Can't believe it's come and gone...

Haven't written in a while. My sister Katherine, along with Mother, picked up the Chrystler van and came to get me. We left about 9:30 AM on Tuesday morning, July 27, to pick up my brother Richard and then headed to Columbia. Arrived there about 11:30 AM. Loaded suitcases for Sonny and Sarah into the van and headed to MS. First we drove through Rush's for lunch. We didn't stop for supper until we were in AL. We ate at a Cracker Barrel and it was yummy. Traveling wasn't too bad; we all could have used more leg room, but that's the way it goes. We stopped every couple of hours at Welcome Centers and rest stops; that helped. We got to Vera's about 9:30 PM their time and about 10:30 our time.

Our Dad was one of six children born to our Grandmother and Granddaddy. There was Uncle Leo and Aunt Helen; Aunt Louise and Uncle Tony; Uncle Lewis and Aunt Louise; my Dad; Uncle Grady Lawrence, who was killed in WW2 before I ever met him; and Uncle Laroy and Aunt Clarese(Recy). The only one still living is my Aunt Recy who is in an assisted living facility. Uncle Leo had two children, Kitty in CA, and Charles, is Cocomo, MS. We got to see him. He and his wife had 6 girls and have a good many grandchildren. Aunt Louise had twins, Vera and Vernon, and another daughter Linda. These are the cousins we are the closest to. We stay with Vera and Charles who have been married 51 years. Uncle Lewis had 6 children, one of whom (Larry) has died. We got to see two of the cousins that we have been closer to: Carol (who makes the best pralines in the world) and Johnnie. He lives in New Orleans and has a son and daughter. He and his wife Brenda seem really nice and it's too bad we don't know them better. Uncle Laroy had a son who died at birth, James Steven, and another son, Buddy. Buddy lives in TN and is not a son one would brag about, in my opinion.

Then of course, in our family there are five of us: Cassie, Richard, Sonny, Sarah, and Katherine. We all had such a wonderful time on our trip. Vera was 72 this year but you would never know it. She cooked 3 meals a day for us for a week! They were awesome. We did eat at Linda's house Friday night. On Wednesday, we drove thru Glendale and saw our grandparents' home, the old Gandy's store we used to walk to (wasn't it farther away than that???). The house looked so sad and nothing like it did when we would visit. Then we went around the corner to the street Aunt Louise used to live off of and whoa! there was the interstate. We couldnt' believe it. We drove on down and would you believe it - her driveway wasn't as long as we remembered it either. We also went to the site where Linda's first husband had been born and reared. It was torn down the week before we came down. Vera and Charles have bought it and will build there soon.

They want to build another house just like the one they have but with changes to make it the way they want it, i.e. larger area around kitchen island and wider dining room. The area seems to strange without the old house where we visited and stayed with Linda. But the property is very pretty and a new house will look wonderful there.

Truthfully a lot of the time I felt rather out of place. When the kitchen needed to be cleaned up, I felt in the way and would escape to the living room with a book. I just can't work with a crowd in the room; either let me clean it up and get out of my way, or leave me out of it. But I still had a good time.

On Thursday of that week, we went to New Orleans. It was really a trip down memory lane for Mother, so we didn't get to see some of the places that we would have enjoyed, like the French Quarters. We drove around and around and saw cable cars, beads hanging in trees from this year's Mardigras, where Mother lived as a child (we didn't know anything about), where my Mama' used to live, etc. New Orleans is such a crowded town, lots of new buildings, but also buildings left that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. The shotgun house my grandmother used to live in was vacant and gutted, and looked NOTHING like it did when Mama' lived there, but it brought back memories.

On Friday we did a little shopping and went to Linda's for supper. It was only a 13 mile drive but it felt like 50. The roads were curvy and in the country. My cousins are wonderful cooks and I have lots of new recipes to prove it. Ha.

Saturday we had a cookut and 45 cousins gathered for the fun. Sunday we went to church with Vera and Charles. And Monday, sadly, we headed for home. We were all missing out spouses and pets and it was good to get home. I arrived about 9:30 PM on Monday, August 2, Ken's birthday.

Tuesday I was very happy to return to Ladies Bible Class and see everyone. Friday night we ate with the kids and grandchildren to celebrate boy birthdays: Josh on 7/27; Ken's on 8/2; and David's on 8/10. We went to Wasabi's, a Japanese steakhouse the kids love. Saturday I went to Wal-Mart to get school supplies for the three grandchildren, then to the Children's Orchard to get school clothes for Elizabeth, a pair of PJs and shorts for Josh, and then fast drive-thru at Arby's and drive across town to get to the theater for "Ramona and Beezus". Such a sweet movie.

This week's been kind of a drag, only because I can't let go of the high from planning and going on the trip to MS. My brother Richard has been very sick this week from acid reflux that has upset his COPD and emphyszema.

My friend Terry who lives in Jasper, GA, was at services last night and we went to the Waffle House afterwards to "catch up". Her friend Melinda from TX was here, too.

Today feels better. Ken and I are going to the base for meds after lunch and then to the movie to see "Despicable Me". We can use a good laugh. Renea has called us and her Granny about leaving Allie and coming home. It's so hard to say no but she continues to cling to her troublesome ways and then wants to be rescued. We are OUT of the rescue business.

Time to close. At least I have cleared my mind.

Cassie