Thursday, September 16, 2010

and ... a little more lake
















the lake
















blessed w/ southern grace!!!!!!





















it was perfect. It was just what i needed! My people, my roots... "kin" we left early, we drove all day, we saw Cotton in full bloom, and drove through the state of Alabama wrapped in Gator snuggies ( GASP )!!!!! we arrived in time for supper! greeted by cool air and wine on the deck and a sunset on the lake. We ate the MOST delish pot roast and mashed potatoes, and we laughed. We laughed, and caught up, and just "soaked" each other up! I always feel like I am at a bed and breakfast here, we have our own little sweet, a big welcome cozy bed, a guest room, a bathroom, all upstairs and cozy and perfect. Woke up every morning to the smell of coffee and eggs, and bacon, and gravy and biscuits. Every meal around a table, preceded with "grace" led by my Uncle Sonny, he was most grateful for the blessings of family, and the children of our family. Days were spent with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, all arriving and BIG hugs, all day on the boat, and fishing lines, and cast nets, an "wine thirty"!!! BB-Q and grill outs, and CAUSBIES cookies delivered special by my cousins from Kennett. "ooey gooey butter cake" and b-day cake for my cousin Jonna. Late night chats with my cousins, early morning coffee outside in crisp air. A long and perfect day on the boat, a visit to the water falls, as we watched our boys climb the rocks and take their first daring jump off of the falls!!! Followed by late afternoon on the dock, kids running and jumping off the dock, wave running and tubing. more food, more wine and more chats. LOVED waking up to all three kiddos climbing into bed and cuddling w/ me. Life is different her, no phone, no computer, but lots of love. We have been coming here for 17 years now, and we have thousands of memories. Sooo many laughs, soooo much love and most of all ... lots more memories to come. I love these people. I love their unconditional love, and the "southern grace" I am blessed to be born with.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

this and that...


life is rolling along, I think it can,t and then I find myself doing it... just living. I am still alive, I am more aware, more appreciative. I am breathing in my mornings a little deeper, hugging my friends a little tighter, listening to my kids just talk about their friends, life, praying a little more, working a little harder. Kids have settled nicely into school, they love their teachers and complain about homework, they get off the bus starving, rush through homework and the race outside to play with their friends, stop the ice cream truck, and beg to stay out 10 minutes longer when I tell them to come in. I am packing today, heading to Tennessee, to soak up my southern roots like biscuits soak up gravy. I haven't seen them in a while, I need them, my roots, my dads family. I need my kids to play with cousins, swim in a lake, jump off a dock, catch fish and eat the best southern food in the south. When we are there, life slows down, we sit on a porch and say few words, or sometimes we don't stop talking, we remember our grandparents, and Christmas's and dinners spent at the kids table. The kids FREAK out when they see a lightning bug, Abby swears she saw a "Tinkerbell" and my heart swells, my eyes get cloudy, because I love this big ole southern bunch so much! We head out tomorrow, early in the morning, dive the 12 and 1/2 hours, surely stopping at a cracker barrel along the way, driving along back roads, and state highways. They look for signs, Georgia, Alabama then into Tennessee/Mississippi. They get excited and so do I! I can't wait....