Home

We made it back.  We spent a fun week away visiting faraway family members that we simply don't get to see enough of.  We met our little Josie, who is as pretty as she can be.  We got to eat up Billie, who I love nearly as much as I love Kierstin after this week.  (And all of the other children in my life, of course)  He is precocious and silly and sweet and brave and he has just turned 2!  He loves the farm and his daddy and is so much fun!  He looks like Brittany to me, but everyone else says he looks like Bo.  Olivia is growing up so fast.  She was so much more mature!  She and Kyra had a great time together.  We spent most of our time at the hotel pool enjoying popsicles.  And then there was Ty.  I can't tell you how fun he is.  We tried to sneak him back to Texas with us, but his silly parents said no.  Selfish!  I do have lots of pictures, but that will wait until tomorrow when some sleep has cleared away the fog of driving 10 hours.  I do have to say though, that I miss those distant relatives so much.  I know that life has placed each of us in different places but Brittany and Jon, and their awesome families, are missed!  Brittany has opened up her own Salon in Lousiburg, while she was pregnant, by the way.  It is such a cute little place.  I do have big plans swirling around in my head that I would love to throw at her, if she wants my ideas of course.  Mom and I talked about lots of ideas on the way home.  Brittany works so hard out there.  She has three amazing kids, that salon, a very cute little house complete with a garden that is actually going to put out real veggies and she is just beautiful.  I don't think she knows that about herself, but I do.  I miss her every day and wish, selfishly of course, that they could be closer.  She and I were the very best of friends many years ago and I miss that.  Don't get me wrong, we are still close, but distance does make that difficult.  We loved going out to Bo's parents farm and riding 4 Wheelers, even Kyra.  (I have pictures to prove it.)  It is a different way of life, one that I have often wished for but know well that I don't have the strength to stick with it.  They work hard out there.  It is so fun to see.  I feel accomplished when my flowers are growing, much less cattle, and chickens, and whatever else is living out there.  It is amazing.

I do have to take a moment to say also how grateful I am for Larry.  He is away, in Vancouver, and working so hard to keep things together and I know how lonely he has been this week.  It is incredible to me to see what these men do to provide for our families.  I know that Larry has been blessed with down time but right now he is working tirelessly to pull off an Olympics without enough time, and without us.  I wish so much that I could be in some home up there at the end of the day when he comes home, with our children waiting at the door.  We still do that here.  We love him and miss him.  He will be home June 27th, but that feels like a long way away.  (I am feeling a tad sentimental.)  

I have pictures that I will post tomorrow.  :)