we all got here safely. We're looking forward to a way fun week. We've got a good start on it, but I've got to go to bed. Sorry if I worried anyone who was looking for this into the wee hours Friday night. I'll do better next posting. Maybe I'll get something current of some of the kids.