We're Back

The 1332 mile drive from Hammond was better than expected. The girls were relatively good, and the weather didn't give us any trouble. We're all happy to be out of the car. The adjustment to being home is a slight one, but overall, we're good. The girls definitely miss the extra attention

Here's a rundown of the rest of our week in Louisiana.

Wednesday, March 19-the day Daddy was supposed to be back with us. His flight was late anyway, but due to weather moving across the country, his flight was delayed, and so was our visit. The girls and I stayed in BR one more night while Mr. Ed & Ms. Becky did the 11:30pm pickup from the New Orleans airport. You have no idea how thankful I am for that.

Thursday, March 20-We loaded the van and headed to Hammond for the anxiously awaited homecoming of Daddy. As expected, Lise' did not leave her Daddy's side for days. He loved every minute of it. She had all sorts of new dance moves and costumes to share with him.

That night, Clare and Kaye (cousins from Houston) arrived. It was after the girls went to bed, so the fun had to wait until Friday.

Friday, March 20-Let the games begin! From the moment they woke up, there was fun to be had. They played on the rope swing, they ran in the yard, they played ball, dyed Easter eggs, dug in the mud, played with Uncle Richard's puppies and dressed up. The fun didn't cease until their heads hit the pillow that night with a thump. If you measured the fun they had by the dirt ring on the tub, you knew they were happy.

That night, we also boiled crawfish. It was the perfect night for it. The weather was wonderful, and the bugs hadn't yet arrived. We look forward to our one boil of the year when we make it home, and this one definitely lived up to our expectations. Lise' even peeled a few herself, something I would have definitely put my money against.

Saturday, March 21-We packed up the girls and drove to Baton Rouge one last time for the Wale Family Easter Egg hunt. We had 8 of the 11 great grandchildren there (ranging in age from 2 weeks to 5 yrs) for lunch and a backyard egg hunt at MawMaws. The weather couldn't have been nicer or the company any better. It's especially nice to see all my family in one location when I come into town. I hope this turns into an annual event.

That night, we returned to Hammond for one last round of fun before everyone headed home after Easter. For the most part, Lise' spent her evening on the rope swing in the backyard. It's her new favorite pasttime, and you can't push her high enough or fast enough. It's enough to make me a little nervous.

Easter Sunday-After a delicious brunch of grillads and grits, we said goodbye to the Houston Swindells and started packing our stuff as well. Because we weren't leaving until Monday morning, B and his dad were able to get a few last minute things done in the yard, and Lise' was right there with them digging holes, dragging pipe, running wire-all in her sparkle red shoes (aka Dorothy shoes).

We ended our visit with one last crawfish dish and headed to bed because we had an early morning the next day. It was a great visit.

On Monday, we hit the road at 4:45am. The girls made it to Tuscaloosa, where we stopped at Waffle House for breakfast. We called just in time to share a waffle with Ms. Jennifer, Ira & Flossie's mommy. Once on the road, it was pretty much smooth sailing. We had a small delay in Knoxville and a "get me out of the car" meltdown soon after, but once we took a dinner break, we made it all the way to Virginia-a little over half way.

The next day we had about 8 hrs left in the 20 hr journey (not counting stops). We slept a little longer than expected and therefore got a later than ideal start, but no big deal. We drove through beautiful countryside. An exciting moment came in the 10 mile stretch of West Virginia, when the tractor trailer in front of us carrying a tractor of somesort had a back tire blowout which caused another tire blowout. It was enough to get your heart pumping, that's for sure. The later part of the trip was long, but we eventually made it home around 8pm.

Now, the job of putting everything away is before me. With that said, I must go. I promise I'll try to get my pictures downloaded in the next day to share with you.